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Irish Times
10 hours ago
- Politics
- Irish Times
Telling the Truth Is Dangerous: A history of Robert Dudley Edwards
Telling the Truth Is Dangerous: How Robert Dudley Edwards Changed Irish History Forever Author : Neasa MacErlean ISBN-13 : 978-1839529177 Publisher : Tartaruga Books Guideline Price : €17.50 In the 1986 Dáil debate that led to the establishment of the National Archives of Ireland, taoiseach Garret FitzGerald singled out University College Dublin professor emeritus Robert Dudley Edwards, who, he said, 'has never ceased to press me to have this legislation enacted'. Edwards had spent more than 50 years 'planning and fighting for' the establishment of the archives, and he died on June 5th, 1988, four days after FitzGerald's National Archives Act came into force to preserve and make publicly available millions of State documents from pre- and post-independence Ireland. 'Dudley's life mission was complete,' his granddaughter writes in this densely detailed and exhaustively sourced and annotated biography. As professor of modern Irish history at UCD from 1944 to 1979 Edwards also established the UCD Archive Department (which houses the papers of Michael Collins, Éamon de Valera, William T Cosgrave, Eoin MacNeill, Kevin Barry, pre-1922 Sinn Féin and others) and he was 'the original proposer and main mover' of the Bureau of Military History, which records the reminiscences of veterans of the 1913-1923 conflicts. He also helped establish the Irish Historical Studies journal and the Irish Historical Society, forged strong links with international historians and wrote (often anonymously or pseudonymously) for the Irish Press, Sunday Press, Sunday Independent and the Leader. READ MORE The eldest son of a Co Clare-born, London-trained nurse and an English Midlands schoolmaster turned civil servant, Edwards was six years old when his parents sheltered him in their home on Dartmouth Square in Dublin, within earshot of the British assault on the 1916 rebels in the Royal College of Surgeons on St Stephen's Green. He was aged 13 when the State records in the Four Courts burned to cinders in the assault that began the Civil War on June 30th, 1922. Teetotal in early adulthood, his later alcoholism affected his family life and public behaviour. Further family sadness and dysfunction followed with eldest daughter Mary's descent into derangement, suicide attempts, involuntary hospital admissions and near-filicidal attacks on her daughter Neasa, who refers to herself in the third person throughout. This is an essential book for anybody interested in history, historiography, or independent Ireland's first century.
Irish Times
2 days ago
- Irish Times
Ireland was a place where ruthless husbands were free to ‘bounce a boot off' their wives
One phrase that stuck with me from the time I was a history postgraduate student was 'to bounce a boot off her now and then'. It was the title of a 1997 article by historian Elizabeth Steiner-Scott on domestic violence in post-famine Ireland, highlighting that 'between 1853 and 1920 in the Criminal Index Files in the National Archives in Dublin , there are recorded 1,012 appeals by men convicted of beating their wives, mothers, and sisters', seeking to have their sentences revoked or reduced. These were not hidden crimes; the cases before the petty sessions and police courts that led to the convictions were frequently reported in the newspapers in the 1870s and 1880s. Many wives did not want their husbands prosecuted or imprisoned but merely warned. In 1872, for example, William Kelly, a 34-year-old wire worker from Dublin, was sentenced to three months hard labour for severely beating and cutting his wife. At the trial his wife testified that 'when he asked me for spirits and when I gave him none, he locked me in the room and struck me five times ... and cut me five times severely. He has frequently beaten me on other occasions. He tore the eye out of his own child last night thinking she was I.' In her 'memorial' however, she asked that he be released due to the family's destitution. Poverty meant that the crisis in the family was not seen as violence, but an economic one born of losing the male breadwinner. She said that she had provoked him but the appeal was dismissed, and he had to serve his sentence. [ Natasha O'Brien: Being bullied in school made me determined to speak up for others Opens in new window ] Steiner-Scott's research made it clear the rate of recidivism was high and suggested 'the leniency with which wife-beating was treated by the courts must have led battered wives to question the wisdom of seeking the protection of the law', while the detail reported in newspapers was seen as a public humiliation. Most cases of abuse, of course, never came near a court. READ MORE In any event, there was little public protest about the crimes that were publicised and the violence continued to be common. In 1919 the Irish Citizen newspaper, established by the Irish Franchise League in 1912, published a