'Writing the Troubles' Blog - my post.

Photograph taken from the 'Writing the Troubles' blog.

The Northern Ireland 'Troubles' (1968-1998) claimed over 3,500 lives and left many more maimed or scarred for life. It grabbed headlines in Britain, Ireland and around the world because of the shear scale of the killings, bombings and attacks and the length of the conflict.

I have just written a blog post on the Writing the Troubles blog about foreign reporting of the Troubles. Read it here.

An Irishman's Diary on the Léon XIII

In October 1907, the village of Quilty in Co. Clare, Ireland was the scene of a dramatic maritime rescue. The three-masted Nantes registered ship, Léon XIII, was bringing grain from Portland, Oregon to Limerick, when tragedy struck. A violet storm caused the ship's rudder to break, for the ship to be blown off course and to run aground and breakup.

The twenty-two French crew on board were rescued by a combination of a British Navy ship and currachs. Local fishermen from Quilty braved the elements and rowed their open currachs into the storm to rescue the sailors who had taken refuge in the rigging of the ship. I have just written an Irishman's Diary in the Irish Times newspaper about the rescue and the story of the Léon XIII. Read it here.

The legacy of the rescue and the Léon XIII is visible in Quilty to this day. See below photographs of items on display in the local church Stella Maris (Star of the Sea), which was built with money raised after the rescue.

Lifebuoy from Léon XIII.

Bell from Léon XIII

In 2011, 100 years after the church was completed, 17 new stained glass windows were installed. Below, you can see some of the new windows, which tell the story of the rescue of the sailors of the Léon XIII by the local fishermen.

The Irish Revolution - TV show

'The Irish Revolution' has just been broadcast on Ireland's state broadcaster, RTE. This three part tv series is based on the award-winning book, The Atlas of the Irish Revolution, which was published by Cork University Press.

Cover of the Atlas of the Irish Revolution from Cork University Press.

As a contributor to the Atlas, I was invited to attend a reception and a preview screening of programme no 2 in the Cork Opera House. I was very impressed by the programme, which was really put together well.

It presents all the facts about this turbulent time in Irish and world history and it does so with insights from some of the best-informed historians of today with archival footage and stunning photography of the Irish landscape. Check it out for yourself on the RTE Player.

The view I had during the preview screening in Cork Opera House.

An Irishman's Diary on Basil Zaharoff

Sir Basil Zaharoff (1849-1936) rose from extremely humble origins to become one of the world's wealthiest men. I have just written an Irishman's Diary in the Irish Times newspaper about his life and times. Read it here.

Photograph of Basil Zaharoff. Image source: Gallica

After making his fortune from arms dealing, Zaharoff bought the Chateau de Balincourt outside Paris and lived there. In an effort to remain anonymous and guard his privacy, he reportedly bought up all the postcards he could that featured an image of the house. Find out more about this enigmatic character who spent his lifetime covering up his past here.

Image was important to Zaharoff. He wanted to be associated with philanthropy and not with arms and munitions, where he actually made his money. To this end, he made donations to prestigious universities in the UK, France and elsewhere. In the Sorbonne University in Paris, the 'Earl Haig Chair of English Literature' was established in 1918. Meanwhile, across the Channel in Oxford University, the 'Marshal Foch Professor of French Literature' was set up. It is not clear what happened to the position in the Sorbonne, but it doesn't seem to exist anymore. The current holder of the position in Oxford is Catriona Seth. Read more about the history of these academic positions here.

Another aspect of Zaharoff's donation was the annual Zaharoff Lecture, which takes place in Oxford University. At these lectures, prominent French writers are invited to speak about their work. The 2018 lecture was given by the award-winning author, Pierre Michon.

Book review - The Building Site in Eighteenth-Century Ireland

During the eighteenth-century, the Protestant Ascendancy were stamping their mark on the physical landscape of Ireland. This was seen in the large private houses and estates that were built all around the country and in the planned estate towns such as Abbeyleix.

I have just written a book review of The Building Site in Eighteenth-century Ireland by Arthur Gibney in the peer-reviewed academic journal Irish Studies Review. Follow this link for the article.

Front cover of The Building Site in Eighteenth-Century Ireland.

The book's author, Arthur Gibney (1933-2006), was one of the leading architects of his generation. When he graduated in 1958, he went to work with Michael Scott, who had designed Busáras, the new central bus station in Dublin. Two years later, Gibney went into partnership with Sam Stephenson. Together, they were responsible for many new buildings, including the controversial ESB headquarters on Dublin’s Fitzwilliam Street, along with other office blocks around the capital. When he split from Stephenson, Gibney established his own practice where he designed new buildings but also restored historic buildings. Through these renovation and conservation projects, he gained an invaluable insight into old building techniques.

As Gibney states in the book, the eighteenth-century buildings of Ireland can be book-ended between the construction of the Royal Hospital Kilmainham (completed 1684), designed by William Robinson, and the Four Courts (completed 1802), designed by Thomas Cooley and James Gandon. Below are photographs of these two fine buildings.

Courtyard of Royal Hospital Kilmainham.

Dublin Four Courts. Image source: Wikimedia Commons 

The Press and the vote - NPHFI 2018 Conference NUIG

The 2018 annual conference of the Newspaper and Periodical History Forum (NPHFI) took place in the National University of Ireland, Galway (NUIG) on Friday 9th and Saturday 10th of November. This was a fitting venue as this is where the first conference took place in 2008.

Entrance to quadrangle at National University of Ireland, Galway (NUIG).

The conference theme was 'The press and the vote'. Researchers and academics from universities in Ireland, South Africa and right across the UK came to discus the theme. We heard about a wide range of periodicals, geographic locations and time periods from local, national and niche newspapers, from Ireland, Europe, North America and South Africa and from the 18th right up to the 20th century.

Presenting a paper on Le Monde's coverage of Irish politics in the 1990s.

I presented a paper on Le Monde's coverage of politics in Ireland in the 1990s. The period was one of great change both politically and socially. We only have to think of the election of the first female president, the Irish constitutional referenda on abortion, divorce and the Good Friday Agreement, the legalisation of contraceptives and the decriminalisation of homosexuality to see that the 1990s was a time of change.

Le Monde covered these events and more with their correspondent in London and local journalists such as Joe Mulholland and John Horgan, who wrote about events as and when they happened. The question is why was Le Monde so interested in reporting on these events. The answer is in the title of my paper, more to follow... Well done to the committee and the local organisers for putting together a great conference.

Open House Dublin 2018 - Résidence de France

The Open House Dublin 2018 took place on Saturday October 13th. It is an initiative to showcase outstanding architecture in Dublin. Buildings that are not usually open to the public open their doors and you can see inside some real architectural gems. It is Ireland's largest architecture festival.

View of Résidence de France from Ailesbury Road.

This year, I was delighted to be a guide at the Résidence de France for the second year in a row. The Résidence de France, the official residence of the French ambassador to Ireland is located at 53 Ailesbury Road, Dublin. The building was designed by the architect, Alfred Gresham Jones and built between 1883 and 1885 for George Bustard.

Originally known as Mytilene, it is an impressive looking building with its carved granite staircase leading up to the portico. The white brick distinguishes it from all the other houses on the road, which are clad in red brick. Inside, the layout is much the same as it was when it was built. When the French Government bought the building in 1930, the furniture had all been auctioned off by the Bustard family.

Close up view of front of the Résidence de France.

What a great initiative the Open House is. I am so grateful to have been a part of it again this year.