#OTD in 1798 – United Irish Rebellion: The Battle of Vinegar Hill (Cath Chnoc Fhíodh na gCaor).

21/06/2018.Reading time 3 minutes.

English troops defeat Irish rebels at the Battle of Vinegar Hill, effectively putting an end to the 1798 rebellion. With the rebels scattered in the north, attention shifted once again to those still ‘out’ in Wexford, and the army laid plans to attack their camp at Vinegar Hill. On 21st June, General Gerard Lake attempted […]

#OTD in Irish History – 22 June:

21/06/2018.Reading time 10 minutes.

1770 – James Smyth, MP for Dundalk, is killed in a riding accident. 1777 – Birth of Admiral William Brown (also known in Spanish as Guillermo Brown) was born in Foxford, Co Mayo and died in Buenos Aires, Argentina on 3 March 1857. 1798 – United Irishmen Rebellion: Rebel southern column marches through Sculloge Gap, […]

#OTD in Irish History – 21 June:

21/06/2018.Reading time 12 minutes.

Today is the summer solstice. At approximately 3.00 am Irish time the sun reaches the most northerly point of its oscillation and the longest day in Ireland results — just over 17 hours. 1650 – Cromwell’s New Model Army is victorious at Scarrifhollis, Co Donegal. 1691 – Godert de Ginkel, the commanding general of the […]

‘Undiscovered Souls’ © Joe Canning 2018. All Rights Reserved.

21/06/2018.Reading time 2 minutes.

‘Undiscovered Souls’ © Joe Canning 2018. All Rights Reserved. In my mind’s eye I see them. Fleeing the accursed land of Érin. The rock roads where hundreds fell; Hunger, consumption and broken hearts. Mothers, fathers, clawing at a destitute earth, Interring the lost fruits of her womb. A passing exodus, staring, crossing themselves. […]

#OTD in 1763 – Birth of one of the founding members of the United Irishmen, Theobald Wolfe Tone, in Dublin.

20/06/2018.Reading time 2 minutes.

“To unite the whole people of Ireland, to abolish the memory of all past dissections, and to substitute the common name of Irishman, in place of the denominations of Protestant, Catholic, and Dissenter—these were my means.” ―Theobald Wolfe Tone Theobald Wolfe Tone’s place in Irish history can scarcely be overstated as he is regarded as […]

#OTD in 1631 – The Sack of Baltimore: The Irish Village of Baltimore is attacked by Algerian pirates.

20/06/2018.Reading time 4 minutes.

The Sack of Baltimore was attacked by Algerian pirates from the North African Barbary Coast. The attack was the biggest single attack by the Barbary pirates on Ireland or Britain. The attack was led by a Dutch captain turned pirate, Jan Janszoon van Haarlem, also known as Murad Reis the Younger. Murad’s force was led […]

#OTD in Irish History – 20 June:

20/06/2018.Reading time 13 minutes.

77 AD – Roman General, Gnaeus Julius Agricola, became governor of Britainnia. While there, he completed the conquest of what is now Wales and northern England, and led his army to the far north of Scotland, establishing forts across much of the Lowlands. In 81, Agricola “crossed in the first ship” and defeated peoples unknown to the Romans until […]

The Summer Solstice

20/06/2018.Reading time 5 minutes.

This year, the Summer Solstice falls on 21 June and is the longest day of the year, when there are approximately 17 hours of light and when the sun is at its highest point of the year in the northern hemisphere. The name comes from the Latin solstitium meaning “sun stands still”. It happens because […]

The Ark of the Covenant and The Hill of Tara

19/06/2018.Reading time 5 minutes.

During 1899 and 1902, members of the British-Israel Association of London came to Co Meath to dig up the Hill of Tara. These ‘British-Israelites’ believed they would find buried there the Ark of the Covenant, the chest said to contain the Ten Commandments inscribed on stone tablets. Their strange and unlawful activity provoked a protest […]

Uraicecht Becc – Old Irish for ‘Small Primer’

19/06/2018.Reading time 3 minutes.

Uraicecht Becc is an Old Irish legal tract on status. Of all status tracts, it has the greatest breadth in coverage, including not only commoners, kings, churchmen and poets, but also a variety of other professional groups, including judges. However, it does not go into as much detail for each group and level as do […]