By Stephen Callaghan The Second Boer War broke out in October 1899. It was a conflict for which the British were under-prepared, with towns like Kimberly, Ladysmith and Mafeking being besieged by the Boers at the outset. The following year saw several hundred thousand British and Commonwealth reinforcements on their way to South Africa. Prior … Read more
BY TONY CANAVAN Sinn Féin’s success in the 1918 general election A research study carried out at Queen’s University, Belfast (QUB), has found that the 1918 electoral reforms in Britain and Ireland did not cause Sinn Féin’s subsequent electoral victory, as previously proposed. In early 1918, the right to vote was extended to all men … Read more
Garda Museum Dublin Castle museum@garda.ie, +353 (0)1 6669998 By Tony Canavan The Garda Museum is located in refurbished vaults in the Treasury Building of the Dublin Castle complex. It houses a state-of-the-art exhibition utilising traditional and modern display techniques, and takes the visitor on a journey from the early days of British policing in Ireland … Read more
The Irishman who made the first successful east–west flight across the Atlantic in April 1928. By Teddy Fennelly The First World War hastened the advancement of aircraft technology. From its use as an experimental armament of war in 1914, its enhanced mobility, stability and speed had established the airplane as an essential weapon of warfare … Read more
Mary Size (1883–1959)—forgotten Irish pioneer of British penal reform. By Ruairí Ó hAodha Myra Hindley claimed that she was glad that it was dark when she was driven through the gates of Holloway Prison, London, in 1966, as she avoided having to view its forbidding Victorian façade. Hindley had narrowly avoided the hangman for her … Read more