WW1 Memorial Cross in Ieper/Ypres Belgium - RTÉ Brainstorm article

A tall stone Celtic Cross in the Belgian city of Ieper (Ypres) commemorates men from Cork in Ireland who died there during the First World War. I have just written a short article about the history of the cross for the RTÉ Brainstorm website. Read it here.

 

Photograph of the memorial with the cathedral in the background.

Ieper, known as Ypres during the War, was held by the forces of the Allied Powers right throughout the War. The cost of holding this strategic location was high for the Allies as well as the Central Powers (Germany, Austria-Hungary and the Ottoman Empire). Many died during the Three Battles of Ypres in 1914, 1915 and 1917.  

 

Photograph of the memorial showing a carving to represent the crest of Munster (three crowns) with some Celtic knot motif on the bottom.

After the War, Ieper was seen as 'holy ground' by ex-servicemen on account of all the lives lost there during the War and the near utter destruction of the town. I have previously written about the destruction and rebuilding of the town here. The memorial cross was unveiled in 1924 and by that stage, Ireland had gained its independence from Britain. 

The sacrifice of the Irishmen who fought in the British army during the War was remembered by their family and the community they came from. However, with independence came a fresh perspective on Irish who fought and died during the War. This article by Fionnuala Walsh on the 1914-1918 Online Encyclopedia covers how the attitude of the Irish to the War evolved over the years. This article by Edward Madigan deals with how the centenary of the War was marked in Ireland and how this provided a chance to look back on that period with a more objective outlook. 

RTÉ Brainstorm piece on Le Goncourt des détenus

In France a literary prize is decided by prison inmates. It is called 'Le Goncourt des détenus' and I have just written a piece about it for the RTÉ Brainstorm website. Read it here.

 

The prize is similar to the regular Prix Goncourt literary award that has been awarded to the "best and most imaginative prose work of the year" but what makes this one unique is that it is prison inmates from 45 French centers of detention who read the books on the shortlist and decide who should receive the award. Find out more about it here.

Welsh newspapers online - Free resource

The National Library of Wales has digitised millions of articles from the its collection of historic newspapers. 15 million Welsh newspaper articles in English and Welsh are now available to view online for free. You can access the catalogue here.

 

Screenshot of the website for information. 

Through the search boxes, you can also specify if you want to search for cartoons, graphs, illustrations, maps and photographs. Below are some examples of the editorial cartoons you can find on the website.

 

'Leaving for the Gilded Chamber', The Cambria Daily Leader, 19 May 1914. Source.

 

'The Wash Outs', Abergavenny Chronicle, 16 November 1918. Source.

Visit to Cork Public Museum with a class

I am teaching an undergraduate module on 'France and the Great War' at the moment. It is a classroom based module but I thought it could be helpful for the students to look outside of the classroom for an alternative for one of our seminars - so I contacted the Cork Public Museum. 

The responsive to my initial approach to the museum was very positive and as a result of their work, we had a successful visit. It is great to actually see and feel items from that period (or authentic replicas) instead of just reading about them. 

 

Photograph of Cork Public Museum in Fitzgerald's Park. 

Thanks to the curator Mr Daniel Breen and education officer Ms Jessica Cull for welcoming us to the museum and presenting relevant items that they took out from storage for us.

 

Frederick Douglass in Ireland 180 years ago - An Irish Diary

Frederick Douglass (1818-1895) was born into slavery in America. He managed to escape and spent the rest of his life telling his story and campaigning for an end to slavery. He visited Ireland in 1845 to spread the word. I have just written an Irish Diary about his time in Ireland in the Irish Times newspaper. Read it here.

 

Mural of Frederick Douglass in Cork.

Douglass wrote his autobiography in 1845 and this caused quite the sensation - so much so that he thought it might be best to get away for a while. He toured Ireland on a speaking tour in the Autumn of 1845, visiting Kildare, Dublin, Cork, Limerick, Belfast, Wexford and Waterford. He was positively received wherever he went. This surprised him as he was used to being treated differently in the United States on account of his skin colour. 

He also visited England, Scotland and Wales in 1845. There is a map here of all the towns where he spoke from Exeter in the south of England to Wrexham in northeast Wales and Aberdeen in Scotland. 

 

RTÉ Brainstorm piece on the Sacré-Coeur basilica in Paris

Many visitors to Paris will have seen the Sacré-Coeur Basilica on the butte of Montmartre. Some will have traveled there and walked up the steps to see the city stretch out below them. Some will even have entered the church but many do not know the history the building which has eared a place in almost every guidebook to Paris. I have just written a piece on the RTÉ Brainstorm website on the history of the basilica. Read it here. 

 

As I mention in the article, controversy has surrounded the building from the beginning. For some it has come to be seen as a "key monument of modern French Catholicism" and for others, it is a symbol of the influence of the Catholic Church in state affairs.  

According to Martin Evans and Emmanuel Godin, the "Sacré-Coeur served the symbolic purpose of asking for forgiveness for the sins of the atheist Commune. However, for Republicans it came to stand for the worst excesses of clerical domination". [France Since 1815, (London: Routledge, p. 65)].

On a recent visit to Paris, I was able to see the crypt, which is not normally open to all visitors. It was amazing to see the size of the crypt with its windows, high ceilings and many altars. Architecturally, the Sacré-Coeur is a stunning example of a craftsmanship. Engineering-wise, it is an example of what can be done in a challenging location. Below is a photograph of the crypt.

 Have you ever visited the Sacré-Coeur basilica?

An Irish Diary on Irish language enthusiast Liam Ó Briain (1888-1974)

Can you learn a language from a primer or grammar book? Well apparently that is what Liam Ó Briain (1888-1974) did when he learned Irish by himself as it was not taught in his school in Dublin when he was growing up. I have just written an Irish Diary in the Irish Times about Prof Ó Briain who was an Irish language enthusiast (and Francophile). Read it here.

 

 Photograph of Liam Ó Briain. Image source.

Ó Briain was involved with the founding of An Taibhdhearc - the national Irish language theatre, in the 1920s. He was also involved with An Club Leabhar, an initiative that sought to get people reading Irish books as a way to promote the language. I was not able to find much information on this club but there are references in various newspapers to meetings of Irish language book clubs happening in universities. I wonder how widespread it was around the country and what the take-up was like among ordinary citizens!

 

Liam Ó Briain's grave stone in Glasnevin cemetery, Dublin.

If you would like to find out more about Liam Ó Briain - this is his entry in the Dictionary of Irish Biography, there is a good lot of information on him (in Irish) on the Ainm.ie website and there is an interesting blog post here from Dublin City Libraries.