‘The GAA is really our stamp, it’s the rural man’s stamp. It says who he is, what you stand for, where your spirit comes from, ’tis your freedom, you know.’ These are the words of Micheál Mac an tSaoir, a Limerick hurling fan, who has told his story to the GAA Oral History Project. It … Read more
Buried in the small print of the recent budget was an announcement that the government intends to merge the National Library (NLI), the National Archives (NAI) and the Irish Manuscripts Commission (IMC). Reaction was muted: opponents of the ‘plan’ could hardly compete with the ignited passions of the nation’s septuagenarians facing imminent loss of their … Read more
O’Brien, Ignatius John, Baron Shandon (1857–1930), lord chancellor of Ireland, was born on 31 July 1857 in Cork, ninth child and youngest son of Mark Joseph O’Brien (chandler and brewer’s agent) and Jane, daughter of William Dunne. His father lacked business capacity; the family survived in genteel poverty through the labours and sacrifices of his … Read more
The modes by which history-writing has been conducted through the ages have been manifold — from the barest chronicle, through the grand narrative down to the electronic database. But for many centuries one expressive form has assumed a place of surprising importance: the essay. Whether it has made its appearance in singular occasional form or … Read more