History - Irish Examiner

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Welcome to Irish Examiner History Collections - remembering the key people and events that have shaped us

<p>First lady Phyllis Bean Ui Cheallaigh at the White House in 1959. ‘The visit to the United States remains as a great memory with me most of all,’ she said in 1980. Picture courtesy of the National Library of Ireland</p>

columnists

Clodagh Finn: The first lady and Stem pioneer who could have been president

Phyllis Ryan qualified as the only woman with a master’s degree in science from UCD in 1917. She was just the fifth female science graduate since the National University of Ireland was founded in 1908

Clodagh Finn: Great Irish wives, the club with so many overlooked members

Clodagh Finn: Funerals are much more about life than death

Clodagh Finn: If only we had hospital builder Madam Steevens in today's world

David Trimble death

culture

Book review: The arc of change — from firebrand unionist to unlikely peacemaker

Meet the 'ambassadors on horseback' of Ireland's Army Equitation School

news

Meet the 'ambassadors on horseback' of Ireland's Army Equitation School

History - 1984

1984 Revisited: Ford's was so rooted in Cork that its closure was unthinkable

S 1984 Revisited: Ford's was so rooted in Cork that its closure was unthinkable

1984 was a seminal year in Ireland. Forty years on, our writers look back at some of the scandals and stories that made the headlines and helped shape the Ireland of today

1984 Revisited: How Irish activists took a stance against apartheid

S 1984 Revisited: How Irish activists took a stance against apartheid

1984 Revisited: Calling last orders on the holy hour

S 1984 Revisited: Calling last orders on the holy hour

1984 Revisited: Sea drama leads to massive arms haul

S 1984 Revisited: Sea drama leads to massive arms haul

History - The Civil War

British-Irish Intergovernmental Conference

New law will make it harder to hold up housing and infrastructure projects

Justice minister Jim O’Callaghan said 'the utilisation of judicial reviews to prevent the delivery of vital accommodation, transport, or environmental projects ... is abhorrent to the common good'

Mick Clifford: 50 years after his death, what is Éamon de Valera's political legacy?

Mick Clifford: 50 years after his death, what is Éamon de Valera's political legacy?

Motorbike that led Michael Collins’ convoy to Béal na Bláth unveiled in West Cork museum

Motorbike that led Michael Collins’ convoy to Béal na Bláth unveiled in West Cork museum

Clodagh Finn: The woman who took the last known photo of Michael Collins

Clodagh Finn: The woman who took the last known photo of Michael Collins

History - Road to Civil War

Mick Clifford: MacSwiney’s legacy is being stolen by Sinn Féin

S Mick Clifford: MacSwiney’s legacy is being stolen by Sinn Féin

Next Sunday, Terence MacSwiney’s grave is set to be robbed in the name of rewriting history. The graverobbing will be metaphoric but is worthy of comment.

Ceremony of reconciliation

S Fergus Finlay: Donohoe complaints and ‘tax cut’ cries just FG brand assertion

Cork honours two brave sisters who risked their lives in War of Independence

Cork honours two brave sisters who risked their lives in War of Independence

McDonald calls for Citizens' Assembly on reunification at Liam Lynch centenary

McDonald calls for Citizens' Assembly on reunification at Liam Lynch centenary

History - War of Independence

Book documents turbulent times in Irish history

'The War of Independence in East Cork' is the story of conflict in one of Ireland's bloodiest eras

Tom O’Neill and Eugene Power from Midleton and Paul Busteed from Cobh have compiled what may be the most extensive history of the era in East Cork

Cork collector says he will never sell his priceless Michael Collins memorabilia

Cork collector says he will never sell his priceless Michael Collins memorabilia

Men of the South: A virtual reality take on iconic War of Independence painting

Men of the South: A virtual reality take on iconic War of Independence painting

The Pogues

‘It meant so much to him’: Shane MacGowan’s wife on the hunt for his missing Easter Rising rifle

History - Michael Collins

West Cork museum to display letters that focus on Michael Collins's international connections

West Cork museum to display letters that focus on Michael Collins's international connections

