Mary Size (1883–1959)—forgotten Irish pioneer of British penal reform. By Ruairí Ó hAodha Myra Hindley claimed that she was glad that it was dark when she was driven through the gates of Holloway Prison, London, in 1966, as she avoided having to view its forbidding Victorian façade. Hindley had narrowly avoided the hangman for her … Read more
The early career of Paschal Robinson OFM, the first papal nuncio to the Irish Free State, 1929–48. By Thomas J. Morrissey SJ Charles Robinson, the future papal nuncio to the Irish Free State, was born on 26 April 1870 at 49 Percy Place, then a row of fairly new houses along the Grand Canal. When … Read more
The Right Honourable Senator Hugh Thom Barrie JP, DL, MP was at the heart of Ulster Unionist politics at a time of great campaigning and political battles. But who was he? By Aaron Callan H.T. Barrie is not as well known as Carson or Craig, even in his adoptive town of Coleraine. In most books … Read more
January 2019 marks the 100th anniversary of the Irish nationalist ballad The Foggy Dew. But who wrote it? By Eugene Dunphy Over the years a number of published works have attributed authorship of The Foggy Dew to a range of people. In 2004 the writer’s name was cited as ‘anonymous’. In 2005 his name was … Read more
An unpublished record of what was, to all intents and purposes, Ireland’s first diplomatic mission. By John Gibney The Royal Irish Academy’s Documents on Irish Foreign Policy (DIFP) project publishes selected documents from a range of archives ‘which are considered important or useful for an understanding of Irish foreign policy’. The vast majority of these … Read more