Books: Two towering rivals and friends, appraised together

This is the fifth volume in the Royal Irish Academy’s superbly produced and illustrated Judging series, which seeks to reassess major Irish historical figures

John Redmond and Edward Carson were the defining figures of Irish politics in the Home Rule era Pic: Getty
John Redmond and Edward Carson were the defining figures of Irish politics in the Home Rule era Pic: Getty

HISTORY: Judging Redmond and Carson, By Alvin Jackson, Royal Irish Academy, €30

I don’t mean to engage in oneupmanship by mentioning that my great-uncle was the town clerk in Wexford. Frankly, I don’t even know what a town clerk does. I just know that when my father succumbed to dementia and could no longer remember who ...