IRA executions of alleged civilian spies during the War of Independence. By Pádraig Óg Ó Ruairc The ‘intelligence war’ was undoubtedly one of the most important aspects of the Irish War of Independence and remains one of the most controversial today. For the British, the best way to defeat the insurgency was to acquire accurate … Read more
WHY WAS THE GREEN HARP FLAG NOT FLOWN ABOVE THE GPO DURING THE 1916 RISING? By Emily Cullen The delivery of the Irish flag and a copy of the Proclamation of the Irish Republic to all primary schools in the country this year was a potent reminder of the link between the 1916 Rising and … Read more
THE LIFE AND DEATH OF DETECTIVE SERGEANT JOHN BARTON By Padraig Yeates If he died today in the line of duty Detective Sergeant John Barton of the Dublin Metropolitan Police would probably be declared a national hero. The Irish Times editorial of 1 December 1919 proclaimed him ‘one of the bravest, most vigilant, and most … Read more
SECULAR FRANCE AND CATHOLIC FRANCE SET ASIDE THEIR DIFFERENCES AND ABLY USED RELIGION TO BENEFIT THEIR CAUSE DURING THE WAR By Oliver O’Hanlon One hundred years ago, in the middle of the First World War, a small group of French clergymen visited Ireland. News of their visit was reported in the Irish, British and French … Read more
AMONG THE MOST INFAMOUS EVENTS OF THE EASTER RISING WAS A SERIES OF MURDERS COMMITTED BY CAPTAIN J.C. BOWEN-COLTHURST. HIS MOST FAMOUS VICTIM WAS FRANCIS SHEEHY-SKEFFINGTON, SUMMARILY EXECUTED ON THE MORNING OF 26 APRIL IN PORTOBELLO BARRACKS, ALONGSIDE TWO NEWSPAPER EDITORS, PATRICK MCINTYRE AND THOMAS DICKSON. BUT WHO WAS THOMAS DICKSON? By Conor Morrissey The … Read more