The following is a parable about how history is written on the internet. Let’s imagine you have a web page and you want people to visit it. How could you get the history scoop of 2014? Well you could go and bribe some doctorate students, ask for an interview with a wanw professor, research an area to death and pontificate… What you don’t have time? Then why not just make it all up?!
I did not preregister for Convergence this year, but did so at the door ($$), and am glad I did. Continue reading
A history of Ireland in 100 objects
… by the 1420s the area called the “land of peace” – that is, under secure English administration – was confined to Dublin, Meath, Kildare and Louth. By the 1470s, this area was being referred to as the Pale.
Campaign over ‘offensive’ town name
From Beachcombing, who notes that “Effin” is named after St. Eimhin, which makes perfect sense if you understand Gaelic spelling rules.
From Hangwomen.
It is reputed that in 1780 a middle aged woman from Co. Kerry called Elizabeth Dolan or McDermott was sentenced to death at Roscommon for the murder of her son. The town’s normal hangman did not turn up for the execution of Elizabeth and her 24 fellow condemned prisoners who were members of the “White Boys” so Elizabeth is reputed to have said to the sheriff “Spare me, yer Honour, spare me and I’ll hang them all.” As in law he would have had to have performed the task himself if no one else could be found, the sheriff agreed. Elizabeth executed her fellow criminals and was appointed Roscommon’s hang-woman and given a room of her own in the goal. She is thought to have operated there from about 1780 until her death in 1807. Her own death sentence was commuted in 1802.
After skipping it Saturday I spent most of Sunday with colgaffneyis at the St. Paul Scottish Ramble. This was a good time.
Unlike a lot of people, I actually worked on Friday. The office was very quiet. Then I took three days off.
From Hilbert Space to Dilbert Space, and beyond 