This enormous tome is Jane Ohlmeyer’s second book and has its origins in her first: a biography of Randall MacDonnell (1609–83), 1st marquis of Antrim. His eye-catching career prompted Ohlmeyer to wonder whether or not his experiences were ‘typical’. Eighteen years later, she has provided an answer that is rather more comprehensive than simply ‘yes’ … Read more
Bookworm is looking forward to Christmas, and a number of series from Irish publishers present a few ideas for stocking-fillers. First up is UCD Press. The latest in their ‘Classics of Irish History’ series is a new edition of the collected writings of the Young Irelander James Fintan Lalor: ‘The faith of a felon’, and … Read more
The new visitor centre at the Giant’s Causeway is an impressive but not a domineering building. Only the front is fully visible, while another side tapers off into the hillside, its black columns, although rectangular, evoking the columns of the causeway itself. It occupies a spectacular location on top of a cliff with magnificent views … Read more
The Ulster Covenant was written and presented by William Crawley and was broadcast the evening before the centenary of ‘Ulster Day’, 28 September 1912, the day on which 237,368 Protestant Ulstermen signed the titular declaration and pledged themselves to use ‘all means necessary to defeat the present conspiracy to set up a Home Rule parliament … Read more
To say that Shamrock Rovers have had a disappointing season in 2012 would be an understatement. Having made Irish football history in 2011 by becoming our first club to reach the group stages of a major European competition, 2012 saw the club fail to take any silverware and crash to humiliating 5–1 and 4–0 defeats … Read more