May, 2020

“The Household Cavalry are not to provide troops, whether mechanised, horse or on foot, other than Regimental Bands, for parades, processions or for similar occasions unless such attendance conforms with tradition and long established practice, unless prior approval under Para 47 or 48 has been obtained… When an application is made for the attendance of […]

Person 1:  Have you heard the good news? Person 2: No,  but good would be a change. What is it? Person 1:  Emma de Souza has defied and defeated the British Home Office insistence that she must renounce her British citizenship before being able to claim Irish and EU citizenship. Person 2: Good for her. Why did she […]

This week, Pat and I are talking about emigration –  how it changes people, how they’re often caught between a love of home and a hope of something different, something better. As Pat says, we’re an island and so we do tend to be insular. Any thoughts on this, or on our proposed ‘It Says In The Papers’ this Friday, are most welcome. Meanwhile, bainigi salt as…Enjoy. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wvbbX_J4BhA&t=19s

It’s always sad when new best friends have a tiff. It seems Fianna Fáil TDs  Barry Cowen and Thomas Byren were not one bit pleased when they read Saturday’s Irish Times,  which told them that Fine Gael had election contingency plans in place. Clearly contingency election plans are not quite the same as election plans  – it just means […]

With a self-satisfied smile on his face, one Jonathan Sumption, in THE SUNDAY TIMES (17 May) pleads -“Set us free, ministers, and stop covering your backs.”  He follows with the assertion that “free people make mistakes and willingly take risks.” But he himself is retired, on an adequate pension and free as a bird. Most […]

Booing the Bishop The bishop lived in a big house across the wall from our boarding school. On slow summer evenings we’d peep over and watch him playing croquet by himself, sometimes muttering and hammering the mallet into the ground when he missed a  hoop.  The grass on his side was as neat as a […]

To editor@historyireland.com It is amazing to see any reference to THE IRISH BULLETIN in this decade of Centenaries, as it is probably the most important source of contemporary information for the years 1919-1921. May I commend Joesph E.A..Connell (Vol 28 No 3) in mentioning it in his piece on the Listowel RIC Mutiny? It was published […]

My cousin, Michael Leonard, was shot dead by the RUC on 17 May 1973 in the townland of Letter, Co Fermanagh. He lived in Co Donegal near Pettigo. At the time of his death, Michael was engaged to be married to Mena Gallagher who lived near Ederney, County Fermanagh. He was 24 years old. A number of […]

This blog first appeared as a column in the Andersonstown News So – should Sinn Féin ministers in the north  have posted images of themselves delivering food parcels to vulnerable and elderly people?  Well no, not if they wanted their reward to be a heavenly one. According to the Bible, “When you do good deeds, don’t try to show off. If you do, you won’t get […]

 THE TIMES today  (15th May )illustrate’s a story with a sad colour photograph of a boarded up London .pub. It is one with an interesting history, which I will touch on.    But first I’ve a more personal story. I was about a week in London and in digs in Ealing, a western suburb and […]