Carson was a commanding parliamentary figure. His performances in the House of Commons are no longer appreciated as they once were, largely owing to a focus on contemporaries such as Lloyd George and Churchill, an emphasis on Carson’s more famous courtroom exploits (like those involving Oscar Wilde) and his wider role in Irish politics. Contemporaries … Read more
Along with her partner, Esther Roper, and fellow member of the Women’s Trade and Labour Council Sarah Dickenson, Eva Gore-Booth officially established the Barmaids’ Political Defence League in March 1908. The organisation was formed in direct response to the proposed introduction of clause 20 in the 1908 Licensing Bill. Gore-Booth claimed to represent the interests … Read more
The PSNI reference to Dolours Price opened another strand of history reaching from the dark days of the early 1970s to the present. Sisters Dolours and Marian Price famously endured a hunger strike of over 200 days in England, from November 1973 to June 1974, prolonged by force-feeding. They and fellow republicans Gerry Kelly and … Read more
Angela Macnamara was born in Dublin in 1931 to upper middle-class parents. Her desire to be a journalist and her life as a married mother of four children combined to see her publish a range of articles on the challenges of child-rearing. Macnamara published articles in magazines as diverse as the Irish Messenger and the … Read more
After five years of ’98 commemorations, actively militant opposition to the Boer War and the imminent passage of what was to become known as the Wyndham Land Act, unionists faced the prospect of two more potentially inflammatory commemorations: the centennial of Robert Emmet’s rebellion (23 July) and of his execution (20 September). In the eyes … Read more