Author

Pauline Murphy 36 posts 0 comments

Pauline Murphy is a drinker with a writing problem. She writes mostly on history because her mindset is usually stuck in the past. Pauline is a langer citizen of the People's Republic of Cork. One time in Amsterdam she got knocked down by a parked car

Irish History

‘Where Did General Lucas Go?’ | The Kidnapping of General Cuthbert Lucas

Pauline Murphy Jun 23, 2020 0

'Where Did General Lucas Go?' became a popular song around North Cork 100 years ago. It concerned the kidnapping of a British General by the Irish Republican Army and was often sung by children to taunt British soldiers on the streets. The…

History

Sing For Your Vote | A History of Irish Political Campaign Ballads

Pauline Murphy Jan 21, 2020 0

In 1918 a campaign song was written by an anonymous author for the General Election of that year. 'The Sinn Feiners Election Song' appeared on a ballad sheet which sold for a penny on the streets of Dublin. With the same air as 'The Boys of…

Irish History

In English Dungeons | The Death of Sergeant Charles M’Carthy

Pauline Murphy Nov 21, 2019 0

Charles M'Carthy was a colour sergeant in Her Majesty's 53rd Regiment of Foot and served across Europe and the West Indies. While stationed in County Cork he became involved with the Fenian movement. He was then stationed in Carrick-on-Suir…

History

Blues Ran His Game | The Tragic Life of Jackson C. Frank

Pauline Murphy Jun 7, 2019 0

Born in Buffalo New York in 1943, Jackson Carey Frank was 11 years old when he was injured in a fire at his elementary school in Cheektowaga. Jackson and his fellow classmates had been sitting in their music class when a furnace in the…

Irish History

Revolutionary Rover | Pets of the 1916 Rising

Pauline Murphy Apr 19, 2019 0

Easter Week 1916 saw many cats and dogs across Dublin run in fear of the chaos resulting in a significant number of homes across the capital having lost pets in the aftermath of the Rising. One pet who stubbornly stayed in his home was the…

History

Philip Cunningham, The Kerryman Behind Australia’s First Rebellion

Pauline Murphy Mar 7, 2019 1

According to the National Museum of Australia, the first rebellion in Australia took place in 1804 and it was a Kerryman who started it. Up to 300 convicts were led by Kerry born Philip Cunningham in a revolt on a New South Wales prison…

History

The Layover | Marilyn Monroe and Arthur Miller take Shannon

Pauline Murphy Feb 13, 2019 0

Playwright Arthur Miller became a prominent name in 20th century theatre penning plays such as Death of a Salesman, All My Sons and A View from the Bridge to name just a few. He had built a sturdy career for himself in the theatre world but…

Irish History

A Terrible Beauty | Pop Culture’s Obsession With W.B. Yeats

Pauline Murphy Jan 28, 2019 0

On the 28th of January 1939, William Butler Yeats departed the world of the living, and this year will mark the 80th anniversary of his passing. The works of Yeats are known to us all. You need not be a poetry snob to know at least one…

Irish History

Birth of a Democracy | Dáil Éireann at 100

Pauline Murphy Jan 21, 2019 0

100 years ago on the 21st of January, members of the first Dáil gathered in Dublin's Mansion House to lay the foundations of Irish democracy. Not all members of the victorious Sinn Féin majority parliament were present for the historic…

Irish History

The Anarchist and The Actor | Big Jim Larkin goes to Sing Sing

Pauline Murphy Dec 19, 2018 0

Born on January 21st 1876 to Armagh parents in Liverpool, James Larkin is forever linked to the trade union movement in Ireland and the 1913 Dublin Lockout but, shortly after that episode in Irish history he went to America where he ended…