April 30 1428 - Sir John Sutton, Lord Dudley, is appointed lieutenant for two years from this date; he has some success against the various rebels 1795 - Rev. William Jackson of the United Irishmen returns from France, unaware that his travelling companion, John Cockayne, is a spy; Jackson is arrested and found guilty of high treason; he commits suicide in the dock by taking poison 1942 - Because of petrol rationing, all private motoring in Ireland is banned, and bicycle thefts soar overnight 1951 - The first demonstration of television in Ireland is held at the Spring Show in the RDS, Dublin 1970 - "B-Specials" reserves within the Royal Ulster Constabulary formed to contain violence in 1933 (but notoriously violent in their own right) are disbanded 1998 - Michelle de Bruin, whose career has been almost destroyed by claims of drug abuse since her Olympic wins, has never been under suspicion, FINA, the international swimming authority admits 1999 - Lord Killanin, the man credited with saving the Moscow Olympics in 1980, is laid to rest. Many of the leading lights of the world of sport, business and politics in Ireland are present as the remains are buried in the family vault at the New Cemetery in the Bohermore area of Galway city 2001 - According to Dr. Vincent Maher, consultant cardiologist at Tallaght Hospital, Dublin, has the highest rate of heart disease in the EU - claiming up to 14,000 victims each year. Lower income households are particularly at risk because of their diet, he says 2002 - Hopes that 325 workers at the Ardagh glass plant in Ringsend, Dublin, could keep their jobs are dashed with a surprise closure announcement by management 2003 - The Russell family decide to sell Dunkathel House, situated on 150 acres on Cork city fringes. The 220-year-old Georgian-style mansion has been open to the public, and is one of the most prominently-sited period homes in the greater city area, overlooking the Jack Lynch tunnel and River Lee at Glanmire. It carries a €15 million price guide.
Happy First Day of the Celtic Summer!
May 1 Beltaine 1169 - A small party of Normans arrives at Baginbun and establishes a bridgehead for further invasions 1170 - Arrival of Normans in Co. Wexford. Arrival of Richard de Clare, Earl of Pembroke, subsequently known as 'Strongbow'. 1171 - Diarmaid MacMurrough, king of Leinster, dies in Ferns, Co. Wexford; Strongbow is his (disputed) successor (MacMurrough's remaining legitimate son, Connor, has been executed while a hostage of Rory O'Connor) 1316 - Records indicate that around this date, Robert Bruce has himself crowned king of Ireland near Dundalk 1654 - Transplantable landowners are ordered to move to Connacht by this date; this deadline is then put back to 1 March 1655 1650 - William King, archbishop, theologian and Williamite, is born in Antrim 1672 - Birth of Joseph Addison, poet and dramatist; Chief Secretary to Lord Lieutenant Wharton 1708-10; MP for Cavan Borough 1709-13 1697 - The Bishops' Banishment Act passed on 25 September,1696, requires most Catholic clergy to leave the kingdom by this date, and bans Catholic clergy from entering it - the Act will never be efficently enforced 1780 - Amhlaoibh Ó Súilleabháin, teacher and diarist, is born in Killarney, Co. Kerry 1794 - Catholics are enabled by law to attend Trinity College 1786 - The Belfast Academy is opened; it becomes the Belfast Royal Academy in 1887 1803 - James Clarence Mangan, poet, is born in Dublin 1823 - Oliver Harty, Baron de Pierrebourg, of Co. Limerick, Lieutenant-General in Napoleon's army, retires 1854 - Songwriter, entertainer and painter, Percy French, is born in Cloonyquin, Co. Roscommon. One of his many famous songs is "The Mountains of Mourne" 1919 -Birth of Dan O'Herlihy, actor; film credits include Fail Safe, Last Starfighter, Robocop 1975 - General election is held to a constitutional convention on Northern Ireland 1984 - Séan nos singer, Joe Heaney, dies 1998 - Taoiseach, Bertie Ahern, urges Gerry Adams, to get the IRA to accept that there would have to be arms decommissioning if progress in implementing the Good Friday agreement was to be made 2000 - Nobel Laureate and SDLP leader John Hume is awarded the freedom of Derry at a reception in the city’s Guildhall 2001 - Limerick is tops for pub grub after one of the city's trendiest bars picks up the coveted Club Orange/Licensing World Pub Lunch award. In a business worth an estimated £1million a day, the Thomas Street premises, Auburs, beat off stiff competition from 11 monthly winners to become Ireland's leading purveyor of pub lunches 2003 - The month of April goes into the record books as one of the warmest for the last 100 years. At Valentia Observatory and Malin Head the temperatures recorded for the month were the highest since 1893.
May 2 1332 - Sir Anthony Lucy's campaign in Munster ends on this date 1656 - Birth of Sir Richard Levinge, Tory politician and Speaker of the House of Commons 1788 - An Act on this date repeals tests imposed on Protestant Dissenters 1794 - United Irishman Archibald Rowan escapes from custody and eventually makes his way to America 1806 - John Jones, sculptor, is born in Dublin 1858 - Birth of Edith Oenonne Somerville, novelist most famous for Some Experiences Of An Irish R.M written in collaboration with her cousin Violet Martin (also known as Martin Ross); in 1903, she becomes the first female Master of Foxhounds in Corfu 1884 - Birth of William Casey, dramatist and Times editor 1882 - Charles Stewart Parnell is released under the terms of the "Kilmainham Treaty"; writing off the debts of tenants in arrears. A landmark in the land agitation movement (and Parnell's career). 1921 - Lord FitzAlan of Derwent becomes the first Catholic lord lieutenant since the 17th century; he will be the last lord lieutenant 1923 - Birth in Milltown Malbay, Co. Clare of Patrick Hillery, surgeon, politician and former president from 1976 to 1990. He negotiates Ireland's entry into the European Community in 1973 and is later E.C. vice president for three years 1929 - The Fianna Fáil proposes a motion to retain the Land Annuities. It is defeated in the Dail 1945 - Eamon de Valera offers his condolences to the German Ambassador, Edouard Hempel, on the death of Adolf Hitler 1954 - Soccer great, Sammy McIlroy, is born 1957 - Death of Fr. Aloysius Roche, Irish patriot. During the 1916 Easter Rebellion, he and Frs. Albert, Augustine and Dominic bring spiritual aid to the Volunteers in the numerous garrisons and outposts throughout Dublin. Following Padraig Pearse's surrender on 29 April, Fr. Aloysius spends the next day carrying the surrender order to the main garrisons on the south side of the city. In the early hours of the morning of 3 May, Fr. Aloysius administers the last sacraments to Pearse, MacDonagh and Thomas, the first three leaders of the Rising to be executed; on May 7, Fr Aloysius accompanies James Connolly by ambulance from Dublin Castle to Kilmainham Jail for execution and stands behind the firing squad as they fire the final volley 1958 - Birth of David O'Leary, footballer for Arsenal, Leeds United and the Republic of Ireland footballer; Leeds United manager 1970 - Birth of soccer star, Steve Morrow 1982 -T he Irish government affirms its neutrality in the Falklands conflict between the UK and Argentina, and opposes EEC sanctions against Argentina 2000 - Prime Minister Bertie Ahern, arrives at Number 10 Downing St, London where he and Britain's Prime Minister Tony Blair are hosting talks aimed at trying to breathe fresh life into the flagging Northern Ireland peace process. The two premiers will have separate meetings with the Ulster Unionists, Sinn Fein and the SDLP to see if they can find a way to overcome the deadlock over devolution and decommissioning 2001 - Sinn Féin's Martin McGuinness confirms publicly for the first time that he was the IRA's second-in-command in Derry on Bloody Sunday. The admission prompts a swift call from the Ulster Unionists for Sinn Féin President Gerry Adams to come clean about his IRA past 2003 - The Rolling Stones set a new Irish box office record when more than 16,000 tickets for their Dublin concerts sell within two minutes.
