Nick Maxwell Devlin’s use of the AOH to enforce party discipline reached its zenith at the ‘baton’ convention of 9 February 1909, called to consider, or to enforce the acceptance of, Birrell’s land bill. The main victim was William O’Brien, ironically the founder of the UIL, opponent of the land bill and supporter of a more conciliatory … Read more
The murder of Major Mahon, Strokestown, County Roscommon, 1847 Padraig Vesey (Four Courts Press, Maynooth Studies in Local History, €9.95) ISBN 9781846821196 In opening, the author briefly surveys some previous accounts of the Mahon murder, including Robert Scally’s The end of hidden Ireland, of which he says: ‘The introduction to Scally’s book reflects an anti-Unionist … Read more
‘How lies about Irish “barbarism” in 1641 paved way for Cromwell’s atrocities. Conference hears how seventeenth-century “dodgy dossier” spread stories about Catholics ripping open pregnant Protestant women.’ These headlines appeared in the Guardian On-line in February 2011. The ‘dodgy dossier’ angle was a good headline-grabber, but the truth of the matter is that the Language … Read more
‘Terrible queer creatures’: a history of homosexuality in Ireland Brian Lacey (Wordwell Books, €25) ISBN 9781905569236 With a title referencing James Joyce, this book takes one down a hundred avenues of Irish gay history and a greater number of characters. Whether their homosexuality is documented or the subject of reasoned speculation, Brian Lacey, a noted … Read more
Catholic Belfast and nationalist Ireland in the era of Joe Devlin, 1871–1934 A. C. Hepburn (Oxford University Press, £55) ISBN 9780199298846 To his admirers, ‘Wee’ Joe Devlin was a gifted orator, a powerful defender of Catholic rights and a champion of the working class, while detractors tend to see him as a ‘green Tory’, a … Read more