Since Kildare and Carrickfergus were published in 1986, the Irish Historic Towns Atlas has produced 24 ‘fascicles’. What is a fascicle, you might ask? It is one of the divisions of a book published in parts. And, true to their word, the IHTA has bound numbers one to six and numbers seven to ten into … Read more
From the mid-nineteenth century, the influence of Cardinal Paul Cullen (1803–78) was ubiquitous within Irish society. He was, as Colin Barr notes in this collection, ‘arguably the most important figure between the death of Daniel O’Connell and the rise of Charles Stewart Parnell’ (p. 414). As Gearóid Ó Tuathaigh succinctly argues, regardless of whether his … Read more
As the countdown to the centenary of the 1916 Rising continues, the presses carry on rolling with 1916-related publications,producing both new and revised editions. In the latter category is The Easter Rising by Michael T. Foy and Brian Barton, first published in 1999 and described at the time by Roy Foster as ‘the best survey … Read more
I can remember when the castle in Enniscorthy housed the unofficial Wexford county museum. It had all the attractions and flaws of a volunteer-run museum, with every room packed with exhibits, not always in the best of condition. In 2006 the castle was closed for major renovation. A radical decision was taken to concentrate on … Read more
Neil Jordan’s much-heralded family saga of Renaissance ambition, murder and debauchery has more to do with historical reputation than actual fact. However much scholarship proves the opposite, good stories never die. And, as so often, it’s the victors who tell them. When Cardinal Giuliano della Rovere finally succeeded as Pope Julius II in 1503, and … Read more