Nick Maxwell The origins of the Dromana Gate on the periphery of the Dromana Forest, near Cappoquin, Co. Waterford, can be traced back to a papier-mâché-detailed canvas-covered timber structure erected in 1826 by the tenants of Villierstown to welcome home the newly wed Henry Villiers-Stuart (1803–74), Lord Stuart de Decies, and Theresia Pauline Ott (d. 1867). It … Read more
‘Every new generation must rewrite history in its own way’, said the philosopher of history R.G. Collingwood, thereby encapsulating the belief that all history-writing is contingent upon generational concerns and values. Collingwood’s comment might be slightly revamped to address current commemorative anxieties: every new generation must commemorate history in its own way. But is it so … Read more
The first Indian restaurant in Ireland opened nearly a century ago. In summer 1908 Karim Khan opened the Indian Restaurant and Tea Rooms on Upper Sackville Street, beside the Gresham Hotel. Promising real Indian curries served by native waiters in costume, Khan boasted that his was the only Indian restaurant in Ireland. His venture lasted … Read more
The minutes of the annual meeting of the trustees of Marsh’s Library in October 1916 noted the ‘damage caused to the Library and its contents by the Sinn Féin Rebellion’. The library was directly in the line of fire between the insurgents’ position at Jacob’s biscuit factory and the barracks of the Dublin Metropolitan Police … Read more
At the beginning of February 1972, Irish Holy Ghost missionary Fr Michael Doheny and members of his Concern volunteer team made preparations for their departure from Salt Lake refugee camp in Calcutta. For months they had operated alongside Caritas India, the Catholic relief agency, providing medical and other assistance to the multitudes fleeing conflict and … Read more