History

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…

How many of this summer’s music festivals will be remembered? Probably none. Woodstock, August 1969, however, has its historic place in culture (or counterculture) assured; an ‘Aquarian Exposition of Peace and Music’ as the poster’s dove…

When you look at the witch-trial fever that swept over Europe in the 17th century, it’s noticeable how it largely left Ireland untouched. This wasn’t really because of greater tolerance on the part of the Irish people, but rather reflects…

War creates monsters, and not all monsters go away when the war does. Some still fight for their lost cause, some fight for their own survival, and some fight because they’ve discovered they love nothing more than killing. This was the case…

Modern western education has a lot of biases built into it, including a basic assumption that democracy is the most natural form of government. This fails to properly teach people how fragile democracy as a system can be, and how dependent…

There are always those who see opportunity in the chaos of revolution, a chance for personal glory and historical immortality. Sometimes these men succeed, and are remembered as great heroes. Sometimes they succeed and are remembered as…

We recently honored D-Day and it brought to mind the life of my father-in-law, who was on the run from the Nazis and eventually captured by them. His name was Thomas Alfred Boyd Parselle (known as Tabs), and he was a Royal Air Force…

When Louis Aragon died, the New York Times obituary ended with the line: “Even those who disagreed with his politics admired his talents as a poet and as a novelist.” Separating an artist from their beliefs is difficult at best and woefully…

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…

We are told that sweets and chocolates are bad for us, and should be eaten in small amounts, if at all. However, during a terrifying wartime winter, a delivery of Tootsie Rolls proved to be a lifesaver. Tootsie Rolls are bite-size…