Sir,—Yoursummary of the events of August ‘69 (HI 17.4, July/Aug. 2009) says that on 13August, ‘The British government announced that troops were being sent to Derry’to stand between the combatants and to restore law on order. In fact, troopswere not to bedeployedin Derry until the evening of the 14th. (British troops were of coursepermanently stationed … Read more
Sir,—In relationto the letters from Micheál Mac Donncha and Nicholas Furlong (HI 17.5, Sept./Oct. 2009) challenging JoostAugusteijn’s statement in his letter (HI 17.4, July/Aug. 2009) that ‘The Sinn Féin electionmanifesto [in the 1918 general election], did not call for a republic, nor didit make it clear that force was going to be used’, I would like to … Read more
Á chairde, —I am a young historian at the University of Vienna researching ‘Cumann na mBan in the Provisional Republican Movement 1969–1986’. Could any readers who have material about Cumann na mBan from this time period please contact me? The role of Cumann na mBan during this period is sadly missing from the history books. … Read more
Sir, —I am delighted to note that you have resisted the, no doubt challenging, temptation to implicate the Orange Order, the Black-and-Tans, General Montgomery, etc. in the removal of the Mass rock from the island of Inishtrahull, Co. Donegal (HI 17.5, Sept./Oct. 2009, ‘Sidelines’). This is a worthy and welcome departure from some recent ‘Sidelines’ … Read more
Sir, —As an Irish ‘type’ which does not exist in the usual scholarly andmedia analysis of modern Ireland, I approached your special issue onAugust ’69 (HI 17.4, July/Aug. 2009) with the usual presentiments. Mypaternal grandparents were Presbyterian and ‘British’, my maternal weremoderately nationalist yet Presbyterian. The women had southern links,and there was a heavy dose … Read more