Sir,—I read Marie Bourke’s article (‘Charles Lambe and the West ofIreland’, HI Spring 2000) with great interest and learned much from it.However, I was, and remain, puzzled about the dramatic painting byLambe on the front cover, Dancing at a Northern Crossroads. My originaldoubts arose from the word ‘northern’. Marie Bourke ties in the workwith Connemara … Read more
Sir,—I refer to the article ‘A German planter in the Midlands’, byBrendan Ryan (HI Spring 2000). Readers might be interested in thefollowing items for further reading: R. Loeber, ‘Civilization throughplantation: the projects of Mathew de Renzi’, in H. Murtagh (ed.),Irish Midland Studies (1980); B. Mac Cuarta, ‘A planter’s interactionwith Gaelic culture: Sir Matthew De Renzy’, … Read more
The history of private libraries in Ireland in the twentieth century tends to be a sad chronicle of loss and destruction; either by fires in turbulent times or, the auctioneer’s hammer in times of economic hardship. An exception was the unexpected arrival in 1950 of the American mining millionaire, Alfred Chester Beatty (1875-1968) and his … Read more
Dracula! The very name conjures up visions of mist-shrouded ruined castles in the mountains of Transylvania and of superstitious peasants huddled together in some Moldavian village inn. Forget all that—Dracula might be closer than you think! In fact, the true home of the vampire count might more correctly lie in Ireland! Leacht Abhartach In the … Read more
Work has been completed on the £1 million restoration of the MillmountMartello Tower, Drogheda, which dates from the Napoleonic War. Therestoration was part of Drogheda’s millennium celebrations and providesmagnificent views of the town and the historic Boyne Valley. A graphicdesigner is currently working on an exhibition of Millmount’s militaryhistory and a collection of Fenian guns—a … Read more