Irish nationalism and Zionism

Sir,—In 2016, Sir Bob Geldof stated that the men of 1916 were the same as Muslim Jihadis. At about the same time, an eminent, well-respected British journalist reinforced this view. While still getting over the shock of that insight, I was doubly shocked to read Aidan Beatty’s (HI 26.1, Jan./Feb. 2018) revelation that Gaelgeoirí in … Read more

Hanna Sheehy Skeffington review

Sir,—I appreciate History Ireland’s accolade in choosing the collected writings of Hanna Sheehy Skeffington as the ‘Big Book’ review for January/February 2018 (HI 26.1). I was very glad to see that the reviewer, Patrick Maume, begins by describing this as a ‘valuable book … a picture of an activist in her own words’. But to … Read more

SUNNINGDALE: the search for peace in Northern Ireland

NOEL DORR, Royal Irish Academy, €30, ISBN 9781-908997647 By Cillian McGrattan Cillian McGrattan lectures in Politics at the University of Ulster. Former Irish senior civil servant Noel Dorr revisits the increasingly well-furrowed ground of the Sunningdale period (1973–4) in this autobiography-cum-history. Although Dorr’s perspective on events was rather limited at the time owing to his … Read more

BITE-SIZED HISTORY

BY TONY CANAVAN Where and when did the War of Independence start? At Soloheadbeg, Co. Tipperary, 1919, I hear you say. Well, in Donegal they recently commemorated what they claim was the first action of the War of Independence. On 4 January 1918, an RIC party was bringing two republican prisoners from Kincasslagh to court … Read more