By Joseph E.A. Connell Often called ‘the greatest blessing of all’, the Old Age Pensions Act (1908) introduced a non-contributory pension for ‘eligible’ people aged 70 and over. It came into law in January 1909 across England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland. The pension was open to both men and women, both married and single, and … Read more
JACK TRAYNOR McFarland Books £49.71 ISBN 9781476693262 Reviewed By Brian Hanley Brian Hanley is the presenter of the ‘Dirty War in Dublin’ podcast, supported by a Royal Irish Academy Decade of Centenaries bursary. In December 1944 General Eoin O’Duffy, the former leader of Ireland’s best-known fascist movement, the Blueshirts, was buried with full military honours … Read more
GERARD HANLEY Four Courts Press €45 ISBN 9781801510783 Reviewed by Brian Girvin Brian Girvin is Professor Emeritus and Honorary Professor at the University of Glasgow. Political independence promises much, but rarely delivers to the most disadvantaged sections in the new state. This certainly proved to be the case for the Irish working class and trade … Read more
NIAMH HOWLIN Four Courts Press €55 ISBN 9781801510844 Reviewed by James Meighan James Meighan is a solicitor and a Ph.D candidate at the University of Limerick. This book considers various aspects of the profession of barrister in Ireland. It is timely in that it encapsulates the evolution of the practice, side by side with the … Read more
JANE FENLON and SARAH MAGUIRE Four Courts Press €50 ISBN 9781801510899 Reviewed by Eoin Swithin Walsh Eoin Swithin Walsh is the author of Kilkenny: in times of revolution, 1900–1923 (Merrion Press, 2018). One of the significant successes of the ‘decade of centenaries’ has been the upsurge of interest in local histories. Knowing what happened in … Read more