May 3 1714 - Sir Wentworth Harman, MP for Lanesborough, dies from the wounds he receives in a carriage accident on April 28 1785 - The Irish Academy, later to become the Royal Irish Academy, meets for the first time 1903 - Bing Crosby, descendant of Irish immigrants, is born in Tacoma, Washington, as Harry Lillis Crosby 1915 - Birth in Galway of novelist Walter Macken 1916 - Patrick Pearse, Thomas Clarke and Thomas MacDonagh executed by firing squad in Kilmainham jail 1921 - IRA troops under Tom Maguire fight off 600 English troops in Tourmakeady, Co. Mayo 1924 - The world premiere of Sean O’Casey’s Juno And The Paycock took place at the Abbey Theatre 1928 - Fianna Fáil petition with 96,000 signatures, calling for referendum to abolish the Oath of Allegiance rejected by Government which instead abolishes the plebiscite clause in the Constitution 1933 - Dáil passes an act removing the Oath of Allegiance from the constitution 1938 - Birth of Robert O'Driscoll, writer and professor of English 1999 - Swimmer Michelle de Bruin's hopes of salvaging her reputation and career nosedive with new allegations that a urine sample contains traces of a banned stimulant 1999 - RTÉ launches their 24-hour classical music station Lyric FM.
May 4 1699 - According to Jonathan Swift's book, Gulliver's Travels, it was on this day that Lemuel Gulliver sets sail on board the Antelope from Bristol 1715 - Joseph Deane, Justice of Assize for Munster and MP for Co. Dublin, dies of a fever resulting from a cold he caught (allegedly caused by a total eclipse of the sun) while returning from circuit on horseback 1773 - Art Ó Laoghaire, the subject of Eileen O'Leary's lament 'Caoineadh Airt Uí Laoghaire', is killed by soldiers near Millstreet, Co. Cork 1773 - The Dublin Journal of 4-6 May reports that Thomas Burton (former MP for Ennis) 'met with the melancholy accident of being overturned in his chaise, by which he was killed on the spot, in his return home, in company with a gentleman who was to have been married to his daughter the following day' 1782 - Second and third Catholic Relief Acts (4 May, 27 July) allow Catholics to own land outside parliamentary boroughs, to be teachers, and to act as guardians 1782 - Acts establish the Bank of Ireland, and validates marriages by Presbyterian ministers 1836 - The Ancient Order of Hibernians in America is founded in New York City 1838 - Charles Williams, war correspondent, is born in Coleraine, Co. Derry/Londonderry 1916 - Edward Daly, Michael O'Hanrahan, William Pearse (brother of Padraic Pearse) and Joseph Mary Plunkett are executed by firing squad in Kilmainham jail 1928 - Poet, Thomas Kinsella, is born 1946 - Birth in Belfast of John Watson, former Formula 1 racing driver 1998 - Dissident IRA bombers strike in the heart of west Belfast to disrupt the city's annual marathon in an incident which reflects the growing divisions among republicans 1999 - TV3 pulls off the biggest coup of its short existence by securing the broadcasting rights to the UEFA Champions League for three years from the start of the 2000-01 season 1999 - Taoiseach Bertie Ahern has a working dinner in Government Buildings with the Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, who is in Ireland as part of an European tour 2000 - Ciaran Nugent, the first person to start the blanket protest against the British Government’s treatment of republican prisoners, is found dead at his home 2001 - The remains of St Therese of Lisieux arrive at Mountjoy Prison where they will remain overnight 2003 - Sinn Féin's chief negotiator, Martin McGuinness, tells a republican rally in West Belfast that the British government has effectively capitulated to the leadership of the Ulster Unionist Party by postponing the Assembly elections until the autumn.
May 5 1795 - House of Commons rejects Grattan's Catholic relief bill 1864 - Birth in Edgeworthstown, Co. Longford of Sir Henry Wilson, soldier; chief of the Imperial General Staff from 1918 to 1922; establishes British Intelligence 'Cairo Gang' in Dublin 1881 - Richard Downey (youngest ever Catholic archbishop in 1928, who reduces his weight from 18 stone to 9 stone in the 1930s) is born in Kilkenny 1916 - Irish patriot and a leader of the 1916 Easter Uprising, John MacBride, is executed by firing squad in Kilmainham Gaol 1939 - Death of Mick the Miller, the greatest greyhound in the history of the sport 1941 - Kate O'Brien's novel The Land of Spices is banned by the Free State Board of Censors; protests will eventually lead to the setting up of an appeals procedure 1965 - Birth on Belfast of Norman Whiteside, Manchester United, Everton and Northern Ireland footballer 1981 - Bobby Sands dies at Long Kesh prison on the 66th day of his hunger strike 1999 - The remains of celebrated British actor Oliver Reed arrive in Ireland and are taken by hearse to a funeral home in the North Cork town of Buttevant, not far from his Castle McCarthy home in nearby Churchtown 1999 - Prince Charles visits Omagh and meets with relatives of those killed in the 1998 bombing and some of the young people who were injured 1999 - A team of security personnel from the White House arrive in Galway to prepare the city's National University for the visit of First Lady Hillary Clinton 1999 - Sinn Féin leader Gerry Adams suggests that full implementation of the Good Friday Agreement could mean the end of the IRA 2000 - Hopes for a breakthrough in the peace process grow as high level talks at Hillsborough Castle overrun their expected timeframe by several hours 2003 - It is announced that almost a year after his death, two unpublished plays by John B, Keane have been discovered in his study and will be staged when his widow, Mary, decides the time is right.
