I’ve just finished reading Cormac Moore’s book on the Irish Boundary Commission (published this year, the 100th ‘anniversary’ – if that’s the right word – of the conclusion of the Commission’s enquiries). The broad facts behind the setting up of…
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Two very recent articles in the Guardian on Irish themes:
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The Irishwomen who became the paramour of a disastrous South American dictator: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/jun/24/paraguay-madame-lynch-irish-woman-hero
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An update on the digital recreation of the records of the Irish Public Record Office (destroyed in the Irish Civil War, as described here): https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/jun/30/pioneering-project-releases-more-lost-irish-records-spanning-700-years
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The Irish government has released some previously classified documents at the turn of the year. There are some that cast light on events in Northern Ireland and Ireland more generally.
The Guardian reports on stories aof acrimonious meetings between David Trimble, leader of the UUP, and Tony Blair, in the period after the signing of the Belfast Agreement in 1997: David Trimble was ‘extraordinarily rude’ to Tony Blair at Good Friday talks
https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2023/dec/27/david-trimble-was-extraordinarily-rude-to-tony-blair-at-good-friday-talks
Another headline, “Diana apparently believed Northern Ireland part of the Republic, archive shows” seems to put the worst spin on what may have been a slip of the tongue or a poorly expressed pleasantry. Make up your own mind here.
Belfast, Queen’s Bridge (Edwardian period?)
Oilettte Postcard of Belfast, Queen’s Bridge
An “oilette”* postcard from the Leonard A. Lauder collection of Raphael Tuck & Sons postcards (Curt Teich Postcard Archives Collection) via https://archive.org/details/nby_LL7497
*Introduced in 1903, Oilettes were promoted by the company as “veritable miniature oil paintings.” See: https://publications.newberry.org/tuck/#/
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Anyone interested in modern Irish and especially Northern Irish history will definitely want to listen to ex-taoiseach Bertie Ahern’s recently launched podcast on the Northern Ireland peace process.
Here’s a link:
Irish History Compressed e-book on sale from 15 December 2022
My book Irish History Compressed (the new and updated second edition) will be available as part of the Smashwords 2022 End of Year Sale! This is a chance to get my book, along with books from many other great authors,…