Thanks to the curator of the Cork Public Museum Mr Daniel Breen for welcoming my 2nd year undergraduate class today. They viewed items in the museum's collection from the First World War and heard from historian Mr Gerry White about the period.
The French weekly newspaper Le Canard enchainé is an usual paper. It is in print since 1915 and does not carry any advertising. Instead, it relies solely on subscriptions and sales at the newsstand. That is not all - it is known for its investigative reporting on the great and the good of French society and of course, its cartoons. I have just written a short piece about the history of the newspaper for RTÉ Brainstorm. Read it here.
As mentioned in my piece, Le Canard has had many scoops over the years, including the 'Affaire des diamants' (which implicated the then President Valéry Giscard d'Estaing) and the 'Fillon Affair' (which implicated the former Prime Minister François Fillon and his Welsh-born wife Penelope).
Released every Wednesday, it now available online as well as in print.
The edited volume Freedom of Speech in the Press in Times of Conflict: Historical Perspectives From Ireland and Europe has been launched!! A good crowd attended the launch of the book in the Museum of Literature Ireland (MoLI) on St Stephen's Green, Dublin on Tuesday 6 October 2026. See here for details of the book.
Thanks to Dr David McCullagh (presenter with RTÉ) who spoke very positively of this new volume at the launch. We also had contributions on the night from editors Dr Aoife Whelan and Felix Larkin, as well as the Series Editor at Peter Lang, Dr Eamon Maher.
Edited by Prof Richard C. Allen, Felix M. Larkin, Dr Oliver O'Hanlon and Prof Aoife Whelan, the book will be launched by the historian and broadcaster Dr David McCullagh.
The book came about following a conference organised by the Newspaper and Periodical History Forum of Ireland (NPHFI). The book's table of contents is reproduced below and you can order a copy of the book on the publisher's (Peter Lang) website. It is the latest in Peter Lang's series on Studies in Franco-Irish Relations. Thanks to Eamon Maher (Series Editor) and Anthony Mason (Peter Lang) for their assistance during the publishing process.
Register here to attend the book launch on Tuesday 6 October at 6pm.
The Australian Prime Minister Harold Holt (1908-1967) went swimming at a secluded beach in Victoria in December 1967. He was never seen again. Read my Irish Diary in the Irish Times newspaper about the disappearance of Harold Holt.
Holt enjoyed swimming and snorkeling. His disappearance was a shock to his fellow countrymen and women and led to a whole range of conspiracy theories (which probably developed further as his body was never recovered despite an extensive search operation).
At the time of his disappearance, Holt was an experienced politician who was seeking to develop Australia's relationships with other countries in the region and further afield. As a senior minister in Sir Robert Menzies' governments from 1949, he frequently visited London, New York and Washington for meetings of the Commonwealth and international organisations like the World Bank.
Holt supported sending Australian troops to Vietnam during the Vietnam War and used the slogan "All the way with LBJ" when visiting the White House in June 1966 to show his support of the US President Lyndon Baines Johnson and his approach to the War. You can find out more about Holt's time in office in this resume on the National Archives of Australia website.
Maureen Patricia (Paddy) O'Sullivan (1918-1994) was a courageous Irish-born woman who played an important role in France during the Second World War. I have just written a short piece about her for the RTÉ Brainstorm website. Read it here.
Maureen was one of many people who worked for the top secret wartime organisation set up by the British to help those living under German occupation during the War - the Special Operations Executive (SOE). She was sent to France during the War to operate a wireless which would transmit messages back to London. It was important to have up to date intelligence about German troop movements etc. in order to plan for D-Day and the Liberation of France. She also trained locals to operate the wireless.
Clodagh Finn and John Morgan's book The Irish in the Resistance covers the work of Maureen and several other Irish people who were active in the Resistance during the War. I want to thank to Clodagh for her advice when I was writing the RTÉ Brainstorm piece.
