DONNELLY, Dan (1788–1820), pugilist, was born in Townsend St., Dublin, eldest surviving son (having been predeceased by four sets of twins) of seventeen children of Joseph Donnelly, carpenter, of Dublin; his mother’s name was Gore. Typical of his chosen sport, his life is one in which reality and mythology are not easily separated. Legend holds … Read more
A new society dedicated to the study of sports history was launched at a highly successful conference in Dublin in February. The sports history conference, which was hosted by the Humanities Institute of Ireland at University College, Dublin, on 18 and 19 February 2005, was the first such venture to be held in the Republic … Read more
The Irish Texts Society has just launched three new books. Kevin Murray (Dept. of Early and Medieval Irish, UCC) has prepared an edition, translation and analysis of the early Irish vision-tale Baile in Scáil that throws considerable new light on its origins and development. Very topically in the light of recent public debate concerning the … Read more
Historically there are many reasons for the forgery or falsification of a document. A major incentive for such a practice occurs when a powerful nation invades a weaker one without obvious justification. A classic example in our times was the document released by the British government in February 2003, Iraq—its infrastructure of concealment, deception and … Read more