Sir, - The release of Neil Jordan's film on Michael Collins prompted an extraordinary renewal of public interest in the Irish revolution and Civil War, as well as in the personality and achievements of its hero. Among the most attractive yet elusive of the revolutionaries was Harry Boland, who deserves to be remembered for more than his mainly futile pursuit of Kitty Kiernan, or his melodramatic last moments (whether in a sewer, as in the film, or in the Grand Hotel at Skerries, as in reality).
Boland was a brilliant organiser and propagandist whose wit and charm proved invaluable in winning American as well as Irish support for the republican cause. At the request of his nephew, Harry Boland, I am preparing a biography of this key figure in the fight for independence, making use of the extensive family archive and many other collections in Ireland and America.
I should be delighted to hear from readers with information or documents concerning any aspect of his career, which might assist me in preparing a balanced and impartial account of an outstanding life. - Yours, etc.,
From David Fitzpatrick
Department of Modern History, Trinity College, Dublin 2.