Nick Maxwell – Page 837 – History Ireland

Jettisoning faith, culture and identity to serve the Crown: Elizabethan grant of land and title to Florence Fitzpatrick, 3rd baron of Upper Ossory, 1581

Painstakingly hand-painted on almost three square metres of vellum, the Fitzpatrick manuscript is written in Latin and decorated with ornate depictions of English fruits, flowers, insects and woodland creatures, redolent of Tudor propaganda depicting a providential reign, in harmony with nature, God and the English people. The evolution of the Fitzpatrick dynasty, hereditary lords of … Read more

Lough Cutra castle, Co. Galway

Designed by the English architect John Nash (1752–1835) for Colonel Charles Vereker, 2nd Viscount Gort, Lough Cutra Castle is located on the banks of Lough Cutra. Nash had many well-known commissions, including the master-plan for the Regency area in London, the Royal Pavilion, Brighton, and the conversion of Buckingham House into Buckingham Palace for King … Read more

Many’s the slip . . .

One of the most perversely inventive punishments was handed out to John Walker for the theft of a comrade’s coat. He was taken to the gallows and had a rope put around his neck, which was drawn so tightly that he had to stand on tiptoes. In that precarious posture he received twenty lashes in … Read more

Judging Dev: A reassessment of the life and legacy of Éamon de Valera

Judging Dev: A reassessment of the life and legacy of Éamon de Valera Diarmaid Ferriter (Royal Irish Academy, €30/£25) ISBN: 9781904890287 De Valera was unquestionably the dominant political figure of twentieth-century Ireland. His achievements included the foundation of Fianna Fáil, wartime neutrality, constitutional innovation, and democratically remaining in power for sixteen uninterrupted years. All of … Read more