The American Civil War

The 9th of April 2015 marked the 150th anniversary of the ending of the American Civil War, one of the major turning points in American history. It resolved the questions of slavery and nationhood that were lingering from the Revolutionary War of 1776–83. The Confederacy was destroyed, as the war to restore the Union gave … Read more

Background

Samuel Neilson was born on 17 September 1761 at Ballyroney, Co. Down, to Alexander Neilson, a Presbyterian minister, and his wife Agnes. He was the second-born of a large family of eight boys and five girls and was educated in liberal arts and mathematics. He married Anne Bryson in 1785 when he worked as a … Read more

Public Attitudes

Public attitudes towards lesbians or sapphites were ambiguous, as sex between women was not illegal, although sodomy or male homosexuality had been brutally supressed by law since the early fourteenth century. Classed as degrading, degenerate, bestial, immoral and unnatural, it was a serious criminal act for which men were hung, imprisoned, transported, whipped, branded and … Read more

IRISH CHIEFS’ AND CLANS’ PRIZE IN GAELIC HISTORY 2016

The Standing Council of Irish Chiefs and Chieftains and The Clans of Ireland (Fínte na hÉireann) in association with the History Department of Trinity College, Dublin, and History Ireland magazine, are offering a prize of €500 for the winning entrant in an essay competition on Gaelic Ireland. Entry is open to all persons over 18 … Read more