Why spoil two parties by rowing about a royal invitation in 1916 that doesn’t exist?

There is a very peculiar little controversy going on in Dublin over inviting the “royals “ to 1916 commemorations. It involves catty exchanges between Maurice Manning, NUI chancellor, one of several former nearly men in Irish politics  and a part time historian, and the equally learned professional modern historian Diarmaid Ferriter.  In his latest  blast in the Irish Times, Ferriter opposes the idea which the newspaper itself seems to approve.  It would be too much to say that this is a re-run of the …

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