Cumann na mBan fatalities in the War of Independence and Civil War. By Pádraig Óg Ó Ruairc This year marks several important milestones in the history of women’s struggle in Ireland. The centenaries of the extension of the vote to women and the election of Constance Markievicz as the first female MP will be widely … Read more
By Fiona Fitzsimons We all generate documents as we go through life, a ‘paper trail’ that is a record of key events. Ironically, the greatest amount of evidence is often left at the time of death. In nineteenth- and twentieth-century Ireland, death was one of the busiest times of life, with its own protocols to … Read more
By Saoirse Ní Shíocháin Geoffrey Lee Compton-Smith was born in 1889 in South Kensington, London. After finishing school, he decided not to follow the family tradition of studying law. He actually wanted to become an artist, but his father insisted that he join the army. He studied at the Royal Military College at Sandhurst and … Read more
Sir,—In your last issue (HI 26.5, July/August 2018), your feature on ‘The curse of St Laurence O’Toole’ by Dr Jesse Harrington omitted an important factor with wide implications. The sister of St Laurence O’Toole, Mór O’Toole, was married to the then powerful king of Leinster and Uí Chennseligh, Diarmuid Mac Murrough.—Yours etc., NICHOLAS FURLONG, FRSAI … Read more
Sir,—We are Joe Duffy and Freya McClements, two journalists and authors who are writing a book that remembers the children—aged sixteen and under—who were killed during the period known as the Troubles. The 14th of August 2018 marked the 49th anniversary of the death of the first child to die in the Troubles—nine-year-old Patrick Rooney, … Read more