In the peaceful setting of St Michael’s churchyard in Abergele in north Wales, just off the busy A55 road, there is a memorial to the 33 victims of a horrific railway accident who were buried in a mass grave there in August 1868. It was the worst rail disaster up to then, and the graphic … Read more
A Gansee production, directed by Kevin Brannigan and Graham Seely By Brian Hanley By any standards Seán Garland has led an interesting life. Raised in the tenements of north inner city Dublin, by his early twenties he was already an iconic figure among Irish republicans. Joining the IRA in 1953, he shortly afterwards enlisted in … Read more
What can Muirchú’s Life of St Patrick (c. 688) tell us about the political history of late fifth-century Ulster, and in particular the hostile relationship between the Uí Néill and their allies the Airthir, a tribe of the Airgialla, and the Ulaid, mentioned at the close of Muirchú’s Life? Does it provide any clues to … Read more
Constance Markievicz: feminist, revolutionary—and Catholic. By Mary Kenny During the 2018 referendum on removing the eighth amendment from the Irish Constitution (which recognised the right to life of the unborn), feminist campaigners for repeal invoked images of the revolutionary and feminist Constance Markievicz to support their side of the campaign. But would Con Markievicz have … Read more
Croke Park crokepark.ie/gaa-museum-tours/gaa-museum By Tony Canavan This year sees the twentieth anniversary of the opening of the Gaelic Athletic Association Museum in Croke Park. The entrance to the museum in the Cusack Stand is impressive, as you have to pass a statue of Michael Cusack himself. If you did not already know, the museum soon … Read more