Sixteenth-century clergy in Ireland were, for the most part, singularly ill-equipped to preach and spread religious reform throughout the country, and Meath was not exempt from this general malaise. The clergy in the diocese of Meath lacked discipline and were not highly regarded, particularly by the Protestant authorities of the time. Hugh Brady, an Elizabethan … Read more
The end of an era? When do politics become history? At what point do historians take over from journalists and propagandists in telling the human story? This is not a purely subjective or arbitrary point. For example, there is a broad consensus that the fall of the Berlin Wall (1989) and the subsequent collapse of … Read more
Sir, —As a reader of History Ireland for a number of years I havefollowed with great interest the debate involving Peter Hart over thelast few issues. I would like to comment on his response to theprevious critical letters, and mainly view it from a historiographicalpoint of view rather than from that of a person who … Read more
Sir, —It’s good that evidence suppressed by Peter Hart in pursuance ofhis agenda has seen the light of day (‘In defence of Cork’s politicalculture’, HI 13.4, July/August 2005). But why is the Civil War death ofMichael Collins described as an assassination? Collins, in uniform,rifle in hand, had been firing on his attackers, as had his … Read more
Sir, —I feel bound to respond to Dr Katherine Simms’ review of my book,Ulster and the Isles in the fifteenth century, in your Autumn 2004issue. There are, as Dr Simms points out, a number of errors in thebook. These are largely in its index, where a number of peripheralindividuals are conflated, but on occasion they … Read more