John Martin In examining the suspect 'Black Diaries' it has to be accepted that there will be mistakes. To err is human! When considering mistakes the first question that arises is: is the mistake more likely to be made by a forger or an authentic diarist? In a previous issue of the Irish Political Review it was noted that … Continue reading The ‘Black Diaries’: Mistakes And Omissions
Roger Casement
The Black Diaries’ Fantasy
John Martin In considering the Black Diaries it can be useful to step back before delving into the details. The first question that arises from even a cursory knowledge is why would Casement write the incriminating diaries in the first place? As a public figure, why would he want to run the risk of the diaries … Continue reading The Black Diaries’ Fantasy
The ghost of Roger Casement – another contrived war.
Jack Lane “The ghost of Roger Casement is beating on the door.”(Yeats). Casement was hanged for his writings and actions in the first World War. The one published book in his lifetime was “The Crime against Europe” where his views were spelt out before the War was launched by the UK in August 1914. … Continue reading The ghost of Roger Casement – another contrived war.
Letter to the Editor from J. Dudgeon, with Reply
Dear Editor, I would like to address several of the issues on Casement’s diaries raised by John Martin, Tim O’Sullivan and Paul Hyde in December’s Irish Political Review, and correct or clarify some of their mistakes. Tim calls these (few) issues “anomaly clusters” believing that, singly, they don’t prove forgery unlike John Martin who states … Continue reading Letter to the Editor from J. Dudgeon, with Reply
Book Review: Basil Thomson: Queer People (1922)
Angela Clifford British Intelligence And Casement Basil Thomson (1861-1939) was Scotland Yard's Assistant Commissioner for Crime in its Criminal Intelligence Department (CID), and of Special Branch (the Political Intelligence Unit) from 1913. He oversaw the Directorate of Intelligence until his downfall in 1925 in a bizarre incident when he was accused of public indecency with … Continue reading Book Review: Basil Thomson: Queer People (1922)
The Black Diaries: Truth And Lies
John Martin Truth It is sometimes said that the “truth hurts”. Certainly, from an emotional point of view, it can be difficult to tell the truth if it doesn’t reflect well on the teller. But, from an intellectual point of view, telling the truth is quite easy. All that is required is for the … Continue reading The Black Diaries: Truth And Lies
Black Diary Realism
Tim O'Sullivan The article by John Martin titled The Black Diary Forgeries which appearedin Irish Political Review for November 2025 contains quite a number of questionable statements and non sequiturs which need to be addressed. In the October issue of Irish Political Review a bold prediction was made that this article would “show the error … Continue reading Black Diary Realism
Reply to Jeffrey Dudgeon
I note that Jeffrey Dudgeon doesn’t respond to the point I made about him leaving out the following in the third edition of his book: “It is possible that Millar bought the motor bike from Corbally and that Casement was repaying him as a separate note listing expenditure simply reads ‘Millar 25.0.0’…” In my article … Continue reading Reply to Jeffrey Dudgeon
Letter—The Black Diaries
To the Irish Political Review Dear Editor, John Martin, in November’s Irish Political Review article ‘The Black Diary Forgeries’, pinpoints one of the, perhaps, dozen areas of dispute author Paul Hyde has over the authenticity of Casement’s four Black Diaries. I have dealt with most of these contradictions or confusions and made the point that, within nearly 1,000 … Continue reading Letter—The Black Diaries
Reply to Tim O’Sullivan
1) The 1902 'Army Notebook' is included in the collection of “diaries” that the British State prevented public access to until 1959 and restricted access up until 1995. These are collectively known as the Black Diaries. As indicated in previous articles the Diaries contain 'authenticators'. This is innocuous material which is factually correct; and the … Continue reading Reply to Tim O’Sullivan
Irish Political Review 