Warrior of Wood Quay

As the leading figure of the Wood Quay protests of the late 1970s F.X. Martin is well known to the wider public. Recently retired as Professor of Medieval History at University College Dublin, he spoke to Dáire Keogh recently.  DK: Tell us about your background and early interest in history. FXM: I was born in … Read more

‘The Ireland that I would have’ De Valera & the creation of an Irish national image

Michelle Dowling De Valera’s Ireland has been held up to criticism and even ridicule, depicted as an unrealistic over-romanticised vision of comely maidens and dancing at the cross roads. Yet de Valera was an astute politician with a specific political, cultural and national agenda. If his head appeared in the clouds, his feet were firmly … Read more

The Vanishing Irish: Ireland’s population from the Great Famine to the Great War

Timothy W. Guinnane                             Many countries today face, or will soon face, one of two population problems. Some countries’ populations are growing so rapidly that sheer numbers will endanger their ability to provide schooling, employment, and basic social amenities to their people. … Read more