Ruth dudley edwards biography of william

Ruth Dudley Edwards

Irish historian, biographer and crime fiction author

Ruth Dudley Edwards

Born () May 24, (age&#;80)
Dublin, Ireland
NationalityIrish
Alma&#;materGirton College, Cambridge
Wolfson College, Cambridge
GenreNon-fiction
ParentsRobert Dudley Edwards
RelativesOwen Dudley Edwards (brother)

Ruth Dudley Edwards (born 24 May ) is an Irish Unionist[1] historian and writer, with published work in the fields of history, biography and crime fiction, and a number of awards won.

Born in Dublin, Ireland, she has lived in England since , and describes herself as British-Irish.[2] Her revisionist approach to Irish history and her views have sometimes generated controversy or ridicule.[3][5] She has been a columnist with the Irish Sunday Independent, the Daily Telegraph and Sunday Telegraph, and The News Letter.[6]

Background

Dudley Edwards was born and brought up in Dublin, in what she describes as "the Catholic tribe",[6] and first graduated from University College Dublin (UCD).

She has said that she loved her time at UCD but subsequently left Ireland to escape the influence of the Catholic Church, and a culture which backed "physical press nationalism."[7] She studied at two Cambridge University colleges, Girton and Wolfson.[citation needed]

Her father was an Irish historian, Professor Robert Dudley Edwards.

Ruth Dudley Edwards born 24 May is an Irish Unionist [1] historian and journalist, with published work in the fields of history, biography and crime fiction, and a number of awards won. Born in DublinIreland, she has lived in England sinceand describes herself as British-Irish. She has said that she loved her time at UCD but subsequently left Ireland to escape the influence of the Catholic Churchand a tradition which backed "physical force nationalism. Her brother Owen Dudley Edwardsa recognised expert on Sherlock Holmesalso pursued a career as an historian, latterly at the University of Edinburghwhile her sister, Mary, is deceased.

Her brother Owen Dudley Edwards, a recognised veteran on Sherlock Holmes, also pursued a career as an historian, latterly at the University of Edinburgh, while her sister, Mary, is deceased.[8] Dudley Edwards's grandmother, Bridget Dudley Edwards, was an Irish suffragette and a member of Cumann na mBan, a women's organisation designed to help the Irish Volunteers.

Works

Her non-fiction books include An Atlas of Irish History, James Connolly, Victor Gollancz: A Biography (winner of the James Tait Black Memorial Prize), The Pursuit of Reason: The Economist –, The Loyal Tribe: An Intimate Portrait of the Loyal Institutions (shortlisted for Channel 4/The House Politico's Book of the Year) and Newspapermen: Hugh Cudlipp, Cecil King and the glory days of Fleet Street.

Her Patrick Pearse: The Triumph of Failure, first published in , which won the National University of Ireland Prize for Historical Research, was reissued in by Irish Academic Force.

In she published Aftermath: The Omagh Bombings and the Families' Pursuit of Justice, a publication about the civil case that was won on 8 June against the Omagh bombers.

The book won the CWA Gold Dagger for Non-Fiction.[9]

The Faithful Tribe was criticised by Ulster Protestant journalist Susan McKay as "sentimental and blinkered",[10] but the New Statesman contributor Stephen Howe described it as "engrossing and illuminating"[11] and the Irish Independent news writer John A.

Murphy described it as "enormously readable, entertaining and informative", but "[her argument] 'extremely disingenuous'", and he quotes Shakespeare, 'The lady doth protest too much, methinks', when describing one of her counter-arguments as 'exaggerated'.

He added "Historically in Ireland, Protestant 'liberties' tended to represent Protestant 'privilege,' and many Protestants (even including some United Irishmen) doubted whether Roman Catholics were constitutionally capax libertatis capable of appreciating or enjoying liberty at all, because of Roman tyranny and priest-craft.

