Nick Maxwell Wijtschate-Messines Ridge was a battle that some believed presented an opportunity for reconciliation between the two political traditions in Ireland—British unionism and Irish nationalism. If Irishmen could fight and die together, surely they could live together. The symbolism was not lost on politicians, particularly nationalists. In December 1916, Willie Redmond MP wrote to his friend … Read more
The kaleidoscope of history The Flight of the Earls is one of those iconic episodes that represents a seismic shift in Irish history, nothing less than the eclipse of the old Gaelic order and its replacement by a new colonial dispensation, exemplified by the Plantation of Ulster. Inevitably it is a story of loss, expropriation … Read more
Sir, —I read with interest D. R. O’Connor Lysaght’s letter in the lastissue on the different strands of Irish nationalist thought dealt within the previous (March/April 2007) issue. I think he misinterpreted thetheme of my short piece on John O’Leary, however, which was concernedsolely with analysing why Yeats came to associate O’Leary with apoetical idea … Read more
Sir, —As a Confederate re-enactor, you can imagine how interested I wasto read the May/June issue’s article on Irish nationalist/southernsecessionist John Mitchel. Having experienced severe difficulty infinding reliable, detailed information on his service to theConfederate states, I was pleasantly surprised. James Quinn is to becongratulated, as his article is extremely insightful and a credit toyour … Read more
Sir, —Your last issue (HI 15.3, May/June 2007), which included a numberof articles on Ireland and slavery, was, as usual, excellent. I wouldlike, however, to offer a corrective to a frequently made mistake inyour editorial. The opening sentence stated that ‘This year marks thebicentenary of the abolition of slavery in the British Empire, of whichIreland … Read more