Irish in the American Civil War » Update

Upcoming Speaking Engagements

Damian Shiels — Sun, 09 Jun 2013 10:19:15 +0000

I have a number of speaking engagements coming up over the next few months, many of which relate to the theme of the Irish in the American Civil War. I have included details below, so if you find yourself nearby please consider popping along!

The History Festival of Ireland, Duckett’s Grove, Co. Carlow

Sunday 16th June

‘Ireland and the American Civil War: Selective Memory Loss’- Panel discussion with Ciaran O’Neill (Trinity College, Dublin), Catherine Clinton (Queen’s University, Belfast) and Úna Ní Bhroiméil (University of Limerick)

Bere Island, Co. Cork

Saturday 22nd June

‘The Nineteenth Century Defences of Bere Island, Co. Cork’

Colonel Charles O’Kelly Aughrim Military History Summer School, Co. Galway

Saturday 13th July

‘Battle of Knockdoe: History and Archaeology’- with Dr. John Cronin

Third Annual International Famine Conference, Strokestown Park House, Co. Roscommon

Saturday 20th July

‘Allow me to Mingle My Tears: The Impact of the American Civil War on Female Famine Survivors’

Cashel Summer Lecture Series, Cashel, Co. Tipperary

Tuesday 13th August

‘Tipperary and the American Civil War’

NRA Archaeology Seminar, Dublin

Thursday 22nd August

‘Revealing the Individual with Conflict Archaeology’

Tipperary Remembrance Trust, Tipperary, Co. Tipperary

Saturday 28th September

‘The Irish in the American Civil War’

Newcastle Historical Society, Co. Tipperary

Monday 4th November

‘Tipperary and the American Civil War’

Old Athlone Society, Co. Westmeath

Wednesday 13th November

‘The Midlands and the American Civil War’

Centre for Contemporary Irish History Seminar, Trinity College, Dublin

Wednesday 4th December

‘Forgetting Ireland’s Sites of Independence?’

University College Galway Archaeological Society, Galway

Tuesday 28th January

‘The Conflict Archaeology of Ireland’

Filed under: Update Tagged: Battle of Knockdoe, Conflict Archaeology, History Festival of Ireland, Ireland American Civil War, Irish American Civil War, Irish Archaeology, Irish Famine, Irish History

A Podcast on the Irish in the American Civil War

Damian Shiels — Wed, 06 Mar 2013 20:33:05 +0000

The Irish in the American Civil War featured on RTE Radio One on Sunday last. The programme began with a piece on the Irish American Civil War Trail with which I am involved, and continued with a discussion between presenter Myles Dungan and myself on the trail and some of the stories covered in my book. If you are interested in listening to the programme it has been podcast; the American Civil War discussion begins at six minutes five seconds and can be heard here.

Filed under: Media, Update Tagged: Damian Shiels, History Press Ireland, Irish American Civil War, Irish American Civil War Trail, James Doherty, Myles Dungan, RTE Radio One, The History Show

The Launch of ‘The Irish in the American Civil War’

Damian Shiels — Mon, 04 Mar 2013 23:08:11 +0000

The launch of my new book, The Irish in the American Civil War, took place on Saturday 23rd February last in the National Museum of Ireland, Collins Barracks, Dublin. I was very keen to have the launch at that venue, as it is where I spent four years as one of the curators working on the Soldiers & Chiefs military exhibition. As the name implies, the site is also a former British Army and later Irish Army barracks (and indeed a building known to British army veterans such as Patrick Ronayne Cleburne). There was a fabulous turnout, and I would like to thank the National Museum and my publishers The History Press Ireland for making it such a great occasion. I was particularly humbled by the presence of MSG George B. Sands, Operations Coordinator at the Defense Attaché Office who represented the United States Embassy at the launch. Special thanks must go to my former colleague on Soldiers & Chiefs Siobhan Pierce who did a wonderful job as MC, and especially author and broadcaster Myles Dungan, who did a wonderful job of launching the book. Here a few photos of the day out- thanks to everyone who attended and those who sent on their good wishes for the day!

The National Museum of Ireland at Collins Barracks, Dublin

The book ready for distribution to the assembled masses!

My former colleague Siobhan Pierce, currently Head of Education at the National Museum of Ireland, Kildare St., who did a super job as MC (and said some very nice things about our time working together!)

Author and broadcaster Myles Dungan, who has himself done fantastic work in highlighting the Irish role in the United States, officially launches the book

Yours truly chatting with MSG Sands from the United States Embassy; I was deeply honoured that he was able to attend

I take the rare opportunity of having a virtually captive audience to blather on about the Irish in the American Civil War to…

Filed under: Books, Update Tagged: Book Launch, Collins Barracks, Damian Shiels, Irish American Civil War, Myles Dungan, National Museum of Ireland, Patrick Cleburne, U.S. Embassy

The Next Big Thing

Damian Shiels — Fri, 18 Jan 2013 18:42:46 +0000

I was recently approached by a friend, Michael J. Whelan, to participate in an online blogging chain where writers describe their upcoming projects. Michael is a writer and poet as well as a military historian- he served with the Irish Defence Forces as a Peacekeeper in Lebanon and Kosovo, and has published on the Battle of Jadotville, where Irish soldiers became engaged in the Congo in 1961.

