In the tradition of Christmas sales we’ve reduced the price of the Irish History Compressed ebook[1] to £1.49 till the New Year. Apologies to those in other countries but the price is already at the lowest level Amazon will allow. “But…
The Re-Introduction of Direct Rule in Northern Ireland: 24 March 1972
Forty years ago on this day, the British government reassumed direct control of the province of Northern Ireland, thus ending one half of an early British experiment with devolution. (The other half, the establishment of a semi-independent ‘Dominion–style’ government in…
Reposted: The Re-Introduction of Direct Rule in Northern Ireland
Another reposting of material that first appeared elsewhere. This one will probably eventually find its way into Northern Irish History Compressed (planned for sometime next year). Read the article here: The Re-Introduction of Direct Rule in Northern Ireland
The Bombardment of the Four Courts: Addendum
A post on the New Island Books blog has drawn my attention to recent controversy over (alleged?) British collaboration with the Free State army in the attack on the Four Courts, which I wrote about here. It’s worth clicking through…
Craic: can someone please explain the origins of this word?
Answer by Bruce Gaston: First of all, the pseudo-Gaelic spelling "craic" is misleading. The word is actually of English origin, and the usual spelling is therefore "crack". The spelling "craic" is certainly spreading, probably because people think that the word…
WANTED: Police writer with excellent descriptive skills
While researching pictures for the ebook Irish History Compressed I was very happy to find on Wikimedia Commons this “WANTED” poster printed by the British authorities during the Irish War of Independence. Dan Breen was one member of the group…