#OTD in 1798 – Wolfe Tone’s United Irish and French forces clash with the British Army in the Battle of Castlebar.

27/08/2023.Reading time 7 minutes.

The Battle of Castlebar near the town of Castlebar, Co Mayo. A combined force of 2,000 French troops and Irish patriots routed a force of 6,000 British militia in what would later become known as the “Castlebar Races” or “Races of Castlebar”. The long-awaited French landing to assist the Irish revolution begun by Theobald Wolfe […]

#OTD in Irish History | 23 August:

23/08/2023.Reading time 10 minutes.

In the Liturgical calendar, it is the Feast day of St Éogan of Ardstraw. 1170 – Richard De Clare (Strongbow), a henchman of Henry II, arrives in Waterford at the behest of Dermot McMurrough, an event described in the Annals of Ulster as “the beginning of the woes of Ireland”. 1742 – Birth of Walter […]

#OTD in 1882 – Five members of a family in Maamtrasna, Co Galway were murdered.

17/08/2023.Reading time 3 minutes.

At Maamtrasna, Co Galway, five members of the Joyce family were brutally killed on 17 August 1882. The initial victims were John Joyce, his mother, Margaret Joyce, his wife, Bridget Joyce, his daughter, Margaret Joyce (also known as Peigí). John’s son, Michael Joyce, died of his injuries the following day. The sole survivor of the […]

#OTD in Irish History | 5 August:

05/08/2023.Reading time 7 minutes.

1722 – Birth of William Henry Fortescue, politician and sportsman, who tried unsuccessfully in the 1760s to introduce a bill ‘to preserve partridges and hares and to take away the lives of above half the dogs in the nation’. 1829 – Birth of William Coffey VC DCM in Knocklong, Co Limerick. He was an Irish […]

Lughnasadh | Ancient Festival

26/07/2023.Reading time 5 minutes.

In Irish mythology, the Lughnasadh festival is said to have been begun by the god Lugh (Lú) as a funeral feast and athletic competition in commemoration of his mother (or foster-mother) Tailtiu. She was said to have died of exhaustion after clearing the plains of Ireland for agriculture. Tailtiu may have been an earth goddess […]

Domhnach Crom Dubh | Dun Briste, Co Mayo

25/07/2023.Reading time 3 minutes.

The last Sunday in July was known in Ireland as Domhnach Crom Dubh (meaning the ‘dark, stooped one’), Crom Dubh (originally called Crom Cruiach) was the chief Celtic idol of Ireland. His chief shrine was located on Magh Slécht (The Plain of Prostrations) in Co Cavan, surrounded by twelve other gods. The Domhnach (meaning Sunday) […]

#OTD in 1870 – Michael Davitt is sentenced to 15 years penal servitude for gun-running.

18/07/2023.Reading time 5 minutes.

The Father of the Land League and pioneer of social justice, Michael Davitt, was born in Straide, Co Mayo, on 25 March 1846 during An Gorta Mór. When Michael was six years old, his parents, Martin and Sabina Davitt, were evicted and their cottage was burnt down. Eventually, they ended up in Haslingden, near Manchester. […]

#OTD in Irish History | 15 July:

15/07/2023.Reading time 14 minutes.

1865 – Alfred Harmsworth, 1st Viscount Northcliffe; statesman, journalist and newspaper magnate, is born in Chapelizod, Co Dublin. 1871 – Birth of Gerald O’Donovan, priest and novelist, in Co Down. 1879 – Birth of poet, Joseph Campbell, in Belfast. He is famous for the English words he wrote to the song My Lagan Love. 1899 […]

#OTD in Irish History | 14 June:

14/06/2023.Reading time 11 minutes.

In the Liturgical calendar, today is the Feast day of Caomhán of Inisheer, a 6th-century saint. Caomhan is the patron saint of Inisheer (Inis Oírr), the smallest of the Aran Islands. Even though he is “by far the most celebrated of all the saints of the Aran Islands”, little is known about him. He is […]

#OTD in 1974 – Michael Gaughan dies on hunger strike at Parkhurst Prison in England.

03/06/2023.Reading time 3 minutes.

Michael Gaughan was born in Ballina, Co Mayo in 1950. He grew up at Healy Terrace and was educated at St Muredach’s College, Ballina, and after finishing his schooling, he emigrated from Ireland to England in search of work. Whilst in London, Gaughan became a member of the Official IRA (OIRA) through its English wing […]

Stair na hÉireann | History of Ireland

Tag: Co. Mayo

#OTD in 1798 – Wolfe Tone’s United Irish and French forces clash with the British Army in the Battle of Castlebar.

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#OTD in Irish History | 23 August:

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#OTD in 1882 – Five members of a family in Maamtrasna, Co Galway were murdered.

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#OTD in Irish History | 5 August:

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Lughnasadh | Ancient Festival

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Domhnach Crom Dubh | Dun Briste, Co Mayo

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#OTD in 1870 – Michael Davitt is sentenced to 15 years penal servitude for gun-running.

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#OTD in Irish History | 15 July:

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#OTD in Irish History | 14 June:

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#OTD in 1974 – Michael Gaughan dies on hunger strike at Parkhurst Prison in England.

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