#OTD in 1923 – Republican prisoner Denny Barry dies on hunger strike in Newbridge camp.

20/11/2022.Reading time 6 minutes.

Denis ‘Dinny’ Barry (Donnchadh de Barra) was born into a farming family in Cullen, Riverstick, ten miles south of Cork city. Barry enjoyed Gaelic culture and sport, and was a prominent member of the Ballymartle hurling club. He later joined the famous Blackrock National Hurling Club where he won 4 senior county championships in a […]

#OTD in 1968 – Champion racehorse, Arkle, is retired to see out the rest of his days in Bryanstown, Kildare.

09/10/2022.Reading time 2 minutes.

It was a famous Irish Thoroughbred racehorse; a bay gelding by Archive out of Bright Cherry, his grandsire was the unbeaten (in 14 races) flat racehorse and prepotent sire Nearco. Arkle was bred at Ballymacoll Stud, Co Meath by Mrs. Mary Alison Baker of Malahow House, near Naul, Co Dublin. Owned by Anne Grosvenor, Duchess […]

The Knights Templar in Ireland

08/04/2022.Reading time 7 minutes.

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 […]

#OTD in 1976 – The ‘Sallins Train Robbery’.

31/03/2022.Reading time 2 minutes.

The Sallins Train Robbery occurred on 31 March 1976 when the Cork to Dublin mail train was robbed near Sallins in Co Kildare. Approximately £200,000 was stolen. Five members of the IRSP: Osgur Breatnach, Nicky Kelly, Brian McNally, Michael Plunkett and John Fitzpatrick were arrested in connection with the robbery. After the failure of the […]