The Irishwoman who became the first female lord mayor of Manchester almost 70 years ago. By Arnold Horner Born in 1877, Mary Latchford Jones grew up in an upwardly mobile Protestant family that migrated across suburban Dublin. Her father, Percival Jones, had spent his early years assisting in a Capel Street china and earthenware shop … Read more
Setting the record straight on institutional abuse. By Catriona Crowe Ireland has been convulsed over the last 30 years by revelations of the abuse of women and children in institutions allegedly dedicated to their welfare. These institutions existed in Ireland long after they had vanished elsewhere in Europe. They were run mainly, but not exclusively, … Read more
Sir,—Twenty-five years on, the latest argument between Prof. David Fitzpatrick and Dr Andy Bielenberg about Peter Hart’s research identifying high levels of sectarianism in Cork during the War of Independence and its aftermath is disquieting and disappointing. Fitzpatrick ignores the volumes of evidence uncovered since the publication of Hart’s The IRA and its enemies. His … Read more
Governor’s House, Millmount, Drogheda www.droghedamuseum.ie, info@droghedamuseum.ie By Tony Canavan Millmount is an impressive hill on the banks of the River Boyne overlooking Drogheda. It is made even more impressive by the Norman motte on top, on which stands a Martello tower, all attesting to the historical significance of the location. The museum itself is in … Read more
Sir,—Tony Canavan told the story of the painting of William of Orange hanging in Stormont since the 1930s, which caused controversy owing to the inclusion in the painting of Pope Innocent XI (‘A papist painting for a Protestant parliament?’, HI 16.1, Jan./Feb. 2008). Episode three of the first series of the BBC’s Britain’s Lost Masterpieces … Read more