March 4/1864 Daniel Mannix, archbishop of Melbourne (1917–63) and staunch Irish nationalist, born in Charleville, Co. Cork. 5/1974 Merlyn Rees appointed secretary of state for Northern Ireland, where all but one of the Westminster seats in the general election the previous month had gone to anti-Sunningdale unionists. 6/1924 The ‘Army Mutiny’ began when the Old … Read more
Those who have experienced the beautiful buildings and smell of wood smoke at Ferrycarrig Heritage Park in Wexford will know the sense of immediacy and delight a well-crafted replica building can bring to the past. Having an outdoor building of this quality close to the medieval excavations of the centre of Dublin was one of … Read more
‘Brian Boru was a fine figure of a man and all the women of Ireland were after him . . .’ So says the ‘kindly’ Christian Brother to bemused pupils in one of the few lighter moments in Cathal Black’s otherwise bleak drama documentary Our Boys (originally banned from RTÉ when released in 1981). Given … Read more