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Post by irishconfederate on Jan 17, 2018 21:26:35 GMT
I wouldn't say of all time but I love Douglas Hyde. Protestant, first president, his scandalous love of the Gael, he seemed a really decent man who did more than his duty for a people he could have easily neglected. A real Christian. And founding father of our state. There should be a giant Lincoln style memorial for him in Ireland.
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Post by Maolsheachlann on Jan 17, 2018 21:34:33 GMT
I admire him too. I think he was right to protest against the Gaelic League becoming politicized.
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Post by cato on Jan 17, 2018 22:19:21 GMT
He was in my view the nearest thing to a perfect president - a first class scholar a patriot , a lover of rural Ireland a blood sport fan and generally someone who avoided celebrity like posing or giving tediousleftist monologues.
Incredible to think though the GAA removed a Gaelic champion as Patron for attending a football match. I think Dev got into bother too because of his love of rugby.
It was sad too the government of the day felt unable to attend his state funeral in St Patrick's. Ecumenism has its' good points.
He also visited the German ambassador after Hitler's death but managed not to be noticed ,unlike Dev ,until 2005. That's keeping a low profile.
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Post by cato on Jan 17, 2018 22:23:18 GMT
I wouldn't say of all time but I love Douglas Hyde. Protestant, first president, his scandalous love of the Gael, he seemed a really decent man who did more than his duty for a people he could have easily neglected. A real Christian. And founding father of our state. There should be a giant Lincoln style memorial for him in Ireland. I think he was too modest to desire a Lincoln style statue. Perhaps being depicted in a deer stalker with his gun and dogs in one of our national parks would be fitting.
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Post by Séamus on Mar 16, 2018 11:54:37 GMT
Today there was a nice piece in our newspaper about St Patrick's day- in Friday's philately column actually. The writer started off writing about, of course, An Post's 2018 issue,a 1603 painting of the saint by a Dutch artist and added that the 17th has also been a public holiday in the Canadian territories of Labrador and Newfoundland; also the British Caribbean territory of Montserrat! He then went on to speak of Irish Politian James O'Mara who is credited with the St Patrick's day Bank Holiday Act in 1903, and later, in 1927 introducing a law banning the sale of alcohol on that day, not completely overturned until the 70s. I'm not how many Australians picked out the fact that this means that O'Mara was actually elected to both the Westminster and Irish Parliaments. Not sure how common this was? Countess Markievicz hardly counts as she never realistically intended to be part of Westminster.
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Post by cato on Mar 16, 2018 14:02:59 GMT
Today there was a nice piece in our newspaper about St Patrick's day- in Friday's philately column actually. The writer started off writing about, of course, An Post's 2018 issue,a 1603 painting of the saint by a Dutch artist and added that the 17th has also been a public holiday in the Canadian territories of Labrador and Newfoundland; also the British Caribbean territory of Montserrat! He then went on to speak of Irish Politian James O'Mara who is credited with the St Patrick's day Bank Holiday Act in 1903, and later, in 1927 introducing a law banning the sale of alcohol on that day, not completely overturned until the 70s. I'm not how many Australians picked out the fact that this means that O'Mara was actually elected to both the Westminster and Irish Parliaments. Not sure how common this was? Countess Markievicz hardly counts as she never realistically intended to be part of Westminster. It worked the other way too. Edward Carson William Craig and the Ulster unionists were deemed elected to the First Dail by republicans after the 1918 election and were called out in the roll call. I wonder were they entitled to TDs pensions?
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Post by Séamus on Mar 18, 2018 7:30:39 GMT
I came across an article today about a sculpture of Nano Nagle (who they stated was once voted Ireland's greatest woman) which has been recently added to the grounds of a St Mary's college in Hobart, Tasmania. The artist, Ben Tolhurst, seems to be a Canadian national. By the photo shown, it's a strange image though. Modelled from a student rather than from old pictures of Ven.Nano.
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Post by Maolsheachlann on Mar 19, 2018 9:15:37 GMT
With all due respect to Nano Nagle, I found it bizarre that she was voted greatest Irishwoman. How often do you even hear her mentioned?
Thank God it wasn't the runner-up, Mary Robinson, though.
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Post by Séamus on Mar 19, 2018 12:27:05 GMT
With all due respect to Nano Nagle, I found it bizarre that she was voted greatest Irishwoman. How often do you even hear her mentioned? Thank God it wasn't the runner-up, Mary Robinson, though. Perhaps the poll was taken mostly in Cork? In 2015 the Presentations announced a €10 million pilgrim/tourist centre to receive her visitors. People who know their history will know that she predates a lot of the other Irish founders, so in a sense, is a pioneer of the pioneers. And they have had much impact around the world. But her being popular is even more surprising when religious orders are so unpopular(she herself never seems to have officially became a religious though)
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Post by Séamus on Sept 16, 2018 6:16:39 GMT
The latest edition of ANNALS AUSTRALASIA that I received has an article by Cardinal Pell about O'Connell and emancipation. It's ostensibly a review of an English historian's 2018 book on the subject, but the article is complete in itself. Particular mention is made of the opposition to emancipation of Kings George III & IV; Pell himself restored a sculpture of O'Connell when archbishop of Melbourne.
