A DIFFICULT BIRTH: THE EARLY YEARS OF NORTHERN IRELAND, 1920–25 ALAN PARKINSON Eastwood Books €25 ISBN 9781838041625 POLITICAL CONFLICT IN EAST ULSTER 1920–22: REVOLUTION AND REPRISAL CHRISTOPHER MAGILL Boydell Press £75 ISBN 9781783275113 Reviewed by Seán Bernard Newman For historians of Northern Ireland, the lack of scholarship on anything and everything is a constant source … Read more
By Joe Culley @TheRealCulls In his contribution to From whence I came: the Kennedy legacy, Ireland and America, NUIG law lecturer and native Bostonian Larry Donnelly offers a scathing analysis of Ted Kennedy’s stance during the run-up to and implementation of the city’s ‘school bussing’ crisis of 1974. The plan was, ostensibly, a high-minded attempt … Read more
Old Holy Trinity, Carlingford, Co. Louth info@carlingfordheritagecentre.com By Tony Canavan The seaside town of Carlingford has claims to Viking origins, but the present streetscape reflects an Anglo-Norman foundation, as evidenced by King John’s Castle, which towers over the town. The heritage centre is located in a former Church of Ireland chapel and you get an … Read more
BBC Northern Ireland, 20 April 2021 By Donal Fallon On the announcement of his departure as BBC Northern Ireland’s political editor late last year, Mark Devenport joked that it felt ‘like attending your own funeral without any of the downsides’. Devenport’s tenure in journalism was impressive. Joining BBC Northern Ireland in 1986, as a reporter—and … Read more
By Fiona Brennan On 24 February 1921, four months after his death on hunger strike, Terence MacSwiney’s five-act drama The Revolutionist premiered at the Abbey Theatre. It is based on the premise that Home Rule has become a reality, and its protagonist, Hugh O’Neill, is loath to accept anything less than Ireland’s complete independence. He … Read more