At the risk of having a ‘Dewey defeats Truman’ moment, am I right in assuming that by the time you read this Michael D. Higgins will have been elected ninth Uachtarán na hÉireann? Regardless of the result, it has been an interesting campaign and, in spite of criticism of the candidate selection process, no one … Read more
Sir,—I would like to thank Donal Kennedy for sharing his memories of the FCA (Letters, HI 19.5, Sept./Oct. 2011). When the force was stood down in 2005 it was found that there was a dearth of such personal reminiscences and historical matter at unit level. With regard to the Lee-Enfield: while its ten-round magazine and … Read more
Sir,—Ciaran Murray’s article (HI 19.5, Sept./Oct. 2011) on the photograph that he acquired of the successful Bohemians team of 1929/30 was of great interest to me because I have three other photographs of Bohs teams from the same period. All the photographs were taken by Keogh Bros studios on Dorset Street; all have the same … Read more
Sir,—Gill & Macmillan have published a second edition of Gerard Murphy’s The year of disappearances ten months after publication of the first. It alleged systematic IRA sectarianism toward Protestants in Cork during and after the War of Independence. Initial positive commentary from Independent Newspapers columnists was replaced by heavy criticism in seven consecutive academic reviews. … Read more
The dust-jacket of Éibhear Walshe’s anthology of the Irish writings of the Anglo-Irish novelist Elizabeth Bowen (1899–1973) reproduces a portrait of her by Patrick Hennessy, standing statuesquely in pale blue evening dress at the top of the grand staircase of her family home at Bowen’s Court, Farahy, north Cork. Bowen’s face, lit by a shaft … Read more