Women of The Nation

by Brigitte Anton The Nation was the most popular journal in Ireland in the 1840s. Run by a group closely connected with the Repeal movement who became known as the Young Irelanders, it preached an European-style romantic Irish nationalism. The names of the leaders are familiar: Thomas Davis, Charles Gavan Duffy, John Blake Dillon, William … Read more

Highwaymen, Tories and Rapparees by

by Niall Ó Ciosáin There was a time when Irish boys were free to choose their own school readers … being sturdy lads, born into a heritage of suffering and persecution, the spirit of resistance burning in their veins, it is not surprising that the reading book they liked best was a cheap little work containing an account of the … Read more

Raiding and Warring in Monastic Ireland

by Liz FitzPatrick The early historic period (fifth to twelfth century) witnessed profound social, economic and cultural changes in Ireland. The denizens of the ‘Golden Age’ were the many large and small monastic communities which spread with apparent ease and acceptance across the length and breadth of the country. The historiography of Irish monasticism emphasises … Read more