A remarkable period in Ireland’s military history ended when the British army’s five southern Irish regiments were disbanded in 1922.The Royal Irish Regiment and the Connaught Rangers had been raised in Ireland from about 1683 and 1793 respectively, while the Leinster Regiment, the Royal Dublin Fusiliers and the Royal Munster Fusiliers had originated as Canadian … Read more
The relationship between Ireland, the Irish and Britain has always been complex. Such was the case during the World War II when the South was neutral. At the time there was a fierce defence of Irish neutrality. Indeed, by the end of the war neutrality had become almost a core value of Irish society, certainly … Read more
Baron de Coubertin’s idea that athletes world-wide should emulate the games of ancient Greece came to fruition over a century ago. Although the aura and ethos of the games have since been eroded by nationalism, racism, commercialism and international politics, their appeal has continued unabated, giving rise to quadrennial outbursts of global euphoria. Michelle Smith’s … Read more
Sir,—I could not help noticing that in the otherwise excellent articleabout the famous Soloheadbeg (County Tipperary) ambush of January 1919in the spring 1997 issue of History Ireland that Kevin Haddick Flynn(amongst others) is still claiming that this was the first action ofthe War of Independence. Not so. A flag must be raised for the ‘men … Read more
Sir,—I agree with your reviewer of Roy Foster’s The Apprentice Mage (Eve Patten, HI Summer 1997), that ‘the detail of Foster’s work is important’. As a biographer of John MacBride (Major John MacBride [Westport Historical Society 1991]), I looked forward to the publication of The Apprentice Mage. Eve Patten also writes that ‘this is a … Read more