were a standard feature of late nineteenth-century Irish nationalism and were generally presented by voluntary subscription in recognition of outstanding achievement. The National Library of Ireland is the custodian of a large collection of such addresses, one of the most remarkable of which is the ‘Illuminated Address to Charles Stewart Parnell from the Tenant Farmers … Read more
By 1871 ‘Captain’ Charles Cunningham Boycott had been on Achill Island for seventeen years and had proven himself to be a good and successful farmer in a hostile and challenging environment; quite understandably, he wanted to move on to farm better land on the mainland, somewhere he could race his horses and be closer to … Read more
One of the more remarkable structures in the country is the Dennis mausoleum, located in the old Clonbern graveyard, 21km north-east of Tuam, Co. Galway. It was erected in about 1865 to house the remains of Colonel Maurice Griffin Dennis (1805–63) and his wife Elizabeth, and they lie there still. After a successful military career … Read more
The Dead Sea, whose surface is today about 417m below sea level, is not only the lowest place on the surface of the planet but also one of the most inhospitable. Its water is poisonous to drink, it is excessively hot for many months of the year, it is surrounded by steep and barren mountains, … Read more
‘There were two engines, the first drawn by four horses, on the top of which sat twelve firemen and their foreman dressed in pea-green, plush breeches and vests with gilt buttons. The men had two bugles on this engine, and on arriving at Dublin Castle Yard played ‘God Save the King’ to the delight of … Read more