Sir,—There appears to be an ever-growing trend to dismiss the Civil War and to downplay it within the ‘decade of centenaries’. In his letter, ‘The failings of past generations’ (HI 29.4, July/August 2021), Joe Coy argues that, because the ‘butcher’s list’ is short in comparison to civil wars in the same period, it should, by … Read more
A chara,—My Platform piece (HI 28.4, July/August 2020) abridged an essay in Irish Studies Review that challenged revisionist claims to write value-free history. I then critiqued revisionism on its own empirical terrain, working methodically through three canonical texts to illustrate persistent bias, ultimately characterising revisionism as an ideological project providing an élite narrative of Irish … Read more
BY TONY CANAVAN Heroines being honoured in Belfast Belfast City Council is to erect statues of Winifred Carney and Mary Ann McCracken in the grounds of City Hall. Councillors unanimously agreed to a motion to commemorate United Irishwoman McCracken and the republican and trade unionist Carney for their heroism, leadership and commitment to social justice … Read more
BY AODHÁN CREALEY SEPTEMBER 30/1930 F.E. Smith (58), 1st Earl of Birkenhead, politician, died. Elected Conservative MP for Liverpool—then the stronghold of Orangeism in Britain—in 1906, Birkenhead first appeared in the nationalist narrative during the Home Rule crisis (1912), when he served as Edward Carson’s aide-de-camp, a role which earned him the moniker ‘Galloper Smith’. … Read more
By Seán Beattie As summer turns to autumn, the trees in our parks and gardens still retain their beauty, bringing bright and glorious colours into our lives, whatever level of lockdown we have had to endure. In the sheltered environs of the Phoenix Park, the walled gardens of Áras an Uachtaráin enclose some of the … Read more