No of course it is bad. 
“Spectacularly” misjudging history? What an empty phrase full of hindsight.
Imagine how Charles Stewart Parnell feels so? Every street I know named after him is a shithole.
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Is the Parnell grill still going?
I don’t think so. I think it’s called Rio’s now.
No, when you bear in mind that he was so reviled in this country as early as 1918, that there wasn’t even a memorial service here to mark his death, it’s not bad, and that’s not hindsight. That’s the way it was. The only memorial service for him was from his pals in Westminster. Ireland walked away from him and left him behind.
If newspapers reflect society then it is fair to say that Ireland was extremely nationalist leaning in the period 1880- 1900.
‘Of the thirty-one newspapers founded between 1880 and 1892, no fewer than twenty claimed to be nationalist, compared to only four conservative, three liberal and the remainder neutral or independent. Among the most celebrated of the new nationalist foundations were the Leinster Leader, Midland Tribune, Drogheda Independent, and Limerick Leader. Several existing titles changed their allegiance from liberal or neutral to nationalist – 20 of such- including The People (Wexford), Waterford Daily Mail, Tuam Herald, Sligo Champion and Mayo Examiner. This rapidly expanding nationalist press was predominantly read by farmers and shopkeepers, the very sinews of the new nationalism.’*
Matthew Potter, ‘Keeping an eye on the Tsar: Fredick Potter and the Skibbereen Eagle’ in Kevin Rafter (ed) Irish Journalism before independence:more a disease than a profession (Manchester, 2011), p. 50.
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informative rating
Big row this week over Ferriter’s scathing review of Tim Pat Coogan’s latest - http://www.irishtimes.com/culture/books/1916-the-mornings-after-review-tim-pat-coogan-s-arrogant-travesty-of-irish-history-1.2438119
Any thoughts @ChocolateMice
Both Ferriter and Coogan have their own vested interests.
Christ… I saw a headline about it the other day but never read the review till now…that’s a scathing attack and one you’d expect to hear in a viva room after a piss poor thesis. Have these two any beef? My own interests are late 18th/early 19th century but I enjoyed Coogan when I was 18 and about to join the Ra… However, he is very blinkered in his approach and modern interpretations of history are shaped by much more than Green/Orange - Irish/British perspective. Ferriter is basically calling him a dinosaur. However, Coogan never claimed to be an academic and Ferriter should realize that in his criticism, yet, the basis of any good history book should be facts and from what I can gather Coogan’s book is lacking in this regard. The truth, as always, is some-where in the middle.
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Coogan trashed Judging Dev which pissed off Ferritar. I know Coogan didn’t like Dev one bit so the more positive account of him didn’t go down well but I think it’s part down to both wanting to be Ireland’s celebrity historian, wheeled out on all occasions. Coogan was the undisputed number 1 but then Ferritar (with the help of RTÉ and Mary Hanafin getting his book into ever school in the country) caught up and probably leapfrogged him.
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I’d imagine Coogan will continue to be far more read by the general public than the Lord of history. People still want to be entertained and not bogged down with academia.
Here Tim. Nice interview with your fellow CBC OB here.
Informative rating.
I wonder how he would have evolved over the years, all his moves up to that date would suggest he would never have “sold out”.
I was doing a bit of research after our last chat. I found a John Keely who went to the school who was killed in the Rising. Some sources list him as the first Volunteers killed (on the 24th) but the likes of IrishMedals.org say it was the 26th so couldn’t have been him. I suspect he was the first Volunteer shot on the 24th but didn’t pass away until the 26th. Will forward to my old history teacher there anyway.
I think I’ll buy Tim Pat’s book this week just to see what it’s like. I haven’t done much reading on the Rising itself for a good few years now.
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I’d say Ferriter is just as well known. He sold 20k copies of Judging Dev including Mary Hanafin laughably providing a free copy for every school in the country. He’s also had numerous RTÉ series. He’s a more natural on air communicator than Coogan ever was, I’m not sure how many books Coogan has sold but Ferriter’s overall work is just as well known.
In fairness, Ferriter is a historian, the other fellow is just a journalist with an agenda. As a matter of interest Coogans father was the head of the notorious Oriel House gang (the secret police of the early Free State) and is reputed to have shot Sean Lemass’s brother Noel. Ned was later fired as Deputy Garda Commissioner by De Valera which might explain some of Tim Pats views about De Valera.
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What did you do the thesis in bud?
? Bored already
History.