1695 – Penal Laws are passed which restrict the rights of Catholics to have an education, to bear arms, or to possess a horse worth more than five pounds.

1798 – Humbert crosses Shannon at Ballintra and camps at Cloone. Cornwallis crosses Shannon. Rebels at Wilson’s Hospital are routed; this ends the rebellion in the midlands.

1801 – Arthur Hill, 2nd Marquis of Downshire, former MP for Co. Down and one of the wealthiest landowners in Ireland, commits suicide.

1823 – Kevin Izod O’Doherty, transportee, physician and politician, is born in Dublin.

1877 – Birth of Michael Joyce “Mike” O’Neill in Maam, Co Galway. He was a starting pitcher and left fielder in Major League Baseball in the United States. From 1901 through 1907, he played for the St. Louis Cardinals (1901–04) and Cincinnati Reds (1907). O’Neill batted and threw right-handed. He played as Michael Joyce in his 1901 rookie year with the Cardinals.

1892 – John L. Sullivan loses his world heavyweight boxing title to another Irish-American, James Corbett.

1907 – Cunard Line’s RMS Lusitania sets sail on her maiden voyage from Liverpool, England to New York City.

1913 – A large meeting in Sackville Street asserts the right of free speech, trade union representation and demands an enquiry into police conduct.

1919 – An unofficial government policy of reprisals began in Fermoy, Co Cork. Two hundred British soldiers looted and burned several commercial buildings in the town, after 23 Cork Volunteers, under the leadership of Liam Lynch, augmented by Mick Mansfield and George Lennon of Waterford attacked members of the Royal Shropshire Light Infantry en route to services at the Wesleyan Church. Four soldiers were reportedly wounded, one fatally. Fifteen rifles were captured. Lynch was also wounded and taken to a Youghal safe house. Later he was transferred to West Waterford where he rested at Foley’s in Ardmore and finally taken on to Cooney’s farmhouse at Carriglea, Dungarvan. Here he recovered from his wound under the care of Dr B. Moloney from the nearby town before returning to Fermoy area. This is the first reprisal committed by the Crown forces against civilians.

1921 – Frank Duff founds the Association of Our Lady of Mercy in Dublin, later to be known as the Legion of Mary, the largest apostolic organisation of lay people in the Catholic Church.

1921 – In a letter to Éamon de Valera regarding counties Fermanagh and Tyrone, Lloyd George acknowledged that his government had a very weak case on the issue of “forcing these two counties against their will” to be part of Northern Ireland.

1924 – Birth of singer, Bridie Gallagher, affectionately known as “The Girl from Donegal”. She was “Ireland’s first truly international pop star”. Gallagher shot to fame in 1956 with her recording of “A Mother’s Love’s A Blessing” and achieved international acclaim with her legendary rendition of “The Boys From County Armagh”. During her career, which spanned over six decades, she appeared in many leading venues across the globe. She also made songs such as “The Homes of Donegal” famous.

1948 – Taoiseach John A. Costello announces that the Irish Free State will become a republic with and break all dominion ties with Great Britain. The Republic of Ireland Act was signed into law 21 December 1948 and came into effect April 1949.

1975 – The Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) shot dead one of their members near Templepatrick, Co Antrim, alleging that the had been an informer.

1979 – James Molyneaux succeeded Harry West and became the leader of the Ulster Unionist Party (UUP). Molyneaux was to remain as leader of the UUP until 28 August 1995.

1980 – Galway wins the All Ireland Final.

1981 – Two RUC officers were killed in a landmine attack carried out by the IRA on their mobile patrol near Cappagh, Co Tyrone.

1981 – John Pickering, an IRA prisoner, joined the hunger strike.

1981 – John Pickering, an IRA prisoner, joined the hunger strike.

1983 – Eighth Amendment of the Constitution of Ireland. The Eighth Amendment of the Constitution of Ireland introduced a constitutional ban on abortion. It was effected by the Eighth Amendment of the Constitution Act, 1983, which was approved by referendum on 7 September 1983 and signed into law on the 7 October of the same year. It is often called the Irish Pro-Life Amendment.

1983 – Birth of Philip Deignan in Leterkenny, Co Donegal. He is an Irish Olympian and professional road racing cyclist for UCI ProTeam Team Sky. He was educated at Saint Eunan’s College.

1984 – A member of the Ulster Defence Regiment (UDR) and a Protestant civilian were killed in an IRA attack in Co Tyrone.

1987 – John Cushnahan, leader of the Alliance Party of Northern Ireland (APNI) announced that he was to resign as party leader.

1989 – The IRA shot and killed Heidi Hazell, the German wife of a British Army soldier serving in Dortmund, West Germany.

1994 – Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, Patrick Mayhew, addressed a group of Orange Order members in Comber, Co Down. Mayhew is reported to have told the group that there was no reason why north-south bodies could not have executive powers.

1994 – United States Vice-President, Al Gore, had a meeting with Taoiseach, Albert Reynolds, at Shannon Airport.

1998 – The “real” Irish Republican Army (rIRA) announced a “complete cessation” of its campaign of violence. The announcement came after weeks of intense pressure on the group in the wake of the Omagh bombing. The only remaining Republican grouping that had not called a ceasefire was the Continuity Irish Republican Army (CIRA). Taoiseach, Bertie Ahern, called on the CIRA to state its position or face the full rigours of the law.

1998 – A RUC officer was critically injured when a blast bomb was thrown at him as he policed an Orange Order/‘Loyalist Right to March’ demonstration at Drumcree, Co Armagh. Two Catholic-owned businesses were also destroyed in petrol bomb attacks.

2001 – It is announced that US President George Bush is sending his special envoy, Richard Haass, to Northern Ireland to sound out parties on the ailing peace process.

2001 – Loyalists held a silent protest as Catholic children and parents passed along a security cordon to get to the Holy Cross Girls’ Primary School. The decision on a silent protest was as a mark of respect for Thomas McDonald (16) the Protestant boy killed in Belfast on 4 September 2001, who was due to be buried later in the day. Catholic parents held a minute’s silence before beginning their walk to the school. Inside the school grounds prayers involving clergymen from both denominations were said. This was the fifth day in the current round of protests at the school which first began on 19 June 2001.

Image| Gallarus Oratory, Dingle Peninsula, Co Kerry

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