Sir,—The evidence presented by David Fitzpatrick in his letter (HI 25.6, Nov./Dec. 2017) questioning my rejection of Peter Hart’s sectarian thesis in 1920–1 does not stand up to scrutiny. While I agree that the Dunmanway massacre (in April 1922) was sectarian, I reject Hart’s wider conclusion that ‘Looking over the whole span of the revolution, … Read more
By Joe Culley Breandán Mac Suibhne, Subjects lacking words? The gray zone of the Great Famine (Cork University Press, €11.95 pb, 48pp, ISBN 9780997837476). Niamh Ann Kelly, Ultimate witnesses: the visual culture of death, burial and mourning in Famine Ireland (Cork University Press, €11.95 pb, 48pp, ISBN 9780997837469). Richard Kearney and Sheila Gallagher, Twinsome minds: … Read more
By Lar Joye With the outbreak of the Boer War in 1899, many Irish nationalists were outraged that the British government did not respect Boer independence, and some went to South Africa to fight against the British forces. They were joined there by Irish-Americans looking for an opportunity to strike back at the British for … Read more
Linen Hall Library to launch major new digital archive The Linen Hall Library is the oldest library in Belfast and the last subscribing library in Ireland. Since 1968, the Linen Hall has sought to collect all printed material relating to the conflict in Northern Ireland. The library has since become the repository for a vast … Read more
MARGARET WARD (ed.) UCD Press €35/£30 ISBN 9781910820148 Reviewed by Patrick Maum This valuable book is a picture of an activist in her own words. Hanna Sheehy Skeffington was essentially a rationalist (she loved books and disliked music), a believer in the ability of reason to bring about social improvement, whose personality had been shaped … Read more