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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
The Battle of New Ross was the bloodiest of the 1798 rebellion. The southern force of the Wexford rebels had swelled to almost 10,000 by the morning of 5 June. Most of this force was armed only with pikes. If they could succeed in taking New Ross, the way would be open to spread the […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
The Knights Templar were founded about 1118 or shortly before by Hugh de Payens and other noble knights, for the primary purpose of protecting pilgrims travelling to Jerusalem. Because their headquarters were located near the site of the Temple of Solomon in Jerusalem, the order became known as Militia Templi Solomonis, or the soldiers of […]
Relatives of the 61 people who died on Flight 712 will attend a special 50th anniversary Mass on Sunday, 25 March 2018 at the Church of the Assumption in Ballyphehane, Co Cork. A special memorial service is also expected to take place in Wexford – the last point of land crossed by the Aer Lingus plane […]
His father, Richard Hanrahan, was involved in the 1867 Fenian rising. The family moved to Carlow, where Michael was educated at Carlow Christian Brothers’ School and Carlow College Academy. On leaving school he worked various jobs including a period alongside his father in the cork-cutting business. In 1898 he joined the Gaelic League and in […]
