Sir,—The presence of ethnic minorities in eighteenth-century Ireland was seldom commented on, but they existed even in ‘less predictable locations … such as … Carrickmacross’, as Philip McEvansoneya pointed out (HI 20.2, March/April 2012, pp 26–8). The Carrickmacross individual steps out of the shadows a little, for she is mentioned in Denis Carolan Rushe’s History … Read more
Up to the mid-nineteenth century Italy was not a united sovereign nation but a patchwork of small independent states, each influenced to a greater or lesser degree by neighbouring powers such as France or Austria. A unification movement (Risorgimento) took hold in the 1850s, however, and included among its leaders Giuseppe Garibaldi and Giuseppe Mazzini. … Read more
The Writings of Theobald Wolfe Tone, 1763–1798, Volume III: France, the Rhine, Lough Swilly and death of Tone, January 1797 to November 1798 T. W. Moody, R. B. McDowell and C. J. Woods (eds) (Clarendon Press, £125) ISBN 9780198208808The recent publication of the final volume of his Writings seems an appropriate moment to consider the … Read more
Strangers to citizens: the Irish in Europe 1600–1800 National Library of Ireland 2–3 Kildare Street Dublin 2 www.nli.ie Mon.–Wed. 9.30am–8.30pm Thur.–Fri. 9.30am–4.30pm Sun. 9.30am–12.30pm by Tony Canavan This new exhibition staged by the National Library of Ireland is situated in the former Genealogical and Heraldic Museum (and I wonder what happened to that?) a few … Read more
Derrynane House, Co. Kerry, once known as Derrynane Abbey, was the ancestral home of Daniel O’Connell, one of the most celebrated figures in modern Irish history. From his infancy to his death in Genoa in 1847, Daniel and his family spent most of their summers at Derrynane. Described as the ‘Mecca of the lovers of … Read more