By Sunniva O’Flynn In this issue we take a look at the recently launched collection of Irish film-maker Louis Marcus. Born in Cork in 1936, Marcus made his directorial debut in 1959 with The Silent Art about his friend, sculptor Seamus Murphy. After working as assistant editor on Mise Éire in 1958, Marcus created a … Read more
By Colum Kenny This fine watercolour of Sandycove Point, Co. Dublin, from the Dún Laoghaire side recently came to light at Adams Auctioneers. It includes ‘Joyce’s Tower’, as that structure is known today. Matthew Fortescue, part-time painter and otherwise an engineer with Guinness, dated it ‘1922’ beneath his signature. We thus see in colour how … Read more
By Damian Murphy The origins of Mount Congreve, a neo-Palladian mansion on the rural outskirts of Waterford, are poorly documented, although it is generally agreed that the house was built by John Congreve (1733–1801) in the second half of the eighteenth century. Its design has been attributed to the Déise-born John Roberts (1712–96), not on … Read more
By Conor McCabe In 1973 the eminent Irish labour historian John W. Boyle wrote a review of the republished edition of The life and times of James Connolly by C. Desmond Greaves. Although largely positive in his comments, he nonetheless had some concerns about its sources and scholarly fidelity. The lack of detailed references meant … Read more
By Fiona Fitzsimons The Famine years saw a substantial increase in the number of unaccompanied children in Irish workhouses. The consequent crisis in childcare prompted a public debate over whether Poor Law children should be raised in an institutional or a family setting. Although boarding out delivered better outcomes for children, it was never widely … Read more