The Dubliner won both of his matches in the group stage of the singles competition, although it may seem curious that one of the rubbers was a best-of-five-set affair, while the other was best-of-three. This was due to the cold and wet weather in Athens that April, which curtailed the length of the contests. The … Read more
Sir,—Niall Ó Dochartaigh’s excellent article (HI 18.5, Sept./Oct. 2010) reminds us that while the Saville Report is clear on the detail of what happened on Bloody Sunday it does not leave us much wiser about the reasons. Ó Dochartaigh emphasises General Ford’s plan to reverse the policy of restraint, which had previously been implemented by … Read more
McGINTY, Thom (‘The Diceman’) (1952–95), street performer, was born in Strathclyde, Scotland, one of two sons and two daughters of Thomas McGinty and Mary McGinty, a native of County Dublin. After training in Glasgow in theatre and as an artist’s model, he moved to Dublin in 1976, supporting himself with modelling work in the National … Read more
Nineteen-sixteen is looked on as a pivotal year in Irish history, but 1917, with the rapid growth of political Sinn Féin, was the year when the democratic foundations of nationhood were established. Sinn Féin won by-elections with Count Plunkett in Roscommon, McGuinness in Longford and de Valera in Clare. These political victories led to the … Read more
The mid-1950s were definitely grey. A coalition government had gained power from Fianna Fáil. The unemployed workers marched in the streets but there were no jobs for them. Many workers left Ireland; the picture of them crowding onto the mail boat in Dún Laoghaire is etched deep in many people’s memories, including my own. Our … Read more