The correspondence maintained international awareness of Ireland's War of Independence

Historian names IRA mole who revealed location of Cork mayor Tomás Mac Curtain's killer

Historian names IRA mole who revealed location of Cork mayor Tomás Mac Curtain's killer

Taoiseach set to address rise of the far right at annual Michael Collins oration

Taoiseach set to address rise of the far right at annual Michael Collins oration

Co-founder of Women's Aid and long-serving MEP Mary Banotti dies aged 84

Co-founder of Women's Aid and long-serving MEP Mary Banotti dies aged 84

History - Women at War

Maud MacBride

Clodagh Finn: Mother’s Day Gaza vigil highlights Irish discomfort with female protest and dissent

The treatment of Gaza protesters outside the Dáil shows how female dissent is still met with disproportionate force

Clodagh Finn: An advent calendar of women to celebrate

Clodagh Finn: An advent calendar of women to celebrate

Clodagh Finn: A West Cork wartime heroine who fought against the Nazis

S Clodagh Finn: A West Cork wartime heroine who fought against the Nazis

Clodagh Finn: Queen Scotia, the daughter of an Egyptian pharaoh who went to war outside Tralee

S Clodagh Finn: Queen Scotia, the daughter of an Egyptian pharaoh who went to war outside Tralee

Good Friday Agreement

Chk Spelling of Manser(a?)gh

Fergus Finlay: Martin Mansergh was top of the list of peacemakers in the North

Throughout that period of government, the thing that bound Martin and I close together was the peace process, writes Fergus Finlay

Fianna Fail think-in

Taoiseach says there will be no border poll before 2030

If elected, Humphreys pledges to continue to call out genocide as Michael D has done

If elected, Humphreys pledges to continue to call out genocide as Michael D has done

'A true Irish republican': Martin Mansergh, former Fianna Fáil TD and advisor, dies aged 78

'A true Irish republican': Martin Mansergh, former Fianna Fáil TD and advisor, dies aged 78

History - Cork at War

How the dissolution 100 years ago of Cork Corporation led to our local government system today

How the dissolution 100 years ago of Cork Corporation led to our local government system today

The country’s first City Manager was appointed in Cork in 1929 and effectively saw the sharing of power between the manager and the elected council

Plaque honouring Michael Collins unveiled in London

Plaque honouring Michael Collins unveiled in London

Back to the future: Cork City planner laid the foundations for a better city in 1922

Back to the future: Cork City planner laid the foundations for a better city in 1922

Eoin Hahessy: de Valera and Mannix forged an unlikely bond that helped shape Ireland

Eoin Hahessy: de Valera and Mannix forged an unlikely bond that helped shape Ireland

History - The Changemakers

The Changemakers: The woman who took on the State – and won access to contraception for all

The Changemakers: The woman who took on the State – and won access to contraception for all

When Customs officials seized the spermicidal jelly mother-of-four May McGee had ordered from the UK on the advice of a doctor, she was livid and took action that led to lasting change, writes Clodagh Finn

The Changemakers: Fitness pioneer who brought women into the public sphere

The Changemakers: Fitness pioneer who brought women into the public sphere

The Changemakers: Cork champion of the underdog, Maureen Curtis Black

The Changemakers: Cork champion of the underdog, Maureen Curtis Black

The Changemakers: Eileen Costello's inspirational journey from workhouse to Senate

The Changemakers: Eileen Costello's inspirational journey from workhouse to Senate

History - Bloody Sunday

Existence of Northern Ireland 'a source of hurt', Fianna Fail TD says

Martin criticises 'over-reaction' as Cathal Crowe apologises for remarks about British Army

Taoiseach called for perspective, saying we don't need lessons in terms of the British state's responsibility for 'Bloody Sunday, Ballymurphy, and much, much more'

Sir Keir Starmer Ireland visit

Irish legal action against British government over Legacy Act remains, says Harris

