In January 1913, Ulster Unionist resistance to Home Rule entered a more militant phase with the establishment of the Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF). Work published on the UVF to date (most notably, A.T.Q. Stewart, The Ulster Crisis: resistance to Home Rule 1912-1914 [London 1967]) has concentrated largely on the Larne gunrunning of 24 and 25 … Read more
Sir,—Referring to the article on the Civil War photographs in the last issue (HI vol.9, no.1, Spring 2001), it should be noted that the picture at the top of page 34 is shown in reverse. It shows a closer view of the same scene as the two lower pictures, but it will be noted that … Read more
The relative inertia of the Sligo IRA during the Anglo-Irish War did not prevent the county witnessing protracted violence during the Civil War. This illuminating study, providing both a chronological and thematic account, begins with an overview of the rise of militant nationalism in Sligo. The campaign of 1919-1921, denoted by minor skirmishes and acts … Read more
Lost glass negatives of dramatic and moving pictures taken by the Manchester Guardian’s first staff photographer during the Irish Civil War have recently been discovered in Manchester. With the advent of modern digital photography, which does not require old-style developing and printing techniques, the darkroom shared by the Manchester Evening News and the Guardian was … Read more
The Thompson submachine gun or ‘Tommy gun’ as it became known, started life on the drawing board of retired US Army Lt. Col. Marcellus Thompson sometime during 1916. He was an enthusiastic gun designer with a lot of ideas of his own. He wanted to develop an automatic rifle from his personal specifications. His designs … Read more