On September 29, 1979 - Pope John Paul II arrived in Dublin for the first ever papal visit to Ireland September 25 1697 - During William III's reign, Catholic clergy are banished by Act of Parliament 1819 - George Salmon, mathematician and professor of divinity, is born in Cork 1880 - Viscount Mountmorres is killed near Clonbur, Co. Galway 1917 - Thomas Ashe dies in the Mater Hospital in Dublin from the combined effects of a hunger strike and forced feeding at Mountjoy Jail. The following famous and much repeated Sean O’Casey quote "You cannot put a rope around the neck of an idea... you cannot confine it in the strongest prison cell that your slaves could ever build." was made on the subject of the death of Thomas Ashe 1961 - Ronnie Whelan, Home Farm, Liverpool, Reading and Republic of Ireland footballer, is born in Dublin 1983 - 38 IRA prisoners break out of the Maze prison, 19 succeed in escaping 1999 - Sam Tamsanguan from Wilton’s Restaurant in London wins the world oyster opening championship title at the 45th annual Galway Oyster Festival 1999 - Protestant civil rights marchers blatantly defy a Belfast City Council ban to lay a wreath at the cenotaph to the victims of the Troubles during the so-called Long March 2000 - Sonia O'Sullivan wins a silver medal in the 5,000 meters at the Olympic Games in Sydney, Australia 2002 - Saying "He is no longer acceptable in our organisation," Loyalist chief Johnny "Mad Dog" Adair is dumped by the leadership of the paramilitary Ulster Defence Association. September 26 1289 - 'All men of good will to the king', both Irish and English, in Munster and Leinster are summoned to Buttevant in Leix (Queen's County). A ten-day expedition which begins on this date, subdues and forces the local Irish into an uneasy peace 1713 - Charles Lucas, physician, MP and political radical, is born in Ballingaddy, Ennis, Co. Clare 1902 - James Dillon, politician and Fine Gael leader is born in Dublin 1930 - Saor Éire, a republican/socialist party, is founded by Peadar O'Donnell, Seán MacBride and other IRA members; it, the IRA and ten other organizations are declared illegal in the Free State on 23 October, and the Catholic Church excommunicates members of all 12 organizations. Saor Éire is soon dissolved 1932 - De Valera opens the 13th Assembly of the League of Nations in Geneva 1957 - Shamrock Rovers become the first League of Ireland team to play in the European Cup — they lose 6-0 to Manchester United 1997 - U2 plays its first-ever show in Greece, in the city of Thessaloniki 2000 - Ulster Unionist leader David Trimble warns that the Good Friday Agreement could vanish over plans for new policing arrangements and the IRA’s failure to disarm 2000 - Financier George Finbar Ross, whose Gibraltar-based International Investments company went bust in the mid-eighties owning millions to Irish investors, is cleared of the bulk of the charges against him 2001 - Thousands of teachers will be docked up to £500 each because of industrial action they took prior to last year's State exams In the liturgical calendar, today is Feast day of St. Colman. September 27 1662 - An "act for encouraging Protestant strangers and others to inhabit and plant in the kingdom of Ireland" is passed in the Irish Parliament under Charles II 1725 - Patrick Darcy, scientist and soldier, is born in Kitulla, Co.Galway 1891 - Charles Stewart Parnell makes his last public appearance at Creggs, Co. Galway 1926 - Tim O'Keeffe, publisher, is born in Kinsale, Co. Cork 1954 - Brian Mullins, Dublin Gaelic footballer, is born in Dublin 1957 - Launch of the Royal Showband 1971 - Heath, Lynch and Faulkner meet for talks at Chequers 1973 - The first in an annual series of ecumenical conferences is held at Ballymascanlon, Co. Lout and is attended by representatives of al the main churches 1998 - Tony Blair calls for a crisis meeting with David Trimble, Seamus Mallon and Gerry Adams to try to break the deadlock which has arisen over the decommissioning of arms 1998 - Liam Neeson and Natasha Richardson announce they will donate a six-figure libel payout to a memorial fund for the victims of the Omagh bomb massacre 1999 - The Tipperary Rural and Business Development Institute opens in Thurles, Co Tipperary 2000 - Sinn Féin leader Gerry Adams accuses David Trimble of attempting to manufacture another artificial crisis in Northern Ireland 2000 - Thirty-three years after it was made, censors lift the ban on a film adaptation of James Joyce’s epic novel Ulysses 2001 - British Airways announces it is to close its Belfast-Heathrow route with 160 job losses. BA's decision also means it will suspend its daily service to Gatwick from Shannon and Cork 2001 - Entrepreneur Denis O'Brien is ordered to leave the Oireachtas committee inquiring into the CIE rail signalling project after telling Deputy Seán Doherty he is unfit to be its chairman. September 28 1678 - 'Popish plot' is alleged in England 1690 - Marlborough takes Cork for the Williamites 1703 - Francis Annesley is expelled from the Irish Commons for his part in The Report of the Commissioners appointed by Parliament into the Irish Forfeitures, printed in London, containing the paragraph: 'And indeed it does appear to us, that the Freeholders of this Kingdom, through length of time and by contracting new friendship with the Irish, or by inter-purchasing with one another, but chiefly through a general dislike of the disposition of the forfeitures, are scarce willing to find any person guilty of the late rebellion, even upon full evidence.' The House has found that Annesley 'scandalously and maliciously misrepresented and traduced the Protestant Freeholders of this Kingdom and thereby endeavoured to create a misunderstanding and jealousy between the people of England and the Protestants of this Kingdom' 1912 - Edward Carson, leader of Ulster Unionists, stages signing of "Southern League and Covenant" against Irish Home Rule 1920 - Cork No. 2 Brigade, IRA, attacks and captures a military barracks in Mallow, Co. Cork. English forces later burn and sack the town 1960 - RTÉ broadcasts a report on the re-opening of Bunratty Castle to the public after extensive refurbishing 1964 - Divis Street riots follow Ian Paisley's insistence that the RUC remove the Tricolour from a window at Sinn Féin’s Belfast headquarters 1978 - Pope John Paul I dies after just 33 days in office aged 65 - the shortest reign in the entire history of the Papacy 1987 - U2 is joined by the New Voices of Freedom choir onstage at Madison Square Garden in New York for a performance of "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" 1998 - Taoiseach Bertie Ahern vows to hand over all necessary papers to the Flood Tribunal investigation into alleged planning