Browsing Category
Irish History
Two Wheeled Freedom Fighter | Thomas Ashe and his Hudson Motorcycle
In September 1917 Thomas Ashe was sent to Mountjoy after making a so called seditious speech. For this 'crime' Ashe ended up behind bars by the Royal Canal and denied political prisoner status. He began a hunger strike but just five days…
Sympathy for Mr. Collins | The Assassination of Captain Percival Lea Wilson
In the aftermath of the 1916 Rising there was an incident which left an impact on the imprisoned rebels, most notably a young Michael Collins.
When the week long insurrection ended, the rebels who had fought in the Four Courts and the…
Roger Casement, British Knight and Irish Martyr
Roger Casement was born in Dublin in 1864. His father, Captain Roger Casement, was a Belfast-born soldier who had served in India and fought in the bloody war for Afghanistan in 1842. Young Roger was raised on his father’s tales of travel,…
The Butterfly With Lightning Fists | Pete McCoy, Listowel’s Prize Fighter
Pete McCoy was born in Listowel on the 15th of October, 1856. From there he went across the broad Atlantic where he carved out a career for himself as a prize fighter.
McCoy stood at 5' 10'' and had a right hand punch that some opponents…
Samuel Pratt aka Courtney Melmoth, Playwright and Writer
Samuel Jackson Pratt was born on Christmas Day 1749 in the historic English town of St Ives. At the time it was the last stop before London for many travellers, as well as being a nexus for canal traffic to move onland for transportation to…
Punch-up in a Civil War | Mike McTigue versus the Battling Siki
The county of Clare has produced many fine sportspeople over the years including a World Light Heavyweight champion in the form of Mike McTigue. The Kilnamona native won his world title in an incredible bout against an opponent from Senegal…
Charles Robert Maturin | Money and the Root of all Evil
'I cannot again appear before the public in so unseemly a character as that of a writer of romances, without regretting the necessity that compels me to it. Did my profession furnish me with the means of subsistence, I should hold myself…
Insertions Downstairs | J.P. Donleavy’s The Ginger Man
Since first hitting the shelves in 1955, J.P Donleavy's cult classic The Ginger Man has sold more than 40 million copies. The hedonistic tale of American student Sebastian Dangerfield in Dublin city during the 1940's, it was described by…
Ernest Kavanagh | Ireland’s Revolutionary Caricaturist
Ernest Kavanagh was someone who contributed artistically to the era of revolution in Ireland but in our history he has unfortunately been lost among names such as Pearse and Connolly.
Born in Dublin city in 1884, young Ernest received…
The Liffey Swim and Jack Butler Yeats | Ireland’s First Olympic Medalist
The first Olympic medal won by the Irish Free State was a silver medal in 1924, awarded Jack Butler Yeats for his 1923 painting The Liffey Swim. That may seem surprising today, however between 1912 and 1948 the arts took pride of place…