#OTD in 1920 – Birth of Maureen O’Hara, born Maureen FitzSimons in Ranelagh, Co Dublin.

17/08/2019.Reading time 2 minutes.

“Above all else, deep in my soul, I’m a tough Irishwoman.” –Maureen O’Hara Perhaps the most famous redhead in the world, actress Maureen O’Hara (born Maureen Fitzsimons) is born in Dublin. O’Hara is probably most famous for her role in John Ford’s The Quiet Man where she played opposite John Wayne. Blessed with fiery red […]

#OTD in Irish History – 17 August:

17/08/2019.Reading time 11 minutes.

1779 – Birth of United Irishman and soldier, William Corbet, in Ballythomas, Co Cork. 1786 – Birth of Davy Crockett, American frontiersman and son of an Irishman. 1791 – Birth of Richard Lalor Sheil, dramatist and politician; first Catholic privy councillor, in Drumdowney, Co Kilkenny. 1846 – Lord John Russell’s Whig administration decides not to […]

#OTD in 1920 – Court-martial of Terence MacSwiney, Lord Mayor of Cork for possession of seditious articles and documents.

16/08/2019.Reading time 3 minutes.

‘One armed man cannot resist a multitude, nor one army conquer countless legions; but not all the armies of all the empires of earth can crush the spirit of one true man. And that one man will prevail’. –Terence MacSwiney Lord Mayor, Terence MacSwiney is under court-martial over which Colonel James, Staffordshire Regiment, presided, assembled […]

#OTD in 2008 – Death of singer and folk musician, Ronnie Drew.

16/08/2019.Reading time 6 minutes.

Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam. Ronnie Drew was born in Dún Laoghaire, Co Dublin. He was best known for his long beard and his voice, which was once described by Nathan Joseph as “like the sound of coke being crushed under a door”. For more than 30 years, the distinctive voice of the […]

#OTD in Irish History – 16 August:

16/08/2019.Reading time 13 minutes.

1793 – The Convention Act (1793) was aimed at preventing the recurrence of events like the Convention of the Volunteers in 1782 where armed groups (of Protestants) from various parts of Ireland assembled in Dublin and were able to overawe the Government at a time when there were few troops in the country. Contrary to […]

Lady Well Killyon Ceremonies – Boyne Valley, Co Meath

15/08/2019.Reading time 2 minutes.

The site of Lady Well in Killyon is typical of the sites of holy wells in the Boyne valley. There is a tumulus nearby which shows that the place was of importance in pagan times. The site of Lady Well in Killyon had probably been an important chief’s residence at the time of St Patrick, […]

#OTD in 1998 – Massive bomb explodes in Omagh shopping centre at 3.10pm; Twenty-nine people are killed and hundreds injured.

15/08/2019.Reading time 5 minutes.

Ar dheis Dé go raibh a n-anama. An IRA bomb explodes in Omagh, Co Tyrone killing twenty-nine people, including a pregnant woman with twins. As a result of the Good Friday Agreement of 1998, the people of Northern Ireland thought they had seen the end of violence. However, a tiny breakaway group of IRA dissidents […]

#OTD in Irish History – 15 August:

15/08/2019.Reading time 9 minutes.

In the Liturgical calendar, today is the Feast of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary. It is also the feast day of St. Daga, 6th century Bishop of Iniskin, Dundalk. Lady’s Day in Ireland, the Feast of the Assumption of Mary, and is a day when fairs are celebrated in many country towns. 1599 – […]

#OTD in 1814 – Birth of Sister Anthony (born Mary Ellen O’Connell) in Limerick.

14/08/2019.Reading time 5 minutes.

A Sister of Charity of Cincinnati, she served with distinction as a nurse on the front lines of the American Civil War. Her work with the wounded and in health care in general caused her to be known as “Angel of the Battlefield” and “Florence Nightingale of America.” Her portrait hangs in the Smithsonian Institution […]

#OTD in 1598 – Nine Years War: Battle of the Yellow Ford – Irish forces under Hugh O’Neill, Earl of Tyrone, defeat an English expeditionary force under Henry Bagenal.

14/08/2019.Reading time 1 minute.

The Battle of the Yellow Ford was fought in western Co Armagh, during the Nine Years War. It was fought between the Gaelic native Irish army under Aodh Mór Ó Néill and Aodh Ruadh Ó Domhnaill and a crown expeditionary force from Dublin under Henry Bagenal. The crown forces were marching from Armagh town to […]

Stair na hÉireann/History of Ireland

Category: Ireland

#OTD in 1920 – Birth of Maureen O’Hara, born Maureen FitzSimons in Ranelagh, Co Dublin.

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#OTD in Irish History – 17 August:

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#OTD in 1920 – Court-martial of Terence MacSwiney, Lord Mayor of Cork for possession of seditious articles and documents.

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#OTD in 2008 – Death of singer and folk musician, Ronnie Drew.

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#OTD in Irish History – 16 August:

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Lady Well Killyon Ceremonies – Boyne Valley, Co Meath

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#OTD in 1998 – Massive bomb explodes in Omagh shopping centre at 3.10pm; Twenty-nine people are killed and hundreds injured.

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#OTD in Irish History – 15 August:

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#OTD in 1814 – Birth of Sister Anthony (born Mary Ellen O’Connell) in Limerick.

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#OTD in 1598 – Nine Years War: Battle of the Yellow Ford – Irish forces under Hugh O’Neill, Earl of Tyrone, defeat an English expeditionary force under Henry Bagenal.

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