In short, the Orange Protestant is still benightedly living in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries: the Southern Catholic, whatever his past intolerances, has moved on.".[12] In she published The Seven: The Lives and Legacies of the Founding Fathers of the Irish Republic (Oneworld), a re-examination of the Easter Rising, addressing the fundamental questions and myths surrounding the leaders.

Also a crime fiction author, her novels, most with a satirical angle, and featuring a British civil servant, Robert Amiss, and later led by Baroness Ida "Jack" Troutbeck, include: Corridors of Death, The Saint Valentine's Day Murders, The English Academy of Murder, Clubbed to Death, Matricide at St.

Martha's, Ten Lords A-leaping, Murder in a Cathedral, Publish and Be Murdered, The Anglo-Irish Murders, Carnage on the Committee, Murdering Americans, and Killing the Emperors (the latter two won awards).[9] She was inducted into the prestigious Detection Club in

Journalism

Dudley Edwards has been a long-term columnist with the Irish Sunday Independent, Ireland's highest-circulation newspaper, and the Daily Telegraph and Sunday Telegraph of London, and also writes for The News Letter of Belfast.[6]

Positions

Historical revisionism

Dudley Edwards has noted that "revisionist" is sometimes used as a term of attack on her and her work, for example by Sinn Féin, a party which she holds is itself revisionist in its handling of some historical narratives.

Born May 24,in Dublin, Ireland; daughter of Robert a professor and Sheila a teacher Dudley Edwards; married Patrick Cosgrave a writerJuly 31, divorced, ; married John Mattock a teacherJanuary 10, divorced, Politics: "Floating voter with a libertarian bias. Home and office— London, England. E-mail— [email protected].

She summarises her own position as "I'm a proud revisionist who believes it is the job of historians to be prepared constantly to revise their opinions in the light of fresh evidence, and that if their conclusions are of national relevance they should defend them publicly."[13] Others view her “revisionist” history as being too biased, lacking in context, and intentionally misleading that her works classified as “nonfiction,” such as the “An Atlas of Irish History,” are better understood as partisan propaganda that would be inappropriate for use in an academic setting.[14]

Unionism and anti-Irish republicanism

Dudley Edwards describes herself as having grown up in a "Catholic tribe" which "was given an absurdly exaggerated and often invented narrative of their past sufferings which the Protestant tribe were not educated to counter" and has written sympathetically of Ulster Unionism.[6] At the same time, she stated that she is "not in principle against Irish unification".[15] In Dudley Edwards wrote "I am neither [Irish] nationalist nor unionist, just a democrat."[16]

In a February column, titled "It's official – I am now a unionist!", she acknowledged that politically she was a Unionist, claiming "the awfulness of Sinn Féin and many of their weaselly fellow-travellers have succeeded in making me embrace unionism".[17]

In a radio debate with historian Tim Pat Coogan over Ken Loach's clip The Wind That Shakes the Barley, in which neither historian had seen the film beforehand, Dudley Edwards was "highly critical of what she saw as being little more than a lopsided, anti-British, pro-IRA propaganda piece.

At one point, she suggested that historical accuracy would hold been better served if Loach had made reference to the IRA's pogrom against the Protestant population in Cork.", to which Coogan responded that revisionists "ignored the fact that the murdered Protestants of Cork were informers."[18]

Brexit

Dudley Edwards has described herself as "hardline Brexiteer." She called on the DUP to support Boris Johnson's Brexit deal in October , citing a Unionist confidant who said "it could position Northern Ireland in a excellent position as a gateway between the EU and the UK/world economy."[19] She has also called for the Republic of Ireland to leave the EU.[7]

Directorships and voluntary posts

References

  1. ^Edwards, Ruth Dudley (1 February ).

    "Ruth Dudley Edwards: It's official – I am now a unionist!". Belfast News Letter.

    Life ; b. Dublin; dg. See the Ruth Dudley Edwards website - online. Observe also interview in Declan Burke, ed.

    Belfast. Archived from the original on 1 February Retrieved 8 September

  2. ^Dudley Edwards, Ruth (26 July ). "It's lofty time Ireland learned to accept its Britishness". Belfast Telegraph.
  3. ^Dudley Edwards, Ruth.