Although this style of post is a departure from what I normally put up on the site, after some reflection I thought it might be a means to discuss some of the current and future projects I want to work on.

My Next Big Thing

I have a tendency to work on a number of projects concurrently, until one emerges from the pack to take precedence over the others. At present I have four main areas I am looking at. These include the Irish-born Medal of Honor Project that I outlined here, which I hope will shed some light on the lives of these men and their families. As well as that I am about to start looking at Irish-born Generals in the Union army, to include the commissioned Generals (12 in total) and the breveted Generals (32 in total). Some of these men are not well-known but led quite remarkable lives. The final two areas are collections of eye-witness accounts. I intend to compile a range of these accounts for the Irish in the American Civil War and also Irish Redcoats in the British Army from the 17th to 19th centuries.

What is the Working Title of your book?

At the moment I think it probable that the next publication I will look to complete will be the Irish accounts of the American Civil War. I am using the working title ‘Irish Voices of the American Civil War.’

Where did the idea come from for the book?

General history readers often relate more to eye-witness accounts than to any other form of historical delivery. The American Civil War produced many Irishmen and women who recorded their experiences before, during and after the conflict. This combination should hopefully be of interest to readers, and further raise the profile in Ireland of the experiences of the 1.6 million Irish in the United States at this time.

What genre does your book fall under?

Historical non-fiction.

What is the one sentence synopsis of your book?

The Irish experience of the American Civil War through the words of those who were there.

How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?

In the case of my first book which is coming out in February in the region of 6 months, although I had carried out a large amount of the background research prior to that.

What other books would you compare this book to within your genre?

For the ‘Irish Voices’ concept it would be the likes of Ian Fletcher’s Voices From the Peninsula and Jerome A. Greene’s Indian War Veterans.

Who or what inspired you to write this book?

As with all my writing on the American Civil War, be it on the blog or for publication, it is principally the fact that the impact this conflict had on Irish people has been largely forgotten in Ireland, and it certainly does nor receive the historical attention in Ireland it deserves given it’s scale.

What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?

I am fascinated by the social impacts of the American Civil War on the Irish, both at an individual and community level. With this in mind I try to look beyond simply the battlefield and the confines of 1861-1865. What were Irish views before the conflict? How did they feel about it afterwards? How did change the lives of those involved?

When and how will it be published?

I intend to spend the next year of so putting the research together, with a view to exploring publication options in 2014.

It is customary to tag other writers to continue the chain, which I hope to do in the coming days. I will also have more news on the site shortly regarding the publication of The Irish in the American Civil War by The History Press Ireland.

Filed under: Update Tagged: American Civil War Ireland, Irish American Civil War, Michael Whelan, Next Big Thing, Publication, Writing

Updates and Milestones

Damian Shiels — Mon, 08 Oct 2012 19:02:07 +0000

Regular readers will note that posts on the site have been somewhat infrequent of late. The main reason for this is that a number of months ago I was approached by a publishing house here in Ireland. They asked me to consider writing a book based upon some of the stories I have touched on in this blog. Given my recent musings about the lack of memory of the American Civil War in Ireland I decided that I may as well give it a go. One of the side effects is that it has dominated much of my time over recent weeks and the blog has suffered commensurately. The first draft of the manuscript has now gone off to the publishers to see what they make of it. For those interested, I decided not to go for a full history of the Irish in the American Civil War, rather I wanted to use stories to touch on a number of themes, which I have provisionally called ‘Beginnings’, ‘Realities’, ‘The Wider War’ and ‘Aftermath’. In any event more anon when I hear if the editor thinks any of it is worth printing!

Also the blog has just trundled past the 100,000 hit mark, so I would like to thank everyone who has stopped by since it started for reading it, and indeed for all your comments! The interaction is one of the most fun things about blogging, and I have greatly enjoyed the resulting dialogues I have had with many of you. I hope to get back into the swing of things with the blog over the coming days and weeks, and get researching some more stories about the Irish experience of the war to share and discuss.

Filed under: Update Tagged: American Civil War Blogging, Irish American Civil War, Irish History, Publishing Company

An Appearance in History Ireland Magazine

Damian Shiels — Fri, 07 Sep 2012 16:35:01 +0000

While I was working as part of the curatorial team that developed the Soldiers & Chiefs Military History exhibition in the National Museum of Ireland I had the good fortune to be heavily involved in the identification and acquisition of items for the American Civil War gallery. Among the objects we secured on loan was a uniform made of Tait’s of Limerick cloth from the Museum of the Confederacy, a marvellous object which was a key component of the gallery. In the intervening years History Ireland magazine has developed an ‘Artefacts’ page which looks at one object from the exhibition each month, and in the current edition I take a look at the Tait uniform. The issue also has a piece on the American Civil War written by Kevin Haddick Flynn. It is currently on sale so be sure to check it out!

