ON THIS DAY

MAY 08/1987 The Loughgall ambush. Eight members of the East Tyrone Brigade of the IRA, including their commander, Patrick Joseph Kelly, were killed by the SAS/RUC as they attacked the part-manned RUC station in north Armagh. The East Tyrone Brigade was one of the most active and successful IRA brigades during the Troubles, with a … Read more

THE KERLOGUE RESCUE, DECEMBER 1943

By Fran O’Rourke The Battle of Biscay, on 28 December 1943, was a significant episode in the Second World War. Two British cruisers, HMS Enterprise and HMS Glasgow, sank two German torpedo boats and a destroyer which were in the area to escort a supply ship through the British blockade. Germany subsequently changed its strategy … Read more

Ireland and identity—why it matters

A common thread in this issue is that ‘identity’ in Ireland over the past two centuries or so has not been immutable (‘two traditions’, ‘Ireland for the Irish’ etc.). In his article on William Sharman Crawford (pp 20–2) Peter Gray reminds us that political radicalism in Protestant Ulster did not entirely disappear in the nineteenth … Read more