By David Mould In July 1817 the Irish-born James Hastie, a 30-year-old East India Company sergeant, embarked on an ambitious and risky mission. From the east coast of Madagascar, he travelled by canoe and on foot to the central highlands. His destination: the court of the Ovah king, Radama, the most powerful clan chief on … Read more
By Mark B. Roe The records of the British and old Irish parliaments contain detailed evidence of one of Ireland’s earliest experiments in institutional child care: the Foundling Hospital. Annual admission figures are available for 82 out of the 100 years during which the hospital accepted admissions. From these we can calculate that approximately 127,000 … Read more
By Małgorzata Krasnodębska-D’Aughton and Richard Keyes McDonnell On 2 July 2021 a silver-gilt chalice was auctioned by Duke’s Auctioneers of Dorchester. The catalogue described the chalice as ‘an exceptionally rare Irish silver-gilt chalice, circa 1480’. Since its purchase, the chalice has featured in news articles and on television, particularly in the Catholic media in the … Read more
IAN D’ALTON Eastwood Books €25 ISBN 9781916742505 Reviewed by Henry A. Jefferies Henry A. Jefferies is a Research Associate in History at Ulster University. This is a collection of 21 essays, together with an introduction, by Ian d’Alton. They reflect the author’s personal journey of discovery as a ‘southern Irish Protestant’ (p. xx). D’Alton’s paternal … Read more
BRIAN HUGHES Four Courts Press €22.45 ISBN 9781801511193 Reviewed by Niall Quinn Niall Quinn is a former international footballer with an MA in History from Dublin City University. I’m 58. When I was in school, history was like a bowl of porridge slapped down at breakfast. It wasn’t meant to be nice; it was good … Read more