The Irishwoman’s Headscarf in the Twentieth Century

Sir,—I am looking for information in relation to the headscarf worn byIrish women from 1900 to the year 2000. I am eager to hear from countrywomen who wore or still wear a headscarf or have memories or oldphotographs of loved ones wearing the headscarf. I am also interestedto hear the various ways in which they … Read more

George Gavan Duffy and the 1922 Constitution

Sir,—In her interesting article on the George Gavan Duffy papers (HIWinter 2000), Mary Kotsonouris wonders why, as late as 1951, GavanDuffy reiterated his view that the 1922 constitution could haverecovered the independence lost in the Treaty. The reason is that Gavan Duffy believed that a more ‘republican’constitution could have reconciled many anti-treatyites, thus greatlyreducing the … Read more

A scrapping of every principle of individual liberty?

Sir,—In ‘The Postal Strike of 1922’ (HI Winter 2000) Alexis Guilbrideregrets that this event ‘has virtually gone unrecorded in the historybooks. Of all the governments we have had since independence, few woulddispute that the first Provisional Government of Saorstat Éireann hadthe most difficult task of all, establishing a staple environment fromthe ruins of the Civil … Read more