In October the Public Records Office of Northern Ireland released 3,000 files of the old Stormont Ministry of Home Affairs dealing with the period 1921-1962 and previously embargoed on grounds of sensitivity. The files include the highly sensitive ‘S’ (Secret Series) files covering such subjects as the 1920s Troubles, internment (case files for individual internees … Read more
Belfast’s unholy war Alan Parkinson (Four Courts Press, ?39.95) ISBN 1851827927 Those involved in bridging community divisions in Belfast should be aware that the city was scarred by a prolonged period of unremitting sectarian and political violence long before the recent Troubles. The black days of 1920–2, in which almost 500 people—mainly innocent civilians—died, coincided … Read more
In their preface to this handsome volume the joint editors acknowledge that while it has been their aim to give some account of the chief battles of Ireland’s history their principal concern is with the political and social background. Although at first sight this might appear to belie the title of the book, their approach … Read more
The story of the ill-fated Boundary Commission has often been told: how it was established under Article XII of the 1921 Anglo-Irish Treaty to determine the extent of the North/South border ‘in accordance with the wishes of the inhabitants, so far as may be compatible with economic and geographic conditions’; how it was imposed upon … Read more
Sir,—I found it odd that you did not aska historian to review The Catholics of Ulster by Marianne Elliott whois not only a noted historian but one of History Ireland’s patrons. Others better qualified or at least possessing ‘the nobility of theGaelic mind’ (to use just one of Mons. Murray’s unhistorical phrases)will, no doubt take … Read more