In the Liturgical Calendar, the Feast Day of Declán mac Eircc (also Déclán or Declan), Declanus in Latin sources, was an early Irish saint of the Déisi Muman, who was remembered for having converted the Déisi in the late 5th century and for having founded the monastery of Ardmore (Ard Mór) in what is now Co Waterford. The principal source for his life and cult is a Latin Life of the 12th century. Like Ailbe of Emly, Ciarán of Saigir and Abbán of Moyarney, Declán is presented as a Munster saint who preceded Saint Patrick in bringing Christianity to Ireland. He was regarded as a patron saint of the Déisi of East Munster.

1261 – The Norman-Irish under the justiciar, William de Dene, are heavily defeated by Fineen MacCarthy at the battle of Callann in Co Kerry. The MacCarthys and O’Sullivans now control the south-west corner of Ireland. Richard de la Rochelle becomes justiciar.

1294 – Before the council of Dublin, de Vescy accuses John Fitz Thomas, Baron of Offaly, of defaming him to the king and council in England. Fitz Thomas retorts that de Vescy has described the king as the most perverse and dastardly knight of his kingdom. A wager of battle follows and the party are summoned before the king at Westminster. On this date, de Vescy appears ready to give battle but Fitz Thomas does not; de Vescy thus wins his case by default. However, he has been removed from the post of justiciar.

1750 – Birth of lawyer, politician, and defender of prominent United Irishmen, John Philpott Curran, in Newmarket, Co Cork.

1847 – An Gorta Mór mass emigration.

1863 – Death of John Moore Nelligan, one of the foremost physicians and medical teachers of his day. He was born in Clonmel, Co Tipperary in 1815. He received particular acclaim for his book Medicines, their Uses and Modes of Administration. He was editor of Dublin Quarterly Journal of Medical Science from 1849 to 1861. Nelligan was an expert on cutaneous diseases, and in 1852 published a work on Diseases of the Skin.

1878 – Edward Barrett, 18th Baron of Dunsany, fantasist, playwright and short-story writer is born in London.

1909 – Birth of human rights activist and author, Geoffrey Bing, in Belfast.

1920 – Three days of sectarian riots in Belfast instigated by the Belfast Protestant Association come to an end. More than a dozen people are killed and many others are driven from their homes.

1922 – Republican fighters under Liam Deasy re-take Bruff and take 76 Free State prisoners.

1922 – Naval landing of 400 Free State troops at Clew Bay, Co Mayo. They link up with National Army troops advancing from Castlebar under Seán Mac Eoin and take Westport from the Anti-Treaty forces there.

1922 – Anti-Treaty IRA fighters ambush a prison train Killurin, Co Wexford, freeing its prisoners; two Free State soldiers are killed and 7 wounded.

1922 – Two civilians are shot dead in Dublin when Republican fighters rob a public house.

1922 – Two young female civilians are shot dead another man critically wounded by Northern Ireland forces along the border with the Free State, near Newry. They had failed to stop when challenged.

1922 – Two Free State soldiers are killed in Galway, when the car they were driving crashes into a tree laid across the road.

1940 – The Picture Post magazine is banned in Ireland after a campaign by the Irish Catholic which objected to the ‘vulgarity and suggestiveness of the illustrations’.

1943 – Edward McLysaght appointed first Chief Herald of Ireland.

1944 – Birth of guitarist, Jim Armstrong, in Belfast. Armstrong’s musical career started while he was still a schoolboy, when he played in Belfast’s top showband, The Melotones, who were resident in the city’s Romano’s Ballroom. Armstrong played and recorded in the mid-’60s with Van Morrison and Them, touring both Europe and America (where he lived – playing and recording – for 4 years). Of the 51 tracks recorded by Morrison and Them (1964–66), Armstrong played on over half, and while living in America met and played with Jim Morrison and The Doors, Captain Beefheart and Frank Zappa. During this time he was voted 3rd best guitarist in the world (after Jimi Hendrix and Frank Zappa).

1945 – Death of Kitty Kiernan. Born in Granary, Co Longford, she is widely known as the fiancée of assassinated Irish revolutionary, Michael Collins. Collins was introduced to the vivacious Kiernan sisters by his cousin Geared O’Sullivan, who was already dating Maud Kieran. Kitty died of Bright’s disease (as did all of her siblings), and was buried in Glasnevin Cemetery, Dublin, not far from where Collins lies.

1962 – Death of Margaret Buckley, an Irish republican and president of Sinn Féin from 1937 to 1950.

