Ireland since 1939: the persistence of conflict Henry Patterson (Penguin Ireland, ?37) ISBN 9781844881031 In this book Henry Patterson outlines the political and social developments of both states on the island of Ireland from the start of the Second World War to 2005. Over the past couple of decades numerous works of general Irish history, … Read more
Sir, —I am researching the story of fires, firefighting and firefighters in Cork city over the centuries, and I wonder if some among your readers may be able to help me over a few hurdles. During the greater part of the nineteenth century, private fire brigades known as ‘fire engine establishments’ were maintained by … Read more
During the summer of 1902, Lindsey Talbot Crosbie used the letters columns of the national press to call repeatedly for a round-table conference of landlord and tenant representatives, in order to find a solution to the land question. Such a conference duly met in December 1902, and within weeks came up with proposals that proved … Read more
Noisy Island: a short history of Irish popular music Gerry Smyth (Cork University Press, E19.95) ISBN 1859183875 Did you ever have the feeling that many aspects of our lives would be better kept out of academic hands—and minds? This was my initial reaction as I waded through the introduction to Gerry Smyth’s Noisy Island. Rock … Read more
Politics and the Irish working class, 1830–1945 Fintan Lane and Donal Ó Drisceoil (eds) (Palgrave Macmillan, £55) ISBN 1 40393179 The editors of this volume lay out their stall at the outset by attributing the failure of labour in politics to the traditional ‘three evil geniuses of socialism: the priest, peasant and patriot’. The wide-ranging … Read more