Sir, —I would like to comment on two contributions to the last issue (HI 13.3, May/June 2005), namely Desmond Fennell’s letter on Fascism and Brian Hanley’s study of Seán Russell’s (and the IRA’s) collaboration with Nazi Germany. Desmond Fennell attacks Professor Horne’s view of the resemblance between Fascism and Nazism and implies that an inquiry … Read more
Kenneth Wiggins brings together detailed documentary sources and unique archaeological discoveries in an expert assessment of this siege. It is the first book entirely devoted to Limerick Castle, and also the first on the siege of an Irish castle. The book incorporates plans, photographs and reproductions to provide a well-illustrated and thorough analysis. It embraces … Read more
The history of Irish coinage has followed a fascinating route, from early Norman ‘St Patrick’ coins, through Tudor debasement and the gun money coinage of the Battle of the Boyne, to the new money of the Irish Free State. In this ground-breaking narrative, Edward Colgan not only tells the story of the evolution of Irish … Read more
The battle of Kinsale (1601) marked the beginning of a cataclysmic epoch in Irish history. Within six years most of the greatest Irish lords had been forced to flee the country, leaving the Irish people almost leaderless and exhausted from war and conflict. This volume has its origin in the ‘Kinsale Winter School’ held in … Read more
Monkstown Parish Church has been described as ‘a glorious extravaganza’, ‘a mule between the Gothic and the Saracenic’, a place unsuitable for Christian worship, a ‘perversion of judgement and taste’, a building of originality and beauty, a masterpiece. Outraged critics and ecstatic admirers outdo each other in their adjectival usage, while others use more cautious … Read more