I love to tell this passed-down story: An elderly friend of my mother's was a young child on a train from Galway 107 years ago. Two men got on & one offered a dollar coin to the little girl. But her mother wouldn't allow a gift from strangers, so she had to return it. The men were Alcock & Brown.

I've been studying the 1916 Easter Rising for decadess, so there aren't many "surprises" left. 🙂 But this was new to me! A superb photo of one of the British Army's hastily-built armoured cars at Bank of Ireland, College Green. It's been in the National Museum since 1975! @nmireland.bsky.social 1/2

Portrait of Brigadier Dick McKee, Officer in Command of the Dublin Brigade IRA, tortured and executed in Dublin Castle in November 1920. The portrait hangs in what used to be Marlborough Barracks, which was renamed McKee Barracks in the decade after his death.

Would you call yourself a Casual Historian? Great! Join like-minded people who meet every first Thursday of the month, to talk history - and only history! The next meet-up for Casual Historians, old and new, is Thursday 4 June, at 8pm in The Oval Bar on Dublin's Abbey Street.

Father Ted and Dougal will not be performing at the Freedom 250 concert.

Latest addition to the #MOF1916 collection of publications on the 1916 Easter Rising - “Easter Week 1916: ordinary people, extraordinary stories”, by Michael Kenny. Published by the National Museum, 2025. I think it’s only available in their gift shop, so go visit! @nmireland.bsky.social

Internationally renowned keyboardist, Ross Gellar, has dropped out of the Freedom 250 lineup.

Many years ago, I met an American man at the Cliffs of Moher. He told me his great-grandfather was Dr Samuel Mudd, the man who treated Lincoln's assassin, John Wilkes Booth, who had injured himself while escaping. Mudd was sentenced to life in prison, but pardoned after 4 years.

Sometimes all that’s needed to transform a child’s toy into an art installation is a tree and a few decades…

McKee Barracks, near Dublin's Phoenix Park, was built between 1888 & 1892. As Marlborough Barracks, it was from there that British Lancers rode out during the Easter Rising in 1916, taking casualties as they galloped down O'Connell St, when they were fired on by rebels in the GPO.

"An evening of women's poetry and songs" This Sunday, 10 May, in Sandford Parish Church, Ranelagh, Dublin 6 - in memory of Brendan Ellis. Compiled and devised by Brendan Ellis and Honor O Brolchain. Starts at 6.30pm, free admission.

For students of the 1916 Easter Rising, this looks very interesting, and will need some close inspection!

The “1916 Corner” in The Oval pub on Dublin’s Abbey Street.

NOT an April Fool ! The next meet-up for Casual Historians, old & new, is tomorrow, Thursday 2 April, at 8pm in The Oval Bar on Dublin's Abbey Street. We only talk history, so none of those other messy subjects... Come along and say hello - have a history chat, or just listen !

I mean, really. Are you any kind of a historian on the 1916 Easter Rising, if you don't have the Proclamation on your wall, printed on an extra large bottle cap? (Er, I don't...)

Article here on commemorating the Easter Rising, for the event to become the national touchstone it is today, it had to moulded by often very fraught and partisan commemoration. 'Ownership' of the Rising was from the start disputed. www.theirishstory.com/2016/01/29/c...

1916 Rising Centenary plaque at The Blue Light pub, high above Dublin. 1916-2016. (Yes I know those particular lights are yellow… 🙂)

I'm lucky to have a piece of bronze from the plinth on which Horatio Nelson once stood, high up on his pillar, in Dublin... ... until it was blown up in 1966. This twisted lump of metal was recovered from the rubble just a few hours after the explosion.

Historical talk, talk, talk! Casual Historians will be kicking off the 4th year of our monthly meet-ups, next Thursday, 5 March, at 8pm in The Oval Bar, on Dublin's Abbey Street. If you like to talk about (any) history, or if you prefer to listen, come along and say hello! 🙂

Historical talk, talk, talk! Casual Historians will be kicking off the 4th year of our monthly meet-ups, next Thursday, 5 March, at 8pm in The Oval Bar, on Dublin's Abbey Street. If you like to talk about (any) history, or if you prefer to listen, come along and say hello! 🙂

Happening tomorrow evening!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY! The first meet-up of the Casual Historians was 3 years ago. Come along & toast with us next Thursday, 8pm, 5 February, in The Oval Bar, Abbey St, Dublin. You don't have to be a historian & you don't have to talk. But you do have to love history - & love listening! 🙂

HAPPY BIRTHDAY! The first meet-up of the Casual Historians was 3 years ago. Come along & toast with us next Thursday, 8pm, 5 February, in The Oval Bar, Abbey St, Dublin. You don't have to be a historian & you don't have to talk. But you do have to love history - & love listening! 🙂

The past isn't actually that far away... "Nine surviving widows of War of Independence veterans are still receiving pension payments in respect of their husbands’ service in the conflict that took place between 1919 and 1921." www.breakingnews.ie/ireland/war-...

Only just caught up with this, because I've also just ordered the book! "Enduring Ruin - Justin Dolan Stover in conversation with Dr Marie Coleman." Very interesting. @ucdpress.bsky.social www.youtube.com/watch?v=eZ4i...

History chats in Dublin this evening...!

A previously unpublished picture of a Rolls-Royce armoured car in Dublin just after the #EasterRising made it into the latest Rolls-Royce publication from the Tank Museum, courtesy of @mof1916.bsky.social tankmuseumshop.org/collections/...

