Sir,—Re Ian McCabe’s article ‘Leaving the Commonwealth’ in the lastissue (HI Winter 1998). In the course of an interview, an esteemedretired practitioner of diplomacy insisted that the Republic of Irelandnever, in so many words, procedurally left the Commonwealth. She waslocked out by a peppery Britain still trailing clouds of empiregrandeur. It took a lot of … Read more
Sir,—I read Frank Foley’s article ‘Controversy and the Cult of Collins’(HI Winter 1998) with great interest. Various points of view concerningthe future of the Collins memorial at Béal na mBláth are expressed,except that of the actual visitor. I am what Fr. Twohig would call anoutsider and a foreigner but also a frequent visitor to Ireland … Read more
Sir,—Timothy Bowman’s review of the latest Myles Dungan book (They Shall Not Grow Old: Irish Soldiers and the Great War, HI Winter 1998) is too kind. Dungan’s previous compilation, Irish Voices from the Great War, was a dissapointment to many, including myself. Consider the following passage on page 202: But even in its final moments … Read more
A prize of £2,000 will be offered in 1999, and in alternate yearsthereafter, for the best work of Irish historical research, the matterof which must have been published for the first time by any student orgraduate of the National University of Ireland during the three yearsimmediately preceding 1 April of the year in which the … Read more