Bloody Sunday 50th anniversary

Pre-trial rulings due in Bloody Sunday prosecution of Soldier F

Books are my business: Writer and farmer John Connell

Books are my business: Writer and farmer John Connell

Other History

Clodagh Finn: Let’s back campaign for public tribute to Mary Jane Irwin

Clodagh Finn: Let’s back campaign for public tribute to Mary Jane Irwin

If a visiting monkey has a place in the streetscape, Mary Jane Irwin, as she was when she lived in Clonakilty, certainly deserves ones too

Sat, 30 Aug, 2025

IRELAND-POLITICS-DE VALERA

The Mick Clifford Podcast: Who was Éamon de Valera? Colum Kenny reflects 50 years after his death

Half a century after Éamon de Valera’s death, historian Colum Kenny examines the legacy of Ireland’s most divisive leader

Listen | Thu, 28 Aug, 2025

Government must restore Irish sovereignty by removing triple lock on peacekeepers, says health minister

Government must restore Irish sovereignty by removing triple lock on peacekeepers, says health minister

Jennifer Carroll MacNeill highlighted how no peacekeeping missions have been sanctioned since 2014

Sun, 24 Aug, 2025

Taoiseach to commemorate 200th anniversary of major Irish migration to Canada

Taoiseach to commemorate 200th anniversary of major Irish migration to Canada

2,000 Irish people — principally from Doneraile, Mitchelstown, Charleville, and East Limerick — emigrated to Canada in 1825 under the Peter Robinson scheme

Mon, 11 Aug, 2025

US Irish 9

Possible second 19th century mass grave of massacred Irish rail workers discovered in US

Archaeologist who led the discovery of original site may have identified a second mass grave of Irish railroad workers

Mon, 11 Aug, 2025

Back to the future: Cork Public Museum celebrates 80 years with new exhibition

Back to the future: Cork Public Museum celebrates 80 years with new exhibition

Colette Sheridan fastens her seatbelt for some time travel as Cork Public Museum celebrates its landmark 80th anniversary

Sun, 10 Aug, 2025

Legacy of the Liberator: The 250th anniversary of Daniel O'Connell's birth celebrated

Legacy of the Liberator: The 250th anniversary of Daniel O'Connell's birth celebrated

Daniel O'Connell's anniversary celebrations kicked off at Derrynane House on Wednesday

Sat, 09 Aug, 2025

North Cork group seeks to bring 'missing' Irish chalice back from UK — on loan

North Cork group seeks to bring 'missing' Irish chalice back from UK — on loan

A rare 16th-century chalice linked to the deaths of two priests may finally return from London to Cork

Sat, 09 Aug, 2025

‘Even children had to carry the bodies’: Hiroshima survivors speak 80 years after 'the bomb'

‘Even children had to carry the bodies’: Hiroshima survivors speak 80 years after 'the bomb'

America's incinerating of civilians in the atom bombs of 1945. Was that war, or war crime? asks Rosita Sweetman

Sat, 09 Aug, 2025

Life as a conservation officer: Meet the Cork woman trying to preserve Waterford's heritage

Life as a conservation officer: Meet the Cork woman trying to preserve Waterford's heritage

In the fifth part of her series on council workers, Sarah Horgan meets Rose Ryall, Waterford City and County Council’s executive architectural conservation officer

Thu, 07 Aug, 2025

Daniel O'Connell commemorated at event marking 250th anniversary of The Liberator's birth

Daniel O'Connell commemorated at event marking 250th anniversary of The Liberator's birth

The event, held at Derrynane House in Caherdaniel, featured spoken word, music, and family reflections inspired by O'Connell's legacy

Wed, 06 Aug, 2025

Daniel O'Connell

Mick Clifford: Why Daniel O’Connell was Ireland's greatest politician

Whatever about his status as greatest Irishman, O’Connell was, through the force of his personality and intellect, indisputably the best politician in these islands, writes Mick Clifford

Wed, 06 Aug, 2025

'Hugely significant' Irish archive donated to the State will be unveiled in Cork

'Hugely significant' Irish archive donated to the State will be unveiled in Cork

Donated to Ireland almost eight years ago, the Daniel MacCarthy Glas collection will go on display at Cork City and County Archives in Blackpool during Heritage Week

