Separating fact from fiction can be difficult, but St. Patrick definitely won the war for popular historical memory
Growing up in Dublin in the 1950s, Saint Patrick’s Day wasn’t the big deal that it is now. Oh, the fact that it was a statutory holiday meant that you got a day off school or work, which was never something to be sneezed at. And in addition, if you’d promised to forsake some pleasure…
Sarsfield was the de facto commander of James’s forces in Ireland. The mission failed but his reputation for gallantry was assured
This being the season of St. Patrick’s Day, an Irish-themed column seems appropriate. And a recent news story provides a suitable prompt. Born between 1655 and 1658, Patrick Sarsfield was a dashing Irish hero. He was brave, patriotic and charismatic. And the fact that he was mortally wounded leading a cavalry charge at the 1693…
Toronto’s St. Patrick’s Day riot of 1858 began when an Orangeman used his horse-drawn cab to disrupt the parade
Nowadays St. Patrick’s Day is thought of as a social occasion characterised by parades, green beer, celebration and jollity. However, that wasn’t always so. Indeed, there was a time when Toronto was prone to mark the day with a violent expression of the city’s underlying sectarian divide. Nineteenth century Toronto is often described as Anglo-Saxon,…