May 6 1074 - Donatus (or Dunan), the first Bishop of Dublin, dies on this date and is buried in Christ Church Cathedral. Patrick, his successor, is sent to Canterbury for consecration (records are unreliable - the date of his death is also recorded as November 23) 1384 - Philip de Courtenay lands at Dalkey and campaigns in the midlands and the Leinster mountains 1728 - Act of Parliament removes the right to vote from Catholics 1763 - Mary Molesworth, widow of Richard Molesworth (3rd Viscount Molesworth, MP for Swords 1715-26), and her daughters Melosina and Mary die in a fire at their London house 1820 - Birth in St. Cleran’s, Co. Galway of Robert O’Hara Burke, explorer 1830 - Birth of Irish naturalist and librarian, William Archer in Magherahamlet, Co. Down. Archer did work on protozoa and was the first librarian of the National Library of Ireland 1882 - 'Phoenix Park murders' - The assassination of the British chief secretary of Ireland, Lord Frederick Cavendish, and his under secretary, T.H. Burke. Both are stabbed to death as they walk in Dublin's Phoenix Park by members of a nationalist secret society, the “Invincibles”. The attack is attributed to the Fenians. It is not actually connected with land agitation 1884 - Birth of painter William Conor in Belfast 1916 -The U-20, a German U-boat commanded by Captain Schweiger, sinks the Centurion off the south-east Irish coast; the next day, the U-20 sinks the Lusitania 1925 - Máire de Paor (née McDermott) archaeologist and arts activist, is born in Buncrana, Co. Donegal 1937 - Birth of Shay Brennan, Irish international footballer 1947 - Singer Paul Brady is born 1964 - Birth of actress Roma Downey in Co. Derry 1967 - Seven Drunken Nights by the Dubliners enters the British Top Ten 1970 - Charles Haughey (Minister for Finance) and Neil Blaney (Minister for Agriculture) are dismissed by Taoiseach Jack Lynch; later, the are arrested and charged with importing arms for the IRA. Blaney is discharged on 2 July; Haughey is acquitted on 23 October 1998 - The High Court hears that an advance of £175,000 has been negotiated by convicted IRA killer-turned-informer Seán O'Callaghan for his autobiography 2000 - Large crowds turn out in bright summer sunshine in Fenit, Co. Kerry, where President Mary McAleese officially christens the three-masted, famine ship replica, the Jeanie Johnston 2000 - Peace and prosperity are within Northern Ireland’s grasp, according to European Commissioner Chris Patten 2001 - A bomb explodes at a north London postal sorting office. It is the second such attack in three weeks and is linked to the Real IRA 2003 - The Taoiseach and the British Prime Minister pledge to move the Northern peace process forward following their talks at Farmleigh in Dublin.
The Ireland Institute of Pittsburgh is running its first Wider Horizons program of the year this May/June. It is an 8 week program with young people from Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland interning (non-paid) on Monday - Thursday and attending classes at Duquesne on Fridays. The first day of internship would be May 7th and the last day June 21st.
The thrust of this program is Information Technology. The IT work involved can be as simple as basic data entry or database work and can be as involved as an employer would want a participant to be. IT loosely means, for the purposes of our program, any work involving a computer.
Please bear in mind that their young people are some of those that have fallen through the cracks in the economy back home and this internship may be their first real job. The internship is designed to give them a sample of what kind of work goes on in the sector they choose to intern in.
The initial list of choices include:
Graphic Design
Interior Design
Web Design
Fashion Design
Participants stay with host families during their time in Pittsbugh and it is hoped that most internships would be within easy reach of the city via public transport.
The host family is the last piece of the puzzle once the IIoP know where the young person will intern.
If you have an Internship opportunity or know of someone who would or would like to be a host family, please email Rob Tierney at the IIoP or call him at 412.394.3900
Please forward this note to any contacts you may have by simply clicking on the envelope icon below.
P.S.: The Institute is in need of one host family from Friday, May 4th - Thursday, June 28th. Host families are paid $135/week and provide a separate bedroom and meals as per household schedule. Participants are in work placements Monday - Thursday and Duquesne University Fridays. The IIoP organize activities for them when they are here so that gets them out of the house every so often and they provide 24 hour support to host families and the group also has a supervisor who travels with them. If there are any AOH 32 members that have a vacation that is preventing them from helping out - the IIoP has host families that will take a participant for up to a week while on vacation. It's a great opportunity to help some young people from Ireland and Northern Ireland that are less fortunate than ourselves.
Brother Denis Cunningham is back from his trip to Dublin and Lithuania about three weeks and wanted m eto apss along the following information.
The combined choirs of Good Shepherd and St Winifred's--with soloists and orchestra--are performing Vivaldi's GLORIA. Admission is free--but donations will be accepted for the parish food pantry.
You know what they say, "Singing to God is like double-stength prayer." You may think that listening to sacred baroque music in church on a Sunday may be the least sexy or aggressive pastime imaginable--and maybe just what the doctor ordered...anyhow--it keeps Denis out of trouble and could do wonders for you too.
To see Denis and his group perform stop by this weekend on 4/29/07 at Good Shepherd Curch on Braddock Ave at 3:00 p.m. Refreshments will be served following each concert.
TRANSLATION OF TEXT
1. Glory to God in the highest. 2. And on earth peace to men of good will. 3. We praise Thee. We adore Thee. We glorify Thee. 4. & 5. We give thanks to Thee for Thy great glory. 6. O Lord God, heavenly King, God the Father almighty. 7. O Lord, the Only-begotten Son, Jesus Christ. 8. O Lord God, Lamb of God, Son of the Father, Who takest away the sins of the world, have mercy on us. 9. Who takest away the sins of the world, receive our prayer. 10. Who sittest at the right hand of the Father, have mercy on us. 11. For Thou only art holu. Thou only art the Lord. Thou only are most high, O Jesus Christ. 12. With the Holy Ghost in the glory of God the Father. Amen.
On March 16th, The O'Neill Summer School and the Ireland Institute of Pittsburgh proudly presented Dr. Hugo O'Neill (Hugo Mac Ui Neill Buidhe) Chief of the O'Neill Clan Worldwide & President of the Standing Council of Irish Clans at the Double Tree Hotel, Downtown Pittsburgh.
Several members of AOH 32 atttended this landmark event. Many thanks to AOH 32 brother and IIofP President Jim Lamb for his leadership putting the event together.
Thirty Bishop Canevin High School Jr. AOH members along with advisor Jim "Bear" O'Connell, Division 32 AOH member Ed Blank, and parent Tom Kennedy visited Antietam on Tuesday, April 3.
The group left their school at 6:00 a.m. and watched a DVD called Lincoln and Lee at Antietam on the bus for background.
The group arrived at the visitors center at around 10:00 a.m. and got and overview of the battle from Brian. Afterwards, the group went to the observation tower and walked the route of the Irish Brigade until they went into action at the sunken road -"Bloody Lane."
Then the group returned to visitors center to see the NPS film, went to Burnside's bridge, and then returned back to Pittsburgh with a greater appreciation of their Irish ancestors and the sacrifices they made for freedom.
AOH 32 in association with the Ireland Institute of Pittsburgh presents The Wind That Shakes the Barleyat Regent Square Theater, 1035 South Braddock Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15218. It's IRISH NIGHT TONIGHT! For more information, email Ed Blank, call him at 412.854.5555; or better yet just show up - Ed will be selling $5.00 tickets at the door starting at 6:30 p.m. Make sure you get there early to avoid traffic.
THE MOVIE STARTS AT 8:00 P.M. SHARP TONIGHT, APRIL 23RD.
Here is the movie trailer.
Here is an interview with one of the stars in the movie.
