Making conversation So the state-sponsored military parade took place through the streets of Dublin and the sky didn’t fall. Even those who had initially been hostile to the idea for party-political reasons (particularly the manner in which it had been announced) were impressed by the dignity of the event and the warm and enthusiastic response … Read more
Sir, —Your issue of Jan./Feb. 2006 contained a letter from A. J. Lenehanin which he discussed the number of Irishmen serving with Capt. R. F.Scott’s 1910 Terra Nova expedition to the Antarctic. He stated thatthere were four in all and named two. For your information the othertwo were Titus Oates, who walked out to his … Read more
Sir, —The article on Charles Edward Burton (HI 14.1, Jan./Feb. 2006) wasvery interesting and widened my knowledge of the history of astronomy.Although the Italian Giovanni Schiaparelli claimed in 1880 to havediscovered the network of ‘canals’, he was not the first. Thisphenomenon had been discovered by the German astronomer JohannHieronymus Schroeter (1745–1816), senior civil servant at … Read more
‘Many people have claimed to be him. His real name was Paddy Butner. He was 9 years old’ (Desmond Ryan). Sir, —I am compiling information in order to write a short articleconcerning Paddy Butner. In 1929 Col. Charles Dalton, in his book Withthe Dublin Brigade, gave the credit for driving the stolen armoured carunder the … Read more
Sir, —I read with interest about those who engineered or took part inthe Easter Rising of 1916 (HI 14.2, March/April 2006) but I would liketo know about the thousands of ordinary people who were affected indifferent ways by the fighting on their doorsteps, the bombing andburning and the loss of livelihood. My great-grandparents had a … Read more