The September/October 2012 issue of History Ireland Magazine, produced by Wordwell

Filed under: Limerick, Peter Tait, Research, Update Tagged: History Ireland, Irish American Civil War, Military History Exhibition, Museum of the Confederacy, National Museum of Ireland, Soldiers and Chiefs, Tait Uniform, Taits of Limerick

Irish American Civil War Trail

Damian Shiels — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 22:25:28 +0000

Readers of this site may have seen a recent post entitled Keeping Memory Alive of the Irish in the American Civil War. This highlighted the efforts of a number of like-minded individuals who wish to promote Irish involvement in the American Civil War in Ireland. The aim is to develop a Civil War Trail and Memorial to those from the entire island who were caught up in the conflict. A site has now been developed to further this goal, called the Irish American Civil War Trail. You can find it here. It provides the project’s mission statement, and also a drop down list of potential trail locations within Ireland categorized by county.

Irish American Civil War Trail Website

The site is still under development and there are many images and locations to be added, particularly concerning the birthplaces of Colonels and Medal of Honor recipients. However it will be added to over time and it is hoped it will act as a catalyst for the development of local interest at these locations. Please drop by and have a look at the site, and feel free to make suggestions as to potential additions, clarifications or to provide further detail on entries. We would also welcome any photographs of any sites in Ireland that could be added. If you would like to contact the group you can do so on the Civil War Trail site or by emailing americancivilwarandireland@gmail.com.

Filed under: Civil War Trail, Commemoration, The Civil War and Ireland, Update Tagged: AmericanCivilWar, Civil War Trail, CivilWar, Colonel, Ireland, Irish Brigade, Medal, United State

Irish in the American Civil War’s 1st Birthday!

Damian Shiels — Thu, 12 May 2011 19:19:36 +0000

Irish in the American Civil War celebrates its first birthday this week. It is hard to believe it is already a year since the first post on the blog, how time flies! There is still a long way to go before the site achieves what I would like for it- to become a research tool on the internet for those interested in the Irish experience of the Civil War, and also to tell the stories of the Irish men and women who were caught up in the conflict. Researching the posts and pages for the site has been a learning experience for me, but one I have greatly enjoyed and which I hope to continue for a long time to come. The site has brought me into contact with a lot of great people both in the U.S. and Ireland, as well as the fantastic Civil War blogging community. Thanks to everyone who has helped out during the course of the year, be it guest posters, fellow bloggers, those of you who have suggested additions or corrections, or the authors who have written or edited the books that I have taken the opportunity to review!

I thought the occasion would be a chance to have a look at what have been the most popular and least popular posts in terms of hits on the site, for anyone who might be interested. Out in front is a post from last December about President John F. Kennedy presenting a color of the 69th New York to the Irish Parliament, A Civil War Flag for the Irish People. Bringing up the rear is A Long-Lived Confederate Irishman which I think lags behind purely by virtue of the fact that it was an early post. It includes an extract from the Confederate Veteran about Irishman Tommy Campbell, who was still going strong at the age of 102 in 1909- he had been discharged from the 5th Confederate Infantry in 1862 (as overage!) but went on to serve with the cavalry.

I hope to be able to bring you the best and worst performers again in a year’s time, and I’m looking forward to the next 12 months blogging. Thanks to everyone for reading!

Filed under: General, Update Tagged: 69th Infantry Regiment (United States), AmericanCivilWar, CivilWar, Confederate Veteran, History, Ireland, Irish people, United States

A New Domain Name

Damian Shiels — Fri, 06 May 2011 18:23:02 +0000

After some thought I have decided to take the plunge and get a domain name for Irish in the American Civil War. The site address is now www.irishamericancivilwar.com. For any of you who have subscribed to receive posts these will still come to you, and all old links will still operate correctly. Indeed nothing should change on the site apart from its web address. Anyone who visits http://www.irishamericancivilwar.wordpress.com will be automatically bounced through to the new domain. All in all I am hopeful it will be a very smooth transition!

Filed under: General, Update Tagged: American Civil War, Domain Name, Irish, New Name, United States, Website

National Museum of Ireland Seminar on Irish in the American Civil War

Damian Shiels — Thu, 07 Apr 2011 19:56:18 +0000

The National Museum of Ireland, Collins Barracks, Dublin will be holding a day of events on 16th April to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the start of the American Civil War. Professor Thomas Bartlett of the University of Aberdeen will discuss ‘Ireland and the American Civil War’, while Dr. Patrick Geoghegan of Trinity College, Dublin and Newstalk’s Talking History will present a lecture entitled ‘The Lost Cause: Irish Military Experience in the War and After’. Good friend of this site and author of the excellent Myles Keogh: Three Wars; Two Continents; One Irish Soldier page, Robert Doyle, will be talking about Myles Walter Keogh’s experience during the Civil War. Dr. Una Ni Bhroimeil of the Department of History in Mary Immaculate College, Limerick will chair a question and answer session following the lectures. It promises to be a great event so if you are around Dublin on the 16th be sure to check it out!

Programme for the National Museum of Ireland American Civil War Seminar

Filed under: Events, Media, The Civil War and Ireland, Update Tagged: American Civil War, Collins Barracks, National Museum of Ireland, Newstalk, Robert Doyle, Thomas Bartlett, Trinity College, University of Aberdeen