In June 1541 King Henry VIII began to style himself ‘king of Ireland’, abandoning the title of ‘lord’ which English kings had used for four centuries. It has long been assumed that the English kings from Henry II to Henry VII were content to rule Ireland as lords, but the events of the later years … Read more
John Redmond and his party have been treated kindly by academic historians. For the most part, they have accepted the view of his followers, Stephen and Denis Gwynn, that he was a man of immense achievement brought low by factors outside his control, notably the chauvinism of the British War Office and the literal bloody-mindedness … Read more
When Michael William Balfe returned to Dublin in November 1838 it was his first visit to his native city since his departure in 1823 at the age of fifteen. The years spent abroad had brought great fame and success to the young Dubliner. Early career Balfe was born on 15 May 1808 at 10 Pitt … Read more
The development of the Limerick Main Drainage Scheme and Lower Shannon Navigation has necessitated large-scale archaeological investigations in the heart of Limerick city and in its rural hinterland from July 1999 to the present date. The scale and location of the construction work required a planned and innovative approach to the excavations, including a detailed … Read more
In the light of recent events in Palestine, it is interesting to note that a dispute over the control of the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem was one of the immediate causes of the Crimean War of 1854–6. In the summer of 1850 Orthodox and Roman Catholic monks clashed over the question of who … Read more