Historically, nationalists in Ireland have looked to their cousins in the United States for both financial assistance and diplomatic support. This support has never been a foregone conclusion, but at critical moments in Irish history, usually during times of political tension, Irish-America has taken a keen interest in Irish events. During the turmoil of the … Read more
When we think of revolutionaries in late nineteenth-century Ireland, we think of Fenians rather than the anarchist agitators who were then making their presence felt on the Continent. Irish revolutionary thought focused on republicanism rather than on class politics—at least until the twentieth century. This is understandable, as neither Marxism nor anarchism had many adherents … Read more
Some claims made about Michael Collins’s role in the events of 1918–22 are not supported by the facts. To ignore the important role of the general headquarters (GHQ) is to ignore the true history of the revolutionary period. The part played by GHQ has been clearly described by Maryann Valiulis in Portrait of a revolutionary: … Read more
‘Let’s hear him deny it’ RTÉ is to be congratulated for its recent Hidden History series. In general these were a model of how to present sometimes complex (and controversial) subjects to a wider public. Thus William Martin Murphy, while not quite shaking off his well-deserved image as the ‘villain’ of the 1913 Dublin Lockout, … Read more
Sir, —The much-abused Christian Brothers—I use the descriptionadvisedly—must be exonerated from blame for the letter of support toJohn Charles McQuaid in connection with his prudish campaign torestrict the participation of women in athletics (‘Internal tamponage,hockey parturition and mixed athletics’ by Margaret Ó hÓgartaigh, HI15.6, Nov./Dec. 2007). The John Roe who wrote it was not a … Read more