The Theft of the Irish Crown Jewels, 1907

‘Crown jewels’ generally refer to royal ornaments used in the ceremony of consecration, and the formal ensigns of monarchy worn or carried on occasions of state. The term may also […]

The Leviathan of Parsonstown

During the middle of the nineteenth century an eccentric and wealthy young man who happened to like machines and astronomy embellished Ireland’s place in scientific history by building one of […]

‘Unheard-of Mortality’….The Black Death in Ireland

Study of the Black Death in Ireland is fraught with difficulties: the few Irish chroniclers and annalists tell us relatively little about it; a further complication was the almost continuous […]

Kinsale: the Motion Picture

RTÉ has made a documentary, The Battle of Kinsale, as its contribution of this year’s 400th commemoration of that event. History Ireland solicited the views of the programme makers. Peter […]

The Man Behind the Mask of Zorro

There have been many Irish expatriates, fighting the ‘good fight’, defending the oppressed in various parts of the world. So it is not surprising that one of them was a […]