irregularities 1998 - The final strains of the Last Post symbolically close a 200-year-old military history in Fermoy and Ballincollig as the Tricolour is lowered and the troops leave the barracks. Both camps are closing and the soldiers are being transferred to Cork 1999 - The home of dual Olympian and arguably Ireland’s greatest ever athlete, the late Dr Pat O’Callaghan, is demolished in his adopted Clonmel to make way for a Rehab training facility 1999 - Larchill Arcadian Gardens in Co. Kildare win's the top prize in the ESB Community Environment Awards 2000 - The Ulster Unionist Party warns that it may withdraw from all North South bodies established under the Good Friday Agreement unless guarantees are forthcoming on IRA decommissioning, and policing 2000 - According to official figures, the number of mobile telephone connections in Ireland exceeds the fixed line total for the first time 2000 - A call for the IRA to be disbanded is made by Taoiseach Bertie Ahern when he reiterates the view that Fianna Fáil cannot go into government with Sinn Féin while that party remains linked to an armed force. September 29 1155 - A proposal for the invasion of Ireland by Henry II is discussed at the Council of Winchester and rejected, though soon after, Henry obtains a papal privilege approving the invasion 1603 - Rory O'Donnell kisses the king's hand and is created Earl of Tyrconnell 1678 - Count Peter Lacy, soldier, governor of Livonia (Latvia) and field-marshal in the Russian army, is born in Killeedy, Co. Limerick 1732 - Birth of Sir Henry Cavendish, politician and master of shorthand, who recorded parliamentary debates 1778 - Birth in Dublin of Catherine McAuley, founder of the Sisters of Mercy 1798 - Tandy and other Irish political prisoners in Hamburg are handed over to British authorities 1826 - Charles Cornwallis Chesney, professor of military history, is born in Kilkeel, Co. Down 1836 - Michael Mulhall, publisher and statistician, is born in Dublin 1854 - Birth in Kinvara, Co. Galway of Francis Arthur Fahy who wrote the song, Galway Bay 1898 - Fenian Thomas Clarke is released from Portland Prison 1905 - Francis Llewellyn Harrison, musicologist, is born in Dublin 1908 - Birth of film star Greer Garson in Co. Down 1929 - The last active Fenian, John Devoy, dies 1930 - George Bernard Shaw refuses a peerage 1972 - Kathleen Daly Clarke, Irish patriot, dies 1979 - Pope John Paul II arrives in Dublin for the first ever papal visit to Ireland 1999 - Smyth’s bar on Haddington Road in Dublin, is sold ‘virtually’ and otherwise in Ireland’s first Internet broadcast property auction 2002 - In Co. Wicklow, five paintings, including two by the renowned artist, Rubens, are stolen in another raid on Russborough House which has a history of art thefts. In the liturgical calendar, today is the feast of St. Michael, the Archangel. Read Celebrating St. Michael's Day in Old Ireland. September 30 1430 - A great council meets at Dublin on on this date; it states that Irish enemies and English rebels have conquered almost all of Limerick, Tipperary, Kilkenny, Wexford, Carlow, Kildare, Meath and Louth, so that hardly anything but Co. Dublin remains in the colony 1598 - The English poet Edmund Spenser is appointed Sheriff of Cork 1691 - The first recorded meeting of the Presbyterian general synod of Ulster is held at Antrim 1852 - Sir Charles Stanford, composer, is born in Dublin 1900 - Arthur Griffith forms Cumann na nGaedheal, which later becomes Sinn Féin 1949 - Birth of Finance Minister, Charlie McGreevy 1959 - World premiere of the Sean O’Riada’s film Mise Éire, at Cork Film Festival 1994 - Michael Flannery, Irish patriot, dies in New York City 1997 - U2 performs in Tel Aviv, Israel for the first time 1998 - Northern Secretary Mo Mowlam holds out the prospect of troops being removed permanently from the streets of the North if paramilitary groups hand in their weapons 1998 - Gerry Adams warns there must be no slippage in full implementation of the Good Friday settlement 1998 - The first appearance together of David Trimble and Séamus Mallon on a Labour platform draws an enormous and spontaneous ovation from the 3,000 delegates attending the party conference in Blackpool 1999 - The Rev. Ian Paisley meets with Taoiseach Bertie Ahern on the question of arson attacks on churches in the border area 2001 - Ireland assumes presidency of the United Nation's Security Council 2001 - Thousands of Irish, New Yorkers and Irish-Americans pay tribute to the many Irish people who died in the terrorist attacks. Bishop John Buckley of Cork celebrated the mass with the Bishop of Killaloe at the Roman Catholic Holy Trinity church in Manhattan.
October 1 1600 - Robert Grave, Church of Ireland Bishop of Ferns and Leighlin, and his family drown in Dublin Bay on their way home to Wexford by sea 1796 - The Royal College of St. Patrick. a Catholic seminary, is opened in Maynooth, Co. Kildare 1751 - Cornelius Bolton, politician, Volunteer and improving landlord is born 1761 - In the climate of sectarian tension created partly by the Mathew-Maude controversy, the Whiteboys, a violent agrarian protest movement, begins in Tipperary and spreads through Munster and West Leinster 1911 - Statue of Charles Stewart Parnell is unveiled in Dublin 1930 - Actor Richard Harris is born in Limerick 1979 - RTÉ broadcasts Pope John Paul II's visit to Ireland 2000 - Eight men, including one Irishman, are feared dead after their fishing vessel sinks off the Clare coast in gale force winds and treacherous seas 2000 - President Mary McAleese leads the tributes to the Apostolic Nuncio, Archbishop Luciano Storero, who died at 8am this morning in the Mater Hospital in Dublin at the age of 74 2001 - Journalists from all over Ireland gather to pay tribute to colleague Martin O'Hagan who was gunned down last week. More than 1,500 people attend his funeral in his hometown of Lurgan, County Armagh 2001 - The Black & White Pub of The Year Award 2001 goes to Fitzpatrick's Bar of Jenkinstown, Co Louth.
Thanks to AOH Division 4's President Pat O'Brien for passing along the following news. War of Independence veteran dies aged 10518/09/2006 - 19:12:41
A 105-year-old War of Independence veteran who served alongside Michael Collins, died today.
Lieutenant Colonel Sean Clancy, a former Commanding Officer of the Fifth Infantry Battalion, fought against British forces in the Dublin Brigade of the Volunteers from 1919 to 1921.
The Co Clare native also shared the historic moment in DublinCastle in 1922 with Collins when Britain handed over power to the new Irish Government.
In a statement the Defence Forces said: “It is with great regret the Defence Forces mourn the death of Lieutenant Colonel Sean Clancy at the age of 105 years.
