As the centenary anniversary of the outbreak of the Great War approaches, the body of literature on the Irish experience of ‘the war to end all wars’ grows apace. As with other areas of Irish history, popular historians lead the march and are some way ahead of their counterparts in the universities. The past decade … Read more
Sir, —I was grateful for Peter Hart’s thoughtful review of my book Spies, informers and ‘the Anti-Sinn Féin Society’ in the last issue (HI 15.2, March/April 2007). However, I would like to clarify a few issues that he raised. As Prof. Hart points out, my theory about a pro-British civilian spy ring in Cork City … Read more
Michael Collins and the making of a new Ireland (2 vols) Piaras Béaslaí (Éamonn de Búrca for Edmund Burke Publisher, Ä95) ISBN 9780946130436 First of all, congratulations are in order to the publisher and 162 subscribers who made possible the reprinting of this book (originally published in 1926). The price may seem steep but … Read more
Historically, nationalists in Ireland have looked to their cousins in the United States for both financial assistance and diplomatic support. This support has never been a foregone conclusion, but at critical moments in Irish history, usually during times of political tension, Irish-America has taken a keen interest in Irish events. During the turmoil of the … Read more
Some claims made about Michael Collins’s role in the events of 1918–22 are not supported by the facts. To ignore the important role of the general headquarters (GHQ) is to ignore the true history of the revolutionary period. The part played by GHQ has been clearly described by Maryann Valiulis in Portrait of a revolutionary: … Read more