BITE-SIZED HISTORY

BY DONAL FALLON ALEXANDER ECTOR ORR REMEMBERED A new plaque has been unveiled in Strabane in honour of Alexander Ector Orr (1831–1914). Described by the chairman of the Ulster History Circle as the ‘father of the New York subway’, Orr was a successful emigrant from Ireland who went on to play a leading role in … Read more

ON THIS DAY

BY AODHÁN CREALEY NOVEMBER 25/1956 Francis McCullagh (82), war correspondent, died. A thirst for adventure and a fascination with international affairs brought McCullagh to most of the major wars of his day. Fluent in a number of languages, including Russian and Japanese, he won international acclaim for his reports on Bolshevism and the Russian Revolution. … Read more

Standing with Ukraine

On this, the 50th anniversary of the opening of diplomatic relations between Ireland and the Soviet Union in 1974 (See ‘Our man in Moscow’, HI 32.5, Sept./Oct. 2024, pp 48–51, and https://historyireland.com/hedge-schools/), it is timely to reflect on the ongoing war in Ukraine. At the outset, quite rightly, Ireland stood with Ukraine by diplomatically condemning … Read more