The life of Seán MacDiarmada

[Recensie] The uprising that broke out in Dublin and some other places in Ireland in 1916 was largely directed by two people; Tom Clarke and Seán MacDiarmada. In popular history, the focus is on Patrick Pearse as provisional president of the Republic of Ireland, and James Connolly the charismatic workers’ leader. In the background,

The life of John MacBride, Boer War hero and Irish rebel

[Recensie]John MacBride (1868-1916) is a bit of a stranger when seen between the other executed rebels of the Easter Rising. He was not involved at all in the planning industry in the run-up to the uprising, but joined spontaneously when the events unfolded during Easter Week in Dublin.

An introductory overview of the Irish revolutionary period

[Recensie] With the centenary of the Easter rising drawing near it is appropriate to give some attention not only to the events in Dublin in 1916 but to the whole revolutionary period in Ireland that began in the first years of the 1910’s and ended with the formal ending of hostilities between the pro- and anti-Treaty forces in 1923.

How the union got in at Guinness

[Recensie] The history of unionism in Ireland is a grateful subject for historians. Especially the first decades of the twentieth century provide ample stories of hard-fought successes and heroic defeats for those who strove to make the country a better place for the workingman. Most iconic of this struggle is of course the Great Dublin Lock-Out of 1913,

Ancient Irish history

[Recensie] In his latest book, archaeologist J.P. Mallory tries to trace the origins of the Irish people in the mists of history. In order to trace back the beginnings of a distinct Irish people who shared common cultural traits transcending the level of tribal affiliations, Mallory goes back to the period before the first newcomers from Britain,

The story of the Great Dublin Lockout retold

[Recensie] This book by Gary Granville was originally published in 1978 as part of an educational project. Now it is republished as a general introduction to the Lockout. Two principles underpin the book, as Granville tells us in his introduction. The first being the presentation of the narrative in a simple but not patronising manner,

The Crusader movement in Britain and Ireland

[Recensie] The author Kathryn Hurlock is Lecturer in Medieval History at Manchester Metropolitan University and, for those interested in the crusades, perhaps already known as the author of Wales and the Crusades, c. 1095-1291 (2011). With this book on the crusader movement in Britain and Ireland she broadens her perspective.

Rising rubbish?

[Recensie] In the past year and centenary of the 1916 Rising in Ireland we were overwhelmed by publications on the rebellion, and its aftermath in the form of the War of Independence and the Civil War. An original approach was taken by Kevin Kenna, who in his book wants to give an overview of all armed struggles by the Irish against foreign invaders.

From British imperialist soldier to socialist revolutionary

[Recensie] Michael Mallin is one of the lesser known of the leaders executed in the aftermath of the 1916 Easter Rising. Being the first full-scale biography ever written of Mallin, this book contains many previously unexplored aspects of his life. The author, Brian Hughes, studied history at the National University of Ireland in Maynooth and at Trinity College,

Seán Murray and his role in twentieth-century Irish leftwing politics

[Recensie] With this book Seán Byers wants to give a proper place in historiography to Seán Murray (1898-1961), who was one of the founders and first general secretary of the Communist Party of Ireland (CPI). Besides his CPI activity, Murray was involved in many great historical events during his lifetime.