In the nineteenth century, Katherine Fitzgerald, the ‘Old’ Countess of Desmond, was one of the most familiar characters from early modern Ireland. Her story was romantic and remarkable. Assumed to have been born in the 1460s, in Dromana, Co. Waterford, she had, so legend went, married in Edward IV’s reign, and had even danced at … Read more
Despite more than a century of scholarly research, we know remarkably little about the circumstances in which the Book of Kells was made. While it is now clear that at least four scribe-artists were involved, their identities remain a mystery, as do their status and the nature of their training. Likewise unknown is the identity … Read more
Sir,—Chartered Land, the present owners of the Carlton site, have now published their Ministerial Consent Application for proposed work to the national monument at Moore Street/Moore Lane that honours the memory and sacrifice of the men and women of 1916. The listed nature and extent of demolition in this application represents an unprecedented, unacceptable and … Read more
Sir,—Desmond Fennell’s comment about the Americanisation of Ireland called to mind Conor Cruise O’Brien’s observation, more than 40 years ago, that ‘the people of the South [the Republic] are now more Anglicised than at any time under British rule. Television is a more powerful weapon of acculturation than bayonets.’—Yours etc., MICHAEL GALLIGAN Dublin 5
Sir,—I wonder could any of your readers or subscribers assist with an enquiry? Several years ago a man from Galway told me of an experience during the Civil War when he was aged about eighteen. He was interned for a time by the Free State Army. He said that he had not done what he … Read more