The National Museum and National Library are nominally autonomous bodies, thought of as staffed mainly by professionals. They are frequently called upon, however, to provide substance for government policy initiatives. The decade of remembrance and the 1916 commemoration is a case in point. The Museum, National Library and other institutions had to ride to the … Read more
ON THIS DAY MAY/JUNE 2015 MAY 01/1945 Joseph Goebbels (47), Reich Minister of Propaganda in Nazi Germany since 1933, and one of Hitlers closest associates, committed suicide in a Berlin bunker, having poisoned his wife and six children. 06/1915 Orson Welles, actor, director, writer and producer who made his stage debut at … Read more
The PSNI’s decision to investigate crimes committed during the Northern troubles using subpoenaed interviews from the now-infamous Boston College ‘Belfast’ oral history project continues to have an impact on republican and loyalist paramilitary interviewees and veterans. So far, they have questioned Gerry Adams, brought charges against Ivor Bell (a former IRA commander) and pursued access … Read more
Dublin’s famous Mansion House celebrates its 200th anniversary this year, meaning that it is even older than London’s Mansion House. In 1715 it was purchased for £3,500 from Joshua Dawson by the Corporation as the lord mayor’s residence. Part of the sale agreement included an annual rent of 40 shillings and the provision of two … Read more
Built as the Cavan and Monaghan District Lunatic Asylum and officially opened in 1869, St Davnet’s Hospital has had a powerful presence in the area. Led by medical historian Anne MacLellan, a book on the history of the hospital is currently in production and will be launched in April 2015. Using the rich archival sources … Read more