There is an old Russian communist joke that goes something like this: a local communist meeting is taking place in a village outside Moscow and the party leaders are attending, to indoctrinate the local peasants. The leader asks the assembled crowd, ‘If you had ten cows what would you do?’ […]
A few years ago, an inquisitive student asked me, if I could learn any language what would it be? Having an interest in history, I said Latin, in order to unlock the knowledge of the past. In turn, I asked her the same question and she said she would learn computer […]
The Republic of Ireland, unlike so much of the globe, tends not to fancifully display our nation’s army. We don’t indulge in demonstrations of military strength or use the army to bulwark government achievements or occasions. They are often seen in ceremonial roles, small numbers, in remembrance of an anniversary […]
This is not simply an article about sport. It is about how sport is used to legitimise evil regimes. It is also about asking ourselves: What am I going to do about it? By the time you read these words, the 2022 World Cup will be in full swing in […]
Back in August, I wrote about the beginnings of the Russian Revolution and Civil War 1917-21, as well as the causes and the belligerents involved. It makes an interesting case study because it ran almost parallel to Ireland’s revolution war and civil war 1919-23, yet the two couldn’t be more […]
In part one of a two-part article, Kieran Doyle introduces us to one of the world’s most savage civil wars. While Irish society remained democratic after its civil war, the Russian people still know repression today. I want to begin by congratulating the organisers and contributors who took part in […]