detailed article by Elizabeth McCracken under the title 'Wife Beating', castigating the ease with which husbands could beat their wives with impunity behind closed doors: 'an age old tradition prevails that in matrimonial affairs what transpires in the home must be carefully concealed from the world without.' This gave a 'sense of security' to the 'ruthless tyrant' abuser. McCracken also noted how so many victims remained silent because of their social or financial position. [ Highest number of domestic violence disclosures in 50 years is 'just tip of iceberg', says Women's Aid Opens in new window ] It was not unusual for men to be unapologetic about the violence. Republican Dorothy Macardle , part of the large group of anti-Treaty women imprisoned during the Civil War , recorded how, in responding to the force being used against them in Kilmainham, one inmate asked the prison governor 'whether woman-beating was a soldier's work'. He replied, 'I don't mind that, I have beaten my wife.' Such was the extent of the continued casualness and pervasiveness of violence against women that when the American anthropologists Conrad Arensberg and Solon Kimball carried out fieldwork in Co Clare in the 1930s for the book that became Family and Community in Ireland (1940), they found in some cases it was acceptable to beat a childless wife for being 'barren', or 'to bounce a boot off her now and then for it', as one husband explained. It is 50 years since Nuala Fennell became the first chair of Women's Aid. The previous year, in 1974, she published a short book, Irish marriage – how are you! One chapter was titled: 'Wife-beating – a husband's prerogative?' Conscious of the experiences of Irish women who had been forced to leave Ireland with their children to seek protection in the UK, and more publicity being given to wife beating in the UK, she moved to establish what became Women's Aid . In seeking support, she wrote a letter to The Irish Times decrying the 'solitary misery' so many victims in Ireland were enduring, while adding, 'I have seen women who have had their faces cut with a carving knife'. [ Domestic violence sentencing: Abusive behaviour by partners to be an aggravating factor Opens in new window ] Fifty years on, despite greater awareness, extensive research, legislative change and more prosecutions, this is not a story with a happy ending. This week it was reported that last year Women's Aid heard 41,432 disclosures of abuse against women by a partner or ex-partner, up 17 per cent on the 2023 figure, and the highest in the organisation's history. Its chief executive Sarah Benson points to the scale of the 'barriers for women seeking safety and justice'. Historians of violence against women have often commented on the lack of public outcry about this problem. Will historians looking back on the early 21st century in Ireland do likewise?
Barnama
4 days ago
- General
- Barnama
Sultan Mizan, Sultanah Zahirah Grace Seminar On Royal Correspondence Of Baginda Omar
KUALA NERUS, June 24 (Bernama) -- Sultan Mizan Zainal Abidin and Sultanah Nur Zahirah of Terengganu today graced the Proclamation Ceremony and Asia-Pacific Heritage Seminar on the Royal Correspondence of Baginda Omar at Universiti Malaysia Terengganu (UMT). Also in attendance were the Yang Dipertuan Muda of Terengganu, Tengku Muhammad Ismail, Tengku Sri Setia Mahkota Raja Tengku Datuk Seri Muhammad Mu'az, Tengku Puteri Utama Raja Tengku Datuk Seri Nadhirah Zahrah, and Tengku Puteri Daulath Raja Tengku Datuk Seri Fatimatuz Zahra. The royal entourage was welcomed by Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Samsuri Mokhtar and Deputy Minister of National Unity K. Saraswathy. In her opening address, Saraswathy highlighted that Sultan Omar Ibni Sultan Ahmad Shah, the 9th Sultan of Terengganu, ruled from 1839 to 1876 and authored a series of private letters that shed light on the state's administration, diplomacy, and trade with foreign powers including Riau-Lingga, Siam, and the British, during the 19th century. 'A total of 56 manuscripts or private letters by Sultan Omar are preserved by the National Archives of Malaysia. These documents serve as a valuable national treasure. 'The collection was originally compiled by Syeikh Ulama Tok Ku Tuan Besar Paduka Indera Engku Syed Seri Perdana Engku Muhammad, a prominent diplomat and administrator during Sultan Baginda Omar's reign. 'The letters were passed down through his descendants before being handed over to the National Archives in 1992 for permanent safekeeping,' she said. Saraswathy said that the Royal Correspondence of Baginda Omar were designated a National Heritage document on Sept 30, 2010, by the Department of National Heritage, and more recently, on May 8, 2024, were inscribed as a regional documentary heritage by UNESCO's Memory of the World Committee for Asia and the Pacific (MOWCAP). She said the National Archives had carried out preservation and conservation work on the original documents, which are now stored in a specially controlled repository in Kuala Lumpur.
