VOYAGE OF MERCY: the USS Jamestown, the Irish Famine, and the remarkable story of America’s first humanitarian mission

STEPHEN PULEO St Martin’s Press $28.99 ISBN 9781250200471 Reviewed by Dean Jobb Dean Jobb is the author of Empire of deception and teaches non-fiction writing at the University of King’s College in Halifax, Nova Scotia. It was a perilous voyage—a run from Boston to Ireland in April, perhaps the stormiest month to be crossing the … Read more

American Civil War

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

Forgotten revolution: the Limerick Soviet 1919

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

Carson’s cupla focail

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