1762 – Birth in Callan, Co Kilkenny of Blessed Edmund Ignatius Rice, educator, philanthropist, and the founder of the Irish Christian Brothers’ Order.

1798 – United Irishmen Rebellion: Battle of Bunclody.

1850 – US Census conducted on this day indicates that almost four million of the total population are ethnic Irish. Almost one million were born in Ireland. The New York census indicated that 134,000 New Yorkers, 26% of the city population were born in Ireland.

1852 – The Magnetic Telegraph Company links Britain and Ireland via submarine telegraph cable. The company also operates lines from Donaghadee to Portpatrick, and connects major Irish cities, as far as Limerick, Killarney and Cork.

1860 – Birth of Hugh Thomson, illustrator, in Coleraine, Co Derry.

1862 – American Civil War: Irish Brigade at The Battle of Fair Oaks.

1866 – Renegade Irish Fenians invade Ft. Erie Ontario from the US.

1879 – Death of Co Tyrone born Senator James Shields. The Democrat Shields served as a U.S. Senator for three different states: Illinois, Minnesota and Missouri. In addition to his political career, he also fought in the Mexican-American War and also the Civil War where he led the 2nd Division of the V Corps, Army of the Potomac.

1919 – Éamon de Valera departed for the United States. He hoped to gain official recognition of the Irish Republic (from the US government), to secure the support of the American people, and to raise money for Dáil Éireann and the IRA.

1920 – IRA volunteers captured 25 rifles, 2 Lewis Guns and ammunition from King’s Inns, Dublin.

1920 – IRA volunteers destroyed two RIC barracks in County Cork, one in Blarney and one in Carrigadrohid.

1921 – IRA fighters ambushed a police bicycle patrol near Castlemaine, Co. Kerry. An RIC District Inspector and three constables were killed outright; a sergeant was wounded and died later.

1922 – The newly created Royal Ulster Constabulary took over the policing of Northern Ireland.

1922 – Fighting took place around Pettigo. Two civilians were killed in the crossfire.

1927 – Death of John Bagnell Bury (J. B. Bury). Born in Clontibret, Co Monaghan, he was an Irish historian, classical scholar, Medieval Roman historian and philologist. John Bagnell Bury’s career shows his evolving thought process and his consideration of the discipline of history as a “science”. He stated: “I may remind you that history is not a branch of literature. The facts of history, like the facts of geology or astronomy, can supply material for literary art; for manifest reasons they lend themselves to artistic representation far more readily than those of the natural sciences; but to clothe the story of human society in a literary dress is no more the part of a historian as a historian, than it is the part of an astronomer as an astronomer to present in an artistic shape the story of the stars.”

1937 – Birth of stage, screen and television actress, Rosalyn Lineman in Dublin. She has appeared in many comedy revues written by her husband Fergus. She was nominated for Best Featured Actress for her role as Kate in Brian Friel’s Dancing at Lughnasa at the 1992 Tony Awards. She won a Jacob’s Award for her RTÉ Radio comedy series Get an Earful of This. She was the recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award at the Irish Theatre Awards in 2008.

1958 – The Clean Air Act comes into force.

1959 – Death of Arthur Sarsfield Ward, born in Birmingham of Irish parents William Ward and Mary Furey. Best known as Sax Rohmer, creator of the Dr Fu Manchu novels.

1998 – The Irish and British Governments search for common ground on the parades crisis, amid growing indications that the summer marching season will push the North to the brink of open sectarian warfare.

2000 – The controversial nomination of former Supreme Court judge Hugh O’Flaherty as a vice-president of the European Investment Bank is put on hold by the High Court.

2009 – Death of race horse trainer, Michael Vincent O’Brien. Born in Churchtown, Co Cork, in 2003 he was voted the greatest influence in horse racing history in a worldwide poll hosted by the Racing Post. In earlier Racing Post polls he was voted the best ever trainer of national hunt and of flat racehorses. He trained six horses to win the Epsom Derby, was twice British champion trainer, won three Grand Nationals in succession and trained the only British Triple Crown winner since the Second World War. Aidan O’Brien (no relation) took over the Ballydoyle stables after his retirement.

2012 – Death of Fianna Fáil politician, Pádraig Faulkner. Born in Dundalk, Co Louth, he was first elected in 1957 as a Teachta Dála (TD) for the Louth constituency, serving until 1987. Faulkner also served as Minister for Lands, Minister for the Gaeltacht, Minister for Education, Minister for Posts and Telegraphs, Minister for Tourism and Transport, Minister for Defence and Ceann Comhairle.

Photo: Skellig Islands, Co Kerry, Kerry Dark-Sky Reserve

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