Press Review in 'The Revolution Papers'

I recently wrote a press review for 'The Revolution Papers' of 20 December 2016. I looked at two very different newspapers from the dying days of the Irish Civil War - the long-established and Pro-Treaty newspaper, Freeman's Journal and the recently established and vehemently Anti-Treaty propaganda sheet, Eire.

Front cover of 'The Revolution Papers', No. 51.

The Civil War began in June 1922 and for nearly 11 months, men and women who were once the best of friends and had once fought side by side during the War of Independence, were pitted against each other. Naturally, each side was convinced that they were right. It was very interesting to compare the two newspapers and see how they could have such widely differing opinions on the same issues.

See http://therevolutionpapers.ie/detail.php?id=51 for more information on this edition of 'The Revolution Papers'.

2016 Newspaper & Periodical History Forum Conference

The 2016 Newspaper and Periodical History Forum of Ireland (NPHFI) conference took place in the National Library of Ireland on Friday 25 and Saturday 26 November 2016. This was the Forum's ninth annual conference and the theme was 'Freedom of Speech in France, Germany, and Ireland in Time of Conflict'.

Entrance to the National Library of Ireland (as seen from the National Museum of Ireland). 

Eighteen researchers and academics from Ireland, France, Germany, United Kingdom and Canada addressed the conference theme with papers on freedom of speech during conflict ranging from the French Revolution of 1848 and the Paris Commune of 1871 to the First and Second World Wars and right up to the fall of the Berlin Wall. We learned about the power of caricature in newspapers and periodicals during wartime and the difficulties of keeping the press going during wartime censorship and how samizdat publications survived.

The keynote speech, entitled 'Liberty and Licence: the rise of the political press in Europe from the Enlightenment to the age of mass journalism', was delivered by Prof Hugh Gough, Emeritus professor of history at University College Dublin (UCD).

2016 Conference poster. We are grateful to Plantu for allowing us to reuse his cartoon.

The 2016 conference was held in association with the Embassy of France in Ireland, the Embassy of Germany in Ireland, and the National Library of Ireland. Thanks to all of these organisations for their support and assistance in helping to make the conference such a success. This is third NPHFI conference I have organised as secretary. I wish the new secretary, Dr James O'Donnell, every success in the role.

The pen IS mightier than the sword - Cartoon Exhibition - Dublin

Yesterday, I attended the opening of the exhibition 'Drawing Freely' (Dessins en Liberté). Located in Europe House, 12-14 Mount Street, Dublin 2, it is a collection of editorial cartoons by 50 different cartoonists from around the world.

Freedom of expression is the overriding theme of the exhibition and the cartoons cover topics such as racism, censorship, corruption and women's rights. During the opening, Anthony Bellanger of the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) and Wolfgang Grebenhof of the German Federation of Journalists, spoke about the challenges faced by journalists as they go about their job.

Catch it while you can - the exhibition runs until 9 December 2016.


Some interesting cartoon related links

Billy Ireland Cartoon Library and Museum, The Ohio State University Libraries link

British Cartoon Archive, Templeman Library, University of Kent link

Cartooning for Peace / Dessins pour la Paix link

Irish Comics Wiki link

Franco-Irish military connections

On Sunday 13 November 2016, a memorial to the Irish people who fought for France in the Franco-Prussian War (1870-1871), the First World War (1914-19180 and the Second World War (1939-1945), will be inaugurated in Glasnevin Cemetery, Dublin.

Photograph of the France-Irlande Mémorial in Glasnevin Cemetery.

The military links between France and Ireland, which date back to the 16th century, are an important element of the multi-faceted Franco-Irish relationship. Did you know, for example, that an "Irish Legion" was established in Napoleon's army in 1803, or that two hundred and fifty Irishmen traveled to France during the Franco-Prussian War?

The case of the Franco-Irish Ambulance Brigade is very interesting. A volunteer corps of about two hundred and fifty men was established in Dublin in 1870. It was comprised of surgeons, medical students and ambulance drivers. They arrived in France in October 1870 and remained there until February 1871. Read about the Franco-Irish Ambulance Brigade in these short articles - the French edition of the Old Limerick Journal and History Ireland.

If would like to find out more on the subject of Franco-Irish military connections, why not have a look at Franco-Irish Military Connections, 1590-1945, edited by Nathalie Genet-Rouffiac and David Murphy (Dublin: Four Courts Press, 2009). It contains fifteen chapters on various episodes including the Wild Geese, Theobald Wolfe Tone and Irish people who fought for the Resistance in France during the Second World War.

Front cover of Franco-Irish Military Connections, 1590-1945. Worldcat entry.

Conference - 'Paris: Capital of Irish Culture'.

