#OTD in Irish History

637 – Death of Saint Mo Chutu mac Fínaill, also known as Carthach or Carthach the Younger (a name Latinised as Carthagus and Anglicised as Carthage), was abbot of Rahan (Irish Rathan), Co Offaly, and subsequently, founder and first abbot of Lismore (Irish Les Mór Mo Chutu), Co Waterford. The saint’s Life has come down in several Irish and Latin recensions, which appear to derive from a Latin original written in the 11th or 12th century.

1260 – Brian O’Neill, during the assault on the Earldom of Ulster, is defeated and killed by the forces of Roger des Auters at the battle of Down (renamed by de Courcy as Downpatrick).

1660 – Charles II is proclaimed king of Ireland in Dublin, six days after being named king of England in London, thus ending Cromwell’s reign as Lord Protector and beginning a brief and limited Catholic Restoration.

1730 – Sir Edward Newenham, popular MP for Co Dublin and strong advocate of the American colonists, is born. Newenham is introduced at the court of Louis XVI by the Marquis de Lafayette, even though Britain and France are at war.

1755 – George Barrington (real name Waldron), writer, adventurer and pickpocket is born in Maynooth, Co Kildare. A well-dressed pickpocket who “worked” in Churches and the Houses of Parliament, he is arrested and transported to Australia. Later, he becomes Australian high constable. He is known for the lines: “True patriots all; for be it understood – We left our country for our country’s good”.

1784 – Foster’s Corn Law regulates the corn trade.

1784 – The Irish Post Office, distinct from English and Scottish services, is established by statute.

1820 – Birth of politician, James Martin, in Midleton, Co Cork. He emigrated with his parents to Sydney, Australia at the age of one. He was three times Premier of New South Wales, and Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of New South Wales from 1873 to 1886.

1865 – The last surviving member of the Irish House of Commons, Sir Thomas Staples, who had risen in his profession to be Queen’s Advocate for Ireland, dies in Lissan, Co Tyrone 11 weeks short of his 90th birthday.

1883 – Execution of Joe Brady for the murder of Lord Cavendish in Phoenix Park.

1893 – George McIrish’ McElroy is born in Donnybrook, Co Dublin. He is Ireland’s highest World War One ace, with 47 victories within 40 weeks.

1920 – 14-16: Every member of the Dáil (not in prison) received a note through the post that said “An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth. Therefore a life for a life”.

1921 – IRA volunteers, led by Paddy Daly and Emmet Dalton seized an armoured car on the North Circular Road in Dublin, killing two British soldiers. The car was then used to gain entrance to Mountjoy Prison in an effort to free IRA prisoner Sean MacEoin. However, the plot was discovered and the IRA volunteers in the car had to shoot their way out of the prison. The car was later abandoned in Clontarf. (The 2 soldiers killed were possibly 2 gunners of the 8th Royal Marine Battalion RMA.)

1921 – IRA battles Black and Tans outside Castletownbere; no casualties on either side.

1921 – IRA volunteers in Tipperary assassinated an RIC detective Inspector named Harry Biggs and a local Loyalist, Miss Barrington, who was sitting beside him in a police car.

1921 – A brutal day in the Irish War of Independence for the RIC. In Co Cork, three officers are killed in Midleton, three in Cork City and one in Innishannon. More than fifty RIC officers would be killed by the IRA during the month of May.

1923 – Joint meeting of the Republican Government and IRA Army Executive instructs Aiken to end the war.

1933 – Birth of Frank Harte, a traditional Irish singer, song collector, architect and lecturer.

1960 – Birth of Ronan Tynan in Dublin. Raised in in Johnstown, Co Kilkenny, he is most notable as a member of The Irish Tenors re-joining in 2011 while continuing to pursue his solo career since May 2004. In the United States, audiences have come to know and appreciate him for his involvement with that vocal group and for his renditions of ‘God Bless America.’ He is also known for participating in the 1984 and 1988 Summer Paralympics.

1965 – Birth of Eoin Colfer in Co Wexford. He is an Irish author of children’s books. He worked as a primary school teacher before he became a full-time writer. He is best known for being the author of the Artemis Fowl series. In September 2008, Colfer was commissioned to write the sixth installment of the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy series, entitled And Another Thing …, which was published in October 2009.

1972 – A 13-year-old Catholic girl, Martha Campbell, is shot dead by British soldiers in Springhill Crescent, Ballymurphy, Belfast.

1973 – Martin McGuinness was released from prison after having served a six months sentence.

1973 – Birth of Sinéad O’Carrol in Dublin. She is a singer-songwriter, musician, dancer and actress. She is best known for being a member of the girl group B*Witched.

1974 – There was a debate in the Northern Ireland Assembly on a motion condemning power-sharing and the Council of Ireland. The motion was defeated by 44 votes to 28. At 6.00pm, following the conclusion of the Assembly debate, Harry Murray announced to a group of journalists that a general strike was to start the following day. The organisation named as being responsible for calling the strike was the Ulster Workers’ Council (UWC). The action was to become known as the UWC Strike.

1974 – The Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) and Sinn Féin (SF) were declared legal following the passing of legislation at Westminster.

1977 – A member of the British Army, Robert Nairac (29), was abducted by the IRA outside the Three Step Inn, near Forkhill, Co Armagh. His body was never recovered and he was presumed dead. He is listed as one of the ‘disappeared’. The IRA later stated that they had interrogated and killed a Special Air Service (SAS) officer. Nairac was posthumously awarded the George Cross.

1978 – Death of Máire Bean Ui Sheaghdha (née Cremin) who was known locally as ‘Mary Geo’. She played a valuable role in preserving an account of island customs and traditions.

1981 – Brendan McLaughlin, an IRA prisoner in Long Kesh Prison, joined the hunger strike to replace Francis Hughes who had died on 12 May 1981. McLaughlin was taken off the strike on 26 May 1981 when he suffered a perforated ulcer and internal bleeding.

1986 – The pressure group ‘Campaign for Equal Citizenship‘ was established at a meeting in Belfast. The CEC argued that British political parties, such as the Labour and Conservative, should organise and stand for election in Northern Ireland. The CEC was also in favour of the full administrative integration of Northern Ireland into the United Kingdom.

1994 – A British Army soldier, David Wilson (27), was killed by the IRA during a bomb attack on a permanent Vehicle Checkpoint, Castleblaney Road, Keady, Co Armagh.

1998 – The leaders of the five main Dáil parties join forces in urging Sinn Féin and the IRA to publicly declare that the “war is over” and that weapons are redundant.

1999 – Ballykissangel actor Edmund Birdy Sweeney is laid to rest in a tiny cemetery in Dungannon, Co Tyrone, just a hundred yards from St Patrick’s Chapel where he had worshipped.

2000 – Cyril Ramaphosa, secretary-general of the African National Congress (ANC), and Martti Ahtisaari, President of Finland, both of whom were appointed as arms inspectors arrived in Northern Ireland. The arms inspectors report to the Independent International Commission on Decommissioning (IICD).

2003 – A headless body is discovered by a Co Offaly farmer while digging a drain close to his home. The skin is still intact on the upper torso, the clothes are preserved and there is a bracelet on the upper arm. The National Museum’s head of collections, Raghnall O’Floinn, says: “it could be anywhere between 500-2000 years old.

2015 – Death of footballer and hurler, Micheál O’Brien, who played for the Meath senior team.

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