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Post by Séamus on Mar 12, 2022 8:39:36 GMT
Photos seem to be emerging of Ernest Shackleton's boat. He might be considered too AngloIrish to contend as the greatest Irishman (apparently he's polled in the highest ten in British lists),but with worldwide connections from the Arctic Circle to the Antarctic Circle to revolutionary Russia,he's definitely worth remembering. I started humming the Lord Franklin Lament when I read about the wreck's discovery;a song about an English Arctic explorer has become part of the Celtic folk pantheon- is there one in existence about Shackleton's Antarctic journey?
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Post by Séamus on Apr 27, 2022 11:10:57 GMT
I know of a family who spend each Easter Sunday at a place called Wireless Hill. The passing mention of the name was always gives a nice feeling of an idyllic setting untouched since old gizmos were new gizmos. I'd supposed it was a rural location....a area historically used for a type of Morse code...that this was the wireless- not the type that the Waltons sat around. I was wrong about the first part,it's a quiet area well within the city residential areas- think the (St Anne's) Rose Garden.
A 118 year old letter re-published in a regional newspaper this week mentioned the older usage of 'wireless'. A First World War soldier described his sea journey from Gibraltar to Britain and the ship's wireless bringing news of Lord Kitchener's death. His death apparently had a profound effect on the mostly Australian soldiers. And I was told recently that loyalty to the crown was no means unanimous in newly independent Australia- the first stamp issued (a kangaroo superimposed on a map of Australia) was deliberately designed to ignore the English Crown, George V appeared on a later edition after a change to pro-monarchy government.
For me,anyone titled as greatest Irish man or woman probably wouldn't be someone indentified mostly with Britain and it's Empire but certainly the combination has 'worked' for many figures. The unearthed letter of this young soldier is definitely a reminder of how legendary Mr Herbert had become far and wide.
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Post by Stephen on Apr 27, 2022 16:33:37 GMT
I am going to cheat and name several candidates in different categories though. I am trying to look at their impact and why they can be considered great. Maolsheachlann mentions St Patrick and in terms of religious impact and culture in Ireland and abroad via the missionary movements Patrick has global significance. St Patrick's day has gone global for better or for worse. He is also the father of Irish literature.The first Irishman with feelings too. Greatest politician of the 20th century was Sir James Craig. He was the only major figure who actually got all that he wanted. Canny and determined he got his own state and held onto it.Not a nice man but a sucessful one. Greatest Fenian prize goes to John Holland the father of the Submarine. In two world wars the u boat almost destroyed the might of the British Empire . Thats significant. Modern nuclear subs have unimaginable destructive potential. Greatest Irish woman is Kitty O Shea who changed Irish history. Greatest soldier Arthur Wellesley who as the Iron Duke defeated Napoleon the Great. If you defeat a colossus what are you? Not content with that he becomes the second Irish holder of the office of prime minister and emancipates the catholics of Britain and Ireland. He also gave his name to the Welly once a part of every rural man's footwear. Greatest Irish woman is Kitty O Shea who changed Irish history. Greatest Irish woman: A starting point may be St Bridget
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Post by cato on Apr 27, 2022 16:36:25 GMT
I am going to cheat and name several candidates in different categories though. I am trying to look at their impact and why they can be considered great. Maolsheachlann mentions St Patrick and in terms of religious impact and culture in Ireland and abroad via the missionary movements Patrick has global significance. St Patrick's day has gone global for better or for worse. He is also the father of Irish literature.The first Irishman with feelings too. Greatest politician of the 20th century was Sir James Craig. He was the only major figure who actually got all that he wanted. Canny and determined he got his own state and held onto it.Not a nice man but a sucessful one. Greatest Fenian prize goes to John Holland the father of the Submarine. In two world wars the u boat almost destroyed the might of the British Empire . Thats significant. Modern nuclear subs have unimaginable destructive potential. Greatest Irish woman is Kitty O Shea who changed Irish history. Greatest soldier Arthur Wellesley who as the Iron Duke defeated Napoleon the Great. If you defeat a colossus what are you? Not content with that he becomes the second Irish holder of the office of prime minister and emancipates the catholics of Britain and Ireland. He also gave his name to the Welly once a part of every rural man's footwear. Greatest Irish woman is Kitty O Shea who changed Irish history. Greatest Irish woman: A starting point may be St Bridget Pray let me know how the fall of Parnell upset you so.....
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Post by Stephen on Apr 28, 2022 8:01:13 GMT
Greatest Irish woman is Kitty O Shea who changed Irish history. Greatest Irish woman: A starting point may be St Bridget Pray let me know how the fall of Parnell upset you so..... Why would you think a post on a forum would upset me? I just couldn't understand why a person like Kitty O'Shea, (who was a harlot and English)could go anywhere near the greatest Irish woman. Hardly and great or Irish woman.
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