1014 - The Dublin Norse and the king of Leinster, with Viking allies from overseas, are defeated by Brian Boru's army at Clontarf. Brian, now an old man, is killed. This thwarts the potential domination of Ireland by the Norse, but they are well established in the coastal towns, and will continue to have a major influence. Máel Sechnaill succeeds Brian as high king 1357 - Four days after the end of his campaign against the O'Tooles, O'Byrnes and O'Nolans in Leinster, justiciar Thomas Rokeby dies on this date at Kilkea, Co. Kildare 1723 - Mervyn Archdall, antiquary, is born in Dublin 1727 - Actress George Anne Bellamy is born in Fingal, Co. Dublin. The illegitimate daughter of Lord Tyrawley, British ambassador at Lisbon, her mother marries a Captain Bellamy and the child receives the name George Anne, by mistake for Georgiana. She grows up to become an accomplished actress and plays on the stage in London and Dublin. She is a contemporary of Sheridan and Garrick, and is patronized by aristocratic society. 1792 - Thomas Romney Robinson, astronomer and physicist, is born in Dublin 1805 - James Henthorn Todd, scholar, is born in Dublin 1918 - The Military Service Act18 April threatens conscription for Ireland: there is a one-day general strike in protest (except in Ulster) on this date 1926 - Son of irish immigrants, J.P. Donleavy, author of The Ginger Man, is born in New York; he emigrates to Ireland during World War II and becomes an Irish citizen. He now lives in Westmeath 1927 - Shamrock Rovers player Bob Fulham scores Ireland’s first international goal, against Italy 1947 - Birth of Bernadette Devlin McAliskey in Cookstown, Co. Tyrone; she is the youngest MP ever to be elected to Parliament 1961 - A census shows the population of Northern Ireland is1,425,642; an earlier census on April 9 shows the population of the Republic to be 2,818,341 1967 - A local parish priest voices his extreme opposition to the appearance of Jayne Mansfield at the Mount Brandon Hotel in Tralee, and the concert is duly cancelled. Three weeks later, she is killed in a car accident 1998 - The Government's package of measures designed to dampen down rocketing house prices — particularly in the Dublin area — draws mixed reaction 1998 - The largest dry bulk carrier ever to dock at an Irish port, the 183,000-tonne Buccleuch, arrives at the deep-water jetty of the ESB's generating station at Moneypoint, Co. Clare 1999 - It emerges that detectives from outside the Royal Ulster Constabulary are being drafted into Northern Ireland to join the murder squad hunting the killers of human rights lawyer Rosemary Nelson 2002 - Just months after voting No to Nice, Irish support for EU membership hits a record high, according to the latest survey carried out among the 15 member States 2003 - Key questions to the IRA posed by British Prime Minister Tony Blair spark an angry reaction from Sinn Féin but are supported by the Government. According to Mr Blair, the deadlock in the Northern Ireland peace process is down to uncertainty over the IRA’s future intentions.
April 24 1596 - Pacificatie of Ireland drawn 1718 - Nathaniel Hone, portrait painter, is born in Dublin 1764 - Thomas Emmet, nationalist and brother of Robert Emmet, is born in Dublin 1857 - William Thompson, journalist, is born in Derry/Londonderry 1906 - Son of an Irish father, William Joyce aka 'Lord Haw-Haw'; fascist and broadcaster of Nazi propaganda in World War II is born in Brooklyn, New York 1912 - Irish novelist, historian and politician, Justin McCarthy, dies 1913 - Large supply of guns from Germany are landed at Larne for the Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) 1916 - On Easter Monday, the Irish Volunteers and Citizen Army seize the General Post Office (GPO) in Dublin and demand Irish sovereignty 1927 - Bishop Eamon Casey is born 1945 - Singer Johhny McEvoy is born 1948 - Birth of writer, Clare Boylan 1951 - Birth of Enda Kenny, leader of Fine Gael 1961 - Laura Magahy, head of development of Temple Bar, Dublin, is born 1993 - A massive IRA bomb rips through the City of London, killing one and injuring more than 40 1998 - The Ulster Defence Association and Ulster Freedom Fighters' Inner Council - the North's largest loyalist paramilitary group - backs the Stormont Agreement, saying it secures the state's place within the United Kingdom 1998 - The second-largest ever construction project in the history of the State, a £120m drainage system designed to make Cork's River Lee and Lough Mahon pollution free in four years time and create up to 500 jobs during construction, is announced 2002 - The IRA is accused of being part of a global terrorist network after a US inquiry claims the group has sent up to 15 members to Colombia to train Marxist rebels 2003 - The United States backs British Prime Minister Tony Blair’s demand that the IRA should clarify its commitment to the peace process.
April 25 1185 - Henry II sends his son John to Ireland; John lands at Waterford on this date to assert control over Hugh de Lacy, but he fails to achieve this. Henry still suspects that de Lacy wants to be king of Ireland 1681 - Count Redmond O'Hanlon (outlawed chief) is shot dead by his foster-brother 1707 - Thomas Erle, MP for Cork city, commands the centre at the Battle of Alamanza and loses his right hand on this date; David Dunbar, later MP for Blessington, is wounded and captured in the same battle, and John Upton, later MP for Co. Antrim, distinguishes himself 1819 - Vere Foster, philanthropist and educationist, is born in Copenhagen; he is the inventor of copy books used in schools throughout Ireland until the 1950s 1861 - William Ford, who crossed the Atlantic from Ireland by steerage, marries fellow country woman Mary O'Hern. Their son Henry Ford, pioneered the mass manufacturing of the automobile 1877 - Ralph Henry Byrne, architect, is born in Dublin 1918 - Irish Labour Party declares one-day strike in protest over conscription act Anglo-Irish agreements on defence, finance and trade (25 April) end the 'Economic War': the 'Treaty' ports are ceded by Britain; the Irish Government pays £10 million to settle financial claims; both sides repeal penal duties on imports 1938 - Anglo-Irish agreements on defence, finance and trade end the 'Economic War': the 'Treaty' ports are ceded by Britain; the Irish Government pays £10 million to settle financial claims; both sides repeal penal duties on imports 1946 - Birth of Peter Sutherland; in 1981, he becomes Ireland's youngest ever Attorney-General in the Fine Gael–Labour coalition government. In 1997, he becomes chairman of BP and when BP merges with Amoco in 1998 he becomes non-executive chairman of the new company. BP Amoco has a market value of about $40 billion. Sutherland is also on the boards of ABB Asea Brown Boveri Ltd., Investor AB and Eriksson. He is chairman of the Overseas Development Council in Washington and the recipient of numerous honorary doctorates and awards in Europe and America. 1976 - About 10,000 people attend the Easter week commemorative rally at the GPO, convened by the Provisionist IRA, despite government prohibition 1998 - The first ever mass demonstrations against immigration laws and racism take place in Dublin, Cork and Limerick. At the same time, protests are staged by Irish people outside embassies all over Europe and the United States. Dublin edges close to a standstill as more than 1,000 protesters march from St Stephen's Green to the GPO 1999 - The RUC strongly denies fresh claims of police collusion and cover-up in the 1974 Dublin and Monaghan bombings that claims 33 lives in the Republic 25 years ago 2003 - Sinéad O’Connor announces her retirement from the music business.