I recently attended the conference 'Paris: Capital of Irish Culture' in O'Connell House, Notre-Dame Center for Irish Studies, Merrion Square, Dublin. It was part of a double-conference (the first part took place in the Centre Culturel Irlandais in Paris) and was organised by (amongst others) the Embassy of France in Ireland and the Embassy of Ireland in France.

Conference poster.

In seeking to highlight links between the two countries in this important centenary year, the conference addressed some of the important literary and historic links between France and Ireland. The opening lecture entitled, 'Paris, Terre promise des Irlandais', was given by the preeminent French scholar of Irish studies, Pierre Joannon. The lecture was a tour de force, covering many different aspects of the shared history between Ireland and France. For instance, we were reminded that the French writer, Honoré de Balzac, said that Irishman, Daniel O'Connell, and Napoleon were the two great men of the 19th century.

Seamus Deane spoke about the roots of Irish republicanism in France in the 19th century and specifically about the connections built up between Irishmen like Daniel O'Connell and Frenchmen, such as Lamennais, Lacordaire and Montalembert. In his lecture, Barry McCrea spoke about the similarities between the life and work of the Irish writer, James Joyce and the French writer, Marcel Proust.

The historical panel looked at several other areas that link the two countries. Topics included French newspaper reporting of the 1916 Rising, the life and work of the French academic who worked in Ireland for many years, Roger Chauviré, and the history of the Irish College in Paris (now the Centre Culturel Irlandais). The conference was very well organised and provided plenty of food for thought. I really enjoyed it.

For more information on the conference and to view the programme see: http://www.ambafrance-ie.org/Conference-Paris-Capital-of-Irish-Culture

History Ireland article - French bishops' mission to Ireland, Oct. 1916

It is only really in recent years that Irish people have begun to engage with the role played by Ireland in the First World War. At the outbreak of the War, Ireland was still part of the United Kingdom, but it was at this time that Irish people started to make a push for independence from Britain.

Over two hundred thousand Irishmen served in the British army during the War and when they returned home, things had changed profoundly (utterly!). Ireland had experienced an uprising (Easter Rising, 24-29 April 1916) and the seeds of the Irish War of Independence had been sown.

My article in the September / October 2016 edition of History Ireland magazine looks at a visit payed to Ireland one hundred years ago by a small group of French clergymen. They came to meet the Irish Catholic hierarchy and to try and boost recruitment to the British army from Ireland.

Image of pamphlet written by one of the French priests, Fr Pierre Batiffol, about their trip to Ireland. Image source.

The October 1916 propaganda mission to Ireland by the French clergymen was not as successful as they had planned. It was not very well timed. The Rising and more importantly, the subsequent execution of the Rising's leaders, had turned Irish public opinion against Britain and the Union. If joining the British army was unpopular before the Rising, it was definitely more so now.

The account of the visit to Ireland written by one of the French priests is well worth reading. It details where they went, who they met and what was said. Just click on the link above. Happy reading!

Irishman's Diary - Kenelm Lee Guinness

I have just written a new Irishman's Diary in today's Irish Times newspaper. It's about the award-winning racing driver and automotive engineer, Kenelm (Bill) Lee Guinness (1887-1937). Here is a link to the article.

This is a photograph of Kenelm Lee Guinness driving a Sunbeam, accompanied by his mechanic, Bill Perkins. Image source: Gallica, BnF

Michelin Guide to the British Isles 1911 - Irishman's Diary

I have just written an Irishman's Diary in today's Irish Times newspaper about one of the earliest guides for motorists in Ireland. The Michelin Guide to the British Isles was first published in 1911.

Photograph of 'Bibendum': Michelin's mascot, aka 'The Michelin Man'. Image Source.

The guide, while it looks relatively basic by today's standards, contained information on relevant facilities in towns and villages all over Ireland, as well as some information on car maintenance. Read my article here.

Edwin Lawrence Godkin - An Irishman's Diary

Edwin Lawrence Godkin (1831-1902) was a journalist and editor, who wasn't afraid to take on vested interests and fight for a better kind of journalism. Born in Ireland, most of his life was spent in America. 

Caricuture of EL Godkin from 1898. Source: Wikimedia Commons.

Today, Godkin is perhaps best know as the founding editor of The Nation, a liberal, weekly US magazine. He was editor of The Nation from its launch in 1865 until his retirement in 1899. In that time, he took on vested interests and several forms of political corruption, such as Tammany Hall and Boss Tweed. He also opposed US territorial expansion and advocated for US currency reform and civil service reform. 

Read about his life in my Irishman's Diary in the Irish Times newspaper.

