Sir,—Bookworm (HI 19.4, July/August 2011) states that Cearbhall Ó Dálaigh was the only president of Ireland to resign from office. Not so; Mary Robinson also resigned her office in 1997 in order to take up the post of United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.—Yours etc.,DERMOT QUINNDublin 13
Sir,—I’m delighted to see some work being done on the role of navies in Irish history. You and Elaine Murphy are to be congratulated on highlighting a much-neglected topic (‘“Pirates in our channel”: the Cromwellian navy in Ireland, 1649–53’, HI 19.4, July/August 2011). Ireland is an island, but in many works on its history one … Read more
Sir,—In your last edition (HI 19.4, July/August 2011), Tony Canavan’s ‘Sidelines’ quoted the people of Belfast as declaring that the Titanic had been ‘in perfect condition when it left us’. This may be correct for the workers but not for the designers. Instead of iron, the Titanic was built of steel, which is much tougher … Read more
Sir,—I read Terence O’Reilly’s article (HI 19.4, July/August 2011) with interest, as I’m sure did many readers who had served in the FCA, for over the years it gave scores of thousands of citizens either their only taste of soldiering or the basis for their professional careers. It’s true that the Defence Forces were underfunded, … Read more