Nick Maxwell 
Within the Black Abbey in Kilkenny stand three figures carved as one from alabaster: it is an image of the Holy Trinity. Crowned, bearded and majestic, God the Father raises His arms in blessing over the crucified Christ, emaciated and naked but for a loincloth. Above the head of Christ is the Dove of the … Read more
It does not take long to notice that the dove of the Holy Spirit on the Black Abbey Trinity has been damaged. Was it broken by accident, or was it broken deliberately as an act of faith? Damage to, or complete loss of, doves of the Holy Spirit on English alabaster images of the Trinity … Read more
Judging from the number of alabasters that survive in Ireland today, the size of the Irish market for English alabasters would seem to have been fairly modest. Yet the alabasters that did reach Ireland certainly made their mark in one corner of County Clare. The influence of the Midlands sculptors can be seen on the … Read more
Sir,—Can any reader identify this group of IRA Volunteers or name any of them individually? The photograph was discovered in recent years and was the property of Mrs Molly McGovern (née Drum), Ballyconnell, Co. Cavan. The group was probably photographed in the 1918–21 period and are well armed. If from County Cavan, they may be … Read more
Sir,—Adrian Grant takes me to task (letters, HI 21.6, Nov./Dec. 2013) for my review of his book Irish socialist republicanism, 1909–1936 for my claim that he asserts that ‘Larkin’s arrival in Ireland and the establishment of the Irish Transport and General Workers’ Union heralded the advent of a united Labour movement with a socialist republic … Read more