1705 – An English act permits direct export of Irish linen to American colonies.

1732 – Birth of Sackville Hamilton, politician and civil servant.

1738 – John Beresford, unionist politician, is born in Cork.

1822 – Richard Boyle, civil engineer, is born in Dublin.

1894 – William Earle ‘Moley’ Molesworth, WWI Ace, is born.

1902 – The Irish Association of Women Graduates and Candidate-Graduates, an organisation open to those interested in promoting women’s education, is launched.

1921 – British authorities hang six IRA volunteers for crimes of high treason and murder in Mountjoy Gaol. There is some strong evidence to suggest at least some of the men were innocent of the crimes they were accused of.

1921 – Francis Xavier Flood (one of the six and youngest IRA Volunteers charged for crimes of high treason and murdger) is executed by hanging in Mountjoy Gaol.

1921 – The Battle of Brunswick Street. An Auxiliary patrol of two lorries and an armoured car, which was on its way to raid St. Andrews Club, 144 Brunswick St, Dublin was attacked on Brunswick Street (now Pearse street) near the corner of Erne St. In the gun battle that followed, three IRA volunteers and two policemen as well as two civilians (one of whom was Alderman Tom Kelly’s brother), were killed. A number of IRA volunteers were captured and one of them, Thomas Traynor, was hanged on 25 April.

1923 – More executions on this date. This time the new Irish government which has taken a strong stance against anti-treaty activists executes sixteen anti-Treatyites between 12-14 March.

1923 – Two Republicans are executed for their part in a bank robbery in Mullingar.

1923 – Two National Army soldiers are shot and killed in Dublin. One is seized when unarmed and off duty in Portobello and shot in the head. The other is killed in an exchange of fire when he tries to search two republican fighters near Mountjoy Prison.

1923 – Anti-Treaty IRA officer Charlie Daly and three other Republican fighters are executed by Free State troops at Drumboe Castle, near Stranorlar in Co Donegal where they had been held since January. They are executed in reprisal for the death of a Free State soldier in a nearby ambush the day before.

1961 – Birth of Kieron Connolly in Thurles, Co Tipperary. He is an Irish novelist and playwright. He is the author of three novels: ‘Water Sign’, ‘There is a House’ and ‘Harold’. His stage play ‘The Book of Condolences’ premiered in Dublin, 2016.

1962 – Eibhín Bean Uí Choisdeaíbh, Irish language folk song collector, dies.

1971 – Birth of Jean Butler. She is an Irish American Irish stepdancer, choreographer, and occasional actress. She is best known for originating the principal female role in the Irish dance company Riverdance.

1973 – Liam Cosgrave is elected Taoiseach of Ireland.

1981 – Bobby Sands recorded his diary for the first seventeen days of his hunger strike in which he detailed his thoughts and feelings on the momentous task that lay ahead of him. In order to secure his status as Irish political prisoner he was willing to fast til death, an event that would earn him a place in the annals of Irish history and in the hearts and minds of Irish republicans world wide. See Bobby Sands Trust for today’s entry: http://www.bobbysandstrust.com/writings/prison-diary

1985 – Schoolchildren claim to have seen a ‘moving’ statue in Asdee, Co Kerry. Other reports come from Ballinspittle, Co Cork. The faithful claim a miraculous event. Sceptics say it is an optical illusion.

1984 – Gerry Adams was seriously wounded in an assassination attempt when several Ulster Freedom Fighters (UFF) gunmen fired about 20 shots into the car in which he was travelling. After the shooting, under-cover plain clothes police officers seized three suspects who were later convicted and sentenced. One of the three was John Gregg. Adams claimed that the British army had prior knowledge of the attack and allowed it to go ahead.

1991 -The Birmingham Six: Paddy Joe Hill, Hugh Callaghan, Richard McIlkenny, Gerry Hunter, Billy Power and Johnny Walker are released from jail after their convictions for the murder of 21 people in two pubs are quashed by the Court of Appeal.

1995 – Death of Gerard Victory. He was a prolific Irish composer born in Dublin. He wrote over two hundred works across many genres and styles, including tonal, serial, aleatoric and electroacoustic music. Victory’s career was primarily in music administration, serving as Director of Music for RTÉ from 1967 to 1982.

1998 – Former Defence and Marine Minister Hugh Coveney falls to his death from a headland near Roberts Cove, Co Cork.

2002 – Roundwood House, Mountrath, C. Laois is the only Irish establishment to make the list of the world’s top 50 restaurants published by Restaurant magazine. It places at 42.

Photo: Beara Peninsula, Co Cork, Photo courtesy: Tourism Ireland

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