Gene Autry’s 1939 tour By Ronan Doheny “The films were vehicles for his songs and immensely popular escapism for children, who adored the handsome, well-dressed Autry and his prized horse, ‘Champion’.” In August 1939, amidst fear of war and calls for air warden volunteers, the ‘Singing Cowboy’, Gene Autry, visited Europe for the first time … Read more
By Fiona Fitzsimons Directories were first widely published in the 1730s, as new print formats were developed for a popular audience. They were urban handbooks ‘bundled up’ with other reference works—almanacks, gazetteers and companions—that published basic but essential information: calendars for planting crops; dates of fairs and markets; schedules of assize courts; distances by road; … Read more
The case of Night Watch Constable John O’Brien By Tadhg Moloney “… the ‘small man’ was out of his depth when dealing with the political nuances in local authority structures.” The clash between different political loyalties and class interests at local level comes across in a controversy involving the Limerick City Night Watch between 1915 … Read more
The creation of the Ulster Special Constabulary, 1920 By Seán Bernard Newman “As an official and authorised force, the USC gave Craig the means to defend the border, consolidate Ulster unionist power and guarantee Northern Ireland’s long-term future.” The Ulster Special Constabulary (USC) is a fundamental institution in Northern Ireland’s history. Historians cannot overstate its … Read more
Athy Road, Carlow, Co. Carlow By Simonas Vilcauskis The history of Presbyterianism in Carlow can be traced back to 1655, when Roger Muckle was recorded as an ‘Independent minister under the Commonwealth’. A congregation established under the Synod of Munster flourished for a time but was extinct by 1750. A revival was brought about by … Read more