Nick Maxwell The nobility of Tudor Ireland are important because the nobility were key agents of change in this revolutionary period. The movement among the English of Ireland for the political ‘reformation’ of their land during the reign of Henry VIII was essentially the product of hostility between the peerage and the gentry. Without it, the Kildare … Read more
Blood of the Irish Crossing the Line Films 5 & 12 January 2009, RTÉ 1 by John Gibney Blood of the Irish was RTÉ’s first significant documentary of 2009. The promotional material claimed that here was a programme that would seek ‘the truth about the Irish’ by asking the interlinked questions ‘who are the Irish … Read more
At the London Olympic Games in 1908 Irish-born athletes won 33 medals. In athletics Irish-born athletes won five golds—hammer, 200m sprint, triple jump (then known as the ‘hop, step and jump’), discus and discus (Greek-style). Silver medals were won in the shot-put, the hammer and the high jump, and bronze medals in the 100m sprint, … Read more
They say that journalism is the first draft of history, and this is literally the case with Irish Times journalist Deaglán de Bréadún’s The far side of revenge: making peace in Northern Ireland (Collins Press, 450pp, €18.99/£14.99 pb, ISBN 9781905172610). Originally published in 2001, the concluding ‘fifth act’ has been added, bringing the story up … Read more
Beyond the Pale National Photographic Archive, Meeting House Square, Temple Bar, Dublin 2 +353 (0)1 6030200, photoarchive@nli.ie, www.nli.ie Mon.–Fri. 10am–5pm, Sat. 10am–2pm by Tony Canavan Old photographs, especially in black and white, have a continuing fascination for the public and have an authenticity about them that other remnants of times gone by seem to lack. … Read more