The Sun
4 days ago
- General
- The Sun
Sultan Mizan, Sultanah Zahirah grace seminar on royal correspondence of Baginda Omar
KUALA NERUS: Sultan Mizan Zainal Abidin and Sultanah Nur Zahirah of Terengganu today graced the Proclamation Ceremony and Asia-Pacific Heritage Seminar on the Royal Correspondence of Baginda Omar at Universiti Malaysia Terengganu (UMT). Also in attendance were the Yang Dipertuan Muda of Terengganu, Tengku Muhammad Ismail, Tengku Sri Setia Mahkota Raja Tengku Datuk Seri Muhammad Mu'az, Tengku Puteri Utama Raja Tengku Datuk Seri Nadhirah Zahrah, and Tengku Puteri Daulath Raja Tengku Datuk Seri Fatimatuz Zahra. The royal entourage was welcomed by Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Samsuri Mokhtar and Deputy Minister of National Unity K. Saraswathy. In her opening address, Saraswathy highlighted that Sultan Omar Ibni Sultan Ahmad Shah, the 9th Sultan of Terengganu, ruled from 1839 to 1876 and authored a series of private letters that shed light on the state's administration, diplomacy, and trade with foreign powers including Riau-Lingga, Siam, and the British, during the 19th century. 'A total of 56 manuscripts or private letters by Sultan Omar are preserved by the National Archives of Malaysia. These documents serve as a valuable national treasure. 'The collection was originally compiled by Syeikh Ulama Tok Ku Tuan Besar Paduka Indera Engku Syed Seri Perdana Engku Muhammad, a prominent diplomat and administrator during Sultan Baginda Omar's reign. 'The letters were passed down through his descendants before being handed over to the National Archives in 1992 for permanent safekeeping,' she said. Saraswathy said that the Royal Correspondence of Baginda Omar were designated a National Heritage document on Sept 30, 2010, by the Department of National Heritage, and more recently, on May 8, 2024, were inscribed as a regional documentary heritage by UNESCO's Memory of the World Committee for Asia and the Pacific (MOWCAP). She said the National Archives had carried out preservation and conservation work on the original documents, which are now stored in a specially controlled repository in Kuala Lumpur. 'In early 2024, digitisation efforts were undertaken to ensure long-term access. These documents not only reflect Sultan Omar's wisdom in state governance but also his efforts in enhancing trade and diplomatic relations with foreign powers,' she said. Saraswathy affirmed that the National Archives would continue its role in safeguarding the nation's documentary heritage.
The Sun
4 days ago
- General
- The Sun
Sultan Mizan, Sultanah Zahirah grace seminar
KUALA NERUS: Sultan Mizan Zainal Abidin and Sultanah Nur Zahirah of Terengganu today graced the Proclamation Ceremony and Asia-Pacific Heritage Seminar on the Royal Correspondence of Baginda Omar at Universiti Malaysia Terengganu (UMT). Also in attendance were the Yang Dipertuan Muda of Terengganu, Tengku Muhammad Ismail, Tengku Sri Setia Mahkota Raja Tengku Datuk Seri Muhammad Mu'az, Tengku Puteri Utama Raja Tengku Datuk Seri Nadhirah Zahrah, and Tengku Puteri Daulath Raja Tengku Datuk Seri Fatimatuz Zahra. The royal entourage was welcomed by Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Samsuri Mokhtar and Deputy Minister of National Unity K. Saraswathy. In her opening address, Saraswathy highlighted that Sultan Omar Ibni Sultan Ahmad Shah, the 9th Sultan of Terengganu, ruled from 1839 to 1876 and authored a series of private letters that shed light on the state's administration, diplomacy, and trade with foreign powers including Riau-Lingga, Siam, and the British, during the 19th century. 'A total of 56 manuscripts or private letters by Sultan Omar are preserved by the National Archives of Malaysia. These documents serve as a valuable national treasure. 'The collection was originally compiled by Syeikh Ulama Tok Ku Tuan Besar Paduka Indera Engku Syed Seri Perdana Engku Muhammad, a prominent diplomat and administrator during Sultan Baginda Omar's reign. 'The letters were passed down through his descendants before being handed over to the National Archives in 1992 for permanent safekeeping,' she said. Saraswathy said that the Royal Correspondence of Baginda Omar were designated a National Heritage document on Sept 30, 2010, by the Department of National Heritage, and more recently, on May 8, 2024, were inscribed as a regional documentary heritage by UNESCO's Memory of the World Committee for Asia and the Pacific (MOWCAP). She said the National Archives had carried out preservation and conservation work on the original documents, which are now stored in a specially controlled repository in Kuala Lumpur. 'In early 2024, digitisation efforts were undertaken to ensure long-term access. These documents not only reflect Sultan Omar's wisdom in state governance but also his efforts in enhancing trade and diplomatic relations with foreign powers,' she said. Saraswathy affirmed that the National Archives would continue its role in safeguarding the nation's documentary heritage.
