Thomas Carnduff - shipyard poet, an Irish Diary

Thomas Carnduff (1886-1956) was born in Belfast during a period of sectarian tension. He worked in several different jobs but it was in writing that he gained the most pleasure. I have just written an Irish Diary about him and his work in the Irish Times newspaper. Read it here. 

 

Photograph of Thomas Carnduff (1886-1956).

After attending Haslett's School in Eliza Street in Belfast, he was sent to school in Dublin. There, he attended the Royal Hibernian Military School. Located in the Phoenix Park (now St. Mary's Hospital), it was for the sons of soldiers in the British army serving mostly in Irish regiments. The boys had classes like a normal school but also drilled and wore a uniform complete with a Glengarry hat. It was expected that they would follow their fathers into military service. You can find out more about the school here.

 

Plaque to Thomas Carnduff outside the Linen Hall Library in Belfast.

"We Belfastmen love Ireland" was the title of an article that Carnduff wrote in November 1942. It appeared firstly in the Irish Digest before appearing in other publications. It began with the words "I love this Belfast of mine" before going on to explain that "Belfast is an Irish city". It is a relatively short article but it shows his passion for the arts and his relationship to the rest of Ireland.

If you would like to find out more about Thomas Carnduff, you should have a look at the Dictionary of Irish Biography entry on him here or at the Ulster History Circle website. Lastly, this website has some additional information about him and his family.

Katherine Cecil Thurston - Irish Diary on forgotten Irish writer

Katherine Cecil Thurston (1875-1911) was a popular novelist in Ireland, Britain and the United States of America at the start of the 1900s. She wrote about themes that affected ordinary people. I have just written an Irish Diary about her in the Irish Times newspaper. Read it here. 

 

Photograph of Katherine Thurston. Image source.

I know that one of her books, The Fly on the Wheel, was republished in recent times by Manderley Press, but sadly apart from that, Katherine Thurston seems to have been largely forgotten. Let us hope that her name is remembered by some and that her books gain a new audience.

 

  The Circle by Katherine Thurston

History Today article - Jerome K. Jerome and Ireland

The English journalist and novelist Jerome K. Jerome (1859-1927) is probably best remembered today for his humourous writing (including Three Men in a Boat and Three Men on the Bummell) but he also wrote about politics. I have just written an article for History Today on Jerome's 1920 magazine article on Ireland and his plea to his compatriots to 'Let Ireland Go'. Read it here.

 

Photograph of Jerome K. Jerome. Image source.

It might seem unusual that Jerome, who was mainly known for his humourous writing, would involve himself in the Irish Question. However, in 1916 he did add his name to a petition that appealed for clemency for Roger Casement at his trial for treason following on from his attempt to bring in German military aid to Ireland for the Easter Rising. More about that here. Jerome also said that his wife Georgina Marris was "half Irish" so perhaps it was not that unusual that Jerome would write in support of Irish self-determination in 1920. 

 

Title of my article in History Today February 2025.

As I mention in my article in History Today, Irish republicans used Jerome's article to show that their push for freedom was being supported by others around the world. News about his magazine article featured in newspapers around the world. Below is the cover of the pamphlet where a group called the Friends of Irish Freedom reproduced Jerome's article.

 

Cover of pamphlet produced by the Friends of Irish Freedom. Image source.

Irish traditions around Christmas - post on RTÉ Brainstorm

Several traditions and customs in Ireland around Christmas time date back centuries. Some are still observed today even though Ireland and Irish society have changed over time. 

One tradition that is still common in some parts of the country is the celebrations that take place on St. Stephen's Day or the Wren's Day as it is also known when people dress up and disguise themselves. In the past, they went from house to house asking for a donation to 'bury the wren'. Today, there is usually a charitable element to the enterprise where people dress as 'straw boys' as in the photograph from Carrigaline at the bottom of this post. I have just written a piece for RTÉ Brainstorm website about it. Read it here.

 

St Stephen's in Stradbally, Co. Kerry, 1930s. Image source.

