Nick Maxwell The census records for 1901 and 1911 have been by far our most popular sources, accounting for 40 per cent of productions to readers. They were the obvious choice for digitisation when we contemplated making some of our holdings available on the internet. Irish census records differ from those of other countries in that the … Read more
John Pius Boland was Ireland’s first Olympic champion but he was not our first ‘gold’ medallist—his prizes in Athens in 1896 were silver medals and olive wreaths. Up until London, the awards for first, second or other places in any Olympic final were at the discretion of the organising committee of the games concerned. Such … Read more
When John Pius Boland, born in Capel Street, Dublin, went to Athens for the first modern Olympic Games in 1896 he did so as a scholar-tourist, seeking respite from a semester of study at the University of Bonn and, previous to that, his studies for a postgraduate law degree in Oxford. While in Athens, following … Read more
Foclóirí agus foclóirithe na Gaeilge Liam Mac Amhlaigh (Cois Life, €15) ISBN 9781901176834 This book is a brief easy guide to Irish lexicography and Irish lexicographers. It is scholarly, accurate and well written, and provides an overview of its subject from the middle of the seventeenth century to the present day. The author correctly states … Read more
THEN, for me, was 1956, when the Olympiad came to Melbourne, Australia. The first intimation that I had been chosen to represent Ireland was the official letter informing me that I had been selected, having achieved the appropriate qualifying performance, and asking would I please forward a contribution of £200! The first hurdle was to raise … Read more