History – Page 8 – Slugger O'Toole

Symbolism: the art of propaganda…

Jay Burbank on June 11, 2020, 8:37 am

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Edward Colston, Slave trader, Tory member of Parliament and…philanthropist. As a liberal who believes that society, the law and democracy should serve only to liberate I abhor slavery and its nefarious influence which still skews our global economy to this very day. The city of Bristol, like so many other western European port towns, lives with the historical scar of Colston’s ill-gotten wealth. There is a hall, tower, schools and streets named after this man throughout the city. In many …

We Always Kill Our Heroes – The legacy of Winston Churchill…

Samuel Thompson on June 11, 2020, 8:31 am

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There is a whiff of revolution in the air. As I write these words the White House is under virtual siege and a statue of a long dead slave master has been unceremoniously dumped into a river. In London, the cenotaph and a statue of Churchill have been defaced. It is easy to dismiss such actions as mindless vandalism but they were calculated to gain attention by striking at Britain’s very idea of itself and by extension, many British people’s …

‘My coping mechanism is talking, seeking peace and reconciliation’

Paul Gosling on June 8, 2020, 9:02 am

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Alan McBride’s personal journey is well known, but remarkable nonetheless. It was in 1993 that his wife Sharon and her father Desmond Frizzell were killed in an IRA bomb attack on the family fish shop in Belfast’s Shankill Road. But with immense dignity, Alan has since dedicated his life to reconciliation and progress, as well as campaigning on behalf of victims. He is the latest interviewee in the Holywell Trust Forward Together podcasts. Alan admits that initially after Sharon …

Caring for each other in a time of lockdown…

Philip Orr on June 6, 2020, 7:00 am

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The global crisis wrought by the Coronavirus has made us aware of some of the most important things in life: good health, effective healthcare, supportive relationships, and wise governance. Self-isolation and fear have shown us just how much we depend on companionship for strength and well-being, while our dependence on the dedication of those who care for us when we are sick, frail, or aged has never been more evident. Perhaps it is time to invoke the wisdom of the …

What happened to the Polish people under Russian Occupation?

Choyaa on May 9, 2020, 11:14 am

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“History is written by the victors” is a well known and often accurate statement, however, for me it was never truer than when examining Russia’s role in World War II (WWII). With VE day (Victory in Europe) having now just passed, it was notable that many people highlighted the important role Russia played in bringing about freedom in Europe by helping to defeat Nazi tyranny. Whilst there is absolutely no doubt that Russia played a huge role in defeating Nazism, …

VE Day (Victory in Europe) – Then and Now…

Samuel Thompson on May 8, 2020, 2:22 pm

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I remember one Christmas afternoon when my mother disclosed that her father was a ‘great Stalin man’. I almost choked on my drink at the news but when she explained, it made perfect sense. My maternal grandfather had been a staunch unionist and an Orangeman but became disillusioned after experiencing long term unemployment during the Great Depression. Embittered he looked, like many of the working class, to the supposed workers utopia in the Soviet Union. As a result, on VE …

This weekend we should also remember Russia and their role in the liberation of Europe from the Nazis…

Brian O'Neill on May 8, 2020, 10:39 am

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If like me you grew up watching Holywood War Movies you assume the Second World War was won by the plucky brits and their good looking yank buddies – The Russian role in the affair was conveniently airbrushed out of the story. But looking at the stats you soon realise that Russia was the most crucial player in the fight against the Nazis. The Red Army suffered 8,806,453 causalities in WW2 this compares to 407,300 Military deaths for the USA …

Orangefield, and an unexamined aspect of Northern resistance to sectarianism and political bigotry

Gerald Dawe on May 1, 2020, 4:48 pm

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In the cruel winnowing ways of time the last two years have been unsparing in regard to a generation of teachers brought together in the early 1960s to teach at a new school in east Belfast which had opened a little earlier in 1957. The school was called Orangefield and it played a key role in the dissemination of skills, opportunity and challenge to almost five decades of Belfast school children – first as an all-Boys school, which was then …

