Nick Maxwell 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
The 1851 Summary Jurisdiction Act banned bullet-throwing, and the extent of the sport then becomes evident in prosecutions and related newspaper coverage. The crescendo does not arise immediately. Of 78 newspaper references found, there are only eight in the entire period up to 1865. The reform of the Belfast police in that year may have … Read more
One of the consequences of the Crimean War (1854–6) was the abolition by parliament of access to military commissions by privilege and its replacement by public examinations, particularly for the more technical branches, artillery and engineers. The new system was also adopted by the Indian Civil Service (ICS). The change required an educational revolution at … Read more
With the passing of Galbraith in 1890 the partnership of over 40 years was dissolved and the agreement put in place between the two men was enacted. The equal-share copyright and equal-share profits from the series held by the deceased were transferred entirely to the surviving partner. When Haughton died in 1897, he directed that … Read more