Forced to abdicate in April 1814, Napoleon spent nine months in exile on Elba studying developments in Europe. In February 1815 he made his escape, returning to France with a small force of 1,000 loyal men. General Ney, one of his former subordinates, set out with a large army to arrest him, promising to bring … Read more
The Talbot brothers of Carton, Co. Kildare, carried on a tradition of noisy political activism: their father William had led a deputation sent to James I to bemoan the packing of the 1613 parliament and was thrown in the Tower for his pains. The eldest brother, Sir Robert, had been briefly imprisoned in the summer … Read more
The siege of Castle Maine came after nearly fifteen years of conflict between the Desmond Geraldines and the crown, a conflict that fostered increased contact between Irish, Old English and New English peoples in Munster. As all sixteenth-century cartographic activity in Ireland was undertaken by crown officials, the map of the siege of Castle Maine … Read more
In explaining the background to the development of Cohalan’s nationalism, his work on behalf of Irish independence should be noted. Throughout his life, Cohalan remained a staunch supporter of the Irish nationalist cause. Cohalan’s grandfather and father left Cork at the height of the Famine in 1847 and, like the descendants of many Irish emigrants … Read more
The escalating tensions that led to this split have been much rehearsed by historians, especially those dealing with de Valera’s prolonged visit to the United States from June 1919 to October 1920. Conflicts took place between the two men on a number of issues, ranging from Irish policy towards the League of Nations to how … Read more