The composition of the jury that tried and convicted Roger Casement. By Niamh Howlin Once the authorities had decided to try Roger Casement in the English civil courts, his solicitor, George Gavan Duffy, set about trying to secure defence counsel. This was not straightforward, however, as a number of leading barristers refused to represent him. … Read more
THE INTERSECTION OF CHRISTMAS SENTIMENT, NATIONAL IDENTITY AND AESTHETIC TASTE IN EARLY TWENTIETH-CENTURY IRELAND By Teresa Breathnach Just before Christmas 1916 Countess Markievicz realised that, with the advent of world war, the festive cards that had been made in Germany had simply been replaced by those made in England. She immediately set about designing a … Read more
‘HERE … WILL BE TRAINED THE WOMEN WHO WILL ASSIST IN BUILDING HAPPY HOMES, FOR HERE WILL BE IMPARTED RIGHT KNOWLEDGE AND PRACTICE OF HOME-CRAFT.’—ARCHBISHOP JOHN CHARLES McQUAID AT THE FORMAL OPENING OF ST MARY’S COLLEGE OF DOMESTIC SCIENCE, CATHAL BRUGHA STREET, 16JUNE 1941. By Brian Murphy St Mary’s College opened its doors against a … Read more
THIRTY YEARS AGO A RADIOACTIVE PLUME CREATED BY THE CHERNOBYL ACCIDENT DRIFTED OVER EUROPE. FILES HELD IN THE PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE OF NORTHERN IRELAND ALLOW US SOME INSIGHTS INTO THE OFFICIAL RESPONSE NORTH OF THE BORDER. By Alan W. Robertson At 1am on 26 April 1986, Reactor 4 of the Chernobyl nuclear power station in … Read more
RECOLLECTIONS OF IRISH IMMIGRANTS IN THE ‘SLAVE NARRATIVES’ FROM THE NEW DEAL’S WORKS PROGRESS ADMINISTRATION (WPA) By Joe Regan On 2 November 1938 Mal Boyd sat on his porch in Pine Bluff, Arkansas; he recollected his father’s years as a slave in Texas: ‘Papa belonged to Bill Boyd. Papa said he was his father and … Read more