Nick Maxwell By Damian Murphy The origins of St John’s Church date back to 1290, when, according to the Liber Primus Kilkenniensis, Mass was first celebrated at the altar of the new Lady Chapel adjoining the choir of the Augustinian Priory of St John the Evangelist (1211). The Lady Chapel was renowned for the uninterrupted sequence of … Read more
By Jack Hepworth Founded a century ago, the Irish Free State was established as a dominion of the British Commonwealth under the Crown. For the predominantly unionist Protestant minority in the Free State, however, the formal separation from Britain prompted difficult political questions. What did it mean to be a ‘unionist’ or ‘loyalist’ after Ireland’s … Read more
By Fiona Fitzsimons In 1831 the Board of Public Works was established by a parliamentary act. It assumed the powers of several pre-existing bodies, combining them into one. The Board had permanent powers and a range of concerns beyond those of its English counterpart. It could set up relief projects, for example, including public work … Read more
By Billy Shortall The 1933–4 Chicago World’s Fair, also known as the Century of Progress Exposition, celebrated the development of Chicago into a modern city. The recently elected Fianna Fáil-led government decided that Ireland should be represented at the spectacle, despite civil servants’ recommendation against participation. They cited the considerable costs involved as an obstacle, … Read more
By Hugh Stephenson ‘Did he blaze?’ The question, reported by Jonah Barrington to establish the character of a young man, reflected the rage for duelling in Ireland in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. Dueling has a long history in Ireland and originated in judicial trials by combat. The practice of dueling was effectively … Read more