Nick Maxwell

By Ken Boyle A worn old rent book, rescued from a skip, was to provide the opportunity and inspiration for this investigation. The compact book contained the names of the 37 tenants who occupied the nine separate units in 73 Eccles Street from 1915 to 1920, with details of their weekly payments. A coach-house and … Read more

By David Prendergast The 10th of April 1923 brought a smattering of IRA leaders and foot-soldiers into the foothills of the Knockmealdowns. After the Executive was surprised and hunted by National Army troops of Gen. John T. Prout’s ‘big sweep’, a mortal blow was delivered to the anti-Treaty IRA—the fatal shooting of Liam Lynch. Following … Read more

By Gerard Shannon As 1922 ended, Liam Lynch—chief of staff of the anti-Treaty IRA—admitted in a private communication that he did not anticipate the republican military resistance to succeed against the forces of the Irish Free State. He was responding to a warning by Eamon de Valera, who felt that the IRA should not expect … Read more

By Ronan Mulhaire Between the close of the nineteenth century and the beginning of the First World War professional wrestling, in the words of Matthew Lindaman, ‘enjoyed a status unparalleled among other sports of the time’. This stemmed from a rise in mass culture, nationalism and fin de siècle anxieties about masculinity and degeneracy. Ireland … Read more

The curious case of Richard Burke, executed for murder, and the unsolved mystery of the great fire at Queen’s College, Cork, in 1862. By Pat Poland The fire at Queen’s College, Cork (QCC, later UCC), in May 1862, while not the largest, was certainly the most controversial blaze experienced in Cork in years, the repercussions … Read more