#OTD in 1943 – The US Navy commissions the destroyer The Sullivans.

The Sullivan brothers were raised in an Irish-Catholic family, the brothers great-grandfather had emigrated from Ireland. Early on the morning of 13 November, during the naval Battle of Guadalcanal, the SS Juneau was torpedoed and badly damaged. Late that morning, while south of San Cristobal Island withdrawing with other survivors of the 13 November action, […]

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#OTD in 1803 – Death of John Barry, a native of Ballystampson, Co Wexford, Commodore in the US Navy and renowned as the Father of the American Navy.

John Barry, credited as the “Father of the American Navy” dies in Philadelphia, PA. Barry was born in Ballystampson, Co Wexford on 25 March 1745 to a poor tenant farming family who were at one stage evicted for inability to pay rent. Barry was an exceptional sailor and military tactician. Over his 17 year service […]

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#OTD in 1110 – Birth of Diarmaid Mac Murchada, King of Leinster, best remembered for bringing the Anglo-Normans to Ireland, and one of the most execrated names in Irish history.

In 1167, Diarmaid Mac Murchadha was deprived of his kingdom by the High King of Ireland – Ruaidri Ua Conchobair. The grounds for the dispossession were that Mac Murchada had, in 1152, abducted Derbforgaill, the wife of the King of Breifne, Tiernan O’Rourke. To recover his kingdom, Mac Murchada solicited help from King Henry II […]

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#OTD in 1798 – Execution of John Kelly, also known as ‘Kelly of Killane’.

John Kelly lived in Killanne in the parish of Rathnure and was a leader who fought in the United Irishmen Rebellion of 1798. While Kelly was obviously well-known to rebels and loyalists alike during the short duration of the Wexford rising, almost nothing is known of him outside this time. He was one of the […]

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

English troops defeat Irish rebels at the Battle of Vinegar Hill. 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 to surround Vinegar Hill with some 20,000 men, […]

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#OTD in Irish History | 5 June:

1646 – The Battle of Benburb: Eoghan Rua O’Neill, a superb military strategist, defeats Robert Munro’s Scottish army at Benburb in Co Tyrone. The victory is celebrated by Pope Innocent X with a Te Deum in Rome. 1686 – Richard Talbot, the Earl of Tyrconnell, appointed Lord Deputy of Ireland, (the first Catholic to hold […]

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#OTD in 1798 – United Irishmen Rebellion | Battle of Tuberneering.

Irish rebels continue to have success against English troops. At the Battle of Tuberneering, Co Wexford, under the command of Fr John Murphy, rebels ambush in a narrow defile troops of the 4th Royal Dragoon Guards, militia and yeomanry auxiliaries, under the command of Lieutenant-Colonel Walpole. Walpole and 100 men were killed, the rest, throwing […]

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#OTD in 1798 – United Irishmen Rebellion | In the first Battle of Enniscorthy, the rebels take the town.

The Battle of Enniscorthy was a land battle fought between forces of the British Crown and a force of Irish Rebels at Enniscorthy, Co Wexford. The attack began at about 1pm, when the Rebels drove a herd of cattle through the towns’s Duffry gate, creating disorder among the loyalist defenders. After a defense of about […]

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#OTD in 1171 – Diarmaid MacMurrough, king of Leinster, died in Ferns, Co Wexford.

Diarmaid Mac Murchadha, King of Leinster, is often considered to have been the most notorious traitor in Irish history. After succeeding to the throne of his father, Enna, in 1126, Diarmaid Mac Murchadha faced a number of rivals who disputed his claim to the kingship. He established his authority by killing or blinding seventeen rebel […]

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