By Stephen Kelly July 2024 marks the centenary of Gerald Boland’s release from prison, following his incarceration two years before for his involvement in the Battle of Blessington in the initial weeks of the Civil War. In fact, Boland was interned the longest of all anti-Treaty prisoners, initially in Mountjoy (8 July 1922–October 1923), then … Read more
By Patrick R. Redmond Since 1896 the modern Olympic Games have been plagued by controversy. Besides Nazi manipulation, political boycotts and terrorism, there has been other low-level petty bickering; accusations of cheating and boorish displays of nationalism have also overshadowed this celebration of global sporting friendship. ONLY NATIONAL TEAMS FROM 1908 The first three Olympics … Read more
By Brian Smyth On 19 August 1874 John Tyndall, then professor of Natural Philosophy at the Royal Institution, delivered his presidential address to the British Association for the Advancement of Science (BAAS) in Belfast. This later became known as the ‘Belfast Address’. It considered the relationship of science to philosophical materialism and traced the history … Read more
By John Biggins Before the arrival of the Anglo-Normans in Ireland, a sophisticated legal system had already existed for centuries. These intricate laws had been committed to writing mostly between the seventh and eighth centuries by Christianised learned classes who wove rich tapestries of law, poetry, myth, religion, history and tradition generally (senchas). We know … Read more
By Charlotte Murphy The unusually heavy rain earlier this year has led to fears (yet again) of a looming fodder shortage this summer, while yields of potatoes and other vegetables are expected to be very poor. While this has led to speculation that it is linked to climate change, such extreme weather events were not … Read more