“At the time of his death Lieutenant Colonel Clancy was the oldest surviving person receiving a military service pension for his role in the War of Independence.”
Lt Col Clancy died in a Dublin nursing home.
After serving in the War of Independence, Lt Col Clancy signed up to join the National Army on May 22, 1922.
He was commissioned as a lieutenant the following year and held a number of posts during the Civil War years and in the Emergency.
Lt Col Clancy retired on age grounds in July 1959 after years as Commanding Officer of the Fifth Infantry Battalion.
He was honoured on his 104th birthday last year when Defence Forces Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Jim Sreenan hosted a lunch in McKee Barracks the present home of the Fifth Infantry.
Lt Col Clancy was also one of a handful of veterans of the War of Independence and the Civil War who attended the 90th anniversary commemorations of the Easter Rising in Dublin earlier this year.
Near the end of our "Halfway to St. Patrick's Day Picnic" at Scott Park (pictures forthcoming) last Saturday a few of our brothers took to song and thought that a nice new little Blog weekly feature should be, "Irish Song of the Week!"
Why, you ask? Because they could use a little help. Certainly they get gold stars for their effort, but many a man was off key and lacking in verse! Just kidding - what a fun day and night!
Seriously now. A few years, ago when I was in Ireland with my Mom and brother John, nearly every pub closed with the song "Grace." It's become one of my favorite Irish classics and one you should know. Last Saturday, our boys tried to sing it and their hearts were in spirit, but they missed a few verses.
And, here's the story (behind the song) - one of the most touching and poignant stories to emerge from the aftermath of the Easter Rising Rebellion of 1916.
When Grace Evelyn Gifford, the sister-in-law of Tómas McDonagh, chose Easter Sunday 1916 as the date on which she was to marry Joseph "Mary" Plunkett she had no idea of the tragic events that lay ahead of them.
Days before the planned wedding, Joseph Plunkett, who suffered his entire life with severe respiratory problems, was admitted to hospital & underwent an emergency operation. On Easter Monday 1916, the day after the postponed wedding, Plunkett manned his post in The General Post Office (GPO) in Dublin to take part in The Easter Rising.
After the surrender of the rebels Joseph was arrested & imprisoned in Kilmainham Gaol. Just hours before his execution on May 4, 1916 by British firing squad, he married Grace Gifford in the small prison chapel, with two prison guards as witnesses.
Photo: Chapel in Kilmainham Gaol or Jail
Grace Gifford remained involved in the Republican Movement, especially with Sinn Fein, while earning a living as a commercial artist. She voted against the Anglo Irish Treaty & was herself imprisoned in Kilmainham Gaol for three months during the Civil War.
After the Civil War, Grace became a highly respected figure of Dublin's cultural society until her death on December 13, 1955.
Grace Evelyn Gifford was buried in GlasnevinCemetery with full military honors.
Here are the verses to "Grace" - enjoy.
GRACE (O'Meara/O'Meara)
1
As we gather in the chapel here in old Kilmainham Gaol I think about these last few weeks, oh will they say we failed From our schooldays they have told us we must yearn for liberty Yet all I want in this dark place is to have you here with me
CHORUS
Oh Grace just hold me in your arms & let this moment linger They'll take me out at dawn & I will die With all my love I'll place this wedding ring upon your finger There won’t be time to share our love for we must say goodbye
2
Now I know it's hard for you my love to ever understand The love I bear for these brave men, my love for Ireland But when Pádraig called me to his side down in the G.P.O. I had to leave my own sick bed, to him I had to go
CHORUS
3
Now as the dawn is breaking, my heart is breaking too On this May morn as I walk out my thoughts will be of you And I'll write some words upon the wall so everyone will know I love you so much that I can see "his blood upon the rose"*
CHORUS
This phrase refers to the poem "I See His Blood Upon The Rose" which was written by Joseph Plunkett a few years before his execution – see below.)
1
I see His blood upon the rose
And in the stars the glory of His eyes His body gleams amid eternal snows His tears fall from the skies
2
I see His face in every flower The thunder and the singing of the birds Are but His voice - and carven by His power Rocks are His written words
3
All pathways by His feet are worn His strong heart stirs the ever beating sea His crown of thorns is twined with every thorn His cross is every tree
Note: Future featured Irish songs will have shorter entries.
September 18 1846 - James Standish O'Grady, novelist, is born in Castletownbere, Co. Cork 1867 - Kelly and Timothy Deasy are rescued in a Fenian attack on a police van in Manchester during which a police sergeant is shot dead 1889 - Kathleen Behan, née Kearney, 'Mother of All the Behans' and folk singer is born in Dublin 1851 - Anne Devlin, friend and comrade of Robert Emmett, dies in Dublin 1914 - Home Rule Act on Statute Book but is suspended for the duration of World War 1941 - Stephen Hayes, a former IRA chief of staff, is kidnapped on 30 June; he later claims to have been 'court martialled' and tortured by the IRA; Seán McCaughey is convicted of his kidnapping on this date 1964 - Death of Sean O’Casey in England. September 19 1757 - Having been funded by a bequest from Jonathan Swift, St Patrick's Hospital for the insane, Dublin, is opened 1889 - Seán Keating, painter, is born in Limerick 1880 - Parnell delivers his famous speech at Ennis in which he introduces the term for non-violent protest - boycotting. Parnell asked his audience, 'What are you to do with a tenant who bids for a farm from which another has been evicted?' Several voices replied, 'shoot him!' Parnell answered: "I wish to point out a better way, a more Christian way which will give the lost man an opportunity of repenting. When a man takes a farm from which another has been evicted, you must shun him on the roadside, on the streets, in the shop and even in the place of worship by putting him in a "moral Coventry." You must show him your detestation of the crime he has committed" 1881 - Kate Coll and Juan Vivion de Valera are married in St. Patrick’s Church, Greenville, New Jersey. Just over a year later the couple give birth to Éamon 1905 - Death of Dr. Thomas Barnardo. Dublin-born Barnardo opened his first home for destitute boys in Stepney in 1870 2000 - Aodhnait Fahy, Ireland's top student is given £30,000 to allow her to pursue the course of her dreams at Oxford University. She swept the board in this year's Leaving Cert with nine A1s - the highest ever result in the country 2000 - Fishermen all around the coast tie up their boats in protest at the £15 million hike in their fuel bill which, they claim, will put many of them out of business before Christmas.
