Sir,—In Pádraig Óg Ó Ruairc’s Platform piece, ‘Take it down from the mast, “Irish patriots”’ (HI 28.1, Jan./Feb. 2020, pp 12–13), he writes that James Connolly believed that ‘Irish freedom would not be possible until “Catholic, Protestant, Jew, Freethinker, Buddhist and Muslim will cooperate together”’. This is rather misleading, as it suggests that Connolly was … Read more
Sir,—I read with great interest (HI 34.2, March/April 2026, pp 6–7) the excellent article by Helen Litton on the recent unveiling of the new headstone on the graves of Tom Clarke’s parents in Glasnevin Cemetery. At the end of the article, she says that all the graves of the executed 1916 leaders’ parents are now … Read more
Sir,—In his review of Saothar 50 (HI 34.2, March/April 2026) Conor McCabe refers to Shay Cody’s article in that collection about James Connolly’s supposed service in India while in the British Army. This is a confusion with the army career of James Connolly’s older brother, John. In his The life and times of James Connolly, … Read more
Sir,—As detailed by Nigel Johnston (HI 34.2, March/April 2026, pp 32–4), cholera arrived in Ireland in March 1832 and spread from Belfast to Dublin, Cork and throughout the country in that year. The Limerick Asylum visiting physician Dr O’Callaghan advised the board of governors in June 1832 that ‘a distinct place or hospital for possible … Read more