1777 – Sir Philip Crampton, surgeon, is born in Dublin.

1848 – First unveiling of the Irish Tricolour by Thomas Francis Meagher at 33 the Mall in Waterford city. He was an Irish nationalist and leader of the Young Irelanders in the Rebellion of 1848.

1864 – Archbishop Paul Cullen issues a pastoral for St. Patrick’s Day denouncing Fenianism.

1920 – Éilis Dillon, novelist and children’s writer, is born in Galway.

1921 – Limerick Mayor George Clancy is shot and killed in his home by disguised members of the Black and Tans.

1922 – Birth of Patrick Clancy in Carrick-on-Suir, Co Tipperary. He was an Irish folk singer, best known as a member of the group The Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem.

1922 – In Belfast, four people were shot dead (three civilians and one IRA volunteer).

1923 – Nine Republican prisoners are taken from Ballymullen Barracks in Tralee to Ballyseedy Cross, ostensibly to clear a mined road. They are then tied together around the landmine, which is then detonated by National army troops at Ballyseedy, Co Kerry.

1933 – Birth of John ‘Jackie’ Blanchflower in Belfast. He was an Irish football player, graduated from Manchester United’s youth system and played for the club on 117 occasions, before his career was cut short due to injuries sustained in the Munich air disaster. He was the younger brother of Dennis ‘Danny’ Blanchflower, the captain of the Tottenham Hotspur side that dominated English football in the early 1960s.

1934 – The first US Ambassador to Ireland Frederick A. Sterling finishes his mission in Ireland. Sterling first presented his credentials in 1927.

1957 – Fianna Fáil returns to government winning 78 seats in the sixteenth Dáil. Fianna Fáil would win majorities in the elections of 1961, 1965, 1966. Éamon de Valera would remain as Taoiseach until 1959, when he would hand power over to Seán Lemass.

1965 – Following the liturgical changes of the Second Vatican Council, Mass in Ireland is read for the first time in the English and Irish languages.

1967 – Birth of Kevin Manning in Co Kildare on this day in 1967. Manning is a professional flat jockey in Ireland and Britain.

1977 – Birth of Ronan John Ross O’Gara in San Diego, California. He is a former rugby player, who played fly-half for both Ireland and Munster. He is Ireland’s second most-capped player (128) behind Brian O’Driscoll (133) and the fourth most-capped in rugby history. O’Gara has captained Munster and the British and Irish Lions and won four Triple Crowns with Ireland and two Heineken Cups with Munster. O’Gara now coaches Top 14 team Racing 92 in Paris, where he lives with his wife and five children.

1985 – The song ‘We Are the World’ receives its international release.

1988 – The IRA confirms that the three people shot dead by SAS forces in Gibraltar are members of an active service unit.

1999 – A human chain is formed around the Central Bank in Dublin to highlight the campaign to cancel unpayable Third World debt for the millennium. Over 400 people take part in the ceremony organised by Trocaire, Jubilee 2000 and the One World Network of Students in Ireland. Similar events are held in as many as 50 other countries across the world.

2005 – Calling the story of the Irish in America ‘an important part of the history of our country’, President George W. Bush proclaims March as Irish-American Heritage Month.

2009 – Two British Army soldiers were shot dead and two more seriously injured during a gun attack at Massereene Barracks in Co Antrim. The Real IRA claimed responsibility. These were the first British military fatalities in the north of Ireland since 1997.

Photo: Thatched cottage near Ballybofey, Co Donegal, Lisa DP Photography

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