BY DONAL FALLON
ROYAL HIBERNIAN ACADEMY 195th SHOW OPENS
The Royal Hibernian Academy’s Annual Show has returned, running until August 2025. This is the 195th show and includes plenty that will appeal to readers of History Ireland. Mick O’Dea (RHA past president) presents a series of works capturing Druid’s recent productions of the Seán O’Casey Dublin trilogy, while Robert Ballagh’s La Républicaine draws inspiration from the 1916 proclamation. On the subject of 1916, the flames of Easter Week famously destroyed the interior of the RHA’s Middle Abbey Street home, which is today marked by a plaque. It was the only year when every participating artist in the show was paid, thanks to the insurance policy.
NEW STAINED-GLASS WINDOW AT BELFAST CITY HALL
A visitor to Belfast’s City Hall will encounter stained-glass windows honouring histories as diverse as the Spanish Civil War and the Royal Irish Constabulary. Like the monuments in front of the building, different traditions all have their place. A new window celebrating the history of the LGBT community in Belfast has been unveiled by Lord Mayor Micky Murray. Within it, key moments from campaigns over recent decades are captured, and there is also a nod to the humorous T-shirt that turned the words of the Revd Ian Paisley on their head: ‘Save sodomy from Ulster’.
FEAR NA MUINTIRE
William Rooney, known affectionately as Fear na Muintire, was a guiding light to the Irish revolutionary generation. Founder of the Celtic Literary Society, his efforts on behalf of the Irish language and literature were endless, and his death at just 27 years of age was a significant blow to advocates of the Irish language in the capital. Born on Dublin’s Mabbot Street in 1873, Rooney has now been honoured with a plaque at his nearby Leinster Avenue home. Rooney, Michael Collins recalled later, ‘spoke as a prophet. He prepared the way and foresaw the victory.’
TIKTOK HISTORY
For better or worse (this writer leans to the latter), TikTok continues to reshape the landscape of social media. A noticeable dimension of the social media application has been popular history, with TikTok now launching a dedicated #IrishHistory hub. Some accounts on the application have built followings of hundreds of thousands of people, connecting not only with home-grown audiences but also with the Irish diaspora. While opinions on the quality of the output vary, it has at least served to connect younger audiences with the historic past.
RICHARD HARRIS: ROLE OF A LIFETIME
Good news from Limerick’s Hunt Museum, which has announced a forthcoming exhibition drawing on the archives of the actor Richard Harris. Entitled Role of a Lifetime, it promises to offer ‘an unprecedented glimpse into the mind and spirit of an artist who captivated audiences across generations’. A collaboration between the Hunt Museum, University College Cork and the Harris family, the backbone of the exhibition comes from the personal archives of the legendary actor, which were donated by his family to UCC in 2022. His son notes that ‘Richard was a prolific writer and kept everything: poems, short stories, scripts, whether finished or works in progress’.
THE FAMILY FOOTSTEPS OF J.D. VANCE
Condolences to the Democratic Unionist Party, who will be disappointed with the findings of a commissioned report (entitled The Family Footsteps of J.D. Vance) into the genealogy of US Vice-President J.D. Vance. Gordon Lyons, minister for communities, reportedly hoped to present a copy of the report to Vance personally in Washington DC. While Vance wrote in Hillbilly Elegy that ‘to understand me, you must understand that I am a Scots-Irish hillbilly at heart’, the commissioned report has failed to unearth any Irish blood, and the Vance Family Association have disputed claims that the Vice-President may be related to Revd John Vance.
JOHNNY, I HARDLY KNEW YE
Across the political aisle from J.D. Vance, Senator Bernie Sanders found time to visit Athy during his recent visit to Ireland, where his wife, Dr Jane O’Meara Sanders, unveiled a plaque as part of the ‘Made in Athy’ trail. O’Meara Sanders can trace her family roots to Athy and told the crowd of the importance of the song ‘Johnny, I Hardly Knew Ye’ in her own memories of protesting the Vietnam War: ‘We sang it at every march, at every rally, sadly at home. But what we need to do is take these words to heart and not send any more of our sons and daughters to war.’