George Orwell once remarked that the best book to read while ill in bed is a dictionary. He would surely have approved, then, of the publication by Gill and Macmillan of the second edition of A New Dictionary of Irish History from 1800 (pp520, €29.99 pb, ISBN 0717125203). First published over twenty years ago, the … Read more
National Photographic Archive, Meeting House Square, Temple Bar, Dublin, until 29 May 2004. by Tony Canavan Today, when many exhibitions present a multimedia, interactive experience, this one stands out for its simplicity. It is a straightforward display on two floors of the National Photographic Archive of the black-and-white photographs of Dr J.J. Clarke from … Read more
BBC Northern Ireland King Billy (Olivia Nash), 28 January The Plantation (Jimmy McAleavy), 4 February St Patrick (Ian Kirk-Smith), 11 February by Eamon O’Flaherty ‘You thought you knew . . .’ is an engaging title for a short series of history programmes on BBC that went directly to the heart of some of the … Read more
FIELD, William (1843–1935), nationalist politician and businessman, was born in Blackrock, Co. Dublin, son of John Field, victualler, and Grace Field (née Byrne). He became politically active in the Amnesty Association that campaigned for the release of Fenian prisoners after the 1867 rising, and he is believed to have maintained contact with the IRB until … Read more
The tiny village in Hainaut slumbers in the morning sun. Once a great battle was fought in Fontenoy. Thousands of soldiers died here on 11 May 1745. Some of the words they exchanged on the battlefield have lived on through the years, though the war that they fought has largely been forgotten. These days, it’s … Read more