On the morning of 22 September 1920, four volunteers from the IRA’s West Clare brigade gathered at a level crossing at Caherfeenick, near Doonbeg. Presently, they heard an approaching Ford two-seater—the object of their attentions. The driver was local resident magistrate Captain Alan Cane Lendrum MC, a native of County Tyrone, a former rubber-planter in … Read more
In 1892 France signed a military convention with Russia: in the event of war, the Central Powers, Germany and Austria-Hungary, would have to fight on two fronts. As for the United Kingdom, it worried about Kaiser Wilhelm II’s decision to massively develop the German navy. When in 1901 Anglo-German talks eventually failed to reach a … Read more
The memoirs of John M. Regan, a Catholic officer in the RIC and RUC, 1909–48 Joost Augusteijn (ed.) (Four Courts Press, e55) ISBN 9781846820694 Editor Joost Augusteijn has made accessible a ‘warts-and-all’ memoir that provides a unique insight into the 1914–22 period in Irish history and into what it was like to be a Catholic … Read more
Forgotten soldiers: the Irishmen shot at dawn Stephen Walker (Gill and Macmillan, e24.99) ISBN 9780717141821 Shortly after the outbreak of the Great War in August 1914, James Crozier, a young shipyard apprentice from the Shankill district of Belfast, presented himself at his local recruiting office to volunteer for overseas service with the Irish Rifles. Crozier … Read more
Outrageous fortune: capital and culture in modern Ireland Joe Cleary (Field Day Publications, e42) ISBN 9780946755356 Books that are assembled by drawing together a set of essays previously published or delivered as seminar or lecture papers by the author often suffer from a lack of focus or any sense of overall theme. Such books … Read more