Ireland and slavery This year marks the bicentenary of the abolition of slavery in the British Empire of which Ireland was then part. Hence the particular emphasis on slavery in this issue. It was, however, a subordinate part, and many readers might shrug their shoulders and wonder what it has to do with us. Quite … Read more
Sir, —I refer to Kevin Haddick Flynn’s article on Seán South (HI 15.1,Jan./Feb. 2007). The claim in the final paragraph that there were‘4,000 full-time RUC men’ is inaccurate. The RUC itself never exceeded3,000 from 1922 until 1970. It is true that there were an additional1,500 Ulster Special Constabulary mobilised on a full-time basis, likethe full-time … Read more
Sir, —With reference to the article ‘Men at war: nineteenth-centuryIrish war correspondents from the Crimea to China’ in the last issue(HI 15.3, March/April 2007) I was interested to learn of the reportingfrom the Crimea of Edwin Lawrence Godkin. After emigrating to theUnited States in 1856, he developed a strong following here in his roleas the … Read more
Sir, —It is remarkable that in the last issue (HI 15.2, March/April 2007), a non-theme number, there is a ‘platform’ article on John Redmond, a ‘short’ on John O’Leary and a longer ‘sources’ article centred around William O’Brien, three of the leading figures of the different strands of Irish nationalism at the beginning of the … Read more
Sir, —I was grateful for Peter Hart’s thoughtful review of my book Spies, informers and ‘the Anti-Sinn Féin Society’ in the last issue (HI 15.2, March/April 2007). However, I would like to clarify a few issues that he raised. As Prof. Hart points out, my theory about a pro-British civilian spy ring in Cork City … Read more