Sir,—Brian Kelly (HI 24.4, July/Aug. 2016, letters) is of course correct when he states that the assertion that Cromwellian-era Irish prisoners suffered under exactly the same conditions as African-American slaves in the British West Indies is ‘derided by professional historians’. However, just because an idea is derided by professional historians does not mean that it … Read more
Sir,—Having read D.R. O’Connor Lysaght’s letter (HI 24.4, July/August 2016) with interest, I can only concur wholeheartedly with him that Arthur Griffith was an anti-Semite; this is fairly well known. However, what is less well known, if known at all, is that a number of others who espoused nationalism of the separatist variety were also … Read more
Sir,—The photograph (above) depicts an LDF parade through Cork’s Patrick Street taken in 1943 or 1944. I would be grateful to any of your readers who might recognise it and contribute additional information. Some years ago I published it and received two phone calls, one from Perth, Australia, and one from a lady in Cork, … Read more
Sir,—Angus Mitchell’s essay on Roger Casement’s Black Diaries (HI 24.4, July/Aug. 2016) was revealing and informative, and his affirmation that Casement was a ‘gay martyr’ is interesting—and honest. But, so far as I understand, Casement’s sexual orientation was not just about being homosexual: it was that he was attracted to boys between the ages of … Read more
SEPTEMBER Percy Jocelyn, disgraced bishop of Clogher (1820–2), died. Thanks to his family connections—his father was the first earl of Rodin—Jocelyn rose rapidly in the Church of Ireland despite a total disinterest in pastoral responsibilities such as taking services and preaching. His fellow clerics described him as the ‘most idle of all reverend idlers’. His … Read more