Sir, —I read Tim Pat Coogan’s review of Judging Dev by Diarmaid Ferriter (HI 16.3, May/June 2008) as an inevitable response to a state-sponsored coup in seeking to peddle a particular version of history. When one party is in government so long, it is natural that it elicits actions, which aim to please, from a … Read more
Sir, —Michael Doorley’s interesting article on the Friends of IrishFreedom (HI 16.2, March/April 2008) refers in passing to the supportersof John Devoy and Judge Daniel Cohalan referring to de Valera as ‘aforeign potentate’ but seems to regard this choice of words as a merecuriosity. In fact, they were making a specific reference to the UnitedStates … Read more
Sir, —I was pleasantly surprised to see the portrait of the IRA GHQstaff in your May/June 2008 edition. David O’Donoghue’s assertionsabout their work are correct. I am currently researching the life ofDirector of Organisation Eamon ‘Bob’ Price for inclusion in anexpanded, revised edition of my father Ted Kenny’s book, The splendidyears. The book recounted my … Read more
Sir, —Writing from Cork (HI 16.2, March/April 2008), CliveSinclair-Poulton embraces the view that more needs to be taught on whathappened in the 1920s and he reckons that there should be no taboos. Isay Amen to both propositions. A good place to start might be tworecent (March and April) obituaries in the Irish Times, one for … Read more
Sir, —Michael Kennedy’s article in the last issue, ‘“Men that came in with the sea”: the Coastwatching Service and the sinking of the Arandora Star’, showed the function of the lookout posts, and I am looking forward to reading the author’s book, Guarding neutral Ireland: the coast watching service and military intelligence, 1939–1945. The sad … Read more