Academic historians tend to be sceptical and at times begrudging about historical novels, suspiciously dissecting the text for sloppy research methods and pouncing on convenient writer’s licence, but also secretly envious, knowing that the book will reach much larger audiences than anything their own often narrowly trained minds could produce. Before historians balk at the … Read more
Sir—In your last issue Brian Hanley refers to a ‘Donie O’Neill’ as oneof the defenders of Connolly House during a violent anti-Communistattack in March 1933. The name mentioned is obviously a misprint forDonie O’Reilly. Not alone was he a founder member of the CommunistParty of Ireland in June 1933, he was one of the first … Read more
This is a ‘popular’ rather than an academic work. The author states at the outset that it is ‘designed merely to keep before the public eye a neglected area of historical research and evaluation and to bring some more anecdotal material into the public domain in an edited, organised and palatable form’ (p.9). By academic … Read more
The cult of Michael Collins reached new heights last summer when the monument at Béal na mBláth developed into a colourful religious type shrine. Apparently believing that they could establish a spiritual link with the ‘Big Fella’ in the sky, people began to leave personal items and religious paraphernalia at the place where he breathed … Read more
Arthur Griffith has been overshadowed by more glamorous contemporaries. For many people the founder of Sinn Féin is the enemy of Larkin, the defender of anti-semitic pogroms, the opponent of Synge’s Playboy. Brian Maye has often defended Griffith’s memory; now he has produced this long-awaited biography. Maye adopts a thematic rather than a chronological format. … Read more