Busting the Historical Myths Conclusion: The Battle of the Boyne…

Patrick Concannon on April 25, 2020, 7:00 am

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Firstly I would like to extend a massive thank you to the Slugger O’Toole users who have responded to my articles. This series has been an attempt to stimulate debate and hopefully be an accurate interpretation of events which have become more myth than truth in many ways. For my final article I thought I would focus on the most famous Battle in Irish history which ironically was a Battle between two Kings of England with European significance- the Battle …

On This Day 104 years ago, the Easter Rising began…

Brian O'Neill on April 24, 2020, 1:56 pm

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The very talented John Breslin runs the Twitter account Old Ireland in Colour. He colourises old photos and he does an amazing job – it is an essential follow. For today he put up the colourised photo of the Easter Rising leaders, it really brings them to life. His previous work is well worth checking out, I have included some examples below. Peig Sayers at her own fireplace 1946 Dunquin, Co. Kerry Photographer: Caoimhín Ó Danachair Source: https://t.co/xzEeoUzlwl @duchas_ie CC …

Busting the Historical Myths: The Easter Rising Part 2- The Aftermath….

Patrick Concannon on April 18, 2020, 7:00 am

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In my previous article I was probably a little mischievous in my conclusion as I attempted to convey that the British Intelligence Community was well aware of the plans for a Rising on Easter Sunday and that there had been on their part a wish to combat and defeat the Irish Volunteer movement once and for all. There is now to this day a general feeling that the Rising and its aftermath changed Ireland utterly. There is a feeling that …

Busting the Myths Part III: The Easter Rising…

Patrick Concannon on April 13, 2020, 7:00 am

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The Easter Rising has gone down in Irish History as a watershed moment. For Republicans especially it is the seminal moment in recent Irish History commemorated with parades and rallies at Easter every year. Many to this day still believe the Rising was an unexpected event from the British perspective. There is a belief that the British were taken totally by surprise by a well- disciplined force, the Irish Volunteers, as most of the Dublin Garrison had left to enjoy …

Busting the Historical Myths Part II: The Irish Famine…

Patrick Concannon on April 8, 2020, 7:15 am

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For the second part of my instalment, I thought it may be interesting to consider one of the most well-known historical episodes in Irish History, The Famine. When one thinks on the famine one gets the impression of a scarcity of food, people dying from starvation whilst being removed from their homes by the RIC and a British Government hell-bent on genocide. This, however, would not be accurate. As with the Siege the reality of the Famine is dominated by …

Book Review: The Irish Presbyterian Mind by Andrew Holmes

Gladys Ganiel on April 6, 2020, 3:18 pm

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At a recent academic seminar, I remarked (only somewhat tongue-in-cheek) that what defines Irish Presbyterianism is that it cannot agree on anything. I was alluding to the fact that historically, Irish Presbyterians have disagreed on a range of theological, social and political issues; indeed, over several centuries Irish Presbyterians have been preoccupied by such ‘family feuds’. Today, Presbyterian disagreements tend to be reflected in rather crude caricatures of so-called ‘liberal’ and ‘conservative evangelical’ wings of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland …

The Biopolitics of Covid-19

Seán Brennan on April 2, 2020, 11:23 am

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It’s like that Wizard of Oz moment, when the curtain gets pulled back, and we are confronted with the reality, that systems of social administration and political governance appear to be in want: and political leadership has failed in its primary role, to protect the health of the people. Such is the Potemkin-like nature of many globalised societies now, it’s taken a pandemic to see through this façade, of mediocre management and amateur political leadership driving the global polity. And …

Busting the Historical Myths – The Siege of Derry…

Patrick Concannon on March 31, 2020, 10:38 am

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As Coronavirus dominates the airwaves I thought it may be interesting to explore a few historical myths as a means to divert our attention from the pandemic sweeping the Word. In Northern Ireland there is a tendency for Unionists and Nationalists to view certain historical events in a partisan and inaccurate way often driven by erroneous historical interpretations which have become main-stream, but which are based primarily on propaganda. As every historian knows the complexity and nuances of human nature …