Blood of the Irish Crossing the Line Films 5 & 12 January 2009, RTÉ 1 by John Gibney Blood of the Irish was RTÉ’s first significant documentary of 2009. The promotional material claimed that here was a programme that would seek ‘the truth about the Irish’ by asking the interlinked questions ‘who are the Irish … Read more
The broker baron by C. J. Woods DU BÉDAT, Francis Edward (1851–1919), stockbroker, was the third son of William George Du Bédat (1815–89), a stockbroker in College Green, Dublin, and his wife Anne Letitia, daughter of Thomas Copperthwaite of Dublin. He was brought up at Ballybrack House, Killiney, Co. Dublin, and was a brilliant pupil … Read more
The South Sea Bubble: a parable for our own time The South Sea Company, a joint stock company, was established in 1711 by British lord treasurer Robert Harley as a device for servicing government debt, which had ballooned as a result of the ongoing War of Spanish Succession and previous wars with Louis XIV’s France. … Read more
The Kilkenny to Thomastown line, part of the Waterford and Kilkenny Railway, opened on 12 May 1848; it was subsequently extended from Thomastown to Jerpoint Hill, opening on 29 May 1850. This relatively short section required the construction of a viaduct over the River Nore, consisting of timber lattice girders supported on heavy masonry abutments, … Read more
Divisions in the Irish trade union movement opened up following the return of Jim Larkin from the USA in 1923. As a revolutionary socialist, Larkin had objections to the Free State settlement and the way the labour leadership both supported and accommodated itself within it. In addition to these political objections, however, Larkin also displayed … Read more