Author Archives: Ian Adamson

The intricate web that was now Irish politics — containing within it a profusion of conflicting religious, cultural, national and class loyalties — is perhaps best explored through the life-histories of individuals, rather than within the numerous academic textbooks on … Continue reading →

A few months before the men of the 36th (Ulster) Division went ‘over the top’ at the Battle of the Somme, the Easter Rising had taken place in Dublin. While this insurrection was a failure — and resented by most … Continue reading →

The First World War presented many dilemmas to the people of the Kingdom of Ireland. While most Protestants wanted to fight for Britain, some doubted if they should be directing their energies towards European battlefields when the situation in Ireland … Continue reading →

In Ireland, however, the 1870’s and 1880’s became known as the age of Charles Stewart Parnell, who linked the cause of land reform with that of Home Rule, and moulded the Irish Parliamentary Party into a powerful force. To the … Continue reading →

The American Civil War of 1861-1865 was to produce a galaxy of military leaders on both sides who had Ulster and Irish lineage. Ulysses Simpson Grant was Commander-in-Chief of the Union Army. He was the great-grandson of John Simpson who … Continue reading →

During the Napoleonic Wars which followed, Irishmen of all persuasions fought together in the British Army. New regiments, such as the Connaught Rangers, fought like heroes alongside the famous Inniskillings, and it was such men whom Arthur Wellesley, first Duke … Continue reading →

In Wexford there had been more success, but its sectarian nature had little to do with United Irish ideals. The seal of ignominy was set on the Southern movement when 100 Protestant captives were slaughtered indiscriminately at Wexford on 20 … Continue reading →

The year of 1798 was to be the First Year of Liberty for the United Irishmen. They had now some half-million members of whom about one half were armed, and of these 100,000 were Ulstermen and two-thirds of these were … Continue reading →

The American Revolution was to have a profound effect on the further history of Ireland in general, and of Ulster in particular. When France and Spain joined the Americans in 1778, an invasion of Ireland was feared and an armed … Continue reading →

The American expansion westward was pioneered by Ulster-Irish such as Davy Crockett and Jim Bowie. Sam Houston, also of Ulster descent, organised the rebellion of the Scotch-Irish settlers in Texas against the Mexicans and established the Republic of Texas. The … Continue reading →