Nick Maxwell WHY WAS THE GREEN HARP FLAG NOT FLOWN ABOVE THE GPO DURING THE 1916 RISING? By Emily Cullen The delivery of the Irish flag and a copy of the Proclamation of the Irish Republic to all primary schools in the country this year was a potent reminder of the link between the 1916 Rising and … Read more
IN 1796 A LARGE FRENCH INVASION FLEET SLIPPED PAST THE ROYAL NAVY AND MOORED OFF THE SOUTH-WEST COAST OF IRELAND AT BANTRY BAY. BATTERED BY STORMS, THE FRENCH TROOPS WERE UNABLE TO LAND AND RETURNED TO FRANCE. ‘WE WERE CLOSE ENOUGH TO TOSS A SHIP’S BISCUIT ASHORE’, WROTE WOLFE TONE BITTERLY IN HIS DIARY OF … Read more
The remaining regiments of the old Irish Brigade of France were disbanded after the French Revolution in 1789, lost their distinctive red uniforms and were absorbed into the regular French army, although for many years after they were still regarded as ‘Irish regiments’. Although none of them accompanied the Bantry Bay expedition, a number of … Read more
The French fleet had slipped past the principal Royal Navy squadron blockading Brest, but their departure had not been unobserved. Earlier in December, Captain Sir Edward Pellow’s frigate squadron and local spies had seen increased activity at Brest and anchored at Falmouth to notify the Admiralty that the French were about to take to the … Read more