September 20 1689 - The Enniskillen Protestants defeat Jacobite forces at Boyle, Co. Roscommon 1784 - Sir Richard Griffith, geologist and civil engineer, is born in Dublin 1803 - Robert Emmet, Irish patriot, is executed in Dublin. Emmet becomes a hero of Irish nationalists, largely on the basis of his stirring speech from the dock: "Let no man write my epitaph...When my country takes her place among the nations of the earth, then, and not till then let my epitaph be written" 1847- Birth in Carron, Co. Clare of Michael Cusack, GAA founder 1911 - Anna Catherine Parnell, Irish patriot, dies 1918 - Republican newspapers are banned by English 1920 - Black and Tans raid Balbriggan, Co. Dublin 1920 - Kevin Barry is captured 1960 - Frederick H. Boland becomes president of the United Nations Assembly 1968 - Traffic wardens appear in Dublin for the first time. September 21 1170 - MacMurrough and the Normans march on the Norse kingdom of Dublin, avoiding an Irish force that awaits them to the south of it. Dublin falls to them on this date. Some Norsemen, including the king of Dublin, Askulv, flee to the Hebrides or the Isle of Man 1601 - A Spanish army under Don Juan del Aguila lands at Kinsale 1703 - The first Irish parliament of Queen Anne is called; Alan Brodrick is unanimously elected Speaker 1728 - Philip Embury, founder of the American Methodist Church, is born in Ballingrane, Co. Limerick 1745 - The Jacobites are victorious at Prestonpans 1795 - 'Battle of the Diamond' between (Protestant) Peep o' Day Boys and (Catholic) Defenders near Loughgall, Co. Armagh leaves 30 Defenders dead and leads to the foundation of the Loyal Orange Institution (later the Orange Order) '...to defend the King and his heirs as long as they shall maintain the Protestant ascendancy' 1827 - Michael Corcoran, Union General, is born in Co. Donegal 1881- Revolutionary Éamonn Ceannt, is born in Glenamaddy, County Galway 1909 - Artist Tom Carr is born is Belfast 1932 - Birth of Mariga Guinness, née Princess Hermione Marie Gabrielle von Urach, Countess Württemberg; co-founder of Irish Georgian Society 1949 - The Republic of Ireland soccer team beats England 2-0 at Goodison Park - England’s first defeat by a foreign side 1981 - Death of author Christy Brown 1999 - Delegations from the Ulster Unionist Party and Sinn Féin meet at Stormont for their first direct talks in two months 1999 - Taoiseach Bertie Ahern pledges support for Arafat and the Palestinians 2000 - Taoiseach Bertie Ahern condemns the missile attack on the MI6 HQ in London Photo Credit: Eamonn Farrell/Photocall/Ireland! 2000 - Gardaí arrest a man in connection with the bombing of Nelson’s Pillar in O’Connell Street, Dublin, 34 years ago 2001 - Taoiseach Bertie Ahern announces that Ireland will put its airports, airspace, refuelling facilities and garda intelligence at the disposal of the US in the battle against terrorism.
September 22 1601 - Battle of Kinsale 1626 - Charles I offers twenty-six concessions ("graces") to the Irish in return for subsidies to expand his army 1798 - Colonel Trench marches from Castlebar and takes Ballina 1821 - Patrick Moore, Confederate General, is born in Galway 1864 - Col. James Mulligan, who commanded "Mulligan's Irish Brigade," dies of wounds sustained at the 3rd Battle of Winchester 1884 - The gunboat HMS Wasp is wrecked off Tory Island, Co. Donegal, with the loss of 52 lives; there are eight survivors 1920 - Mid-Clare Brigade, IRA, kill six policemen near Miltown Malbay, Co. Clare 1928 - The first professional artist ever to appear on British television, Irishwoman Miss Peg O’Neil, gives "a charming entertainment, chatting and smiling, and telling Irish stories." The broadcast takes place at Olympia on the first day of the Radio Exhibition 1943 - Robert Ballagh, artist, is born in Dublin 1998 - RUC chief constable Ronnie Flanagan announces further reductions in the level of British troop patrols 1998 - Taoiseach Bertie Ahern pushes for a decommissioning timetable from the IRA 1999 - Ferry sailings resume following unofficial 24 hour strike action by SIPTU members which disrupted sailings out of Dublin and Rosslare, affecting almost 1,000 passengers 2001 - High-ranking British and Spanish diplomats join President McAleese and Britain's Prince Andrew to celebrate the 400th anniversary of the Battle of Kinsale 2002 - David Trimble calls on all IRA members to quit the paramilitary organisation and join its political wing to save the Northern peace process. September 23 1586 - At the battle of Ardnaree in Co. Mayo, Sir Richard Bingham, governor of Connacht, surprises a force of redshanks (Scottish mercenary light infantrymen) engaged by the Burkes of Mayo; 1,000 redshanks and 1,000 camp followers are killed. Bingham hangs the leaders of the Burkes 1641 - The Gaelic Catholics of Ulster stage an uprising against the Scottish Presbyterian planters 1798 - Second Battle of Killala. Final surrender of combined French and Irish forces to the English 1970 - Sir Arthur Young announces his resignation as chief constable of the Royal Ulster Constabulary 1992 - The IRA destroys Belfast's forensic science laboratory with a huge bomb 2001 - Kevin Boland, who resigned from the Fianna Fáil Government during the 1970 Arms Crisis, dies after a short illness. He was the son of Gerald Boland, a 1916 veteran, confidant of Eamon de Valera, and long-time FF government minister; his uncle was the celebrated War of Independence hero, Harry Boland 1999 - Bob Geldof, Bono and other members of an international lobby group meet with Pope John Paul II to discuss the cancellation of third world debt repayments Photo credit: AP Photo/Arturo Mari 2002 - The Listowel Races in Co. Kerry begin. For the first year in its history, which dates to 1858, it will be a seven-day meeting. September 24 1661 - Faithful Tadpole is admitted as a clerical vicar choral of Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin 1725 - Sir Arthur Guinness is born in Celbridge, Co. Kildare 1786 - Birth of Charles Bianconi, Irish passenger-car entrepreneur 1798 - United Irishman, Bartholomew Teeling, is hanged in Dublin 1801 - James Moore O'Donell, former MP for Ratoath, is killed in a duel with Major Denis Bingham in a feud over Co. Mayo politics 1880 - Mayo agent, Captain Charles Boycott, was sent to a 'moral Coventry.' He described his plight in a letter to The Times: "...people collect in crowds upon my farm and order off all my workmen. The shopkeepers have been warned to stop all supplies to my house. My farm is public property, I can get no workmen to do anything, and my ruin is openly avowed as the object of the Land League unless I throw up everything and leave the country" 1944 - Birth in Dublin of Eavan Boland, a poet who helped develop Arlen House, a feminist publishing company 1959 - Ireland's first Ban Garda recruit - woman police-officer - is introduced to RTÉ listeners 1998 - Garda Commissioner Pat Byrne admits that the Real IRA leaders who ordered the Omagh bombing will probably never be prosecuted 1998 - First Minister David Trimble and his deputy Séamus Mallon are divided over the set-up of the Assembly's power-sharing Executive 2000 - Boy band Westlife makes British pop history by becoming the first act to have six consecutive number one singles.
