‘These are the times that try men’s souls’, George Washington declared to his troops as they gathered in darkness on the banks of the Delaware River before the crucial American victory at the Battle of Trenton (1776) in the Revolutionary War. Washington was quoting the opening lines from the first of Thomas Paine’s great pamphlet … Read more
In the Celtic world, as elsewhere, canines were admired for their senses of sight, smell and hearing. Dogs were used on hunting expeditions and to guard homes, as domestic pets and as a source of food. They abound in surviving mythology and folk tradition and are well represented in religion, where they are often associated … Read more
Sir, —Paul McNamara’s excellent article on Seán Lester (HI 17.3, May/June 2009) shows us how weakness in the face of totalitarianism can lead to greater disaster. The article reminded me of Hubert Butler’s essay on resistance leader and Nobel laureate Carl von Ossietzky. Butler noted the brave and principled campaign that Ossietzky led against Hitler, … Read more
Sir, —Allow me to respond to your ‘Sidelines’ piece in the last issue(HI 17.3, May/June 2009). I was a member of the Maliseet-Wolastoqiyik‘Akwiten’ canoe repatriation group, along with Chief Candice Paul andother St Mary’s First Nation community members. As a dualIrish–Canadian citizen, I provided some advice on how best to proceedin Ireland. I say ‘was’ … Read more
Sir, —In his response to my review of Tom Moore’s Memoirs of CaptainRock (HI 17.2, March/April 2009), Seamus Deane argues that I was ‘wrongto say that John MacHale’s “A Brief Reply to the Charge of WilliamMagee . . . (1822) . . .” first appeared in the Dublin Journal in1820’. As ‘should be obvious from … Read more