The Other Civil War?
On July 19, 1922, Ulster Special Constable (USC) John McKenzie was released by Michael Collins from custody in Athlone. Collins cordially explained to McKenzie that his incarceration was just a ‘misunderstanding.’ McKenzie had been a prisoner for nearly four months, having been captured when the pro-Treaty IRA seized Belcoo Police Barracks on the Fermanagh-Cavan border.
What was the Pro Treaty side’s role in Altnaveigh?
The Altnaveigh Massacre of June 1922 was one of the most notorious incidents of the period, but who planned it?
Reflections on a Part-Time PhD
I have been approached by a number of people over the last 18 month months looking insights into the process of completing a PhD on a part-time basis. It is an undoubted by-product of the public health situation that there are many reflecting on their own career paths and considering their respective options. Read on..
July 6, 1921- Armagh
The Altnaveigh massacre of June 1922 remains one of the most notorious events of the entire revolutionary period. Six Protestant civilians were killed by the IRA in south Armagh just as the civil war was about to start. Less well known, however, are the events that took place in the same locality just under twelve months previously in July 1921 Read on
August 1969
Was the Irish government prepared to invade Northern Ireland in August 1969
The Free State POWs
The story of the 40 Pro-Treaty prisioners held in British jails until 1926…...
Irish Times Politics Podcast
I submitted a question to the ‘Ask me Anything’ segment on the Irish Times’ Politics Podcast (March 17, 2021);
Listen to reply from Pat Leahy, Jennifer Bray and Hugh Linehan at 2 minutes;
Who were the first Gardaí?
‘Who were the first Gardaí?’ is quite a straightforward question to answer. UCD has put the early register of the Civic Guard online so anyone can access the names and personal information of the first 6,042 members of the new police force. Each entry records the following Read on………
Clones, Weaver Street and the forgotten violence of 1922
On February 11, 1922 a gunbattle at Clones train station left five dead. In the following days, violence spread to Belfast where a further 31 were killed over three days. Why are these events largely forgotten? Read on…….
Derry Girls & Data Gathering Methodologies
Is there a majority in favour of Irish unity? What do the opinion polls say? Should the Census include a question on Irish unity? Read on…..
Stories from a Border Kitchen 