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Pubs and Gay Social Life in Dublin, 1923–1973 (2025 Book Chapter)
During lockdown, I researched and wrote a long article on the history of gay-friendly pubs and venues in Dublin over a fifty-year period – from the early Irish Free State in 1923 to the emergence of...
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Social/private club bars in Dublin (2025 map)
This is an attempt to document all bars attached to social and private clubs in Dublin – those run by sports clubs, community groups, trade unions, private members’ clubs, residents’ associations, and...
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Early Houses of Dublin (late 2023)
In February 2015, I published an article listing the remaining 12 or so ‘early house’ pubs in Dublin city centre along with some brief historical background about why these bars have special licenses...
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The life and death of IRA Volunteer Christopher Bird (1916-1939)
(This is the fourth part of a series of in-depth articles on the lives of Republicans who died in Dublin in the 1930s to 1950s period, author Sam McGrath has previously examined the fatal shooting of...
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The life and death of republican Patrick Murray (1933-1950)
(Author Sam McGrath has previously examined the fatal shooting of IRA member Peter McCarthy on Lower Clanbrassil Street in 1937 and the killing of another young republican Jackie Griffith near Merrion...
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Major new map project of Dublin gun murders (1970 to 2022)
IntroductionThis new map plots out the locations of almost 350 gun murders in Dublin (and neighbouring counties) relating to organised crime, anti-social elements, paramilitary feuds, robberies and...
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The life and death of IRA Volunteer Jackie Griffith (1921-1943)
Jackie Griffith, a 21-year-old IRA member, was shot dead in July 1943 while cycling near the corner of Lower Mount Street and Merrion Square in Dublin city centre. Although only a young man, he had...
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The life and death of IRA Volunteer Peter McCarthy (1917-1937)
Peter McCarthy, a 20-year-old IRA member, was shot dead in June 1937 on Lower Clanbrassil Street. He was killed by an off-duty Special Branch officer with an unlicensed revolver in dubious...
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Colourful account of gay social spots in Dublin from an English visitor (1968)
George Lucas (born George Quirke) (1926–2014) was an English civil servant who documented his gay social life in a series of detailed personal diaries from the 1950s until the 1990s. Lucas befriended...
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Seamus Costello letter in Military Service Pensions Collection file
The Military Service Pensions Collection is a publicly accessible online archive of material relating to the 1916-23 period. For successful applicants, material and correspondence on their file can...
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Gangland murders in Dublin (1990-94)
(Regarding crime and Dublin, the blog has previously looked at 18th century gang violence; joy-riding in Dublin from 1918-39; War of Independence bank-robberies; the 1920s ‘Sons of Dawn‘ who were...
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Gangland murders in Dublin (1970s/80s)
(Regarding crime and Dublin, the blog has previously looked at 18th century gang violence; joy-riding in Dublin from 1918-39; War of Independence bank-robberies; the 1920s ‘Sons of Dawn‘ who were...
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Royal British Legion halls in Dublin and Wicklow
The Royal British Legion (RBL) is a charity, founded in 1921, to provide financial and social support to members and veterans of the British Armed Forces. It’s best known for its annual red poppy...
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The Atrix relaunch – Sugar Club (Thurs 19 Sep 2019)
Dazzling Dublin New Wave/Post-Punk band The Atrix are set to release their long awaited anthology. The boxset (available in vinyl and CD) of remastered tracks from the 1979-81 period also includes a 24...
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Multiracial bands in Irish music history (1963-1980)
Ireland in the 1960s and 1970s was a very homogeneous and white society but there were a handful of groundbreaking bands that included both black and white musicians. This a work in progress. In late...
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Early Houses of Dublin (2019)
In February 2015, I published an article listing the remaining 14 or so ‘early house’ pubs in Dublin city centre along with some brief historical background about why these bars have special licenses...
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Dublin Pubs (Mid 1980s)
I picked up this book for $5 in the amazing Powell’s bookshop in Portland, Oregon during the summer. It features 60 full-colour photographs of pubs across Ireland taken by Liam Blake with accompanying...
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Alan MacSimoin (1957-2018) – Dublin Historian and Political Activist
Alan at anti-fascist demo in the 1990s. Credit – WSM. We learned at lunchtime today of the tragic news that Alan MacSimoin has died. It was sudden and hit us hard. Alan was a social historian,...
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The Dublin Castle scandal’s “Unspeakable Crime” (1884)
The Dublin Castle homosexual scandal of 1884 is a complex story. It involves more than a dozen characters that were introduced over a series of separate criminal trials. All sections of society were...
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Gabriel Lee (1904-37) and Eoin O’Duffy’s ‘Irish Brigade’
Gabriel Lee is the only member of Eoin O’Duffy’s Pro-Franco ‘Irish Brigade’ to be commemorated with a public memorial in Ireland. A small plaque in Dublin’s Pro-Cathedral marks the fact that he died...
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