‘Well, I never knew how good I was ’till now’, Dominick Beirne was quoted as saying on the evening of 21 August 1879. Beirne and at least fourteen of his friends and relations had just witnessed what they reported as an apparition of the Virgin Mary, Saint Joseph and Saint John the Evangelist by the … Read more
This conference, convened by Gillian O’Brien and Finola O’Kane Crimmins from UCD, brought together 37 international speakers from a broad interdisciplinary background—history, literature, art and architecture—to explore the subject of Georgian Dublin. Garret FitzGerald opened the proceedings and reflected on the necessity of preserving the Georgian landscape of Dublin and on the battle for Hume … Read more
No one in 1796 would have believed that it could happen. For a French fleet to sail from Brittany into Bantry Bay through the massed blockading fleet of the British navy and back again, without making any significant contact or engagement, would require a miracle of immense proportions. This achievement puts the significance of the … Read more
In September 1796, Ireland was pregnant with expectation. The United Irishmen and Defenders planned insurrection and a French invasion was imminent. On 19 September Dublin Castle announced plans to follow Britain’s lead and enlist civilian volunteers as a yeomanry force. In October commissions were issued to local gentlemen and magistrates empowering them to raise cavalry … Read more
John Toland (1670-1722) was probably born near Clonmany in Inishowen, County Donegal, into a Catholic Irish-speaking environment. As a child he courted infamy by arguing about theology with the local priest. At fifteen he converted to Anglicanism and a few years later became a Dissenter while studying in Glasgow. A restless maverick, Toland was both … Read more