Nick Maxwell The triumph of the Young Turk Revolution of 24 July 1908 was sudden, unexpected, always patchy, and never complete in the way revolutions are meant to be. Only after five years did the Committee of Union and Progress definitively move to fully consummate its power. The over-arching aim of the Young Turks was to find … Read more
Probably the single most important event that poisoned the already strained relations with Britain was the seizure of the warships Sultan Osman and Res¸adiye on 31 July, before the outbreak of the war and the signing of the Turco-German alliance agreement. This was perceived as an act of open aggression and caused tremendous indignation and … Read more
Britain persistently opposed the main reforming policies of the Young Turks, and actively worked to create zones of influence for herself within the Ottoman Empire. Whenever the Ottomans took steps that they deemed necessary for them to move forward, survive and reform, they had to face Britain’s resistance and active intervention. The antagonistic relations in … Read more
The parish of Kilmore-Erris, in the north-west of County Mayo, boasts four lighthouses, three of which—Eagle Island (1836), Broadhaven or Ballyglass (1853–5) and Black Rock (1858–62)—are attributable to George Halpin Senior (1776–1854), inspector of works and lighthouses, or his son, George Halpin Junior (1804–69). Each is a whitewashed tapering tower with a lantern encircled by … Read more
‘Bullet-throwing’, as it was almost universally called in Belfast, involved the throwing of an iron ball weighing 28 ounces along a course of two to three miles. A match or ‘score’ was most often contested by single players, but doubles matches also occurred. The winner or winners were those who completed the course with the … Read more