On show to the world: the Eucharistic Congress, 1932

The 31st International Eucharistic Congress, held in Dublin in 1932, is one of the most remarkable public events to have taken place in Ireland in the twentieth century. It generated […]

Keeping the lid on an Irish revolution: the Gosselin–Balfour correspondence

The Gosselin–Balfour papers show that by December 1887 a member of the Irish Party was employed by British intelligence to report on its internal difficulties, many of which were financial. […]

Internal tamponage, hockey parturition and mixed athletics

In 1934 the National Athletic and Cycling Association suggested hosting a women’s 100 yards sprint as part of their national championships. The response to this innovation reveals a lot about […]

Aristocratic rule? Unionism and Northern Ireland

On the night of 21 January 1981 the IRA broke into Tynan Abbey, south Armagh, and killed Sir Norman Stronge, eighth baronet, and his only son, James, before setting the […]

Contesting the sovereignty of early modern Ireland

Students of the early modern period may be presented with a relatively straightforward history of Ireland’s sovereignty: the rapid military domination of a politically fragmented Gaelic polity by subjects of […]