Sir,—I am writing with a minor correction to the article on ‘Symphysiotomy in Ireland, 1944–66’ (HI 20.5, Sept./Oct. 2012). The article included a pair of photos side by side (p. 46), depicting two former masters of the National Maternity Hospital—Dr Arthur Barry (1948–55), who misguidedly promoted the practice of symphysiotomy during and after his tenure, … Read more
Sir,—Your review of The Hunger: The Story of the Irish Famine (‘Seen on TV’, HI 29.2, March/April 2021) concentrated mainly on how the story was presented. This excellent documentary necessarily presents a broad-brushstroke account of a complex situation. The wider public appreciation of the history of the Great Famine is often obscured by an emotive … Read more
In Kieran Rankin’s article on maps of Ireland in caricature (‘When English eyes are satirising’, HI 29.1, Jan./Feb. 2021), in relation to Tom Merry’s map, ‘GEOGRAPHY BEWITCHED’ (p. 23), the last sentence of the second column should have read: ‘It may be, however, that this figure represents a respectable “everyman” that contrasts markedly with … Read more
A chara,—I very much welcomed the recent publication of O’Halpin and Ó Corráin’s The Dead of the Irish Revolution and I read with interest the review of the book by Pádraig Óg Ó Ruairc (‘Big Book’, HI 29.2, March/April 2021). A comprehensive and accurate reference source for details of all the fatalities that occurred in … Read more
A chara,—Dr Patrick Maume cites E.P. Thompson’s The poverty of theory in his welcome reply to my article on revisionism (Platform, HI 29.2, March/April 2021). In my piece (Platform, HI 28.4, July/August 2020), I cited the same collection to illustrate the ideological imperatives operating within and beyond the academy. Unfortunately, Dr Maume’s response rests on … Read more