On 25 November 1913, at the Rotunda Rink in Dublin, the Irish Volunteers were formed, with 3,000 men enrolling that evening. For the Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) there is no such simple foundation story. Ronald McNeill, a Unionist MP who appeared on many platforms with Sir Edward Carson and was the first historian of the … Read more
What can now be identified as the first formed UVF regiment owed its inspiration to neither the Orange Order nor the Unionist Clubs. The Enniskillen Horse came into existence as a result of Sir Edward Carson’s visit to the town to launch the Ulster Covenant campaign on Wednesday 18 September 1912. The Enniskillen Horse was … Read more
Throughout most of 1913 it was rather difficult for the police and Ulster unionists themselves to define the difference between UVF units proper and Unionist Clubs that were drilling with increasing frequency. Indeed, in South Down there were unseemly demarcation disputes between Unionist Clubs and UVF headquarters over who should appoint officers for the new … Read more
If Benjamin Franklin’s axiom assures us of the certainty of two things only—death and taxes—the Irish can add further to that list, and indeed link the two. For what was an Irish death without an Irish wake, and what was an Irish wake without an abundance of tobacco? And what were such proportions of consumption … Read more
In 1834 a new experiment in tobacco-growing was established by Sir Nugent Everard at Randalstown, Co. Meath. Such was the dedication of Everard to this experiment that he sent his son to America for several years to ‘learn the business’. In seeking approval for such cultivation, Everard had enlisted the support of such men as … Read more