Where’s where in Dublin: a directory of historic locations 1913–1923 Joseph Connell (Four Courts Press, ?15pb, ?29.95hb) ISBN 9780946841820This book has been in the making for more than ten years. A decade of research has culminated in an extremely useful compendium to the history of early twentieth-century Ireland. The author is a practising lawyer in … Read more
Aiken: gunman and statesman RTÉ 1, Tuesday 12 December, 10.15pm Hidden Histories Directed by Steve Carson by Eamon O’Flaherty RTÉ’s Hidden Histories series is currently concentrating on a ‘founding fathers’ theme, looking at the lives of major figures in the formation of the independent Irish state. The latest offering—focusing on Frank Aiken—illustrates some of the … Read more
Among the various ‘ghosts’ invoked in the build-up to 1916 the name of Robert Emmet was central to the imagining of a ‘New Ireland’. As important was the influence of the Emmet family in America, where sympathy for the advanced nationalist cause in terms of both funds and propaganda was vital to any potential political … Read more
The December election of 1910, which gave John Redmond’s Irish Parliamentary Party the balance of power, and the subsequent passing of the Parliament Act in 1911, which removed the House of Lords veto, made the prospect of Home Rule a very real possibility for Ireland. Like the rest of southern Ireland, Kildare awaited the imminent … Read more
Sir, —Further to Liam Ó Ruairc’s review of my Tom Barry, IRA Freedom Fighter (HI 12.1, Spring 2004), Brian Hanley has raised points (HI 12.2, Summer 2004) that need clarification. I have found no evidence that Tom Barry left the IRA in 1923. On 11 July 1923, Barry wrote to the chairman of … Read more