Sir,—The recent article ‘Irish Eyewitness to Bull Run 1861’ (HI 28.1, Jan./Feb. 2020) coincides with a discovery of a hitherto unknown connection between my family and the American Civil War. In December 1861 a young Irishman named Edward Ging volunteered to join the Union Army, C Twelfth, New York Volunteers. Born in County Offaly in … Read more
Sir,—Liam Cahill’s points (HI 28.2, March/April 2020), correcting this writer’s review of his book on the Limerick Soviet, need a clear reply themselves. Firstly, as to the criticism of the Irish Times’ coverage of the centenary, this applied to Ronan McGreevy’s January survey of the year 1919, which emphasised the relatively sparse military actions of … Read more
Sir,—In relation to recent controversies about unionist attitudes to the Irish language, it may be interesting to note that there is evidence that Edward Carson could speak some Irish. William Gibson, second Lord Ashbourne, was president of the Gaelic League 1928–33. In 1918 he delivered a speech in Irish and English in the House of … Read more
Sir,—Sylvia Kleinman is right to deplore the narrow cynicism and rehashed stereotypes that characterise the rare mentions of the French Revolution on RTÉ (HI 28.2, March/April 2020, Platform). Kleinman exposes the factual errors and spin that reduce this transformative decade in history to the ‘excesses of the Revolution’ and a James Gillray-style caricature of simian … Read more