Nick Maxwell In a previous life, when Bookworm drove a leaky antique BSA 350, the bible of all do-it-yourself motorcycle mechanics was the Haynes manual. With the Haynes, a screwdriver and vice-grips, you could strip down and rebuild almost any machine. Now Richard P. de Kerbrech and David Hutchings have applied the same formula—cutaway diagrams, detailed drawings, … Read more
The National Museum of Ireland in Kildare Street could be viewed as a collection of smaller themed museums rather than one large one, as the permanent collections on various aspects of Irish history are self-contained. It can be a rewarding experience to concentrate on just one of these instead of attempting to take in the … Read more
According to Teagasc, a French field is likely, on average, to change hands once every 70 years. But this will only happen to an Irish field once every 555 years. It is an extraordinary statistic, one on which this assured and elegant documentary ultimately rested. Directed with great skill by the veteran Seán Ó Mordha, … Read more
Of three major productions shown in Ireland this spring, The Big Fellah is the most obvious one to review for History Ireland but not necessarily the best. The historical and contemporary resonances of the recent production of Arthur Miller’s The Crucible at the Lyric, Belfast, show the power of theatre to reflect society through the … Read more
Ireland: the politics of enmity 1789–2006 Paul Bew (Oxford University Press, £35) ISBN 9780198205555 According to the preface, this book ‘is about the conflict between the Protestant British—both on the British “mainland” and in Ireland itself—and the Catholic Irish’, from the 1800 Act of Union to the 2006 St Andrews Agreement. The various attempts by … Read more