Author

Pauline Murphy

Pauline Murphy is a drinker with a writing problem. She writes mostly on history because her mindset is usually stuck in the past. Pauline is a langer citizen of the People's Republic of Cork. One time in Amsterdam she got knocked down by a parked car

Irish History

Local Hero | The accidental election of Charles Stewart Parnell

Pauline Murphy Sep 12, 2018

October 6th is marked in the Irish historic calendar as Ivy Day, the day which saw the passing of the 'Uncrowned King of Ireland' Charles Stewart Parnell in 1891. His passing was mourned greatly across Ireland, including in Cork, a city he…

1750-1900

Gift of the Gavel | The Man Behind Cork’s Berwick Fountain

Pauline Murphy Aug 13, 2018

The Berwick fountain on Cork's Grand Parade is an iconic piece of street furniture on Leeside. The fountain was gifted to the city by (and named after) a Kildare man who died in a horrific accident 150 years ago. Walter Berwick was born in…

History

Lone Wolf Republican | The life of Henry James O’Farrell

Pauline Murphy Aug 10, 2018

Henry James O'Farrell is a name largely unknown in today's world but 150 years ago his name was trending for all the wrong reasons when he carried out an assassination attempt on a member of the Royal family. O'Farrell was born in 1833 at…

1900-Present

Flogging a Dead Jockey | The Bizarre Death of Frank Hayes

Pauline Murphy Jul 18, 2018

The sport of horse racing has provided a plethora of historic moments throughout time. One such moment was produced on a racetrack across the Atlantic 95 years ago when a morbidly mad record was created by an Irish American by the name of…

History

Natural Born Killer | Elizabeth McNally’s lifelong killing spree

Pauline Murphy Jul 11, 2018

Elizabeth Margaret McNally died 100 years ago in the Summer of 1918 at the age of 59. The County Antrim lady is not known to many today, but at the turn of the 19th century she was dubbed 'The worst woman on earth' and became the first…

History

Communist Days | The conflicting politics of Brendan Behan

Pauline Murphy Jun 16, 2018

Brendan Behan entered the world's stage on the 9th of February 1923. As the Irish Civil War was raging Behan was born in the heart of Dublin city to a family steeped in the Irish Republican tradition. Being born into a staunch family of…

History

Transatlantic Fenian | The lifelong armed struggle of William Roantree

Pauline Murphy May 3, 2018

On Easter Monday 1916 an elderly gentleman hurriedly made his way down Sackville Street in Dublin. His destination was the General Post Office where a group of rebels had proclaimed an Irish Republic and this old man, who had spent his life…

1750-1900

Citizen Train | The Story of America’s Strangest Entrepreneur

Pauline Murphy Feb 14, 2018

George Francis Train was born in Boston in 1829, but by the age of 4 he had lost his parents and siblings to yellow fever. So, he was brought up by his grandparents who had hoped their grandchild would become a Methodist minister. Instead,…

Irish History

The Royals’ Rebel Neighbour | Countess Markievicz’s childhood

Pauline Murphy Feb 10, 2018

This year marks the centenary of a great turning point in social history. After several decades of suffrage struggle, The Qualification Act of 1918 permitted women (over the age of 30) to vote and stand as candidates in elections. In the…

History

The Ploughman and his Poem | Patrick Kavanagh’s ‘Raglan Road’

Pauline Murphy Nov 30, 2017

Fifty years ago, Patrick Kavanagh died on the 30th of November 1967. He was known to be a cantankerous auld codger but from his pen flowed some warmth in the form of his poetry, and one of his most famous pieces can be found on the pantheon…

Previous 1 2 3 4 Next

Author

HeadStuff Cookies Policy