As mentioned here, my review of An Accidental Villain: Sir Hugh Tudor, Churchill’s Enforcer in Revolutionary Ireland, by Linden MacIntyre, appeared in the Review of Irish Studies in Europe, vol. 9 (1) in April 2026. Here’s the link: https://doi.org/10.32803/rise.v9i1.3448. The…
Tag: IRA
Book review: An Accidental Villain: Sir Hugh Tudor, Churchill’s Enforcer in Revolutionary Ireland – Linden MacIntyre
This is just a quick post to say that my review of An Accidental Villain: Sir Hugh Tudor, Churchill’s Enforcer in Revolutionary Ireland, by Linden MacIntyre, has just been published in the Review of Irish Studies in Europe, vol. 9…
Declassified Papers 2017-18 edition
The yearly declassification of secret government papers under the "30 year rule" continues to produce interesting material – especially as far as Northern Irish history is concerned, as 30 years ago means 1987, right in the middle of The Troubles.…
State papers: Dublin’s fear of civil war and Provos bankrolled by Libya’s Colonel Gaddafi:
from BelfastTelegraph.co.uk
There wasn’t as much coverage of the revelations contained in declassified government papers this year as there was last year – surprising as they deal with the period of the Anglo-Irish Agreement. There are a few little gems nonetheless, such…
Book Review: Fatal Path by Ronan Fanning
This book was published last year to much acclaim. There were lots of complimentary reviews, and I’m not going to dissent here from the majority view. Ronan Fanning is Professor Emeritus of Modern History at University College Dublin and this…
1984: UK Government considered repartition of Northern Ireland
Every January the British National Archives prompt a flurry of historical recollections and reflections when they release a tranche of previoulsy confidential government documents under the “thirty-year rule”. This year, 1984 comes under the spotlight, a year in which the…
The various IRAs
(Note: I have tried to keep this account as factual as possible and my own views out of it, so any political slant and/or bias people read into it is as much a product of their minds as my words!)…
Book Review: The Outrages
The Outrages 1920-1922: IRA & Ulster Special Constabulary Pearse Lawlor MERCIER PRESS Cork According to the publishers: The Outrages gives an account of the major incidents, now slipping from local memory, as the War of Independence escalated from attacks on…
Film: The Enigma of Frank Ryan
Reading a review of this film in Scoláire Staire – History Scholar Magazine (http://scolairestaire.com/index.php) I was brought up short by this picture: “Wait a minute – I recognise that red brick facade!” And yes, indeed, it’s the Whitla Hall at Queen’s…
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…