1346 – Following the death of Ralph de Ufford, Roger Darcy is appointed justiciar.

1650 – Cromwell’s New Model Army is victorious at Macroom, Co Cork.

1662 – A charter of Charles II replaces Cromwell’s charter of Derry.

1726 – Birth of William Brownlow, parliamentarian and Volunteer.

1816 – Birth of Sir Charles Gavan Duffy, nationalist, in Monaghan.

1838 – Fr. Theobald Mathew, with the support of William Martin, a quaker, founds the total abstinence movement in Cork.

1865 – Oliver Sheppard, sculptor, is born in Cookstown, Co Tyrone.

1866 – Campobello New Brunswick Irish-American Fenians attack Campobello Island from Eastport, Maine; they are persuaded to leave by British warships and US agents.

1867 – Birth of George William Russell, who wrote with the pseudonym Æ (sometimes written AE or A.E.) Born in Lurgan, Co Armagh, he was a writer, editor, critic, poet, artistic painter and Irish nationalist. He was also a writer on mysticism, and a central figure in the group of devotees of theosophy which met in Dublin for many years. During the 1913 Dublin Lock-out he wrote an open letter to the Irish Times criticizing the attitude of the employers, then spoke on it in England and helped bring the crisis to an end. As a pacifist, Russell could have no sympathy either with the aims of the Easter Rising or the methods chosen to further it, but he was deeply moved by the deaths of the leading rebels, and like Yeats he celebrated their sacrifice in verse.

1876 – Death of Alexander Turney Stewart, a highly successful 19th century Irish-American entrepreneur, and leading retail dry-goods businessman in the USA. Born in Lisburn, Co Antrim, he moved to the USA as a young man.

1891 – Birth of Kaye Ernest Donsky, known as Kaye Don, in Dublin. He was a world record-breaking car and speedboat racer who became a motorcycle dealer on his retirement from road racing and set up Ambassador Motorcycles. Kaye Don began his career as a motorcycle racer but soon switched to cars and won the inaugural 1928 Ards-Belfast circuit, Tourist Trophy with a Lea-Francis.

1912 – The RMS Titanic leaves port in Southampton, England for her first and only voyage.

1916 – Sean Francis Kavanagh recalls meeting Roger Casement at the Hotel Saxonia in Berlin. Casement was nervous and gave him pay for the brigade before leaving for Ireland. He asked Kavanagh what men could be relied on for special missions.

1918 – British Parliament proposes conscription in Ireland.

1919 – Third meeting of Dáil Éireann – Dáil passed a motion calling on Irish people to ostracise the Royal Irish Constabulary (RIC). De Valera stated that “The Minister of National Defense is, of course, in close association with the voluntary military forces which are the foundation of the National Army”.

1921 – Pvt George Motley, along with Pvt John Thomas Dixon Steer, both of the East Lancashire Regiment, was captured by the IRA at Barraduff, Co Kerry. They were moved around the countryside for about 6 months before being shot and their bodies dumped in Anablaha bog. Their bodies were recovered in Jan 1927 when Motley was buried in Nab Wood Cemetery near his home town of Shipley, West Yorkshire, and Steer in Immanuel Church, Accrington, Lancashire, both with full military honours.

1923 – Liam Lynch, chief of staff of the Irish Republican Army, is mortally wounded by Free State troops in the Knockmealdown Mountains, Co Tipperary; Frank Aiken takes over as IRA chief of staff.

1925 – The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald is first published in New York City.

1940 – Birth of TV personality, Gloria Hunniford, in Portadown, Co Armagh.

1959 – Birth of Davy Carton, a singer, songwriter, and rhythm guitarist from Tuam, Co Galway. He is best known as a core member of the Saw Doctors, the folk-rock band he co-founded with Leo Moran and others in 1987.

1966 – The widespread and prolonged commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the Easter Rising begins throughout the island.

1971 – The Republican commemorations held in Belfast of the Easter Rising provided an opportunity to gauge public support for the two wings of the IRA. The march organised by the Official movement appeared only to attract half the level of support as that organised by the Provisionals

1972 – Birth of actor, Ed Byrne, in Swords, Dublin. He is a stand-up comedian, voice over artist and actor. He has presented television shows Uncut! Best Unseen Ads and Just for Laughs, and is a guest on television panel games. As an actor he played the title character in the ITV2 adaptation of the pantomime Aladdin.

1976 – Death of Wexford hurling legend, Nicky Rackard.

1985 – Birth of William Robert “Willo” Flood in Dublin. He is a professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Scottish club Aberdeen. He has also won 15 caps for his country at under–20 and under–21 levels. His previous clubs include Manchester City, Cardiff City, Dundee United, Celtic and Middlesbrough.

1992 – An IRA bomb exploded in London’s financial district; three people were killed and 91 injured.

1998 – The Peace Agreement came under fire with both unionist and republican camps facing internal revolt, as the battle to sell the deal intensified.

1998 – A bronze bust of world-renowned Irish aviator, Colonel James ‘Fitz’ Fitzmaurice who, along with two Germans, made the first east-west transatlantic crossing in 1928, is unveiled in his hometown of Colonel James ‘Fitz’ Fitzmaurice.

1998 – The Northern Ireland peace talks ended with an historic agreement. The accord, dubbed the Good Friday Agreement, was reached after nearly two years of talks and 30 years of conflict.

2008 – Many of the main players who helped negotiate the Good Friday Agreement met in Belfast for a conference to mark its 10th anniversary. Notable by their absence were former US President Bill Clinton and former British Prime Minister Tony Blair. Also absent was David Irvine who died after suffering a heart attack and later a stroke and a brain haemorrhage in January 2007.

2015 – Death of Football great Ray Treacy. The popular Dubliner won 42 caps for his country between 1966 and 1979 and later went into management in the League of Ireland where the highlight was delivering title success to Shamrock Rovers in 1994. Treacy was also a well-known figure in the travel industry after establishing his own agency in 1978 which later became the official partner of the FAI and organised trips for both the Irish team and travelling supporters.

Photo: Ballysaggartmore Towers, Co Waterford

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