To entice English people, especially merchants, to move to their lands, the earliest conquerors and settlers created boroughs. These boroughs—and the five royal cities of Dublin, Wexford, Waterford, Cork and Limerick—were granted privileges, confirmed by charter, which allowed them semi-autonomous government and freedom from tolls. Among the lists of burgesses and citizens (the name for … Read more
Another recreational aspect was music. The Wolfe Tone Band that travelled out from Dublin in 1873 was accompanied to Bodenstown in the following year by three other Dublin bands. In 1876 the Islandbridge Fife and Drum Band and the James’ Street Brass Band were present. In 1880 it was reported that, to terminate the proceedings, … Read more
The purpose here is to draw out the essential importance of time and place in the popularity of the Bodenstown pilgrimages. The time of year was June, the day of the week Sunday. The days stretch out in June; the longest day of all is the 20th or the 21st. Sunday was the only day … Read more
The murder of Dr Cronin has been largely overlooked by historians, yet the murder was more than a sensational crime story that titillated the American press in the summer of 1889. It devastated Clan na Gael, set back the cause of Irish freedom for more than a decade and had profound implications for the Chicago … Read more
Sullivan and Cronin first clashed during the Clan’s ‘Dynamite Campaign’ of the mid-1880s. The attacks, for which hundreds of thousands of dollars were raised, were intended to spread fear and cause widespread damage in Britain. High-profile buildings in London were targeted, including Scotland Yard, underground stations, the Tower of London and London Bridge. Alexander Sullivan … Read more