On the occasion of the 250th anniversary of the Trinity College Historical Society (‘the Hist’). By Ian Ashe The Hist’s 250th anniversary in March 2020 is an apt occasion to mark the strong connection to Thomas D’Arcy McGee, who pleaded: ‘Am I remembered in Erin, I charge you, speak me true? Has my name a … Read more
Alcohol, music, animals and vegetables in early nineteenth-century Irish prisons. By Richard Butler James Palmer and Benjamin Woodward, the State’s prison inspectors in early nineteenth-century Ireland, faced a monumental challenge: all around the country, in big county gaols and in small bridewells, prison governors and wardens were a law unto themselves. Affairs were managed on … Read more
The recent death of Monty Python’s Terry Jones (a published historian, incidentally) calls to mind one of the greatest satires ever to appear on film, The life of Brian (which Jones directed). In the light of the recent débâcle concerning the aborted official State commemoration of the RIC, one scene in particular stands out. While Brian … Read more
William Howard Russell at the First Battle of Bull Run, 1861. By Royston Spears Sir William Howard Russell, special correspondent of the London Times, is best known today for his unflinching reports of the Crimean War, but few people realise that he also witnessed the dramatic opening stages of the American Civil War, including the … Read more
In late August 1829, the English poet William Wordsworth (1770–1850) crossed the Irish Sea for the first time, sailing from Holyhead to Howth. By Brandon C. Yen Wordsworth spent five weeks in Ireland, visiting glens, rivers, loughs, abbeys, churches, castles and demesnes, as well as Dublin, Cork, Limerick, Derry and Belfast, before returning to Britain … Read more