The creation of the Irish National Foresters Benefit Society, 1877

Friendly societies played a vital role in mitigating the worst material consequences of illness and hardship. By Joe Fodey The Irish National Foresters (INF) was probably the most famous and influential of the many friendly societies operating in Ireland during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. In its heyday it had branches throughout Ireland and … Read more

The ‘healing clay’ of Boho

From superstition to Streptomyces. By Eugene Dunphy On the morning of Sunday 2 January 1842, two unnamed young men set out on a mission. A relative of one suffered from tuberculosis (TB) and had subsequently contracted scrofula, a side-effect of TB that caused disfiguring abcesses in the neck of the unfortunate sufferer. Hoping to find … Read more

There’ll always be an England

There are certain parallels between the present Brexit crisis and our ongoing ‘decade of commemorations’. Just as now, a factor in the Home Rule crisis of 1912–14 was the parliamentary arithmetic in Westminster, where Redmond’s Irish Parliamentary Party held the balance of power. That only lasted until 1915, of course, when Unionists (both British and … Read more

Events

MARCH 05 Tues 8pm Kilmacanogue History Society, Glenview Hotel, Glen of the Downs. My grandfather’s part in the Anglo-Irish Treaty, Tim Lynch. Adm. €3. 08 Fri 1.05pm National Library of Ireland, Kildare Street. International Women’s Day lecture: What did the women do anyway?, Liz Gillis. 08 Fri 8pm Military History Society of Ireland, Griffith College, … Read more