MacDonald's Irish Directory and Gazetteer, Edinburgh: William MacDonald & Company Ltd, 1938

MacDonald's Irish Directory and Gazetteer, Edinburgh: William MacDonald & Company Ltd, 1938

Thackery, William Makepeace, The Irish Sketch Book and Contributions to the "Foreign Quarterly Review", Oxford University Press, 1863

he Irish Sketch Book became a very well-known travel book and brought early success to Thackeray as a writer. It contains descriptions of Thackeray’s travels around Ireland ; his journey starts in Dublin then moves out around other parts of the country. He gives an account of his many activities while on the journey, such as stag hunting and attending the horse races in Killarney, Co. Kerry. The book also contains forty-five sketches of different parts of Ireland .

Warner, Ferdinando. The History of the Rebellion and Civil-War in Ireland. London: Printed for T. Cadell, 1768

Warners' The History of the Rebellion and Civil-War in Ireland (1768) which deals exclusively with the years between 1641 and 1660. This work not only diminishes the reputed number of Protestant victims of the Rebellion of 1641 but also attempts to remedy accounts of Catholic massacres of Protestants during the Rebellion. While not looking to absolve Catholics entirely it does also voice condemnation of the penal laws.

O'Halloran, Sylvester. An Introduction to the Study of the History and Antiquities of Ireland. London: J. Murray, 1772.

Both O'Halloran's Introduction to the Study of the History and Antiquities of Ireland (1772) and General History of Ireland (2 Vols, 1778) stand among the earliest refutations of an Anglo-centric view of Ireland. In his works O’Halloran attacks writers such as David Hume, James MacPherson and Thomas Leland for what he saw as their misrepresentation of Irish history.

The effect of the famine

This drawing refers to 'The Great Irish Famine', in which more than a million Irish people starved to death because of a potato blight. In 1847, over three million people were being fed by government soup kitchens and those organized by Quakers. A half million were evicted from their homes and a million and a half emigrated to America, Britain and Australia, often on-board rotting, overcrowded ships.

Courtesy of Sligo County Council.

Lynch's Castle, Galway in the 1800s

A drawing of Lynch's Castle from the 1800s. It was home to the Lynch family, one of the Tribes of Galway. This building still stands today and is used as a bank.

The French Landing in Killala Bay

The French Landing in Killala Bay, William Sadler 2nd.

National Library of Ireland

Crest of the United Irishmen

The United Irishmen designed a crest incorporating the harp to represent Ireland. The motto read as follows: Equality: it is new strung and shall be heard. This gave a clear warning to the authorities. The red cap of liberty, presented to freed Roman slaves, is included in the crest.

Courtesy of Merlin/Wolfhound Press.