Naas, Co. Kildare By Damian Murphy Ireland is home to a fine collection of pyramids. One of the earliest, a step pyramid in the park of Neale House, Co. Mayo, was built in 1750 as a memorial to George Browne MP (d. 1737) and its design has been attributed to Lord Charlemont. The earliest pyramid … Read more
By Lynda A. O’Keeffe Introducing John O’Keeffe, a man who in his own time needed no introduction at all—one of the most prolific and significant playwrights of the eighteenth century. With works including operas, comedic farces and poetry, he could be called the Andrew Lloyd Webber of Georgian theatre. A playwright of cosmopolitan London and … Read more
By Mark Henry A century ago, with the country on the brink of a bitter civil war, the prospects for the Irish Free State (which officially came into being in December 1922) did not seem particularly bright. And any objective evaluation is compelled to conclude that the first 50 years of independence failed to produce … Read more
Sir,—In his fine article, ‘The “Good Old IRA”—remembering republican veterans after 1969’ (HI 30.2, March/April 2022), Jack Hepworth recalls the contradictory attitudes of Old IRA veterans towards the 30-year campaign of the Provisional IRA in Northern Ireland. Having read in the French media that General Tom Barry, the legendary commander of the 3rd West Cork … Read more
Sir,—Apropos Sylvie Kleinman’s review of Miles Campbell’s Vicereines of Ireland (HI 30.1, Jan./Feb. 2022), I heard the following story as a child from my grandfather about Lady Aberdeen, which might be of some interest. My grandfather worked in some managerial capacity for Fry Brothers, the poplin manufacturers. Lady Aberdeen ordered poplin from Fry’s for curtains … Read more