April 26 1718 - Thomas St Lawrence, 13th Baron of Howth, receives £215 14s 1 1/2d for the expense he incurs in building a quay at Howth for landing coals for the lighthouse 1745 - On this date, John Allen (3rd Viscount Allen), former MP for Carysfort, kills a dragoon in a street brawl. ‘His Lordship was at a house in Eustace Street. At twelve in the night, three dragoons making a noise in the street, he threw up the window and threatening them, adding as is not unusual with him a great deal of bad language. The dragoons returned it. He went out to them loaded with a pistol. At the first snapping of it, it did not fire. This irritated the dragoon who cut his fingers with his sword, upon which Lord Allen shot him.’ The wound occasions a fever which causes Lord Allen’s death on 25 May 1756 - John Ponsonby is unanimously elected Speaker of the Irish parliament 1784 - Death of Nano Nagle, 'God's Beggar', founder of the Order of the Presentation Sisters of the Blessed Virgin Mary 1808 - Benjamin Burton, son of William Burton (former MP for Gowran and Co. Carlow) fractures his skull in a fall from his horse while hunting but, having apparently recovered, goes out again with the hounds and dies from 'brain fever' 1895 - The trial of Oscar Wilde for homosexuality, then a crime, begins at the Old Bailey 1904 - Edward VII begins a visit to Ireland on this date 1916 - Francis Sheehy-Skeffington, writer, suffragist, pacifist and patriot, is apprehended while trying to stop Easter Rising looting and is later executed by the British without a trial 1932 - Aengus Finucane, priest, and charity worker deeply involved with the organization, Concern, is born in Limerick 1998 - Catriona McKiernan becomes the first Irish woman to win the London Marathon 1999 - Former Supreme Court Justice, Hugh O'Flaherty, confirms he will give a full and frank account of his role in the Philip Sheedy affair before the Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Equality and Women's Rights 2001 - Leading Sinn Féin members are among the 5,000 people who attend the funeral of former chief of staff of the Provisional IRA, Joe B. O'Hagan. Party president Gerry Adams gives the oration at the graveside when the leading republican figure is buried in Lurgan, Co Armagh 2002 - More than a million postcards are delivered to Prime Minister Tony Blair and the Prince of Wales as part of an Irish bid to have the Sellafield nuclear installation closed down. People throughout Ireland posted the cards after weeks of campaigning, backed by celebrities such as soccer international Roy Keane and pop stars Ronan Keating and Samantha Mumba 2003 - The Government says a deal securing the future of the North’s power-sharing executive is now close following the latest statement from Sinn Féin. Irish and British governments hail a speech by the Sinn Féin president, Gerry Adams, as a significant advance 2003 - Police in North Belfast try to keep rival factions apart after rioting erupts in the Limestone Road area of the city
April 27 1696 - Act 'for encouraging the linen manufacture of Ireland': Irish linen gains duty-free access to the British market on this date 1739 - Lord Barry of Santry is tried by his peers in the parliament house for the murder of his former servant Laughlin Murphy in August 1738. They unanimously find him guilty, but recommend him to the royal mercy. The Lord Lieutenant endorses this plea, and Santry is pardoned under the great seal on 17 June. His estates, which had been forfeited for life, will be restored in 1741 1827 - Mary King Ward, Irish naturalist and astronomer is born 1880 - The Royal University of Ireland is founded by charter 1891 - The first ever Irish musical comedy, The Irish Girl, written by Percy French and William Collisson, is staged at the Queen’s Theatre, Dublin 1904 - Cecil Day-Lewis, poet, novelist, critic, and Ireland's poet laureate from 1968 to 1972, is born in Ballintogher, Co. Sligo 1920 - Georgina Frost wins a legal battle to allow her to be clerk of the petty sessions for Sixmilebridge and Newmarket-on-Fergus, Co. Clare; she is thus the first woman to hold public office from central government in the UK 1923 - De Valera announces end of operations against the Irish Free State, effectively ending the Irish Civil War 1937 - The Most Rev. Robert Eames, Church of Ireland Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of all Ireland, is born 1953 - Maud Gonne McBride dies in Roebuck, Clonskeagh, and is later buried in Dublin in the Glasnevin Cemetery 1966 - Farmers protest against low milk prices; 28 are arrested in Dublin 1998 - Sinn Féin president, Gerry Adams, forecasts an end to the RUC in its present form. His prediction comes following a 55-minute review with Tony Blair in Downing Street of critical issues arising from the Good Friday settlement 1999 - Legal history is made when the country's first ever convicted gangland murderer, self-confessed drugs dealer and gang boss Joseph Delaney, is jailed for life 2001 - Ireland's foremost literary town officially opens a permanent home for its famous wordsmiths and their works. A 19th century Georgian house, in the heart of Listowel, has become the Kerry Literary and Cultural Centre, where life-size models and audio-visual presentations help portray the personalities and output of various writers. The £1.5 million centre is appropriately named Seanchaí after the art of storytelling and in recognition of the folklore and traditions that inspire great literature.
