#OTD in 1607 – The Earls of Tyrone and Tyrconnell, along with a close circle of family and associates, boarded a ship at Rathmullan on Lough Swilly, bound for Spain.

This event has become known as ‘The Flight of the Earls’ and is widely regarded as one of the most enigmatic events in Irish history, virtually defying explanation. A French ship sailed from the northern harbour of Rathmullan in Lough Swilly. On board were Hugh O’Neill, Earl of Tyrone, and Rory O’Donnell, Earl of Tyrconnell, […]

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#OTD in Irish History | 26 August:

1725 – Five Dublin children receive the first recorded smallpox inoculations in Ireland. 1798 – General Humbert leaves Ballina bound for Castlebar. He takes an indirect route through the mountains. 1811 – Death of Thomas Fitzsimons. He was an American merchant and statesman of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He represented Pennsylvania in the Continental Congress, the Constitutional […]

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Banba’s Crown, Malin Head, Co Donegal

Enter Malin Head along the west side of the Wild Atlantic Way’s Inishowen Peninsula and continue to the tip called Banba’s Crown. “The Tower”, as it’s known locally, was built by the British in 1805 as part of a string of buildings right around the Irish coast to guard against a possible French invasion. Banba’s […]

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#OTD in Irish History | 21 August:

1693 – Death of Jacobite and soldier, Patrick Sarsfield. Born in Lucan, Co Dublin, he was created the first Earl of Lucan and belonged to an Anglo-Norman family long settled in Ireland. His father Patrick Sarsfield married Anne, daughter of Rory (Roger) O’Moore, who organised the Irish Rebellion of 1641. The family was of Norman […]

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Clocha na hÉireann (Stones of Ireland), Glencolmcille, Co Donegal

The project was a collaborative 1916 commemoration work between stone masons from every county in Ireland. Each stone mason was asked to carve their native county using natural stone of that region. Carvings included everything from county emblems to representations of local mythology, geographical features, architecture and history.

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#OTD in Irish History | 16 August:

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 […]

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#OTD in Irish History | 13 August:

1649 – Oliver Cromwell sets sail for Ireland and the commencement of one the most vicious military campaigns inflicted on Ireland. 1689 – The Duke of Schomberg lands at Groomsport with his 10,000 strong Williamite army. 1819 – Birth of Sir George Gabriel Stokes, mathematician and physicist, in Skreen, Co Sligo. 1846 – Birth of […]

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#OTD in 1636 – The Annals of the Four Masters is completed.

Annála Ríoghachta Éireann, The Annals of the Kingdom of Ireland, better known as the Annals of the Four Masters, is an anthology which covers the medieval period in Ireland, from AM 2242 to AD 1616. They contain records of the High Kings of Ireland as well as provincial kings, chiefs, distinguished families, men of science, […]

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#OTD in Irish History | 10 August:

1316 – Battle of Athenry: Irish rising in support of Edward the Bruce of Scotland. 1636 – The Annals of the Four Masters is completed. The Annals of the Kingdom of Ireland (Annala Rioghachta Éireann) or the Annals of the Four Masters (Annala na gCeithre Mháistrí) are a chronicle of medieval Irish history. The entries […]

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