Thanks to brother Chis Cahillane who forwarded the following story from National Public Radio.
Morning Edition, September 15, 2006 · The first immigrant to disembark on Ellis Island was Annie Moore, a young woman who has gained near-mythic status in the years since her arrival from Ireland in 1892. But it turns out Annie Moore isn't the person she was thought to be. Now her real story has been brought to light. Renee Montagne speaks with genealogist Megan Smolenyak about Moore's life. Listen to NPR's story here.
Read the whole facinating story here about this 14 year old Irish lass! The top picture a statue of her at Ellis Island. She was also immortalized in the famous Irish tenor song, "isle of Hope, Isle of Tears."
There is a statue of her and her brothers in Cobh Harbour, Ireland too. Cobh is a pretty town where the Titanic made its last stop for supplies and passengers.
It's time to celebrate "Halfway to St. Patrick's Day!"
To get to the Park, you'll need to get to 2600 Old Greentree Road, Scott Twp. This address is actually the Scott Twp. Administration Building - the Park is across the street.
You'll see a sign across the street at the intersection, make a left (if you're coming from Mt. Lebanon) or right (if you're coming from Bridgeville) and then take your first right into the park and then take your next right and you'll see the Chestnut Shelter next to the Tennis Courts.
Please call/email Mickey Abbott or call him at 412.279.3165; Or, email Tom Welch or call him at 724.693.9904 if you can help set up and/or give them an idea (if you can) about how many people will be joining you.
May we never forget, always look to the Cross and May God Bless America and all people throughout the world, so we can all live in everlasting peace. Here is a link to a wonderful resource of Web sites about 9.11.01 for your reflection. Peace.
September 11 1649 - Massacre at Drogheda. Cromwell captures the town and slaughters the garrison 1766 - John Bligh, former MP for Athboy, who suffers from the delusion that he is a teapot, marries suddenly and unexpectedly at nearly 50 years of age. Between now and his death in 1781 he will father at least seven children, 'in spite of his initial alarm that his spout would come off in the night' 1919 - Dáil Eireann is suppressed as a ‘dangerous association’ by the British government and membership is deemed to be a crime 1922 - Proportional representation for local elections is abolished in Northern Ireland 1998 - British troops are withdrawn from the streets of Belfast in response to the ongoing republican and loyalist cease-fires 1998 - The Northern Ireland Office announces that more than 200 loyalist and republican prisoners will be freed from the Maze Prison before the end of the year 2000 - Gina Adair, the wife of jailed loyalist paramilitary boss Johnny Adair is thrown out of the public gallery after disrupting proceedings at the Northern Ireland Assembly 2000 - Picturesque Kenmare completes a unique double by becoming the first town in the country to take the prize as both Ireland’s Tidiest Town and Ireland’s Best Kept Town 2001 - President Mary McAleese goes on RTÉ Radio to express her shock and horror at the terrorist attacks in the US. In the wake of the attacks, the government immediately begins reviewing security arrangements 2002 - In a gesture of support and solidarity, schools, shops and businesses come to a symbolic halt at 1.46pm - the precise moment, Irish time, that the first terrorist hijacked plane hit the North Tower of the World Trade Center in NYC one year ago. September 12 1653 - Ireland and Scotland are represented by six and five members respectively in the 'Barebones' parliament which is in effect from 4 July to this date 1798 - Rebels attack Castlebar and are repulsed 1907 - Louis McNeice, poet and classical scholar is born in Belfast 1919 - Dáil Éireann is declared illegal 1951 - Birth of Taoiseach Bertie Ahern 1957 - Birth of Mal Donaghy, former NI and Manchester United player 1983 - The first episode of RTÉ’s Glenroe is broadcast 1999 - It is announced that every household in Ireland is to receive a millennium candle to light when the sun sets on New Year’s Eve 2001 - Irish aid agencies pull out of Afghanistan amid growing fears of a possible US retaliation on the Taliban regime and Osama bin Laden 2001 - Families in Limerick take in American tourists grounded since 9/11 at Shannon Airport after all flights in and out of the US are cancelled. In the liturgical calendar, it is the feast day of St. Ailbe, Bishop of Emly, Tipperary. September 13 1494 - Edward Poynings, best known for his introduction of "Poynings Law," which prevented the Irish Parliament from meeting without royal permission and approval of its agenda, is appointed Lord Deputy of Ireland 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 1903 - Padraic Pearse arrives in Ros Muc, County Galway and takes up residence at his cottage in Inbhear 1912 - In a speech at Dundee, Winston Churchill announces his support of a policy of devolution for Ireland, Scotland and Wales 1999 - Former US Senator George Mitchell returns to Northern Ireland as he embarks on the second week of his review of the Good Friday Agreement 1999 - Clonakilty, Co. Cork wins the Tidy Town competition. September 14 1607 - Flight of the Earls from Ireland to the Continent 1647 - Lord Inchiquin, a royalist turned Parliamentarian, sacks the Irish Catholic Confederate garrison at the Rock of Cashel 1752 - The Gregorian calendar is adopted in Ireland and Britain, 170 years after mainland Europe: 2 September is followed by 14 September. There are protests and riots by people who are convinced that they have lost 12 days out of their lives 1824 - Sir Frederick Falkiner, impoverished former MP for Athy, Co. Dublin and Co. Carlow commits suicide in Naples 1852 - Death of Arthur Wellesley, alias the Duke of Wellington. The Dublin born soldier served as MP for Meath before eventually becoming Prime Minister of Britain 1886 - Birth of author Alice Milligan 1907 - Edel Quinn, promoter of Legion of Mary in Africa, is born near Kanturk, Co. Cork 1955 - Dr. Kathleen Lynn, Irish Citizen Army officer, dies 1971 - Ian Paisley founds the Democratic Unionist Party 1982 - Grace Kelly, Princess of Monaco, dies in a car crash 1994 - At a London auction, Bono pays $53,400 for Charlie Chaplin's costume from The Great Dictator 1998 - Sinn Fein is warned by First Minister, David Trimble, that it could not take up seats in the new Northern Ireland Assembly's ruling executive until the IRA's vast armoury of weapons are