Sir,—A small correction to the article by Conor McNamara on British cabinet papers on-line (HI 20.2, March/April 2012, pp 40–1). Sir Rosslyn Wemyss was first sea lord, as stated, from December 1917 until the end of the war. He was not, however, commander-in-chief on the coast of Ireland. That position was held by Sir Lewis … Read more
Sir,—I wish to note a correction of an error in my book The Cosgrave Party: a history of Cumann na nGaedheal, 1923–33. In reference to Anthony Jordan’s W.T. Cosgrave, 1880–1965: founder of modern Ireland (Westport Books, 2006), line four of page 186 currently reads: ‘Anthony Jordan wrongly claims that Fianna Fáil won five seats. [footnote … Read more
First of all, my thanks to Mr Ó Cinneide for sharing his memories of his FCA service (HI 20.2, March/April 2012, Letters). All too few former members of the force have done so, and official records are quite sparse. The FCA did indeed wear a slightly shorter jacket than their regular army counterparts, but any … Read more
Sir,—Your March/April issue was a blockbuster! My favourite was the first article, about how the Romans in England saw Ireland. I had long wanted to know how close we were to becoming part of their empire. Now I know that they seriously considered invading us, but backed off because they could make more money by … Read more
Sir,—The presence of ethnic minorities in eighteenth-century Ireland was seldom commented on, but they existed even in ‘less predictable locations … such as … Carrickmacross’, as Philip McEvansoneya pointed out (HI 20.2, March/April 2012, pp 26–8). The Carrickmacross individual steps out of the shadows a little, for she is mentioned in Denis Carolan Rushe’s History … Read more