The general elections of 1885–6 can be regarded fairly as a milestone in modern Irish political history. In part their importance lies in the fact that they were fought under a new, much-widened franchise and that they witnessed the appearance of modern types of party organisation. In greater part, however, their significance arises because the … Read more
Before John F. Kennedy, arguably no Irish-American rose as high in American esteem as Philip Henry Sheridan, who became general-in-chief of the United States Army in 1883. In 1888, on his deathbed, Sheridan became only the fourth person to be promoted to the rank of General of the Army. When it is realised that the … Read more
Between 1810 and 1870, 22 district lunatic asylums were built in Ireland to accommodate an apparently growing population of mentally ill throughout the country, and only financial constraints, it would appear, checked the system’s further growth. What factors caused this startling expansion in accommodation for the insane in Ireland? Were the Irish, as some contemporary … Read more
In August of 1849, in London, a huge property was put up for auction: the former Martin Estate in Connemara. According to the prospectus: It is impossible for the mind of man to conceive anything necessary but capital, and a judicious application of it, for rendering this vast Property fertile beyond a parallel, that this … Read more
William Smith O’Brien’s Tasmanian Journal covers the period from his arrival in Van Diemen’s Land/Tasmania in October 1849 to March 1853, a little under a year before he was granted his first conditional pardon. The journal was written by O’Brien for his wife Lucy but it is evident from both its style and content that … Read more