decommissioned 1999 - Clonfert Cathedral which ranks in importance with the Great Pyramids and dates back to the 12th century, joins the millennium list of the 100 Most Endangered Monuments. The list is compiled by The New York Times and in the past has included such famous landmarks as the Inca city of Machu Picchu in Peru and the Aztec site of Teotihuacan in Mexico City 1999 - UFF "godfather" Johnny Mad Dog Adair is released from the Maze Prison 1999 - The Pro-Agreement parties resume talks with former US Senator George Mitchell during the second week of his review of the Good Friday Agreement 1999 - Taoiseach, Bertie Ahern begins his official visit to Russia 2000 - Roy Keane, Pauline McLynn and Samantha Mumba are among the stars who are honoured at the Millennium Irish Post Awards held at the Millennium Brittania Hotel in Grosvenor Square 2001 - Following the 9/11 attack on the World Trade Center, as many as 15,000 Irish people are stranded in the US and Canada awaiting flights to Ireland 2001 - The Irish government declares a national day of mourning; schools, businesses and shops are shut down in an unprecedented gesture of sympathy following Tuesday's attack on the World Trade Center. September 15 1851 - Sir William Whitla, physician and professor, is born in Co. Monaghan 1865 - Police raid and close the Irish People offices; Rossa, Luby and O'Leary are arrested 1866 - John Blake Dillon, Young Irelander and co-founder of The Nation, dies in Killarney 1881 - First soccer international in Ireland; England beats the Irish squad Total crowd receipts: £9.19s.7d 1889 - Birth in Castlebar of singer Margaret Burke Sheridan 1905 - Pat O'Callaghan, physician, hammer-thrower and first man to win an Olympic gold medal while representing Ireland, is born near Kanturk, Co. Cork 1976 - Anne Letitia Dickson is elected leader of the Unionist Party of Northern ireland, becoming the first woman to lead a political party in Ireland 1997 - Sinn Fein joins multiparty peace talks in Northern Ireland 1999 - The Corrs, the Cranberries and the Chieftains take the lion’s share of £15.6 million collected by the Irish Music Rights Organisation (IMRO) on behalf of Irish song writers 2000 - Sonia O'Sullivan leads the Irish team at a spectacular Olympic opening ceremony in Sydney, Australia 2001 - Aer Lingus, Delta and Continental Airlines resume services to and from Ireland. The first trans-Atlantic flights to the US leave for New York, Newark, Chicago and Washington. Priority status is given to all relatives of the victims and injured in the 9/11 attack on the World Trade Center. September 16 1732 - Birth in Castletown, Co. Clare of Thomas O'Gorman, physician, wine trader and courtier in France; made a chevalier by Louis XV 1798 - Small French force under James Napper Tandy makes brief landing on Rutland Island, Co. Donegal 1798 - Belfast United Irish leaders arrested 1808 - William Trench, land agent and author, is born near Portarlington, Co. Laois 1830 - Birth in Leighlinbridge, Co. Carlow of Patrick Moran, Archbishop of Sydney, first Australian cardinal, and church historian 1845 - Death of Thomas Davis, revolutionary, poet, and political theorist 1865 - Fenian newspaper, Irish People, ceases publication 1870 - Birth in Dublin of John Pius Boland, nationalist politician and Ireland's first Olympic gold medalist 1906 - Trevor G. McVeagh, cricket, hockey, squash and tennis player, is born in Athboy, Co. Meath 1925 - Charles Haughey, Fianna Fáil leader and Taoiseach, is born in Castlebar, Co. Mayo 1934 - Singer, guitarist and founder of the Dubliners, Ronnie Drew, is born in Dublin 1941 - Sixteen soldiers are killed in the Glen of Imaal, Co. Wicklow, while testing mines 1945 - World renowned Irish tenor, John McCormack, dies in Athlone 1998 - Irish-owned Musgrave Group becomes the biggest food distribution company in the country after signing an historic franchise deal with supermarket chain Roches Stores 1998 - Books of condolences opened in the aftermath of the Omagh tragedy are closed. More than 150,000 people from across Northern Ireland are estimated to have signed the books. September 17 1711 - John Holwell, surgeon and survivor of 'Black Hole of Calcutta' is born in Dublin 1798 - 3000 French troops depart for Ireland from Brest 1903 - Frank O'Connor, (pseudonym of Michael O'Donovan), short-story writer and author of poetic translations from Irish is born in Cork 1920 - Birth of Chaim Herzog, former president of Israel, born in Belfast and educated in Dublin 1930 - The Free State is elected to the council of the League of Nations 1937 - Ten young men, potato-pickers from Achill Island, die when a bothy catches fire on a farm at Kirkintilloch, Scotland 1976 - The founders of the Peace Movement, Mairead Corrigan and Betty Williams, are awarded the Nobel Prize for Peace 1999 - Interest rates for thousands of home owners tumble as the mortgage war escalates 2003 - Mrs Harriet O'Donovan Sheehy unveils the new stamp of her late husband Frank O'Connor at St Patrick's National School, Gardiner's Hill, Cork.
This Weekend - September 8-10 - It's the Pittsburgh Irish Festival at the Chevrolet Amphitheatre at Station Square. Gates open right now Friday 4:00 p.m. Free admission until 6:00 p.m. Performing – Tommy Makem, Gaelic Storm – NEW this year – The Elders, Homeland, Millish, Pipeline, Makem and Spain Brothers, Cahal Dunne, Dennis Doyle, local groups, Pittsburgh Emerald Society Pipe Band, Story Teller Alan Irvine, local Irish Dance Schools and two time World Irish Dance Champion, Garrett Coleman. Gaelic Mass Sunday at 10:00 a.m. For more information, call 412.422.1113 or visit the Festival Web site.
May God Bless Pittsburgh Mayor Bob O'Connor and his family
Please remember in your prayers another fine Irishman on his way to heaven, Mayor Bob O'Connor - a great friend of Pittsburgh and of Pittsburgh's Irish community.
FYI - Forwarding a message from Ned McGinley. This is cobbled together from other press releases with additional information and will be sent to reporters who deal with Constitutional issues at more than 120 newspapers nationwide.
Irish Americans Expose Constitutional Issues In US/UK and Other Extradition Treaty
September 4, 2006 Washington, D. C.---The U. S. Senate Foreign Relations Committeehas scheduled a vote for September 7, 2006 at 9:30 am on a new ‘modern’ Extradition Treaty with the United Kingdom which has Irish Americans and the ACLU deeply concerned. The Blair/Labor government with rising resistance to the Treaty (Treaty Doc. 108-23) in Parliament at home is pushing for approval this week.