French Newspaper Cartoons - Ireland's Easter Rising

Ireland's Easter Rising was reported in the French press through the form of articles, photographs and even some editorial / political cartoons. Editorial cartoons have long been a regular feature of many popular French newspapers.

Here, we can see cartoons on the front pages of Le Matin from 1 May 1916 and from Le Petit Journal from 27 April 1916 and 5 May 1916. In the first cartoon we can see what appears to be a soldier complete with German style military helmet with a sword marked 'Dublin'. The caption reads 'un coup d'épée dans l'eau'. This is an idiomatic expression that means - a complete waste of time.

The second cartoon shows the Kaiser and suggests that there is an error in a newspaper report relating to the Rising and the landing of German arms in Ireland. Should it not read that the Germans were repelled from Ireland, they wonder. The last cartoon again refers to the German army and shows a soldier (or possibly Kaiser Wilhelm) being attacked by Asquith's project.

Le Petit Journal was one of the main four dailies in France during the first half of the 20th century. It was a conservative newspaper that sold around 2 million copies at the beginning of the 20th century. Le Matin was one of France's main dailies between the 1910s and 1920s, selling around 1 million copies in 1914.

Le Matin, 1 May 1916. Source: Gallica, BnF.

Le Petit Journal, 27 April 1916. Source: Gallica, BnF.

Le Petit Journal, 5 May 1916. Source: Gallica, BnF.

Ireland's Easter Rising in France's Le Monde illustré

Le Monde illustré was the leading French illustrated weekly news magazine of the late 19th and early 20th century. It began publication in 1857 and was similar in style to The Illustrated London News, which was the world's first illustrated news magazine. By 1916, Le Monde illustré ran to 14 pages and cost 60 centimes. The format normally consisted of a mix of full page illustrations, a selection of several different illustrations grouped together and text articles.

Ireland's Easter Rising was covered on several occasions in the news magazine, beginning on 6 May 1916 and again on the following two weeks, 13 May 1916, 20 May 1916. In much of the French press at the time, the rising was portrayed simply as a German inspired plot to attack France's ally, Great Britain, and not as a push for Irish independence. The Germans are mentioned frequently in the coverage and Roger Casement, the man who uncovered large scale human rights abuses in the Belgian Congo, was labeled a traitor.

Le Monde illustré, 6 May 1916. Source: Gallica BnF.

Le Monde illustré, 13 May 1916. Source: Gallica BnF.

Le Monde illustré, 20 May 1916. Source Gallica BnF.

Gallica is the digital library of the Bibliothèque nationale de France [French National Library]. It contains a wealth of material including books, newspapers, magazines, photographs, letters, manuscripts and sound recordings. Here, you can search 58 years of Le Monde illustré - http://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/cb32818319d/date

Susan Langstaff Mitchell - An Irishman's Diary

Today, a new Irishman's Diary by me appears in the Irish Times newspaper. It is about the poet, journalist and editor, Susan Langstaff Mitchell (1866-1926). Born in Carrick-on-Shannon, County Leitrim, Mitchell played a part in the Irish Literary Revival at the turn of the 20th century. Read it here.

Below is a copy of the front page of the Irish Homestead of 9 January 1904. This was the weekly magazine that Mitchell wrote for and also edited along with her colleague and friend, the poet and painter, George William Russell (AE).

Image source: http://cas.umt.edu/english/joyce/notes/020077homestead.htm

Book Review - Irish Studies Review

I recently reviewed the book, The Bordeaux-Dublin Letters, 1757: Correspondence of an Irish Community Abroad, for the journal Irish Studies Review. It has been published online and is available to read at: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/09670882.2016.1147138

The book tells the fascinating story of a bundle of letters that were seized when a Dublin-registered ship was stopped by a British privateer in the Bay of Biscay in 1757. The letters and other related items formed part of a court case and were held in the British National Archives until they were rediscovered by accident by an American researcher in 2011.

Photograph of front cover of The Bordeaux-Dublin Letters, 1757.

It really was like finding a time capsule, a time capsule that transported the reader back 250 years witnessing how friendships, private relationships, as well as societies, operated. This was such an amazing find and reminds us of the fascinating discoveries still to be made in archives and libraries around the world.

'The Irish Whip': Danno O'Mahony - RTÉ's Sunday Miscellany

I recently recorded a short piece on the RTÉ Radio 1 programme 'Sunday Miscellany' about the Irish wrestler, Danno O'Mahony (1912-1950). Born in the townland of Derrenlomane, outside the village of Ballydehob, County Cork, O'Mahony won the World Heavyweight Championship in 1935.

Danno's wrestling move was known as the 'Irish Whip'. He used it to great effect to disarm his opponents. Listen to it here (from 9 min 25 seconds).

 

Photo of Danno's statue on Ballydehob's main street.