The Parnell split was the most destructive in Irish history. The self-indulgence displayed exceeded by a long way that of the Treaty split. That was more strongly based on principle, was deeply regretted on both sides, and there were more concerted efforts to bridge the gap. Tim Healy lived long enough to draw comparisons between … Read more
If Yeats had many talents, then one was certainly his foresight, or as Roy Foster describes it, ‘that faculty, which always amazed his wife, of knowing how things would look to people afterwards’. But frequently this went further than prophecy: when it came to the question of how he himself might look in retrospect, Yeats … Read more
The monastery of Mount St Joseph at Clondalkin, founded by the brothers of the Third Order of the Discalced Carmelites in 1813, was the first successful monastic foundation in Ireland since the dissolution of religious houses by Henry VIII. It included a free or ‘poor’ school and in 1834 expanded into secondary education. One of … Read more
The Great Telescope, an amazing feat of engineering and astronomy designed and built by William Parsons, third Earl of Rosse, in the mid nineteenth century, is now fully restored in Birr Castle Demesne and will be the central attraction in Ireland’s Historic Science Centre. Taking as its focal point the genius of one family, the … Read more
There was a time when Dublin United Tramways could boast of being one of the finest services in Europe and the seventh largest system, with 330 tram cars. They were regarded as efficient and clean and the courtesy of the staff was legendary. The proud men in their uniforms, motorman and conductor, were captain and … Read more