The National President of the Ancient Order of Hibernians Jack Meehan (Quincy, MA) put it bluntly in testimony presented in July to Republican Sen. Richard Lugar’s Senate Foreign Relations Committee. “This Administration, nor any administration, has the power to sign away an American’s right to a fair trial. To attempt to do so by wrapping its rhetoric in the fight against terror is reprehensible.” The AOH leader is joined by many other Irish American leaders in warning the Senate not to trifle with our hard fought freedoms and rights. “The price is too high. I can think of no greater insult to our service men and women in Iraq and Afghanistan than to bring such a measure before the U. S. Senate.”
“The strong opposition of the Brehon Law Society,” concluded Jim Cullen, a prominent New York attorney, “is that it simply is unwarranted, and threatens fundamental violence to American legal traditions. The Treaty substitutes decisions by political operatives and bureaucrats for the review and rulings of the federal judiciary. We must insist that the courts determine key issues like rights and liberties that arise in extraditions to the UK, a jurisdiction whose concern for these matters of due process particularly in Northern Ireland are more than suspect.”
“This treaty,” stated Robert Linnon Ph.D. President of the Irish American Unity Conference, “is intended to target and intimidate Americans for past, present and future activity in opposition to British misrule in Ireland. Protecting the right of Americans to have their day in court should be job one for our Senators,” stated Jay Dooling IAUC Press Secretary of Houston, TX, “and never twisted by some to mean being weak on fighting terrorism.”
The Ladies Ancient Order of Hibernians, the nation’s oldest Irish Catholic organization of women shared the concern of all in the UIA coalition. “The LAOH has denounced this US/UK treaty,” stated National President Dorothy Weldon of Pittsburgh, PA, “as an assault on the basic civil liberties of all Americans.”
The National Chairman of Irish Northern Aid Paul Doris of Philadelphia stated “This Treaty alters the separation of powers principle in a way that is intended to threaten and intimidate U.S. citizens with prosecution by a government that has corrupted law and justice in Ireland and has a disgraceful record of violations of human and civil rights.”
The ACLU analysis as well as groups have noted that the treaty discards statute of limitations protection under the 4th Amendment and makes the decision of whether and offense is political a decision for the Executive rather than the Judicial branch of the U.S. Government. That certainly intimidates free speech protection under our Constitution. Additionally, according to the U.S. State and Justice Departments no extradition has failed under the 1986 Treaty.
For full AOH and IAUC testimony before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee visit www.aoh.com or the full video of the Hearing at Federal Network, Inc. www.FEDNET.NET
For further information contact AOH PEC Chairman Ned McGinley at 570-905-5715, or AOH Public Relations Chairman Mike Cummings at 518-482-0349.
September 4 1607 - Hugh O'Neill, Ruari O'Donnell and other chiefs of their families depart Lough Swilly for the continent in what has become known as the 'Flight of the Earls" 1798 - Cornwallis moves forward from Tuam to attack Castlebar Humbert leaves Castlebar with 800 French troops and 1000 Irish rebels and moves into Co Sligo. His plan is to march to Ulster. Humbert marches all might. Rising takes place in Longford and Westmeath 1844 - Conspiracy judgment against Daniel O'Connell is reversed by House of Lords 1851 - John Dillon, Nationalist politician, is born in Blackrock, Co. Dublin 1922 - Dónal Foley, journalist, humorist and author of 'Man Bites Dog' column in the Irish Times, is born in Ring, Co. Waterford 1976 - Women protest against men-only bathing at the Forty Foot in Sandycove.
September 5 1690 - Having failed to take Limerick, William leaves Ireland 1724 - In the guise of an Irish Patriot , M. B. Drapier, Jonathan Swift publishes "Drapier Letter III" - one of a series of letters designed to incite the people against a new coinage 1771 - Benjamin Franklin's visit to Ireland begins 1785 - Edmond Sexton Pery resigns as Speaker of the Irish parliament on grounds of ill health. John Foster is unanimously elected to replace him 1798 - Humbert defeats small government force at Collooney, but suffers serious casualties; he camps at Dromahair. Longford rebels attack Granard and are routed. Westmeath rebels occupy Wilson's Hospital 1890 - Birth of Richard Chenevix Trench, prelate, philologist and poet; the New English Dictionary, later the Oxford English Dictionary, was begun at his suggestion, in Dublin 1930 - The first edition of the Irish Press, a Dublin daily newspaper founded by De Valera as a platform for Fianna Fáil, is published 1934 - Birth of Kevin McNamara MP, former Labour spokesman on Northern Ireland 1950 - Birth of Máire Geoghegan-Quinn, Fianna Fáil politician 1998 - President Clinton follows in the footsteps of John F. Kennedy and becomes a Freeman of Limerick. Today marks the end of his three-day visit to Ireland 1999 - History comes alive at Phoenix Park as the beating of the Millennium Drum signals the beginning of a week long celebration of Irish history and heritage 2000 - The Church of Ireland criticises Portadown Orange Order leader Harold Gracey for refusing to condemn the violence surrounding the Drumcree protest 2001 - The violent scenes of sectarian hatred witnessed at the Holy Cross school in Belfast make headlines in newspapers all over the world 2002 - US-owned communications equipment firm, Tellabs, announces it will close its Shannon plant in December with the loss of more than 400 jobs.
September 6 1798 - Humbert marches to Drumkeeran. Lake is still tailing Humbert 1813 - Isaac Butt, barrister, politician and founder of the Home Rule movement, is born in Glenfin, Co. Donegal 1831 - Birth in Rosscarbery, Co. Cork of Jeremiah O'Donovan Rossa, one of the founders of the Fenian Brotherhood 1890 - Birth of Brinsley MacNamara, novelist, short story-writer and playwright 1936 - Birth of Bruce Arnold, journalist and author 1974 - 19 Prisoners escape from Porlaoise Prison 1981 - Death of Christy Brown, the handicapped Dublin author, who learned to type with his left foot 1987 - Cyclist Stephen Roche wins the World Professional Road Race Championship 1994 - Prime Minister of Dublin government meets with Sinn Fein President for the first time since the ratification of the 1922 Anglo-Irish Treaty 1999 - The £20 million Cavan town and Butlersbridge by-pass is officially opened by Environment Minister Noel Dempsey 2000 - Taoiseach Bertie Ahern pledges to the United Nations that Ireland will more than double its level of aid to the world’s poorest countries over the next seven years 2000 - Dublin's City Hall reopens after a two year, £4·5 million refurbishment programme 2002 - Death of Bobby Clancy of the Clancy Brothers.
