On 19 September 1803 Robert Emmet was tried for high treason in Green Street courthouse, found guilty, and sentenced to be hung, drawn and quartered. He was executed the next day in Thomas Street. It is often thought that the case against Emmet was one of irresistible strength, so that, for example, the corruption of … Read more
The Irish Greyhound pig was a descendant of the European wild pig (Sus scrofa) that had roamed Irish forests since prehistoric times. It was first domesticated in Ireland during the Neolithic. In the early Middle Ages there was not much distinction between the wild pig and the domesticated pig; the domesticated pig was fed on … Read more
If I may begin at the end of Niall Meehan’s letter, he refers to his ‘promotion’ of—and my non-participation in—‘this important debate’ on the Kilmichael ambush. In fact, I have been debating the ambush and other aspects of the revolution in Cork since my first book, The IRA and its enemies, came out in 1998. … Read more
Sir, —I greatly enjoyed Helena Kelleher Kahn’s piece on ‘The Yelverton Affair’ of 1861 (HI 13.1, Jan./Feb. 2005). A cause célèbre can be like a time capsule, accurately preserving incidentally forgotten aspects of history, society and sensibility. Ms Kahn is certainly right in saying that the Yelvertons had an ambiguous reputation. The founder of the … Read more
The Observer and the Irish Independent reported (2 January 2005) that an anonymous group claimed responsibility for vandalising the statue of IRA leader Seán Russell in Fairview Park, Dublin. It said that as Europe prepares to commemorate the sixtieth anniversary of the liberation of the Nazi death camps, it could no longer tolerate a statue … Read more