Sir,—I was surprised to see the famous Jack Lynch quote misquoted (HI 28.5, Sept./Oct. 2020, editorial). I believe he never used the word ‘idly’. Even though it is only one word, it was used by loyalists for propaganda purposes to indicate that an Irish Army invasion of the six counties was imminent, causing widespread hysteria … Read more
Sir,—Fearghal Mac Bhloscaidh discussed revisionist distortions of Irish history (HI 28.6, July/Aug. 2020, Platform) that base themselves on the alleged neutrality of the British state and a correspondingly mistaken view that ‘Irish republicanism is inherently violent, irrational and sectarian’. I agree that that is generally the case. However, established historians reject the suggestion of a … Read more
Dr John G. Tohill of Magherafelt spotted an arithmetical error in ‘Facts and fallacies of the Belfast pogrom’ (HI 28.5, Sept./Oct. 2020, top of the third column, p. 31), which the author, Kieran Glennon, would like to acknowledge. The number of Catholic civilians killed should have read 251 (and not 254). And, in the same … Read more
Sir,—Kieran Glennon’s article ‘Facts and fallacies of the Belfast pogrom’ (HI 28.5, Sept./Oct. 2020) was fair and balanced. His title was, of course, hinged to the unpublished Fr Hassan (‘G.B. Kenna’) pamphlet Facts and figures of the Belfast pogrom 1920–1922. Hassan’s failing was one-sidedness, not unlike that of his pamphlet’s contemporary, the Irish Bulletin. As … Read more
BY TONY CANAVAN Drought and lockdown lucky for archaeologist Marion Dowd, an archaeologist and local resident, was marking the easing of Covid-19 restrictions with a picnic on the shore of Lough Glencar (on the Sligo–Leitrim boundary) in June with her son Fiachra (12) and another family member when she spotted hundreds of pieces of chert, … Read more