Sir, —One of the joys of historical research is to discover an unknown document that appears to validate (or discredit) some widely cherished yet hitherto unproven speculation. Such a document is the report submitted to Dublin Castle by Brigadier-General Cyril (not ‘Cecil’) Prescott-Decie, divisional commissioner of the RIC in Limerick, on 1 June 1920. On … Read more
The Orange Order in Canada David A. Wilson (ed.) (Four Courts Press, €55) ISBN 9781846820779 This collection is derived from the first conference on the Orange Order in Canada, held at St Michael’s College, Toronto, in 2005. While the majority of the articles trace the activities and development of the order in Canada from the … Read more
It looks like my headline for last issue’s article on Olympic boxing—‘Punching above our weight?’—was vindicated by the impressive haul of four medals by our boxers in London (gold, silver and two bronze). Strange, then, that what set the blogosphere buzzing during the recent games was RTÉ presenter Bill O’Herlihy’s observation, in the course of … Read more
Sir,—Volunteers James and Timothy Coffey were from Breaghna, Enniskeane, Co. Cork, the eldest boys in the family of eight of farming parents James and Margaret Coffey. In the early hours of Monday 14 February 1921, the soldiers of the Essex Regiment and Black and Tans were escorted by two masked civilians, who were members of … Read more
Sir,—In his review of Terror in Ireland (HI 20.3, May/June 2012) Pádraig Óg Ó Ruairc maintains that my chapter about the Kilmichael ambush failed to address the ‘wider debate about historiography’ and the ‘serious questions regarding Hart’s methodology, and in particular his claim to have interviewed an unnamed Kilmichael veteran at a time when all … Read more