Sir,—Despite the lengthy criticism by Michael Quigley of Ontario of a Big Book review which I wrote about two excellent books in HI 28.4, July/August 2020, on the partition of Ireland 100 years ago, books which he does not say he has read, I am not convinced that there is any issue of substance between … Read more
Sir,—While I haven’t the slightest interest in defending the alt-right, the arguments that Pádraig Óg Ó Ruairc levels against them create more general problems for our understanding of history (HI 28.1, Jan./Feb. 2020, Platform). For example, he accuses the alt-right of not understanding the difference between Irish nationalism and republicanism. He says that republicanism espouses … Read more
Sir,—Jeffrey Dudgeon describes as ‘fallacious’ (HI 28.6, Nov./Dec. 2020, letters) my and Fr John Hassan’s use of the word ‘pogrom’ to describe the events of 1920–22 in Belfast (‘Facts and fallacies of the Belfast pogrom’, HI 28.5, Sept./Oct. 2020) and he calls for context and definition. The context consists of three overlapping developments that, by … Read more
BY TONY CANAVAN Battle of Jutland survivor stays afloat It was feared that ten jobs could go at the HMS Caroline floating museum in Belfast as the British government’s Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme ended, but the museum’s staff have been offered a temporary reprieve. The National Museum of the Royal Navy (NMRN) announced that it … Read more
BY AODHÁN CREALEY JANUARY 13/1843 The storms and gale-force conditions that ravaged these islands in January 1843 had devastating consequences off the Mourne coast. Early that fine winter’s morning, some sixteen skiffs set out from Newcastle and the nearby village of Annalong for their customary fishing grounds in Dundrum Bay. Conditions being exceptionally calm, the … Read more