Book review: Rory Carroll, A Rebel And A Traitor [Roger Casement] (Dimensions, £17.50) History As Creative Story-telling Rory Carroll’s new book is neither a history nor a biography; it has elements of a political thriller or an adventure story but is not that either. This hybrid identity conceals it as a strategic narrative—a carefully … Continue reading History As Creative Story-telling
Letters to the Editor: Casement Diary Dispute
Dear IPR Editor, Jack Lane in his reply to my letter (Irish Political Review, April 2026) makes a huge amount of my simple statement of fact that the typed versions of the diaries might have existed before the manuscripts. I can’t prove the negative, that they didn’t come first, but there is zero evidence that … Continue reading Letters to the Editor: Casement Diary Dispute
Venezuela And Other Aggressions
The US regime change or coup d'etat in Venezuela last January made little sense initially. Though the left-leaning, President Maduro had long been a thorn in the side of the US administration and its narrative of how 'things should be done', he was no Fidel Castro and Venezuela was no 1960s Cuba. Why then would … Continue reading Venezuela And Other Aggressions
President Connolly Warns of Global Shift To “Might is Right” In First Overseas Speech
20.4.26 Intro to The Journal's report by a retired Swedish trade union official who worked at the ICTU for a while and is now living in Ireland: "Irish President Catherine Connolly met with Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez. She attended the important international meeting in Barcelona to defend democracy. A meeting in which Mexican President … Continue reading President Connolly Warns of Global Shift To “Might is Right” In First Overseas Speech
Government And ‘Neutrality’— Letters
Government And 'Neutrality' Micheál Martin’s description of the failure to report US military overflights as “not normal” raises fundamental questions: what is now considered “normal” in Ireland’s approach to neutrality, and where does constitutional accountability lie? (“Failure to report US overflights ‘not normal’,” Politics, April 21st). Under Article 28 of the Constitution, executive power is … Continue reading Government And ‘Neutrality’— Letters
The Brian P. Murphy OSB Archive. (Series 9)
The Evolution Of British Policy And The Emergence Of A Sinn Fein Publicity Department In The Years After The Easter Rising. Mss notes, Part 27 Gallagher and Childers The killing of [Alan] Bell had a direct and immediate effect on the Irish Bulletin for it led to the arrest of Frank Gallagher on 27th … Continue reading The Brian P. Murphy OSB Archive. (Series 9)
Organised Labour
@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@ 100th ANNIVERSARY OF THE GENERAL STRIKE (UK) The General Strike of 1926 In 1925, the year before the General Strike, the Conservative Party—led by Stanley Baldwin—replaced the Labour Government. That had been the first ever Labour Government in the UK: it was a minority administration holding less than 200 seats in a 700 seat … Continue reading Organised Labour
Labour Comment
James Connolly Some Rambling Remarks (The Irish Worker-Christmas Edition1912) NO ONE at all acquainted with Ireland at the present can doubt that the country is feeling the throbs accompanying the birth of great movements. Everywhere there are stirrings of new life—intellectual, artistic, industrial, political, racial, social stirrings are to be seen and felt on every … Continue reading Labour Comment
Is The EU fit for purpose?
“Why a Club of six is both Europe’s best hope and its greatest risk” was the title of an article in Social Europe, the Social Democratic pro-EU Think Tank: its content should be required reading for all concerned with the Irish Presidency of the EU later this year. It outlines the central problem in the EU, which it calls “The deadlock in the … Continue reading Is The EU fit for purpose?
The Lost World Of The Putumayo
Review: The Amazon Journal of Roger Casement, edited by Angus Mitchell, Lilliput Press, Dublin, 1997. This book reproduces correspondence written by Roger Casement in 1910, as well as his Putumayo Diary covering the period 23rd September to 6th December 1910. The existence of the 'Putumayo Diary' represents a fatal weakness in the edifice that the … Continue reading The Lost World Of The Putumayo
Irish Political Review 