On the Spot: Feargal Cochrane
Why am I a historian of Irish politics? I grew up in 1970s Belfast, where contested versions of history were literally written on the walls.
Why are you a historian of Irish politics?
I grew up in 1970s Belfast, where contested versions of history were literally written on the walls.
What’s the most important lesson history has taught you?
That it is impossible to understand the present without some knowledge of the past.
Which history book has had the greatest influence on you?
Roy Foster’s Modern Ireland 1600-1972.
What book in your field should everyone read?
John Whyte’s Interpreting Northern Ireland.
Which moment would you most like to go back to?
Peggy Barclay’s Tavern, Belfast, 14 October 1791, at the first meeting of what would become the Society of United Irishmen.
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