Louie Rickard—the inspiration behind ‘The Last General Absolution of the Munsters at Rue-du-Bois’?

By John Hayes During the centennial commemorations of the First World War, the illustration entitled ‘The Last General Absolution of the Munsters at Rue-du-Bois’ by the war artist Fortunino Matania often appeared. The image depicts the administration of the sacrament of penance to the second battalion of the Royal Munster Fusiliers by their chaplain, Fr … Read more

Fortunino Matania

Born in Naples, among his better-known works are illustrations of the sinking of the Titanic and of the Lusitania. Most famous of all was a wartime painting entitled ‘Goodbye, Old Man’, depicting a soldier bidding farewell to his dying horse. Matania produced the first picture of the opening of Tutankhamen’s tomb by Howard Carter in 1922. In … Read more

Ordnance Survey employment records

By Fiona Fitzsimons   Evidence in family history consists of any source—a document, photo or artefact—with a name (or names), date, place-name or story attached to it. Even the dullest administrative documents can be turned to a genealogical purpose if they contain this base evidence. In 1824 the Ordnance Survey (OS) opened for business in Ireland. … Read more