Nollaig na mBan was always a big day for my mother - a day to celebrate women, and a day to enjoy with friends and family. And she made sure we'd never forget it, by leaving us on Nollaig na mBan four years ago. #NollaignamBan Here she is in about 1956 -

Don't forget! If you're in Dublin, and want to talk some history, the next meet-up for Old and New Casual Historians is this coming Thursday, 8 January, in The Oval Bar on Abbey St. (We're not all actual historians, but we do all love history - come and chat!)

Ballybunion is special to me, so it's nice to see it pop up on screen. 🙂 Spotted in the popular Christmas movie, "The Family Stone" ... ... a wollen cap with the Ballybunion Golf Club logo, worn by Craig T Nelson. #TheFamilyStone #Ballybunion

For “Elf” fans… This year I finally realised that a Santa badge I’ve had for 30 years “features” in that Christmas movie classic, “Elf” ! It’s the small things…. 🎅 #Elf

I'll let my favourite vintage Christmas card speak for itself...

For all you Casual Historians - new, old & yet to come along...! The next historic chat will be on Thursday 8 January - since the first Thursday of the month is New Year's Day, & some might be a tad 'precious'. 🙂 8pm in The Oval Bar, Abbey St, Dublin - come along & chat history - all welcome!

"Museum staff 'devastated' after drawings worth £500,000 destroyed" About 1,700 historic military drawings, including some related to D-Day, were destroyed when a van was stolen and burned in Scotland. They were on their way to be digitised... www.bbc.com/news/article...

Talk with us about history, or ... Listen to us talking about history ! The next meeting of our Casual Historians is happening this Thursday, 6 November - 8pm, The Oval Bar, Abbey St, Dublin. Come along and chat history with us - Spread the word! Newbies always welcome. 🙂

In more personal news - I am delighted that this book in which I have a chapter on the treatment of militant anti- treaty women in the Irish civil war is out-it is horrendously expensive as academics book go, so drop a DM if you want a peek at my chapter link.springer.com/book/10.1007... #history

In a 1940 edition of a French magazine, "La Semaine", General Maxwell is referred to as "The Leader of the Black & Tans"... (Le Bourreau = The Executioner)

The news from "across the pond" gets odder & odder. "US archivist ousted after refusing to let Trump give Eisenhower’s sword to King Charles." t.co/nRPDn02nke

History can't talk by itself ... So come along next Thursday and talk for it ! The 33rd meet-up of the Casual Historians will happen on Thursday 2 October, 8pm in The Oval Bar, Abbey St, Dublin. We're super casual, so come along and say hello. Cheers!

Sorry, but I laughed... The "CGPO" pin from Deadly Pins. "The GPO + C3PO = CGPO Dublin’s iconic Post Office combined with the galaxy’s campest robot to create this pin." (deadly.ie I haven't a clue who they are & I don't think they're on twitter.) @gpowithistory

The Casual Historians group are a little away from announcing the "1st Conference of Casual Historians". But we are looking forward to our "33rd Monthly Get Together to Chat History" meet-up in The Oval Bar on Thursday, 2 October, at 8pm. No registration necessary - come along!

Come along and talk history! The 32nd meeting of the Casual Historians happens next Thursday, 4 September, at 8pm in The Oval Bar, Abbey St, Dublin. We're happy to welcome anyone who just wants to talk about history - or just listen! (Drinking not compulsory 🙂 )

Meet Mrs Agnes Newman, sister of Roger Casement. This photo was taken after she arrived in the US, & published in the "Chicago American" newspaper on 3 August, 1916, under the heading "Mourns Brother". Casement's last letter to his sister was dated 25 July, just 9 days earlier.

Visited the Capt Noel Lemass Memorial recently, as the sun was setting. (Noel was the brother of future taoiseach Sean Lemass.) Very calm, quiet, beautiful location. But at the same time, a brutal, desolate, lonely place to be dumped after being murdered…

Rebel execution, 1916 A propaganda drawing from "Das Interessante Blatt", an Austrian magazine from May 1916. It's supposed to show the execution of a rebel leader from the Easter Rising, but almost everything about it is wrong... (Featured on Century Ireland.)

Here ye! Here ye! The Casual Historians will meet again on Thursday 5 June, at 8pm in The Oval Bar on Dublin's Abbey Street. Join us if you like to "talk history" - Or if you like to "listen history" - Or if you like to do both. 🙂

Bully's Acre(1), Kilmainham Hospital – Just inside the gates of Richmond Tower lies Dublin's oldest graveyard, & the stories & people associated with Bully's Acre are breathtaking. So this thread will be broken into three separate tweets. Bully’s Acre is situated in what was originally a priory...~1

1910 letter from "The General's House, Cairo" - in which Sir JG Maxwell offers to pay for the engraving of the Duke of Connaught's Cup, if Major John Ponsonby's Mess won it "at the last Rifle meeting". (Maxwell commanded the British troops during the 1916 Easter Rising.)

A life-saving Field Pocket Book... This belonged to Captain Annan Dickson, who was fighting with the Sherwood Foresters against the rebels in Dublin during the 1916 Easter Rising. A bullet aimed at Dickson struck his Field Pocket Book & stayed there. (Imperial War Museum)

Historical chats in Dublin tomorrow evening... See you there!