By Rene Franklin Lynch The Canon Dwyer Collection of letters, written between 1884 and 1919, conveys a vivid account of a Clare family split by emigration, the changing role of women and encounters with and experiences of historic events. In a letter dated 14 December 1905, Mary Bethune wrote to her brother, William Dwyer of … Read more
By Michael Loughman In July 1943 Oliver J. Flanagan, a newly elected TD for Laois–Offaly, declared before the Dáil: ‘There is one thing that Germany did, and that was to rout the Jews out of their country. Until we rout the Jews out of this country it does not matter a hair’s breadth what orders … Read more
By Erik Stewart Living in an age when aggressive territorial land-grabs have once again become topical issues of the day forces one to reflect on the last time events of this nature were commonplace in Europe. Such reflections quickly lead one to the conclusion that Ireland was not as far removed from such events as … Read more
By Damian Murphy The origins of St John’s Church date back to 1290, when, according to the Liber Primus Kilkenniensis, Mass was first celebrated at the altar of the new Lady Chapel adjoining the choir of the Augustinian Priory of St John the Evangelist (1211). The Lady Chapel was renowned for the uninterrupted sequence of … Read more
By Jack Hepworth Founded a century ago, the Irish Free State was established as a dominion of the British Commonwealth under the Crown. For the predominantly unionist Protestant minority in the Free State, however, the formal separation from Britain prompted difficult political questions. What did it mean to be a ‘unionist’ or ‘loyalist’ after Ireland’s … Read more