On 22 October 1641 the native Irish of Ulster, led by Sir Phelim O’Neill, captured a number of key towns and fortifications in the province. An alliance was soon forged with the old English Catholics of the Pale and by the end of the year the revolt had spread throughout the country. After an initial … Read more
The past decade has witnessed a greater awareness amongst historians of late medieval and early modern Ireland of the importance of bardic poetry in the analysis of intellectual trends amongst the Gaelic elite. The estimated total of some 2,000 extant poems constitutes the most extensive body of evidence left to historians by the Gaelic polity. … Read more
James Connolly’s relationship with Catholicism has been much debated. During his lifetime he argued extensively (against both Catholic and socialist opponents) that there was not necessarily a conflict between Catholicism and socialism. While Connolly demolished the cruder assertions of his adversaries, commentators then and since have pointed out that he evaded some obvious difficulties, such … Read more
Professor L.M. Cullen of Trinity College, Dublin is among the most prolific and wide-ranging of Irish historians, and one of the most highly regarded internationally. His earlier work defined the mainstream of Irish economic history. More recently he has been active in cultural history, and in particular in re-interpreting the 1798 rebellion. Kevin Whelan … Read more
Yet it is through participation on these occasions that diverse classes of Protestants have come to express and interpret their political position in a locality, their understanding of specific political issues, and their group identity. At various times the Twelfth of July has been used both by and against the state, by those demanding parliamentary … Read more