PATRICK F. WALLACE Irish Academic Press €60 ISBN 9780716533146 Reviewed by: Franc Myles Despite the enduring popularity of archaeology on television and in the media, few people realise what’s actually involved in the process of archaeological excavation. This is especially true on urban sites, where the stratification of cultural deposits can reach as much as … Read more
John Gibney, A history of the Easter Rising in 50 objects (Mercier Press, €19.99 hb, 224pp, ISBN 9781781173817). Pádraig Óg Ó Ruairc, Truce: murder, myth and the last days of the Irish war of independence (Mercier Press, €19.99 pb, 384pp, ISBN 9781781173855). Niamh O’Sullivan, In the lion’s den: Daniel Macdonald, Ireland and empire (Cork University … Read more
Athy Heritage Centre Town Hall, Emily Square Athy, Co. Kildare +353 (0)59 8633075 athyheritage@eircom.net Shackletonmuseum.com By Tony Canavan In recent decades Ernest Shackleton has been adopted by many in Ireland as an Irish hero. While he was alive, however, he was celebrated as a British hero and, although Irish, was a unionist (insofar as he … Read more
Coco Television/Keough Naughton Institute for Irish Studies, University of Notre Dame RTÉ1, February 2016 Briona Nic Dhiarmada, The 1916 Irish rebellion (Cork University Press, 216pp, €29.95 hb, ISBN 9781782051916). Foreword by Mary McAleese. By John Gibney 1916 is a major three-part documentary on the Easter Rising, drawing upon the considerable financial and academic resources of … Read more
By Lar Joye In the 1930s, nearly 1,000 Irishmen followed in the long tradition of foreign service by enlisting to fight in the Spanish Civil War; some fought with the Nationalist forces and others joined the Republicans. What was different with this war was the passion of those who fought—they believed fervently in a cause; … Read more