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, —Niall Meehan has two errors in his letter on James Craig (HI 16.3,May/June 2008). He says that in my own letter in the previous edition Iquoted the historian Jonathan Bardon as saying that Craig was no bigot.In fact, I did not even mention Bardon. I did, however, refer toPatrick Buckland’s remarks in his biography … 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