Nick Maxwell Sir,—Catriona Crowe (HI 26.2, March/April 2018, Platform) says that in the light of the Ryan and McAleese Reports, and the Mother and Baby Homes Commission, Irish Catholic institutions have in general not been forthcoming enough regarding their records, which she considers should all be accessible to those who wish to see them. She refers to … Read more
The Wexford Traveller and horse-dealer John Cash was a celebrated piper in the late nineteenth century, and descendants of his—particularly the two Doran brothers, Johnny (d. 1950) and Felix (d. 1972)—achieved celebrity status as pipers in the twentieth century. Johnny and Felix played in very different styles; while Felix’s could be related to that of … Read more
Irish pipers and makers abroad, including O’Farrell, Courtney and Michael Egan, have made valuable contributions to the tradition. The post-Famine emigration brought players and makers to the United States, and Irish communities in America produced many superb pipers, including Barney Delaney, Mike Carney and Patsy Touhey. The last named played a set of pipes made … Read more
William Wallace Papers, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland By Fiona Fitzsimons Before photographs, hospital doctors occasionally commissioned artists to illustrate some patients’ symptoms and the progress of their disease. In Ireland drawings for Dublin hospitals are scattered between archival collections in the universities. One of the most accessible collections, the William Wallace Papers, … Read more
How women’s magazines handled sex and the Irish ‘guilt complex’ in the 1960s. By Ciara Meehan Dr Martin Kennedy posed this question in his column for Woman’s Choice magazine in 1968. It was followed by another question, relating to intimacy during pregnancy: ‘How are you to keep him happy during these difficult months?’ The … Read more