‘Never reformed because never deformed’ By Yvonne McDermott During the medieval period Ireland played host to many religious orders, following a range of monastic rules and forms of life, with a common aim of devoting themselves to God. Among the more obscure of these are the Carthusians, whose solitary lives, brief stay in Ireland … Read more
Does photo colourisation bring us closer to the past? By Emily Mark-Fitzgerald In 1988 Ted Turner announced that he intended to colourise Citizen Kane. A critical and popular outcry soon forced a retreat, though Turner continued to colourise black-and-white films from both RKO and MGM’s back catalogues for decades, albeit with lukewarm public reception. Three … Read more
Sir,—Compliments to Seán Bernard Newman on his excellent article on the Ulster Special Constabulary. He is correct that the weapons toted by the half-squad of B Specials (HI 29.2, March/April 2021, p. 35) are not the standard government-issued short magazine Lee Enfield rifles (SMLEs), but nor are they ‘Larne era’. They appear to be Lee … Read more
Sir,—I’m doing some research on Martin Haverty, born in Rahoon, Co. Galway, in 1809. He was half-brother to Joseph P., the artist. He wrote a very detailed history of Ireland, based on the Annals of the Four Masters, in 1860, while resident in Kilbehy, Askeaton, Co. Limerick. He had bought Kilbehy in 1853—257 acres of … Read more
Sir,—I would like to congratulate History Ireland on its recent Hedge School podcast, ‘“Spies and informers beware!”—intelligence and counterintelligence in the War of Independence’ (https://historyireland.com/hedge-schools/, scroll down). The panel, chaired by Tommy Graham, of Andy Bielenberg, Cécile Gordon, Eunan O’Halpin and Gerry White provided a nuanced analysis of what is undoubtedly a complex subject. I … Read more