What’s in our July/August issue?
Published in Blogging Irish History
The new issue of History Ireland is out on 1 July and, given the looming centenary of the outbreak of the First World War, we’ve dedicated the July/August issue to the theme of ‘Ireland and World War One’. It is a subject that has blossomed in recent years after much neglect. Perhaps 210,000 Irishmen enlisted in the British armed forces between 1914 and 1918, so commemoration of the ‘Great War’ is bound to strike a chord with many Irish people over the course of the next four years. To mark the outbreak of the war in August 1914, editor Tommy Graham and guest commissioning editor Edward Madigan (Royal Holloway, University of London, and formerly of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission) have come up with a wide range of contributors tackling an equally wide range of topics, including:
- Fiona Fitzsimons on tracing your WW1 ancestors.
- Mark Phelan on the Irish Battalions in the 1914 British Expeditionary Force.
- Keith Jeffery on the wartime art of William Conor.
- Angus Mitchell on the fight for peace.
- Kevin Myers on the number of Irish casualties of the war.
- Philip Orr on unionist responses to the outbreak of war.
- Gearóid Ó Tuathaigh on commemoration.
- Senia Paseta on how Irish women responded to the First World War.
All this and more besides, as our usual assortment of news, reviews, genealogy, architecture and the like is all geared towards the theme of the special issue. Keep an eye out for our ongoing ‘Hedge School’ programme, as World War One will be getting the Hedge School treatment over the next few months, starting at the Electric Picnic in Stradbally at the end of August. And if you’re curious about how the centenary of the First World War is going to be marked in Ireland, check out the ‘Decade of Centenaries’ website that we have developed in partnership with the Department of Arts, Heritage, and the Gaeltacht: www.decadeofcentenaries.com.
The July/August issue of History Ireland is out now. And you can always start a subscription with this issue. Enjoy!
John Gibney
