Boer War artefacts

Sir,—Those interested in southern-African Irish studies will have been pleased to read the article in the Artefacts section on the Anglo-Boer War (HI 25.5, Sept./Oct. 2017). As a postscript, I would add that the National Museum of Ireland also has an interesting collection of material relating to the nationalist response to the war. This includes … Read more

Cork Fatality Register

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

BOOKWORM

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

The Boer Irish Brigades

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

DIVIDED SOCIETY

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