Nick Maxwell By Meredith Cutrer The 7th of September 1170 marked a momentous occasion in Bergen, Norway: the relics of the Irish martyr-queen Sunniva were transferred from the island of Selja, off Norway’s western coast, to Bergen’s Cathedral of Christ Church. Sunniva’s cult played a consequential role in the ambitions of Norwegian kings and clerics and was … Read more
By Clare Marie Moriarty Revelations about philosopher George Berkeley’s historical activities have raised questions about the wisdom of having a Trinity College library named after him. The revelations are not new; Berkeley’s participation in slavery in America has been known for some time. He not only bought slaves but also hints that he helped secure … Read more
Sir,—Please allow me to congratulate your contributor Ian S. Wood, ‘Brian Nelson—the rise and fall of a double agent’ (HI 31.2, March/April 2023), for managing to write a four-page article on an aspect of the recent Troubles in the six counties without once mentioning the word ‘Protestant’. But then, why would he, when the whole … Read more
Sir,—I was very disappointed with Joe Culley’s ‘review’ of Paul Galvin’s book Threads (HI 31.1, Jan./Feb. 2023, Bookworm). By his own admission Mr Culley abandoned the book after three of the nineteen chapters, which is fair enough if it wasn’t to his liking. But would such a fleeting encounter with a publication qualify as sufficient … Read more
A chara,—The erudite, normally precise Joe Connell, in the course of his article on the execution of four anti-Treaty IRA leaders (HI 31.1, Jan./Feb. 2023, 100 Years Ago), states that the killing of TD Seán Hales (Cork) and the wounding of Leas Ceann Comhairle Padraic Ó Máille (Mayo) took place ‘outside the Dáil’, which is … Read more