On the challenges of writing (yet another) biography of ‘the Chief’. By David McCullagh In 2010, shortly after the publication of my biography of John A. Costello, I was asked by an interviewer about my choice of subject. I airily replied that, while little had been written about Costello, ‘the last thing the world needs … Read more
The worst single episode of loss of life suffered by the Irish Defence Forces since the Civil War. By Terence O’Reilly By September 1941 the Second World War had been ravaging the continent of Europe for two full years. Ireland had successfully remained neutral, owing in no small part to the rapid expansion of the … Read more
The Irishman who made the first successful east–west flight across the Atlantic in April 1928. By Teddy Fennelly The First World War hastened the advancement of aircraft technology. From its use as an experimental armament of war in 1914, its enhanced mobility, stability and speed had established the airplane as an essential weapon of warfare … Read more
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