Full coverage: History

Rose Dugdale led an extraordinarily complex life which is captured in full by Sean O'Driscoll in his book. He talks to Dion Fanning about the good and the bad of the upper-class British woman turned IRA operative.

St Patrick’s Day marks both a time for reflection on national identity and the start of the tourist season. Two centuries ago, a French travel writer contributed to both. Some of his comments on Ireland's sights, traditions and government ring strangely true today – others not so much.