Sir, - Regarding "An Irishman's Diary" of November 12th, which refers to Michael Collins's dog Convict 224 and his membership of the Dublin Blue Terrier Club, later the Irish Kennel Club: reference is made, in the very interesting article by Justin Comiskey, to other dogs entered in competition in October 1920, one of which was called Trotsky.
According to my late father Jack Courtney, who was himself prominently involved in the crucial period, Mary Boland's brother Gerry had a terrier during the mid 1920s, post Civil War period named Trotsky, a name by which Gerry Boland was referred to by the men under his command. Could Trotsky have been Harry Boland's dog, who was later inherited by his brother?
However, before jumping to conclusions like the various critics of Neil Jordan's film Michael Collins, I'll wait until I get sight of the evidence. Perhaps Mr O'Neill of the Irish Kennel Club could throw some light on the matter, and tell us who owned Trotsky and entered the dog in the competition of October 1920. - Yours, etc
Anne Devlin Resource Centre,
Loreto Avenue,
Rathfarnham,
Dublin 14.