Mon, 04 Aug, 2025

Maeve Kyle

Clodagh Finn: They called Maeve Kyle a disgrace to motherhood — then she became an Irish Olympic icon

Maeve Kyle broke rules, records, and expectations — blazing a trail from Kilkenny to Tokyo across five decades of Irish sport

Sat, 26 Jul, 2025

Coronavirus - Mon Jul 26, 2021

Remember when a minister held Guinness 'hostage'? And other Irish food stories

A book examining our relationship with food and drink from prehistory up to the present day is a rich resource

Tue, 22 Jul, 2025

Clodagh Finn: The Irish tennis ace you've probably never heard of

Clodagh Finn: The Irish tennis ace you've probably never heard of

As one of the world’s most famous tournaments draws to a close today, meet this one-time finalist and greatly overlooked tennis great

Sun, 13 Jul, 2025

Photo of LIVE AID

Gareth O'Callaghan: Live Aid captured the imagination while causing a lot of controversy

Too many people look the other way; whatever Bob Geldof's critics might think of him, thankfully he didn’t

Sat, 12 Jul, 2025

Clodagh Finn: Carmel Snow, the Irish Anna Wintour who reshaped US fashion

Clodagh Finn: Carmel Snow, the Irish Anna Wintour who reshaped US fashion

Her vision was an immediate success. She took over Harper’s Bazaar in 1935, quickly tripling the magzine's circulation

Sat, 05 Jul, 2025

Crowd Watching the Burning of Four Courts Building

Pioneering project releases more lost Irish records spanning 700 years

Newly restored material from vast archive destroyed in Civil War takes in Anglo-Norman conquest and 1798 rebellion

Mon, 30 Jun, 2025

Air India Flight 182: Cork photographer recalls taking iconic image of 1985 bombing tragedy

Air India Flight 182: Cork photographer recalls taking iconic image of 1985 bombing tragedy

Former Irish Examiner photographer Denis Minihane reflects on the haunting image that captured global heartbreak from a Cork hospital window

Sat, 21 Jun, 2025

Clodagh Finn: The ‘prowling pilot’ who became Ireland's first female flight instructor

Clodagh Finn: The ‘prowling pilot’ who became Ireland's first female flight instructor

As a much older woman, I still aspire to be like Dr Daphne, writes Clodagh Finn who flicks through the archives to find a true Renaissance woman who instilled a sense of wonder

Sat, 21 Jun, 2025

Clodagh Finn: A tale of two extraordinary ‘ordinary’ grandmothers

Clodagh Finn: A tale of two extraordinary ‘ordinary’ grandmothers

Evictions over a two-week period in June 1887 generated international headlines, and widespread sympathy for tenants

Sat, 14 Jun, 2025

Clodagh Finn: Restoring some honour to Honour Bright, 100 years on

Clodagh Finn: Restoring some honour to Honour Bright, 100 years on

Lizzie O’Neill’s murder shocked the State, and her reputation was left in shreds

Sat, 07 Jun, 2025

'After 10 decades of life, you need to be matter-of-fact about death'

'After 10 decades of life, you need to be matter-of-fact about death'

Jennifer Sleeman believes the width of life is much more important than its length, yet in her 95 years she has succeeded in achieving both, writes Clodagh Finn

Sat, 07 Jun, 2025

Clodagh Finn: An invite to rediscover the female writers of Kerry

Clodagh Finn: An invite to rediscover the female writers of Kerry

Strap in for a rapid-fire tour of an exhibition that casts off the wilful forgetfulness of centuries

Sat, 31 May, 2025

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HISTORY COLLECTION

Read our series of history supplements celebrating the decade of centenaries

War of Independence Podcast

A special four-part series hosted by Mick Clifford

Available on
www.irishexaminer.com/podcasts

Commemorating 100 years since the War of Independence

The Burning of Cork

Longread

We look at the historical context and reproduce the original report from our archives which details one of the darkest days in the city's history.

Commemorating 100 years since the War of Independence