September 7 1695 - Penal Laws are passed which restrict the rights of Catholics to have an education, to bear arms, or to possess a horse worth more than five pounds 1798 - Humbert crosses Shannon at Ballintra and camps at Cloone. Cornwallis crosses Shannon. Rebels at Wilson's Hospital are routed; this ends the rebellion in the midlands 1801 - Arthur Hill, 2nd Marquis of Downshire, former MP for Co. Down and one of the wealthiest landowners in Ireland, commits suicide 1823 - Kevin Izod O'Doherty, transportee, physician and politician, is born in Dublin 1892 - John L. Sullivan loses his world heavyweight boxing title to another Irish American, James Corbett 1921 - Frank Duff founds the Association of Our Lady of Mercy, later to be known as the Legion of Mary 1948 - Taoiseach John A.Costello declares the Irish Free State a Republic 1980 - Galway wins the All Ireland Final 2001 - It is announced that US President George Bush is sending his special envoy, Richard Haass, to Northern Ireland to sound out parties on the ailing peace process.
September 8 1783 - A second convention of Dungannon - a gathering of Volunteers from Ulster- is held and prepares the way for a National Volunteer convention on parliamentary reform 1798 - Battle of Ballinamuck - last major battle of "The Year of the French"; after a short fight, Humbert surrenders 1812 - John Martin, revolutionary, transportee and politician, is born near Newry, Co. Down 1830 - Thomas Nicholas Burke, Dominican friar, preacher and lecturer, is born in Galway 1852 - A conference of the Tenant League in Dublin adopts a policy of independent opposition in Parliament 1908 - Poet, educator and eventual Easter Rising rebel Patrick Pearse opens St. Edna's school for boys (Scoil Eanna), combining new European theories of education with a focus on the glory of the Gaelic past 1931 - Birth of Desmond Guinness, author and conservationist 1933 - Founding of Fine Gael Party 1980 - U2 plays the first of four consecutive Monday night performances at London's famous Marquee Club 1998 - A radical Government action plan aiming to cut thousands off the dole is launched 1999 - AB Airlines will cease operations on the Shannon to London Gatwick route at midnight 2000 - US President Bill Clinton announces he will visit Ireland in December 2000 - Clonakilty, Co. Cork claims the Best Village title in the prestigious European Entente Florale competition; in the town category, Letterkenny, Co. Donegal, wins a bronze medal in the highly competitive environmental contest 2002 - The Kilkenny Cats beat the Co. Clare Banners and collect their 27th All-Ireland hurling title in front of 76,254 fans at Croke Park In the liturgical calendar, today is the feast day of St. Disbode, a 7th century Irish missionary. According to German legend, the Irish saint founded the German wine industry when wine started pouring from his pilgrim’s staff.
September 9 872 - Earliest verifiable date of a Viking invasion of Ireland in Dunrally 1831 - 30,000 punds is allocated to establish "national" system of elementary education in Ireland 1845 - The arrival of the potato blight in Ireland is reported in the Dublin Evening Post 1852 - The last day of the Tenant League Conference in Dublin 1893 - House of Lords rejects Second Home Rule Bill 1922 - The newly elected Daíl Éireann meets to frame its constitution and elects William T. Cosgrave President of the Executive Committee 1963 - Cardinal William Conway becomes Primate of All Ireland 1978 - U2 support The Stranglers at the Top Hat Ballroom in Dublin before a crowd of 2,500 people, their biggest to date. The band is paid 50 pounds 2001 - Protestant residents of Ardoyne defy church leaders and politicians by continuing their protest outside north Belfast's Holy Cross primary school 2001 - Family, friends and fans pay tribute to actor Joe Lynch during a special commemorative mass at the Catholic Pro-Cathedral in Dublin 2001 - Three suspected IRA members - Niall Connolly, Martin McCauley and James Monaghan - are transferred from La Modelo federal prison to a high security jail in Bogota over fears for their safety 2002 - Bob Geldof delivers a moving speech at the launch of the world’s first genocide centre in Nottinghamshire 2002 - Castletown, Co. Laois, is declared Ireland’s Tidiest Town In the liturgical calendar, this is the feast day of St. Kieran, founder of the great monastery at Clonmacnois. He dies on this date in 545.
September 10 1315 - Battle of Connor. Major victory for Edward Bruce in his invasion of Ulster 1602 - "Red" Hugh O'Donnell dies in Simancas, Spain; evidence suggests he was poisoned by an English spy 1641 - Oliver Cromwell seizes Drogheda 1763 - The Freeman's Journal is founded in Dublin by Charles Lucas 1831 - Jeremiah O'Donovan Rossa, Fenian, is born in Rosscarbery, Co. Cork 1850 - In Thurles, it is the final day of the first canonical synod of the Irish church, summoned by Paul Cullen 1916 - While serving in the Dublin Fusiliers during World War I, Irish poet Tom Kettle dies in attack on Ginchy 1919 - Dáil Éirean outlawed by the English as a "dangerous association." 1923 - The Irish Free State is admitted into the League of Nations 1985 - The first heart transplant takes place in Ireland 1987 - The third leg of the U2 Joshua Tree tour opens in New York's Nassau Coliseum 1998 - Students queue for food at an emergency soup kitchen and advice centre, set up in a bid to ease the impact of the stress and strain caused by one of the greatest accommodation shortages ever experienced in Dublin 1998 - Gerry Adams and David Trimble finally come face-to-face in an historic move aimed to bring to an end decades of mistrust between the two sides 2001 - Westport, Co. Mayo wins the Tidy Towns competition.Sources:
Web site: Irish Culture and Customs at http://www.irishcultureandcustoms.com/02Hist/8August3.html. The Celtic League. This organization publishes the annual Celtic Calendar. To order your own copy, visit: The Celtic League. Irish Abroad. Somewhat sporadic, but they often highlight an important date in Irish history. To visit, please click: Irish Abroad. The Wild geese. They update Irish history weekly. To visit their keydates page, please click: The Wild Geese.
Check out Diane Byrnes' Echoes of Erin Blog for a wonderful recap of the Year of Remembrance Committee's Commemoration of the 1981 Hunger Strikes. She has some great pictures (featuring some AOH32 members) too.
Developers bought the home that was Mary Holleran's birthplace for $50,000 in 2000. Now owned by a Dublin advertising executive, it is worth more than $500,000! (Kevin Sullivan -- The Washington Post)
On September 29, 1979 - Pope John Paul II arrived in Dublin for the first ever papal visit to Ireland
September 25
