A chara,—Tony Canavan (HI 26.2, March/April 2018, Bite-sized History) poses a question which will become even more relevant over the next year or so—where and when did the War of Independence start? The claim that the armed action by Donegal Volunteers in freeing two republicans on 4 January 1918 signalled the start of the war … Read more
Sir,—Lar Joye and Donal McCracken (HI 26.1, Jan./Feb. 2018, ‘Artefacts’ and ‘Letters’) mention the flag that Inghinidhe na hÉireann sent to the Irish Transvaal Brigade during the Anglo-Boer War and which was recently conserved at Letterfrack for the National Museum. My understanding is that Major John MacBride undertook its transfer to Paris, where it was … Read more
Sir,—A ‘bemused’ Barry Keane (HI 26.2, March/April 2018, Letters) rejects a sectarian interpretation to the contested Bandon Valley killings of late April 1922. We would like to point readers to our 2014 article, ‘“Something in the nature of a massacre”: the Bandon Valley killings revisited’ (Éire-Ireland, Fall/Winter 2014, pp 7–59, assisted by James Donnelly Jr), … Read more
Sir,—I am sorry to have to correct you, but you were inaccurate in your report of the result of the by-election in Waterford on 22 March 1918 (HI 26.3, March/April 2018, ‘On this day’). In fact, Captain W. Redmond defeated Dr V. White (Sinn Féin), not the other way around.—Yours etc., JODIE COOKE 6th Class … Read more
Sir,—May I make a brief contribution in relation to Tony Canavan’s ‘Bite-sized History’ article, with reference to the Spanish Civil War? Mr Canavan correctly states that most ‘mainstream historians’ have reached a certain consensus in this regard. May I suggest that history has demonstrated that ‘mainstream historians’ have frequently been proven wrong? One need only … Read more