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Irish History
Out Here | 4 | In the Land of the Landlords
Stones crunch under my feet as I step off the main road onto the track that jackknifes into the bog. The land is flat. And the wind has swept the clouds from the sky so that the horizon is a clear blue. It comes to rest on the distant…
Domhnall Ua Buachalla, Rebel and Last Governor General of Ireland
They say history belongs to the winners, but that’s only half the story. History also belongs to glory hounds. Those who trumpet their triumphs, those who seek to make sure that they are remembered. As for those who would as soon be…
A Terrible Beauty | Pop Culture’s Obsession With W.B. Yeats
On the 28th of January 1939, William Butler Yeats departed the world of the living, and this year will mark the 80th anniversary of his passing.
The works of Yeats are known to us all. You need not be a poetry snob to know at least one…
The Anarchist and The Actor | Big Jim Larkin goes to Sing Sing
Born on January 21st 1876 to Armagh parents in Liverpool, James Larkin is forever linked to the trade union movement in Ireland and the 1913 Dublin Lockout but, shortly after that episode in Irish history he went to America where he ended…
Defiant Spirits | How the Irish Citizen Army raided the US Navy
When the Armistice was announced in November 1918, bringing an end to World War I, it raised hope for a lasting peace across Europe. It wasn't as simple as that, however once a United States Navy cargo vessel sailed into Dublin to collect…
Local Hero | The accidental election of Charles Stewart Parnell
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…
Tiger and Boyle Roche, Contrasting Irish Brothers
Nature versus nurture is one of the oldest debates there is. Are we predetermined to become who we become, or is it the world we encounter that shapes us into who we are? The story of David (”Tiger”) Roche and Boyle Roche seems almost…
A Tale of Two Languages | Lessons from the Basque Country
There once was a small European nation, whose people found themselves part of a much larger and more powerful state. These people had their own language at one time. However, centuries of marginalisation from the state education and legal…
Flogging a Dead Jockey | The Bizarre Death of Frank Hayes
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…
Natural Born Killer | Elizabeth McNally’s lifelong killing spree
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…