Was a pleasure taking part in this event for Féile an Phobail today, the community festival itself in its thirty-fifth year. The event involved a a public interview with Mairéad Farrell, Sinn Féin TD for Galway West. Mairéad was interviewing me on my biography, ‘Liam Lynch: To Declare a Republic’…

7th July today marks the 101st anniversary of the death of Cathal Brugha, one of the most important and celebrated republican figures of the early 20th century Irish revolutionary period. Brugha has been the subject of two engrossing and enlightening biographies the last few years, Cathal Brugha (Life and Times…

My sincere thanks to Dr. Helene O’Keefe of UCC for giving me a chance to write an article on Lynch’s final days for the Irish Civil War section of the RTÉ History website. I was particularly pleased to see a wonderful array of photographs and primary documents from the NLI…

I did a webinar today over Zoom for the Ancient Order of Hibernians (AOH), the Irish-American Catholic fraternal organisation. Ironically, Lynch was briefly a member of the AOH at some point in the later 1910s, and later spoke quite dismissively of them – as noted in the above video! It…

It was wonderful to meet the President of Ireland, Michael D. Higgins, at his residence, Áras an Uachtaráin, today. The opportunity to do so came at the invitation of artist Dolores Lynes, grand-niece of Liam Lynch and who has produced the fascinating ‘To the Letter’ art exhibition. The exhibition is…

“Liam Lynch loomed large in my mind and heart over these last few years, a constant companion, I shared in his victories and failures, enjoyed getting to know him and sometimes got quite frustrated with him.” Had a very enjoyable interview on my Liam Lynch biography with my friend and…

My thanks to the team over at UCD Library Culture Heritage Collections, for giving me a chance to write a blog entry on a series of important files connected to Liam Lynch’s last days, specifically related to the IRA Executive meeting held in two different between Waterford and South Tipperary…

One of the highlights on this General Liam Lynch centenary weekend was appearing on a panel on RTÉ’s Morning Ireland today, to discuss the death of Lynch on the exact day a century on from his death. I appeared alongside Councilor Máirín McGrath (of the the Liam Lynch Newcastle Committee),…

I was delighted when some months ago Dr. Joe MacDonagh, grandson of Alderman Joseph MacDonagh, TD, informed me he and his brother wished to put a headstone over the grave of their grandfather in Glasnevin cemetery. (Located at SH 77.5 St Bridget’s section). Alderman MacDonagh has been a great research…

My thanks to both Commandant Daniel Ayotis of the Irish Military Archives and Pat McCarthy of the Military History Society of Ireland for inviting me to speak at a conference themed on the Irish Civil War this weekend. The conference took place at Cathal Brugha barracks, and the full programme…