IRELAND, 1900's - VOLUNTEERS HANDPICKED AS ASSASSINS. The IRA leadership were aware that not all Volunteers would be capable of doing what they were about to be asked, and made it clear that… Read More

ON THIS DATE 101 YEARS AGO : FIRST DAY OF A LON-ANNOUNCED (AND IMAGINED) 'NEW NATION'! A LESS-THAN-USELESS FAILED INSTITUTION.(No, not Leinster House - that it is the above goes without say… Read More

Ireland, 1920's - this man was a top operator in Ireland for Westminster in their military campaign against the Irish rebels but, like his political and military bosses, he was fond of takin… Read More

ON THIS DATE (4TH SEPTEMBER) 54 YEARS AGO : AMERICA, ARROGANCE AND ALLENDE."I don't see why we need to stand by and watch a country go communist due to the irresponsibility of its own people… Read More

Kerry, 1920's - this IRA Volunteer changed sides and shouldered a weapon for the enemy he had been fighting against. He was sent to a different townland in his own county to do battle agains… Read More

CORK, 1920 - "BACK OFF" ADVICE GIVEN, BUT APPARENTLY IGNORED... "The pro-British sergeant at Inchigeelagh barracks, Daniel Maunsell (pictured), was considered to be the greatest threat to t… Read More

County Clare, 1920's - was the meeting in a pub between the IRA representative and the 'Special Branch' man an arranged rendezvous or was it by chance?Was the 'Branchman' lured there by the… Read More

WHY DOESN'T THE CENSUS ADDRESS ETHNICITY? By Niina Hepojoki.From 'Magill' Magazine, March 2002.It has been suggested that James Joyce was one of the first artists ever to imagine a world wi… Read More

Galway, 1920's - living the good life as 'landlords' in Ireland, residing in a mansion, socialising in all the right places with all the right people (!) and chit-chatting about the more th… Read More

"OUR OWN TURF FOR OUR OWN PEOPLE."Cathal Brugha described Fr. Michael O'Flanagan as "the staunchest priest who ever lived in Ireland." This 'turbulent priest' died, aged 66, on this date (7t… Read More

After the 21st (birthday party, that is....no, not mine, silly! But you WILL be forgiven for thinking so...!), we're back on the 7th with 13.Ya wha', Shar...?Did ya not get that?!No, I'm n… Read More

SIX WEEKS OF 'SERVICE' FOR ONE, EIGHT MONTHS FOR 'THE FIEND'. On Saturday, 24th July, 1920, 45 Black and Tan recruits arrived in Limerick city from Baile Mhic Gormáin (Gormanston)… Read More

Ireland, 1920's - an IRA ambush on an RIC patrol results in the death of one of the RIC members (an ex-'Royal Marine') who had only joined the RIC weeks earlier.Two ex-British Army soldiers… Read More

In June, 1920, a Lieutenant Colonel, a Mr Gerald Bryce Ferguson Smyth, 34, (pictured), was sent from London to Ireland, to deal with "the troublesome Irish", as he had been seconded by his p… Read More

REVENGE WAS HIS MOTIVE, AVENGE WAS THEIR OBJECTIVE... Ireland, 1920's - this British Army man was promoted in rank and sent to Ireland 'to put manners on the Irish'.And maybe he thought he… Read More

ON THIS DATE (10TH JULY) 97 YEARS AGO : FREE STATE MINISTER FOR 'JUSTICE' EXECUTED BY THE IRA.Kevin Christopher O'Higgins (Caoimhghín Críostóir Ó hUigín, p… Read More

In the 1920's, this man fought tooth-and-nail for the implementation of an Irish republican agenda in a 32-County Ireland, and fought viciously, on a full time basis, for six years, to achie… Read More

ON THIS DATE (3RD JULY) 133 YEARS AGO : BIRTH OF THE IRISH 'MRS HITLER'!'Bridget Dowling (pictured) was born in Dublin on this date in 1891 ; she is noteworthy in history because she married… Read More

There is a lot of talk recently about the State Army and the possibility/probability that it has thugs within its ranks ("...68 members of the (State) Defence Forces have been convicted… Read More

ON THIS DATE (26TH JUNE) 102 YEARS AGO : FREE STATE GENERAL KIDNAPPED ON THE EVE OF CIVIL WAR.On the 26th June, 1922, Leo Henderson and a group of 'Irregulars/Dissidents' left the then repub… Read More

Ah sure, look it......we're not anymore bigheaded now than we were before we clocked-up over 1,500,000 hits.YA WHA'???You hadn't noticed, you say... "so what?", ya declare, with a shrug of y… Read More

Go Raibh Maith Agat/Thank You!A couple of days ago, we 'aged' - to over 1,500,000 hits on this blog - and counting...!We espouse, support and believe in traditional Irish Republicanism on th… Read More

'AN OLD AND UNFAIR CRITICISM...'From 'The United Irishman' newspaper, April 1955. At the inaugural meeting of Fianna Fáil in May 1926, Mr de Valera said he had been planning a policy… Read More

Ireland, 1921 - this US citizen was in Ireland to visit his brother. A Crown Force patrol was heading his way but he had the sense to make himself scarce, as he knew what they were capable o… Read More

