Poring over the entrails: History Ireland readers’ survey
Published in 20th-century / Contemporary History, Issue 5 (Sep/Oct 2006), News, Volume 14
For our regular readers, the hard copy is the real thing. (National Gallery of Ireland)
It’s stating the obvious, but no less true for that, to say that History Ireland wouldn’t exist without its readers. Over the years, many of you have taken the time to let me know what you think of the magazine. Our reader survey, conducted towards the end of 2005, sought to find out in more detail what you think of us. Nearly 300 of you took the trouble to reply, and we thought you would be interested in the results.
Satisfaction with the content is very high. For the coverage of particular periods and themes, you were asked to say whether you would like to see ‘more’ or ‘less’ of that topic, or whether it’s ‘about right’. In nearly every case a majority thought that it was ‘about right’. Each period had its fans, however—about 30 per cent would like to see more of each. A few themes stood out as needing even more coverage—46 per cent want more social and cultural history, and 51 per cent would like to see more local history (although it was not clear whether this reflected a desire for more of the history of the respondents’ own localities.) In only a few cases did a significant percentage think that too much attention was paid to certain topics: non-Irish history, a recent innovation, did not find favour with 43 per cent of respondents, and some people expressed themselves forcefully on this point. On the other hand, the international perspective was apparent in many suggestions for content dealing with Ireland’s influences on and links with other countries and the impact of the Irish diaspora.
Many of you offered suggestions for specific topics to be covered, especially local, regional (e.g. Ulster), social, cultural and religious issues. The critical early twentieth-century events are fascinating for many, and the recent contribution of Peter Hart and the ensuing debate generated numerous comments, both for and against.
Satisfaction with the format and sections of the magazine (e.g. features, news and shorts, reviews, etc.) was also very high. In every case a majority thought that it was about right, with a significant minority wanting to see even more of most sections. Only in relation to the curriculum section and interviews did a significant number (24 per cent and 23 per cent respectively) want to see less. A wide range of helpful ideas was suggested, especially with regard to making History Ireland a more useful source of information about history-related events and activities.
Many of you commented favourably on the ‘look and feel’ of the magazine. The illustrations, layout and production quality all drew positive remarks. Perhaps it is their appreciation of the physical appearance of the magazine that makes people less attracted to an on-line version, in which only about one in six expressed an interest. On-line publication has an appeal for certain markets, for example institutions and researchers, but for our regular readers the hard copy is the real thing.
Your passion for history is not limited to buying the magazine. Over a third of respondents are members of local history societies. About half of you expressed an interest in additional services and activities associated with History Ireland, such as conferences, talks and book clubs, and one in three would like to take part in outings or events. Surprisingly, advertising is seen as an integral and useful feature of the magazine. Nearly all respondents read the advertisements, and two-thirds say that they have made purchases as a result.
The most frequent cause for complaint relates to availability and distribution. For 38 per cent of those who don’t have a subscription getting a copy is often a problem, especially outside the major urban centres. This is something outside our immediate control. The solution? Subscribe! Many readers made useful suggestions for ways to encourage readers to become regular subscribers, a critical factor in the success of specialist publications such as History Ireland.
Though only a small percentage of the total readership replied to the survey, a response from nearly 300 readers is good for surveys of this type. As one would expect, those who replied are more typical of the loyal, long-term reader than the casual buyer. Rather more surprising was the distinctive demographic profile of respondents—male (79 per cent), middle-aged (67 per cent are aged 50+), and in an occupation requiring a medium to high level of professional or academic training. Clearly there is a challenge here for us to broaden our appeal. Is it true that history is less appealing to women, or is it just that men are more likely to answer surveys?
Personal Histories
On this Day
April 24
- 1951 Enda Kenny, TD for Mayo West (1975–97) and Mayo (1997–2020), leader of Fine Gael (2002–17) and taoiseach (2011–17), born in Derrycoosh, Islandeady, near Castlebar, Co. Mayo.