April 28 1714 - Sir Wentworth Harman, MP for Lanesborough, 'coming in a dark night from Chapel-Izod, his coach overturning, tumbled down a precipice, and he dies in consequence of the wounds and bruises he received' 1794 - Rev. William Jackson, agent of French revolutionary government, is arrested in Dublin 1864 - Birth of William Ellison, clergyman and the sixth director of the Armagh Observatory. On his appointment in 1918, he donates the original late nineteenth-century telescope to the Observatory - an 18-inch Newtonian reflector, made by the famous English telescope maker George Calver; for many years it is one of the largest telescopes in Ireland. During the 1920s and 1930s, Ellison and others use the telescope for observations of the planets and for taking spectral images of the stars, using a spectroscope to split the starlight into its constituent colours 1875 - Teresa Kearney, better known as Mother Kevin, missionary and founder of Franciscan Missionary Sisters of Africa, is born in Knockenrahan, Co. Wicklow 1922 - Nicky Rackard, Wexford hurler, is born in Killane, Co. Wexford 1936 - The Daíl introduces a bill awarding pensions to the Connaught Rangers who mutinied in India in 1920 1943 - Andrews resigns as Northern Ireland Prime Minister and is succeeded by Sir Basil Brooke, later Lord Brookeborough 1969 - Terence O'Neill resigns as Prime Minister of Northern Ireland. He is succeeded by Chichester Clark 1992 - Death of Dublin-born artist Francis Bacon 1998 - Some 30 years after waiting on Eamonn De Valera and literary luminaries of the day in the Great Southern Hotel in Galway, 57-year old Rita Gilligan from Bohermore is presented with an honorary MBE by UK Culture Secretary, Chris Smith,at London's Hard Rock Cafe where she has worked as a waitress for 27 years 1999 - Ireland's largest convoy packed with 200 tonnes of relief supplies for Kosovar refugees leaves Dublin for Albania 2000 - It is announced that 100 free bicycles will be placed on the streets of Dublin for the Heineken Green Energy Weekend. The free bicycles will be placed outside Trinity College, outside Dublin Castle and at the top of Grafton Street and will be available to anyone wishing to cycle around the city to take in the atmosphere of the Festival
April 29 1653 - Birth of John Whally, necromancer and charlatan 1665 - Birth of James Butler, 2nd Duke of Ormonde and an ancestor of Princess Diana. The Dublin-born Irish general becomes one of the most powerful men in the Tory administration, governing England in the early part of the 18th century - from 1710 to 1714 1680 - The first stone of the Royal Hospital, Kilmainham is laid by the Duke of Ormonde 1758 - Wide Streets Commission for Dublin is appointed by the Irish Parliament 1769 - Arthur Wellesley, Duke of Wellington, soldier and statesman, is born in Dublin 1803 - Paul Cullen, prelate, is born in Prospect, Co. Kildare 1874 - Conal O'Riordan (pseudonym 'F. Norris Connell), writer and theatre manager, is born in in Dublin 1916 - Pearse orders surrender of the Easter Rising rebels on this date. Approximately 64 rebels have been killed, 132 crown forces, and 230 civilians. 2,500 people have been wounded; the centre of Dublin has been devastated by the shelling 1938 - Birth of Ray McSharry, Fianna Fáil politician and EU Commissioner 1941 - Birth of Jonah Barrington, squash player, in Cornwall; a student at Trinity in the late 1950s / early 1960s, it's where he started to play squash; one of the greatest squash players of all time, he is considered to be the father of the modern professional game 1954 - Kevin Moran, football player for Dublin Gaelic, Manchester United, Sporting Gijon, Blackburn Rovers and Republic of Ireland, is born in Dublin 1957 - Daniel Day-Lewis, best actor Oscar winner for My Left Foot, is born 1986 - Seamus McElwaine, IRA-terrorist, is killed 1998 - Triple Olympic champion Michelle De Bruin comes out fighting in response to the most serious drugs-linked threat to her glittering swimming career 1999 - Governor General of Australia, Sir William Deane, is to be conferred with an honorary degree at Trinity, and is the guest of honour at the first state dinner held at Dublin Castle under President Mary McAleese's term 2001 - The Irish Council for Civil Liberties celebrates the 25th anniversary of its foundation 2001 - Des O'Malley pledges his co-operation to a new inquiry into the Arms Crisis of 1970 and challenges Charles Haughey to do the same. Mr O'Malley strongly defends his role as Justice Minister during the turbulent events surrounding the most controversial trial in the State's history 2001 - A monument is unveiled in Inniscarra, Co Cork, in honour of an Ulster chief who could have changed the history of Europe if he hadn't been killed in battle. Chief of Fermanagh, Aodh Mag Uidhir (Hugh Maguire) is shot dead during an ambush in 1600 at Carrigrohane before the Battle of Kinsale the following year, which sees the last struggle for an independent Gaelic Ireland fail. "Maguire was a great strategist, and some believe that had he survived, the result of the Battle of Kinsale might have been different, changing the course of European history. He was the Rommel of the 1600s," says Seán O´ Ceallacháin of the Hugh Maguire Commemoration Committee 2003 - Thornton’s Restaurant in Dublin ranks 25th in Restaurant magazine’s latest list of the top 50 restaurants in the world. Sources: Irish Culture and Customs, The Celtic League, Irish Abroad, The Wild Geese
Little Sisters of the Poor Present Andy Cooney, Irish/American Recording Artist in Concert at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, April 28, 2007 at Central Catholic High School, 4720 Fifth Avenue, Pittsburgh.
Named "irish America's Favorite Son" by the New York Times, Cooney has been performing since age 5. Andy will perform classic Irish songs such as My Kathleen, Danny Boy, Daughter of Mine, Boston Rose, and The Irish Wedding Song.
Special guests include comedian George Casey and the Niall O'Leary Dancers.
Concert tickets are prices at $40 each, with group (ten or more) and senior rates at $30 each.The concert is open seating. Order tickets by calling the Little Sisters of the Poor at 412-307-1100 or by e-mail at littlesisters@mindspring.com. Proceeds benefit the elderly Residents at the Little Sisters of the Poor Home, Pittsburgh.
(L-R - Allegheny County AOH President Denny Donnelly, Bern Donnelly, Ed Blank, AOH 32 President John Graf)
Congratulations to AOH 32 brothers and 2007 Bob Carr Hibernian of the Year award winner Bernie Donnelly and Service Award winner Ed Blank - our well deserved winners!
See a few more pictures from our Communion breakfast in the photo album area to the right - more to come.
April 16 1660 - Sir Hans Sloane, physician and naturalist, is born in Killyleagh, Co. Down 1701 - Some MPs and gentlemen of Co. Carlow petition against the return and residence of Mark Baggot, 'a violent Papist', in that county, of which he was 'titular High Sheriff' in 1689 1752 - The first regular stage-coach service between Dublin and Belfast commences 1782 - Irish Parliament declares its independence from the English Parliament 1850 - Samuel Butcher, scholar, is born in Dublin 1871 - John Millington Synge, poet, playwright, and student of Irish language and culture, is born in Dublin 1929 - Birth in Bailieborough, Co. Cavan of Captain James Kelly, Irish army intelligence officer who would later be involved in the 1970 arms trial 1939 - Pop singer Dusty Springfield, whose real name is Mary O'Brien, is born to Irish parents in London 1947 - Singer Gerry Rafferty is born in Paisley, Scotland to an Irish father and a Scots mother 1970 - Protestant right-winger the Reverend Ian Paisley wins a seat in Northern Ireland's parliament 1999 - Supreme Court Justice Hugh O'Flaherty and High Court Judge Cyril Kelly are given 72 hours to quit by the Government — or else face unprecedented impeachment proceedings 1999 - Union officials at the centre of the scaffolders strike predict chaos within the building industry as over 800 workers place unofficial pickets on countrywide sites following the breakdown of crisis talks 1999 - David Trimble admits for the first time that he accepts it is unlikely the Provisional IRA will return to violence in the short-term 2001 - The Government iprepares to re-institute draconian restrictions in a last desperate attempt to prevent the foot and mouth plague sweeping the country. Fresh cases of the disease in Northern Ireland have stunned Department of Agriculture officials and Minister Joe Walsh admits that it now appeared that foot and mouth is rampant north of the border 2002 - Beginning with a 'park-up' outside John A Woods and ReadyMix sites in Cork, Kerry and Limerick, as many as 300 truck drivers transporting sand and gravel take their trucks off the road in protest at strict weight restrictions, high insurance costs and low pay 2003 - A spokesman for the British Government says that it is sticking with its plans for Assembly elections in Northern Ireland next month, even if efforts to restore devolution fail.