ON THIS DATE (5TH JUNE) ELEVEN YEARS AGO - DEATH OF A STAUNCH IRISH REPUBLICAN."A national security threat, a dedicated revolutionary, undeterred by threat or personal risk.." - FBI descrip… Read More

In the 1920's, leaflets and posters started appearing in this Irish town calling for the Black and Tans to get out of Ireland. The Tans, and their colleagues in the RIC and the British Army… Read More

"FOR THE CROWN GIVES FAIR QUARTER..." ' The United Irishmen's rebellion in Ireland in 1798 was well supported throughout the country and the English were, as in every conflict they s… Read More

BROKEN IRELAND...Broken, damaged, twisted - but still salvageable! ...as was the life of this man who, in the early 1920's, having 'served King and Country' in three different British Army… Read More

EXCLUSIVE !! WE NAME THE LOSERS IN THE 7TH JUNE 2024 COUNCIL AND EUROPEAN ELECTIONS.....YOU!There are thousands of candidates that would like you to vote for them on the 7th June 2024 to ens… Read More

Meself and the team are working on a 20-piece blog post for Wednesday, 22nd May 2024, but sure we'll probably have another two or three items to add to it between this and then (...that's 'c… Read More

Mr Hugh McClean (21), a member of the Black and Tans, from Moray, in Scotland, was billeted in the Cork area and himself and one of his colleagues, a man named Cooke, were keep-fit fanatics… Read More

And we're back!...and we were right about the family gig that kept us out of action last Wednesday : it took the two days before it to properly finalise it, and three days after it to recove… Read More

On the 1st May 1916, in Cork - 108 years ago on this date - rebel weapons were voluntarily surrendered to British-appointed and approved representatives and those who surrendered them were… Read More

KEEPING YOUR FRIENDS CLOSE AND... Easter Week, 1916, Ireland :Irish men and women had armed themselves and, once again, thrown down the gauntlet to Westminster. Gun-battles, ambushes, snip… Read More

In April, 1919, the issue of support for the RIC, the pro-British 'police force' in Ireland, was being discussed by the public and by their representatives in (the 32-County) Dáil… Read More

'Form an orderly queue there, please.. ...and we'll be opening for business on Wednesday, 24th April 2024.....with a 15-part post!' We're putting the finishing touches to the 15 for the… Read More

AT MIDNIGHT ON THE 17TH APRIL 75 YEARS AGO - UP THE REPUBLIC......UP THE YARD, THAT IS! Not that this (or this) couldn't happen in a proper 'Republic', just that instances like that happen… Read More

And here's another 'Proclamation' (of sorts!) for ya - on Wednesday, 17th April 2024, we'll be here with a 14-piece post covering, as usual, Irish history and Irish politics from a tradition… Read More

SPOOF, SPIN, AND IGNORANCE IN A PARTIAL EX-COLONY.There's a certain amount of spin and misdirection in the last few weeks in connection with the 26th anniversary of the signing of the 1998 S… Read More

Es genial estar de vuelta con los amigos!It's great to be back among friends!The weather's against me - the rain, chilly winds, gloomy skies - compared to the two weeks I had in Lanzarote wi… Read More

On the 13th March, 1920, about sixty Volunteers from the Listowel, Ballyduff and Ballybunion Companies of the IRA, County Kerry, ensured all roads leading into the town of Ballybunion, from… Read More

In between the Mother's Day and the State Referendums celebrations, you might think that we'd be too busy to pay attention to our lil' corner of the interweb but no, we're not - dedicated (o… Read More

ON THIS DATE (6TH MARCH) 101 YEARS AGO : FIVE FREE STATE SOLDIERS KILLED BY IRA.Paddy O'Daly, pictured ; IRA man-turned Free Stater.On March 6th, 1923 (101 years ago on this date), five Free… Read More

We're gonna outdo ourselves this Wednesday, 6th March, 2024, as we're putting together a 27-part post in which letters and telegrams will feature in some of them - communications between a M… Read More

ON THIS DATE (28TH FEBRUARY) 224 YEARS AGO : "ON THE BRIDGE OF TOOME TODAY..."'O see the fleet-foot host of men, who march with faces drawn,From farmstead and from fishers' cot, along the ba… Read More

We're dottin' the 't's' and a-crossin' the 'i's' or whatever on a 15-part post that we're getting ready for Wednesday, 28th February 2024, with one piece highlighting how the newly-minted (!… Read More

On the 21st February, 1919, two-hundred-and-twenty workers went on strike at Fulton's Woolen Mill in Caledon, County Tyrone.The strike was led by Irish republican activist Peadar O'Donnell a… Read More

We're putting the finishing touches to a 20-part post for Wednesday, 21st February 2024, in which we'll be mentioning loads of interesting stuff (!), including the following...From 1922 - tw… Read More

On the 14th February, 1919, word began to circulate in Maddenstown, the Curragh, County Kildare, and surrounding districts, of a shooting that had happened the previous day.It wasn't long be… Read More

From 1921 - three members of this extended family were shot by the IRA for their anti-republican activity, which led to some public unease in the areas where they lived.Then paperwork came t… Read More