In February 1948 Éamonn de Valera and his party lost power after sixteen years in government. A few years earlier he had looked unassailable, and was admired for his calmness and statesmanship during the Emergency. Now the opposition parties rallied behind the slogan ‘Put them out!’, and the electorate did their bidding. The ensuing excitement … Read more
Compared to the carnage of the previous year (221 civilians murdered), 1977 was relatively quiet in Northern Ireland (55 civilians murdered). May witnessed the failure of the second loyalist workers’ strike, led by Ian Paisley and faced down by the brusque secretary of state, Roy Mason. Peace People Betty Williams and Mairéad Corrigan won the … Read more
In May 1933 some visiting dignitaries from Scotland were being given a tour of Stormont as guests of John W. Nixon, an Independent Unionist MP. Without warning, the leader of the delegation, Charles Forster, a Scottish Protestant League member and Glasgow city councillor, threw red paint at a large painting, while his colleague Mary Ratcliffe … Read more
November’s Hidden History documentary on the killing of the Pearson brothers, Richard and Abraham, at Coolacrease, Co. Offaly, in June 1921 struck a raw nerve. The subsequent comment in the press, radio and on the web generated more heat than light and highlighted the extent to which comment about the War of Independence period is … Read more
When World War II ended in 1945 few doubted that the victor’s laurels belonged mainly to Joseph Stalin. Under his leadership the Soviet Union had just won the war of the century, and that victory was closely identified with his role as the country’s supreme commander. World War II was a global conflict of immense … Read more