DMP Detective Sergeant Patrick Smyth—the first G Division casualty of the War of Independence. By Seán Ryan The shooting of the two RIC constables in Soloheadbeg on 21 January 1919 had been followed by widespread condemnation by all sections of the community, including the Catholic Church and nationalist organisations. Although the Irish Volunteers’ newspaper, An … Read more
The Kildare and Meath farm labour strike, 1919. By Terry Dunne The country lanes and byways across the plains of Meath and Kildare were the setting for a showdown in the summer of 1919. According to a confidential police report, there was ‘serious dislocation’: ‘The Agricultural Show at Navan had to be abandoned, the fairs … Read more
His personal bests remain competitive in the 21st century. By Christopher Warner This year marks the 150th anniversary of the birth of Tom Kiely, possibly Ireland’s greatest athlete. His sporting career included 53 national wins, two world titles and an Olympic gold medal in the ‘all-around’ (forerunner of the decathlon), while setting numerous world records … Read more
Re-evaluating the American Civil War’s place in Irish history. By Damian Shiels On 28 June 1950, County Limerick native Jeremiah O’Brien died in Kirbyville, Texas, claiming the great age of 105 years. The vast majority of his life had passed in unremarkable fashion, lived in relative obscurity and poverty. What made his death worthy of … Read more
Amongst those killed and injured were a great many of the city’s Irish workers and their families. By Mairtín Ó Catháin This year marks the 200th anniversary of the infamous attack by government forces on a mass gathering of parliamentary reformers in St Peter’s Fields in Manchester, in which an estimated seventeen people were killed … Read more