The Labour MP Nye Bevan, fed up with the “old-fashioned arguments” and “vested interests” of Northern Irish unionist MPs, told the House of Commons in 1954 that “we ought no longer to be oppressed by their presence and have our legislative process interfered with by their votes”. More than 60 years on, the survival of Theresa May’s government and the future of Brexit lie in the hands of such hardline unionists. The Irish border backstop required by the EU is now at the heart of parliamentary wrangling. That border, created to take “the Irish question” out of British politics, remains one of its deepest and least understood problems, so there could hardly be a more opportune time for Diarmaid Ferriter, one of Ireland’s leading historians, to offer this clear and concise history. The border had British parents and Irish midwives. A century ago, Ireland was convulsed by a decade of war and revolution, with increasingly militant … [Read more...] about The Border by Diarmaid Ferriter review – before the backstop
Diarmaid
Diarmaid Ferriter
We use cookies to personalise content, target and report on ads, to provide social media features and to analyse our traffic. For more information see our Cookie Policy. × Diarmaid Ferriter Diarmaid Ferriter is a contributor to The Irish Times and is one of Ireland’s best- known historians and Professor of Modern Irish History at UCD. ‘Breathtaking ignorance’ of Brexiteers on Border has deep roots in past affairs Unesco status for the game is welcome, but it remains shoddily treated compared with hurling This robustly demystifying account of Collin’s legacy is a book of great originality The cartoonist thinks in words not pictures, which is why his satire carries such power State must ensure study of history does not become class-based ‘Ulster says no’ stance betrays ignorance of British and Irish history Diarmaid Ferriter: Thousands are still haunted by the conflict, but others view it as not … [Read more...] about Diarmaid Ferriter
Diarmaid Byrnes and Tom Morrissey Limerick’s unlucky duo
There’s usually less debate about the hurling All-Stars than you get with the football All-Stars. Here you have Dublin with four All-Irelands in a row and Stephen Cluxton, acknowledged as the finest ever goalkeeper in football, not able to get an All-Star in any of the four years. For someone of Cluxton’s influence on the way Dublin play, it’s a strange one. Aren’t this year’s hurling All-Stars the same pattern? There’s probably only two big talking points. You had Limerick’s Diarmaid Byrnes missing out at wing-back and his teammate Dan Morrissey getting in. Maybe Dan making wing-back was a sop to his brother Tom missing out at wing-forward. “I would have picked Tom Morrissey there and left Séamus Harnedy inside in the full-forward line, where John Conlon and Graeme Mulcahy were certs. Don’t get me wrong. Patrick Horgan, along with TJ Reid, would be one of the first names you’d pencil in for the best six forwards in … [Read more...] about Diarmaid Byrnes and Tom Morrissey Limerick’s unlucky duo
Diarmaid MacCulloch delves deep into the soul of Thomas Cromwell – administrator, henchman and evangelical
Marcus Nevitt 29 September 2018 9:00 AM 29 September 2018 9:00 AM Share Twitter Facebook LinkedIn Email Whatsapp Thomas Cromwell: A Life Diarmaid MacCullochAllen Lane, pp.730, £30 The final moments of Hilary Mantel’s magnificent Wolf Hall see its central protagonist, Thomas Cromwell, trying to banish ghosts. Assailed by memories of his orchestration of the execution of his rival Thomas More, the sight of his head on a block, the ‘sickening sound of the axe on flesh’, Cromwell turns to two sources of solace to improve his mood: the welfare of his household and — oddly, but characteristically —admin. In order to give us a Cromwell who is so much more than an insanely ambitious judicial murderer, Mantel leaves her readers with her protagonist fretting over the future happiness of his recently married secretary Ralph Sadler at the same time as he plots the precise detail of Henry VIII’s imminent progress to Bristol with … [Read more...] about Diarmaid MacCulloch delves deep into the soul of Thomas Cromwell – administrator, henchman and evangelical
Parish priest sees the Church ‘dying’ and praises Minister Madigan for ‘taking leadership’
The Parish Priest of Portlaoise has praised the Culture Minister 'for taking leadership' after she stepped in at her local Church when a priest didn't arrive at the weekend. Josepha Madigan said she had to step in when a priest didn't show up for mass in Mount Merrion in Dublin.Fr Paddy Byrne said: "Firstly I want to say well done to the minister who is also a committed member of her parish, who was really taking leadership and was doing nothing that isn't already happening across the country and universal church."I see [the] Church dying...I mean all we have to do is look at the statistics - most men, and it's an exclusively male order, are now in their 70s."Archbishop Diarmaid Martin hit out at Josepha Madigan after she said female priests should be allowed in the clergy, calling the comments "bizarre" and claiming the minister had an agenda.In a statement, Bishop Martin said Ms Madigan's comments have caused parishoners in Mount Merrion and elsewhere “considerable … [Read more...] about Parish priest sees the Church ‘dying’ and praises Minister Madigan for ‘taking leadership’