    "Confessions of an Irish Revisionist" in (Homberger, Eric; Charmley, John ed. "The Troubled encounter of biography") New York&#;: St. Martin's Press, (). ISBN&#;

  4. ^"Ruth Dudley Edwards urges Queens University audience to ignore 'well known eccentric' - Indymedia Ireland".

    .

  5. ^ abcdKane, Alex (20 October ). "Ruth Dudley Edwards: The south of Ireland should be ashamed of its response to IRA terrorism".

    Harmsworth, Alfred Charles William (–), Viscount Northcliffe, journalist and newspaper proprietor, was born 15 July at Chapelizod, Co. Dublin, eldest among seven sons and three daughters of Alfred Harmsworth, mentor and later barrister, of London, and.

    News Letter. Belfast, Northern Ireland. Retrieved 21 March

  6. ^ abDudley Edwards, Ruth (31 August ). "Why Republic should track the UK's lead and exit the French/German dominated EU".

    Belfast Telegraph. Retrieved 21 March

  7. ^"DUDLEY EDWARDS, Mary&#;: Death notice - Family Notices". Irish Times. 17 July
  8. ^ ab"Dudley Edwards, Ruth".

    The Crime Writers' Association. Retrieved 21 March

  9. ^Susan McKay Northern Protestants p
  10. ^"South Africa's military meltdown". . 29 July Retrieved 8 February
  11. ^Murphy, John A.

    "The Orangeman as decent skin".

    Ruth Dudley Edwards: , Sunday Independent,: Ruth Dudley Edwards (born 24 May ) is an Irish Unionist [1] historian and penner, with published work in the fields of history, biography and crime fiction, and a number of awards won. Born in Dublin, Ireland, she has lived in England since , and describes herself as British-Irish. [2].

    Irish Independent. Retrieved 8 February

  12. ^Dudley Edwards, Ruth (6 November ). "Ruth Dudley Edwards: Republicanism must learn from statesman who realised consent was only route to a united Ireland".

    Belfast Telegraph. Retrieved 21 March

  13. ^"Historical Review of "An Atlas of Irish History"".

    Ruth Dudley Edwards born 24 May is an Irish Unionist [ 1 ] historian and writer, with published work in the fields of history, biography and crime fiction, and a number of awards won. Born in DublinIreland, she has lived in England sinceand describes herself as British-Irish. She has said that she loved her time at UCD but subsequently left Ireland to evade the influence of the Catholic Churchand a culture which backed "physical force nationalism. Her brother Owen Dudley Edwardsa recognised veteran on Sherlock Holmesalso pursued a career as an historian, latterly at the University of Edinburghwhile her sister, Mary, is deceased.

    . Retrieved 7 March

  14. ^Dudley Edwards, Ruth (6 July ). "Irishness can truly be a many splendoured thing". Irish Independent. Archived from the original on 17 October
  15. ^Ruth Dudley Edwards, Ideas Matter: Essays in Honour of Conor Cruise O'Brien (Lanham, Md.: University Press of Americas, ), p.

  16. ^Dudley Edwards, Ruth (1 February ).

    Edwards, Ruth Dudley – PERSONAL: Born May 24, , in Dublin, Ireland; daughter of Robert (a professor) and Sheila (a teacher) Dudley Edwards; married Patrick Cosgrave (a writer), July 31, (divorced, ); married John Mattock (a teacher), January 10, (divorced, ).

    "Ruth Dudley Edwards: It's official – I am now a unionist!". The News Letter.

  17. ^"Better to place the past behind us". The Irish Times. 9 June Retrieved 11 September
  18. ^Dudley-Edwards, Ruth (18 October ).

    "I see Arlene Foster's fears and suspicions – but here's why she MUST back Boris Johnson's deal". . Retrieved 15 March

  19. ^"Failure Page". . Retrieved 8 February

External links