By Joe Culley @TheRealCulls The only thing bland about this young Irish woman was her name, Lilian Bland. Born in 1878 (in Kent, admittedly) to an affluent family with roots in Antrim, by the turn of the century she was living in Ireland and rebelling against convention in every way. She was, for example, working … Read more
During the reign of King George I, a legal onus was placed on parishes in Ireland to provide fire-fighting equipment. By Pat Poland Just over 300 years ago, on 2 November 1719, the legal obligation of providing a ‘community fire service’ was laid on the Established Church, the last non-permissive piece of fire-fighting legislation in … Read more
National eligibility and residency rules are still a divisive subject in Irish sport today. By Cian Manning The late 1970s saw the Irish squash rackets scene dominated by a Pakistani player named Mohammed Ali Somjee who harboured aspirations to represent Ireland in international tournaments. Married to a native of Drogheda, Somjee was about to realise … Read more
Place-name evidence suggests that Scandinavian rural settlement in Ireland was more extensive than is currently assumed. By William J. Smyth The Vikings were outstanding geographers. Their sea empire(s) stretched down the great rivers of continental Russia to reach Byzantium, while extending westwards to colonise Iceland, Greenland and even the edges of North America. To these … Read more
By Lar Joye The first police forces in Ireland were created under the Peace Preservation Act of 1814 by Sir Robert Peel (who for three years was MP for Cashel, Co. Tipperary). This was to lead to the creation of county constabularies in 1822, and over the next century 85,000 policemen served. Further restructuring took … Read more