Marie-Louise Sjoestedt (1900-1940) wrote about her first-hand experience of having a group of 'wren boys' come into the house where she was staying in Kerry at Christmas 1929. It is interesting to read about her impression of the festive period and the good natured celebrations. I wrote another Brainstorm piece on Sjoestedt and her connection to Ireland a little while ago. Read it here. 

 

'Straw boys' in Carrigaline, Co. Cork on St Stephen's Day 2022.

An Irish Diary on the Irish Chartist leader Feargus O'Connor

Feargus O'Connor was a leader of the Chartist movement which was one of the world's first mass working-class movements. I have just written an Irish Diary in the Irish Times newspaper about his life and times. Read it here.

 

Feargus O'Connor (1794-1855). Image source.

Feargus O'Connor was a fascinating figure who left behind what could have been a comfortable life as a parliamentarian, lawyer or landlord for a life of struggle helping to bring about better civic rights for ordinary citizens. 

His entry in the Dictionary of Irish Biography is worth a read if you want to find out more about him. This website about Chartist ancestors has lots of information about O'Connor. There is also a good resume of O'Connor's life on the Manuscripts and Special Collections webpage of the University of Nottingham.

If you would like to find out more about Chartism, its origins and its aims, here are some useful links where you could start:

What was Chartism? UK National Archives website

Chartism BBC 'In Our Time' podcast

The Chartist movement BBC Bitesize

The Chartist movement UK Parliament website

 

Notre-Dame cathedral - RTÉ Brainstorm article

After nearly five years of renovation and reconstruction, Notre-Dame cathedral in Paris will open to the public on 8 December 2024. I have just written a short article for RTÉ Brainstorm on the history of the building and an Irish connection to Notre-Dame. Read it here.

 

 Notre-Dame cathedral under renovation (March 2024)

 

Notre-Dame was built on the site of another cathedral and historians believe that there was a Roman temple dedicated to Jupiter there before that. The current cathedral dates from 1163 and it has been the site of construction, renovation and reconstruction many times during its lifetime. On this occasion, over €700 million was spent to reconstruct the roof and spire which were damaged in the fire that broke out in April 2019. 

 

Page from Victor Hugo's Notre-Dame de Paris [Hunchback of Notre Dame]. Image source.

Listed on the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites as Paris, Banks of the Seine since 1991, Notre-Dame is an icon of French Gothic architecture. To learn about the history of the cathedral, there's a good 12 point history here and on the Europeana website. 

Notre-Dame's official website also has a good history of the cathedral here. On the Gallica website here you can discover about the history of the cathedral by searching through archival material. The 2019 fire burned for 15 hours and temperatures reached around 1,200°F. If you would like to read more about the fire and the work that was done in the years since then, there is a good article here from Archaeology Magazine and here from the Friends of Notre-Dame de Paris website.

 

Fr Lacordaire giving a funeral oration for Daniel O'Connell in Notre-Dame in 1848. Image source.

I came across the reference to Daniel O'Connell and the funeral oration in Notre-Dame by Fr Lacordaire in a couple of places. The first time I saw it was in the edited volume on Franco-Irish history Paris - Capital of Irish Culture. There are references to O'Connell in chapters by Kevin Whelan and Laurent Colantonio.

Poet of the Troubles - an Irish Diary on Pádraic Fiacc

The poet Pádraic Fiacc (1924-2019) was known as the 'Poet of the Troubles'. He was born Patrick Joseph O'Connor and reared in Belfast and New York. I have just written an Irish Diary in the Irish Times newspaper on his life and work. Read it here.

 

Photograph of Pádraic Fiacc by John Minihan. Image source.

He wrote poems inspired by the turbulent period in Irish and British known colloquially as 'the Troubles'. Fiacc was an influential writer who helped the next generation in Northern Ireland to develop their skills. He mentored a series of young poets and writers including Seamus Heaney, Paul Muldoon, Derek Mahon, Ciaran Carson and Gerald Dawe.

Fiacc was photographed on many occasions by the photographer John Minihan. Minihan's archives are held in the Special Collections section of the Boole Library in University College Cork and you can find out about the collection here.

Fiacc had an interesting accent that included a bit of Belfast and America. If you would like to hear how he spoke, check out this interview with him from 2010 where he talks about his life and growing up in Belfast and New York.