Sir,—Readers of my Massacre in West Cork (reviewed in HI 22.3, May/June 2014) might be interested in a very important Freedom of Information Tribunal which will take place in London on 17 June 2015. In 2013, while I was researching Massacre in West Cork, I requested a file in the National Archives in London identifying … Read more
Sir,—The suggestion of a joint remembrance of the 1916 Rising and the Battle of the Somme would definitely be inappropriate, if not divisive. Gerry McAllister’s statement in his letter (HI 23.2, March/April 2015) that the Battle of the Somme was fought as part of an imperial war may be correct, but it is still being … Read more
Sir,—In the course of last issue’s Platform piece (‘Who fears to speak of 1916?’, HI 23.2, March/April 2015) Brian Hanley mentions the 50th anniversary in 1966. Things were not quite as peaceful as they seemed to the general public then. I was privileged to march in the Easter Sunday parade in Dublin as acting adjutant … Read more
Sir,—So Myles Dungan (Book reviews, HI 23.2, March/April 2015) could only name one Irishman, John Redmond, who had fought in the First World War? I grew up in a working-class area of Dublin in the ’60s/’70s, where most, if not all, youngsters were educated to primary and/or Intermediate Cert level only. I was lucky enough … Read more
Sir,—May I congratulate you on publishing the article by Altay ¸Cengizer, ‘The road to Gallipoli—a Turkish perspective’ (HI 23.2, March/April 2015). It was a greatly informative account that provided much-needed historical context for the Gallipoli tragedy. A few years ago I had the pleasure to hear the ambassador speak at Collins Barracks and he made … Read more