Sir, —As a leading Kilkee historian, I was surprised and disappointed to see the old canard of Jim Fitzpatrick having met with Che Guevara at the Marine Hotel, Kilkee, Co. Clare, ‘in the summer of 1962’ (HI 16.4, July/August 2008) publicised yet again. As the entire world knows, Che made only one brief visit to … Read more
McDowell on McDowell: a memoir R. B. McDowell (The Lilliput Press, €20) ISBN 9781843511335 The wonderful French lady who owns Terroirs wine merchants in Dublin once described a wine to me as ‘like an old man getting out of bed in the morning’. Though sceptical of this (and slightly repelled), having drunk the wine I … Read more
That neutral island: a cultural history of Ireland during the Second World War Clair Wills (Faber & Faber, €20) ISBN 9780571234479 Clair Wills’s work integrates two different approaches to history: one focusing on diplomacy and politics, the other on culture and society. She attempts to reverse the trend of concentrating on specific areas of Ireland … Read more
Battle of the Boyne Visitor Centre Oldbridge, Co. Meath +353 (0)41 9849873, battleoftheboyne@opw.ie, www.battleoftheboyne.ie Daily 10am–5pm by Tony Canavan Given the massive amount of publicity surrounding the opening of this visitor centre, I expected that it would be easy to find, but in fact there is very little in the way of signposting. I nearly … Read more
Prisoner of the Crown Richard Stockton Irish Repertory Theatre, 132 West 22nd Street, New York, May–July 2008 by Mark Coalter The life and legacy of Roger Casement are shrouded in paradox, controversy and conspiracy. As a liberal Edwardian figure, Casement was a celebrated British diplomat who was knighted by George V for his courageous humanitarian … Read more