Nick Maxwell The magnitude of the events in Belfast during that fateful month can be gauged by the testimony of 2nd Lt Adams to the Scarman Tribunal, describing the scene he witnessed on entering Bombay Street for the first time on the night of 15/16 August: ‘I was horrified. I had never seen houses burning like that … Read more
The 1970s was an undeniably dramatic decade, with economic, industrial and political unrest at home and abroad; social change, with a new level of consumer affluence; and sharpened debates about religion, equality and the status of women in Irish life. And there was the continuation of the conflict in Northern Ireland, with serious implications for … Read more
Before 1951 only a few people in Ireland owned a TV set. There was no Irish television service and little prospect of one. Some owners were householders with the money to spend and a taste for the latest novelty. There were also some radio and electronics experimenters who built receivers from kits with military surplus … Read more
For the first time since Parnell—and in less upsetting circumstances for Ireland—the story of Edward and Mrs Simpson gave Irish people the chance to discuss marriage and divorce openly. Eileen Clare, a Wexford girl sent to a convent boarding-school in England, remembers the fascination with the romance among the Irish nuns. When she returned home … Read more
The early decades of the twentieth century were ones of social, political and geographical upheaval. This created a restless society, with many political organisations forming across the political spectrum. During these decades the law of sedition was used in prosecutions more frequently than today. Generally sedition was considered to occur when a person/member of an … Read more