- 1945
Above: The steamship Monmouth Coast—torpedoed by a German U-boat near Tory Island on 24 April 1945. (Paul Johnson Collection)
During the last week of the Second World War, the Monmouth Coast, an unescorted steamship en route from Sligo to Liverpool with a cargo of barytes ore from the mines of Ben Bulben, was torpedoed by a German U-boat some seven miles north-east of Tory Island. The captain and fifteen crewmen (including two Irishmen) lost their lives, but one managed to survive, thanks to two locals from Arranmore. Two days later, whilst beachcombing on the north-eastern coast of the island, they spotted a life-raft floating in a remote sandy inlet; they rowed out to it and lifted the tarpaulin, to discover a wide-eyed teenager, Derek Cragg (17) from Liverpool, the mess-room boy from the Monmouth Coast. He explained that the ship had gone down very quickly and that those of the crew who managed to leap clear were sucked down after it. He, too, was dragged down but somehow managed to make it back to the surface, where he spotted the life-raft and clambered on board. He was given every assistance by the islanders and safely repatriated, but had the north-easterly wind that drove him 25 miles blown him into the adjoining inlet, his raft would have been smashed to pieces. Over 30,000 Allied merchant seamen, of every nationality, lost their lives during the war. Despite our neutrality, Irish Shipping lost two ships. The Irish Pine was torpedoed off Greenland in November 1942 with the loss of all 33 on board, and the Irish Oak was sunk in the North Atlantic in May 1943, though her entire crew was rescued by a sister-ship, the Irish Plane.
- 1912 Justin McCarthy (82), Home Rule politician, leader of the anti-Parnellite faction (1891–6), historian and novelist, died.
- 1916 The Easter Rising began.Sir Ernest Shackleton and five of his crew set out on their epic 720-nautical-mile rescue mission in the James Caird, from Elephant Island to South Georgia.
- 1974 The Electricity Supply Board (ESB) announced that Carnsore Point, Co. Wexford, would be the site of its planned nuclear power station.
May 19
- 1935
Above: ‘Lawrence of Arabia’—his father was in fact Sir Thomas Chapman of South Hill, Delvin, Co. Westmeath.
T.E.—Thomas Edward—Lawrence (46), the legendary ‘Lawrence of Arabia’, died as a result of a motorcycle accident in Dorset. For much of his adult life Lawrence was a troubled man. Though his key role in the British-inspired Arab revolt (1916) against Ottoman Turkish rule earned him international celebrity, he was torn by guilt over Britain’s post-war betrayal of the Arabs with the implementation at Versailles of the notorious Sykes–Picot Agreement. Then there was the issue of identity. At the tender age of ten he discovered that his parents were not married, meaning that he and his four brothers were illegitimate. Later he was to learn that ‘Mr Lawrence’, his father, was, in fact, Sir Thomas Chapman of South Hill, Delvin, Co. Westmeath, who, though married with four daughters, had fled with their governess, Sarah Lawrence, first to Wales—where ‘Ned’ was born—and finally to London. He was eventually to find himself increasingly drawn to his father’s homeland. A close friend of George Bernard Shaw and his wife Charlotte—GBS had helped him to edit his major work, Seven pillars of wisdom (1926)—he mentioned his desire in his surviving letters to visit Ireland and often referred to the works of Seán O’Casey, James Joyce and J.M. Synge. Indeed, he hoped to write a biography of Sir Roger Casement. It seems that he never did try to make contact with his half-sisters. In 1954, almost twenty years after his death, some of his old friends visited the two surviving ones, who were living at 39 Northumberland Road, Dublin. They told them that they had followed their half-brother’s career with great interest but likewise had made no attempt to contact him.
- 1870 The Home Government Association of Ireland was founded by Isaac Butt with the aim of establishing a federal system for the United Kingdom, which would grant Ireland a parliament responsible for national affairs. Succeeded by the Home Rule League (1873).
- 1868 Sir Benjamin Lee Guinness, son of Arthur Guinness (1725–1803), brewer and writer who restored St Patrick’s Cathedral (1860), died.