April 17 1172 - Henry II returns to Britain on this date, having granted a charter to Dublin - the first granted to an Irish town 1656 - William Molyneux, statesman, philosopher and scientist, is born in Dublin 1783 - The British Renunciation Act acknowledges the exclusive right of the Irish parliament and courts to make and administer laws for Ireland 1875 - Election of Charles Stewart Parnell as MP for Meath 1920 - The inquest into the death of Tomás MacCurtain, Lord Mayor of Cork killed by policemen in disguise on 19 March, returns a verdict of wilful murder against the RIC, and indicts Lloyd George and the British government 1936 - Brendan Kennelly, poet, is born in Ballylongford, Co. Kerry 1944 - Michael 'Babs Keating, Tipperary hurler, is born in Ardfinnan, Co. Limerick 1961 - New Civic Arts Theatre building is opened on Botanic Avenue in Belfast; originally called the Mask Theatre it is renamed the Civic Arts Theatre in 1947. Eventually, it will close due to lack of funding 1966 - A census shows the population of the Republic to be 2,884,002. 1969 - Bernadette Devlin is elected MP for Mid Ulster, standing as the Independent Unity candidate; at 21 years old, she is Britain's youngest ever female MP and the third youngest MP ever 1984 - Death of lyricist and songwriter Jimmy Kennedy from Omagh; his songs include The Teddy Bears’ Picnic and Red Sails In The Sunset 1998 - The Black Pearl, Paul McGrath, decides to end a lengthy and honour-strewn career in football 1999 - The Real IRA-linked 32 County Sovereignty Movement launches a major recruitment campaign in west Belfast 2000 - It is reported that Northern Ireland sporting hero, Alex 'Hurricane' Higgins, is seriously ill in hospital 2000 - New licensing laws go into effect which give drinkers an extra half hour in the pub 2003 - The country sizzles as the temperature soars to 24ºC/72ºF 2003 - The Irish and British governments debate whether to continue efforts to reach agreement on the future of the Good Friday Agreement following Sinn Féin president Gerry Adam's failure to make a watershed speech 2003 - Sunset in Belfast port marks an historic occasion as the Tricolour and the Royal Navy’s White Ensign are lowered together. The Irish Naval Service’s LE Eithne and Britain’s HMS Tyne both exchange personnel for the ceremonial event as both fishery patrol vessels berth side-by-side at Queen’s Quay in the heart of the northern capital. The five-day Belfast engagement for the LE Eithne marks the first-ever visit to a Six Counties’ port by an Irish navy boat.
April 18 1608 - Sir Cahir O'Doherty of Inishowen revolts and sacks Derry 1689 - Siege of Derry begins 1690 - Five regiments of Irishmen sail for France and form the nucleus of France's Irish Brigade 1768 - Daniel Murray, Archbishop of Dublin, is born in Arklow, Co. Wicklow 1778 - William Bunbury, MP for Co. Carlow, dies after being thrown from his horse 1792 - Langrishe's Catholic Relief Act allows Catholics to practise law, and Protestants and Catholics to intermarry 1802 - Robert Patterson, naturalist, is born in Belfast 1817 - Michael Roberts, Irish mathematician and author of the theory of invariants, covariants and hypereliptic functions, is born in Cork 1870 - Birth in Dublin of Robert Tressell, born Noonan, author of The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists 1875 - Novelist Katherine Cecil Thurston,née Madden, is born in Cork 1930 - Victor Conlon, Irish activist, is born 1949 - The Republic of Ireland withdraws from the British Commonwealth. The British Parliament recognizes the declaration but asserts sovereignty over the six northern counties. Ireland does not recognize the claim 2000 - Tony Blair arrives in Northern Ireland in an effort to kickstart the ailing peace process 2000 - A plaque is unveiled in Belfast commemorating those killed or injured in paramilitary violence 2000 - RTÉ confirms that Glenroe's Mary McEvoy will be killed off in dramatic fashion. For 17 years, she has played the role of Biddy Byrne; however, she is requesting that she be written out in order to take on other challenges 2000 - The low-fares war on the Shannon-London route intensifies with Ryanair accusing Richard Branson's Virgin Express of copycat tactics 2000 - According to an annual survey released on this date, Ireland is named the seventh most competitive nation in the world.
April 19 1366 - The parliament, alarmed at the apparent undermining by native influences of the settler population's Englishness, passes the 'Statute of Kilkenny'. This aims to halt the widespread adoption by the Norman-Irish, especially in frontier areas, of Gaelic Irish culture, customs and language. It bans the use of the Irish language (insisting 'that every Englishman use the English language', though it is written in French) and Irish names within the colony, intermarriage with the native Irish, the playing of hurling, and so on. Pejorative name-calling between the English of England and the English of Ireland is prohibited. In fact, at this time there is a strong mutual influence: the Gaelic Irish are adopting some Norman-Irish practices, too. Also, most of the 'new' laws merely reiterate old ones (the exceptions being those on the Irish language and Irish minstrels) 1780 - Henry Grattan moves resolutions in favour of legislative independence in Irish House of Commons 1798 - The Earl of Clare begins a 3-day visit to Trinity College, Dublin to purge United Irishmen; 19 are expelled 1875 - Charles Stewart Parnell is elected MP for Co. Meath 1909 - Conel Hugh O'Donel Alexander, master mathematician, expert on codes, and chess champion, is born in Cork; he learns chess at the age of 8. From a Londonderry college he goes to King Edward's School, Birmingham, where as a schoolboy he wins the Birmingham Post cup, which carries with it the unofficial championship of Staffordshire, Warwickshire and Worcestershire. Going on to Cambridge, he not only wins the University championship four years in succession, but picks up first-class honours. He wins the British championship in 1938 1969 - Fierce rioting breaks out in Derry after the RUC ban a civil rights march from Burntollet Bridge 1972 - Lord Widgery's report exonerating "Bloody Sunday" troops is issued 1998 - Key members of the 32 County Sovereignty Committee, led by the sister of H-Block hunger striker, Bobby Sands, meet to draft an outright condemnation of the Good Friday peace deal 2003 - The British army is called in to deal with rioting in North Belfast where up to 200 people are involved in disturbances at the junction of Limestone and Halliday Roads 2001 - Jenny Hegarty, a 72-year-old Dublin grandmother, takes on a host of international players and wins £10,000 at the Irish and European Open Poker Championship 2001 - EU restrictions on farm exports due to foot and mouth are lifted one month after the Republic’s only outbreak 2002 - Ireland's first cash-free petrol station, Carrigdhoun Service Station, near Ballygarvan, Co Cork, opens with all business being transacted by credit card or petrol card. 2003 - Bono surpasses competition from British Prime Minister Tony Blair and French President Jacques Chirac to become Europe’s greatest hero. The U2 lead singer is picked by online voters from a list of 36 other Europeans compiled by Time magazine.
