January 2019 marks the 100th anniversary of the Irish nationalist ballad The Foggy Dew. But who wrote it? By Eugene Dunphy Over the years a number of published works have attributed authorship of The Foggy Dew to a range of people. In 2004 the writer’s name was cited as ‘anonymous’. In 2005 his name was … Read more
By Fiona Fitzsimons In the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries Irish marriage law deviated from the laws that pertained in England, Wales and Scotland. In Ireland, marriages between co-religionists, celebrated by their own clergymen, were lawful, while inter-faith marriages were open to legal challenge under the Penal Laws. Marriage customs, however, were remarkably similar. Before the … Read more
JANUARY 03 Thur 8pmMount Merrion Historical Society, Community Centre, North Ave.Stanley Woods: the world’s first motorcycling superstar, David Crawford. Adm. €4/students €2. 08 Tues 7pmTallaght Historical Society, County Library, The Square.Swift and money, Brendan Twomey. 08 Tues 8pmGenealogical Society of Ireland, Dún Laoghaire FE Institute, Cumberland Street.The chief secretary’s office registered papers, Nicola Morris. Adm. … Read more
New evidence of early matches has necessitated a reappraisal of Irish soccer’s foundation story. By Martin Moore According to its foundation myth, association football was introduced into Ireland on 24 October 1878, when John McAlery organised an exhibition match in Belfast between two Scottish teams, Caledonian and the famous Queen’s Park. McAlery, known as the … Read more
John Nicholson—the Irishman who became a god. By Stuart Flinders Question: What had the duke of Wellington, the writer Brendan Behan and the explorer Shackleton in common? Answer: Their portraits all appeared at an exhibition of ‘great Irishmen’ in 1965. You can imagine the arguments amongst visitors to the event in Belfast about who deserved … Read more