1974 – Patrick Kelly (33), a Nationalist councillor, disappeared after leaving Trillick, Co Tyrone, to travel home. Later in the day bloodstains, and cartridge cases were found on the roadside about one mile outside of Trillick. Kelly’s body was discovered on 10 August 1974 in Lough Eyes, near Lisbellaw, Co Fermanagh. He had been shot a number of times and his body had been weighted down and dumped in the lake. Nationalists claimed that there had been security force involvement or collusion in his killing.

1975 – Secretary of Sate for Northern Ireland, Merlyn Rees, announced that all those interned without trial would be released by Christmas.

1989 – Peter Brooke was appointed as the new Secretary of State for Northern Ireland. John Cope became Minister of State, and Lord Skelmersdale and Peter Bottomley were appointed as Under-Secretaries.

1990 – IRA bomb in Armagh kills three RUC officers and a Catholic nun who was driving by at the time. The IRA and Martin McGuinness of Sinn Féin apologised for the death of the nun.

1992 – There was a summer adjournment in Strand Two of the political talks (later known as the Brooke/Mayhew talks). The talks recommenced on 2 September 1992.

1994 – Sinn Féin (SF) held a special conference in Letterkenny, Co Donegal to consider the Downing Street Declaration (DSD). The conference was addressed by President of SF, Gerry Adams. He is reported to have said that the DSD: “suggests a potentially significant change in the approach of the [two] governments to resolving the conflict in Ireland, and we welcome this. But it does not deal adequately with some of the core issues, and this is crucial.” The mainly critical tone about the DSD led many observers to conclude the proposals had been rejected.

1997 – A Catholic civilian, James Morgan (16), was abducted after he accepted a lift in a car while travelling from Newcastle to Annsborourgh, Co Down. Morgan’s body was found on 27 July 1997. He had been tortured before being killed and his body was dumped in a water-logged pit full of animal parts. No group claimed responsibility for his killing but it was believed by most commentators that the Loyalist Volunteer Force (LVF) was responsible. To the astonishment of many people the RUC did not ascribe a sectarian motive to the abduction and killing until 28 July 1997.

1997 – What was described as a “crude parcel bomb” was delivered by post to the office of Robert McCartney, leader of the United Kingdom Unionist Party (UKUP), at his office in Stormont. The device was defused by the British Army. McCartney was on holiday at the time of the incident.

1997 – David Trimble, leader of the Ulster Unionist Party (UUP), said that it was important for Unionists to remain in the talks in order to win the propaganda war. He also said that Sinn Féin (SF) would eventually have to accept a partitionist solution to the conflict.

1997 – A Sinn Féin Councillor in Magherafelt, John Kelly, issued an apology to Protestants in Maghera and Swinford for “wanton acts of sectarian vandalism” when Nationalists engaged in rioting following the events at Drumcree.

1997 – The ‘Birmingham Six’ said that they would seek compensation in the European Court after British Home Secretary, Jack Straw, said that he would not meet them to reconsider their case. The six men each received £200,000 compensation (in addition to some interim payments) as compensation for 16 years of wrongful imprisonment. The men were also looking for an apology from the British government.

1998 – In a ruling on the conduct of the new inquiry into the events of ‘Bloody Sunday’ the chairman Lord Saville said that soldiers giving evidence would be entitled to ‘partial anonymity’.

1998 – The Police (Northern Ireland) Act was passed in the House of Commons.

1998 – It was announced that 1997 had been a record year for Irish tax revenue earnings reflecting the buoyant nature of the Irish economy.

1998 – Cork Opera House announces significant rise in operating losses.

2000 – The new Student Drama Theatre in the NUI Galway opens.

2000 – Bus strike cripples large areas of Dublin.

2000 – Galway district court Judge John Garavan refuses to extend late night opening hours to a number of nightclubs because the women frequenting them are “dreadful and not respectable”.

2002 – Latest census figures show that the population of the State is just over 3.9 million – the highest level since 1871.

2010 – Death of Alexander Gordon Higgins. Born in Belfast, he is also known by his nickname of Hurricane Higgins, and was a professional snooker player who was twice World Champion and twice runner-up. Higgins earned the nickname The Hurricane because of his speed of play. Higgins was also a former World Doubles champion with Jimmy White and won the World Cup three times with the All Ireland team. He also came to be known as the People’s Champion because of his popularity.

Image | St Declan’s Oratory, Ardmore, Co Waterford

#irishhistory #ireland #irelandinspires