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Konrad Peterson (1888-1981) : Latvian revolutionary and pioneering civil...
Introduction Konrad Peterson/Konrāds Pētersons (1888-1981) was a Latvian-born revolutionary, socialist and civil engineer who lived for most of his life in his adopted home of Ireland. Konrad in...
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1918 banner for Seán Connolly of the ICA.
I was delighted to be asked to give a brief talk last night in Drumcondra Library on the life of Seán Connolly, the first rebel fatality of the 1916 Rising in Dublin. This talk was part of the Dublin...
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Out of a skip came a Harry Clarke.
In recent years, there has been a tremendous resurgence of interest in the work of Harry Clarke (1889-1931). Ireland’s most renowned stained-glass artist, the work of Harry Clarke and his studio team...
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A lucky escape for a priceless archive.
In January 2012, we had the privilege of sitting down and chatting with Terry Fagan, the driving force behind the North Inner-City Folklore Project. The Project has been responsible for a number of...
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Reminders of ‘Fortress Fownes’.
The plaque of the Hitschfeld Centre, part of a new exhibition at The Little Museum of Dublin. On 6 May 1933, Adolf Hitler’s Brownshirts made their way into the Institut für Sexualwissenschaft...
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Le Pèlerin illustration of the burning of the Custom House.
illustration dated 12 June 1921. (Click to expand) On 25 May 1921, Dublin’s magnificent Custom House was set ablaze by the 2nd Battalion of the Dublin Brigade of the Irish Republican Army. The centre...
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Judging books by their covers…
I must confess, that from time to time I do buy books based on their covers alone. Sometimes, it can be because of who the illustrator is, and other times for what the books capture of Dublin past. I...
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To Remember Spain.
Charles Patrick Donnelly. Poet, republican and UCD student. He died at the Battle of Jarama in Spain, 1937. Next week, a series of lectures will take place in Dublin to commemorate the 80th anniversary...
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The Fintan Lalor Pipe Band: The sound of Irish Labour.
Liberty Hall: A centre of political and cultural radicalism. Earlier this year I gave a talk on the Fintan Lalor Pipe Band for a conference entitled Music in Ireland: 1916 and Beyond. The FLPB would...
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David Garrick: The man who put the audience in their place.
David Garrick, the most celebrated actor of his time. This week, I used my ‘Hidden Histories’ slot on Newstalk to look at David Garrick (1717-1779), arguably the first modern actor and a man who...
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Behan, the Red Dean and the Mansion House.
The ‘Red Dean’ Hewlett Johnson meeting Fidel Castro during a visit to Cuba. (Image Credit: University of Kent Special Collections) The Round Room of the Mansion House has witnessed many historic...
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A reminder of a familiar face on Capel Street.
Capel Street is certainly one of Dublin’s most diverse streets, mixing long-established family businesses with new migrant restaurants and supermarkets, not to more hardware and camping shops than any...
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A tragedy in Clontarf (1942)
On a spring evening in 1942 in the North Dublin suburb of Clontarf, a tragic shooting led to the deaths of Una Ennis (aged 19) and her boyfriend John Prendergast (aged 30). Nearly seventy-five years...
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From ‘Little Jerusalem’ to the University of Ghana: The Life and Work of...
Leslie Daiken (1912- 1964) In Ireland, there is a tendency to view the 1930s in an overwhelmingly negative light, not least when it comes to culture. Yet in spite of sometimes suffocating conservative...
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A forgotten tragedy at Hammond Lane, 1878.
Destruction in Hammond Lane. Image from Trevor Whitehead and Tom Geraghty’s ‘The Dublin Fire Brigade’ (Dublin City Council, 2004) Saturday, 27 April 1878, was a devastating day for Dublin, when death...
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The Smiths at the SFX, 1984 (Audio)
This recording of The Smiths in November 1984 at the SFX comes and goes online, but it seemed time to upload the 12″ vinyl for convenience sake, and perhaps for a nice nostalgic buzz for a few of you....
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The Life and Work of Dominic Behan.
Dominic Behan (Illustration by Luke Fallon for CHTM) On Kildare Road in Crumlin, a small plaque above the door of number 70 tells passers-by that it is a home of historical importance. The plaque shows...
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Born To Create
ADW At Work. (Image Credit) This Thursday, our friend ADW is opening his new exhibition, Born To Create, in The Kemp Gallery on South Frederick Street. If you made it to our ‘Dublin Songs and Stories’...
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Antonin Artaud, the staff of Saint Patrick and a trip to Mountjoy Prison.
Antonin Artaud (1896-1948) One of the most puzzling little stories of 1930s Ireland has to be Antonin Artaud’s arrival here in 1937. The French poet, dramatist and theatre director is remembered as one...
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Colley, Cole and murder at Yellow Road.
Colley and Cole memorial, Yellow Road (Image Credit: Eirigi DNE) On Yellow Road in Whitehall, a small memorial amidst terraced houses honours the victims of an atrocity. This memorial marks the spot...
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