April 20 1176 - Strongbow, Anglo-Norman lord, dies in Dublin 1608 - James I grants a licence to the Old Bushmills distillery in Co. Antrim which is thought to date from at least 1276 - the oldest distillery in the world 1696 - The Guild of Brewers and Maltsters is founded in Dublin; Richard Forster, former MP for Swords and a Dublin brewer, is a member 1772 - William Lawless, surgeon, United Irishman and general in Napoleon Bonaparte's revolutionary army, is born in Dublin 1791 - William Tone, soldier, author and son of Theobald Wolfe Tone is born in Dublin 1812 - Maurice FitzGerald, MP for Co. Kerry, presents the Irish Protestant petition for Catholic relief and calls for measures against grain scarcity in Ireland 1829 - Margaret Anna Cusack is born to an aristocratic family of English origin in Coolak, Co. Dublin; she is the founder of the first Poor Clares convent in the west of Ireland and also a talented writer who publishes on the issues of social injustice. Her writings and actions focus on advocacy of women's rights including equal pay, equal opportunity for education and legal reform to give women control of their own property 1857 - Sir Thomas Myles, surgeon, is born in Limerick 1879 - Robert Lynd, essayist and critic, is born in Belfast 1896 - A demonstration of the cinématographe is held in Dublin at Dan Lowrey's Star of Erin theatre of varieties, now the Olympia Theatre 1912 - Death of Dublin writer Bram Stoker, creator of Dracula 1945 - Alan Dukes, politician and Fine Gael leader is born in Dublin 1954 - Michael Manning becomes the last man to be executed by the state in the Republic of Ireland: he is hanged on this date at Mountjoy jail, Dublin, for the murder of a nurse 1874 - The conflict in Northern Ireland claims its 1,000 victim, petrol station owner James Murphy of Co. Fermanagh 1991- Sean O'Faolain, writer, dies at 91; he is best known for his short stories, collected in such volumes as Midsummer Night Madness, The Man Who Invented Sin, The Heat of the Sun, and The Talking Trees (1971). Among his novels are A Nest of Simple Folk and Come Back to Erin 2001 - Two cases of suspected foot-and-mouth rock the North’s agricultural community. Stormont Minister Bríd Rodgers admits her department is concerned about symptoms in animals at Ballintoy, near Ballycastle, and in a herd at Ardboe.
April 21 1738 - A Mr Lorimer, receiver of Sir Arthur Acheson (MP for Mullingar), is killed in a duel 1816 - Daughter of an Irish father, Charlotte Bronte, eldest of the three Bronte Sisters and author of Jane Eyre, is born 1871 - John Fitzpatrick, Labor leader and Irish nationalist is born in Athlone, Co. Westmeath 1874 - Walter Wilson, mechanical engineer, designer of cars and tanks, is born in Blackrock, Co. Dublin 1875 - Michael, "The O'Rahilly," Irish Volunteers leader, is born in Ballylongford, Co. Kerry 1879 - Birth of novelist Maurice Walsh in Listowel 1901 - Death of James Stephens, Kilkenny-born founder of the Irish Republican Brotherhood 1907 - The nationalist groups, Cumman na nGaedheal and Dungannon Clubs, combine to form the Sinn Féin (Ourselves) League 1916 - The Aud arrives at Banna Strand, Co. Kerry, from Germany with 20,000 rifles for use of the Volunteers in the Easter Uprising; they are discovered by the British and the crew scuttles the ship. Roger Casement, who is following behind the Aud in a submarine, lands safely, but is captured later 1970 - The Alliance Party of Northern Ireland is founded on this date, with Phelim O'Neill as leader 1994 - 'Guildford Four' man, Paul Hill, wins his appeal against a conviction for an IRA murder in Northern Ireland 1998 - In its annual study, the International Institute of Management Development ranks Ireland as the 11th most competitive country in the world – ahead of global economic powers such as Japan, Germany and Britain 1999 - Paddy McDonagh, a former Irish soldier caught transporting a massive bomb across the border on the day the Good Friday Agreement referendum votes are counted, is jailed for six years by the Special Criminal Court in Dublin 2000 - Dissident republicans threaten fresh violence as Sinn Féin President Gerry Adams claim hope in Northern Ireland had plunged to an all time low 2001 - The Advertising Standards Authority for Ireland orders Levi’s to remove posters featuring semi naked models from bus shelters and near schools 2002 - The IRA denies that it responsible for last month's break-in at Special Branch offices in Belfast. The organisation also insists it is not involved in targeting politicians and said its ceasefire remains intact.
April 22 1365 - Lionel returns to England, leaving Ormond as his deputy 1671 - An English Navigation Act prohibits direct importation of sugar, tobacco and other produce from the colonies to Ireland; act expires in 1681 but is renewed in 1685 and extended in 1696 1717 - John Marshall, a successful attorney and father of Robert Marshall, a future MP for Clonmel and an executor of Hester Vanhomrigh (Vanessa), commits suicide in Boate Street, Clonmel, Co. Tipperary 1834 - Daniel O'Connell introduces debate on Repeal of Union bill in the House of Commons 1905 - Capt. William O'Shea, politician and accuser of Parnell, dies in Hove 1918 - A general strike takes place throughout Ireland against the British government's attempts to introduce conscription 1945 - Birth of Alan Dukes Irish President (Fine Gael) 1967 - Actor and writer, Walter Macken dies at his home in the gaeltacht village of Menlo, Galway. A prolific author, he is best known for his novel Rain on the Wind and his trilogy about the famine - Seek the Fair Land, The Silent People and The Scorching Wind 1999 - In Washington DC, the House International Relations Committee hears allegations of continuing abuses against citizens by security forces in Northern Ireland 1999 - Sinéad O'Connor is ordained in Lourdes by the dissident bishop Michael Cox 1999 - An historic meeting between David Trimble and the Pope takes place in Rome yesterday; careful stage-management ensures there are no public photographs of the two men close together. Mr Trimble is the first unionist leader to meet a Pope 1999 - Sir Peter Ustinov receives his 14th honorary degree — doctor of laws - from the National University of Ireland 2002 - Taoiseach Bertie Ahern sends a blunt pre-election warning to the Progressive Democrats that he is determined to have a national stadium and sports campus built if he is returned to power 2003 - It is announced that gardaí are to be given video cameras to record drink-related offences at pubs, nightclubs and takeaways, as part of a new clampdown on public order offences. Special units in 25 Garda districts will be provided with hand-held cameras. Sources: Irish Culture and Customs, The Celtic League, Irish Abroad, The Wild Geese
I'm posting a bit early this weekend due the Easter holiday, so here is your Irish song for next week. Back by popular demand, another version of Down by the Glenside. Here is rare footage of Irish traditional supergroup Arcady featuring Frances Black performing Down By The Glenside (The Bold Fenian Men) at Scraggs Alley in Carlow, Ireland in 1991. The audio is a little rough at the beginning, but hang in there for a great performance.
Irish Night - April 23 - Wind that Shakes the Barley
AOH 32 in association with the Ireland Institute of Pittsburgh presents The Wind That Shakes the Barleyat Regent Square Theater, 1035 South Braddock Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15218. It's IRISH NIGHT! Get a special $5 discounted ticket by sending a check payable to "Pittsburgh Filmmakers" c/o Ed Blank, 117 Highridge Circle, Pittsburgh, PA 15234; or c/o Ireland Institute of Pittsburgh, 425 Sixth Avenue, Suite 300, Pittsburgh, PA 15219. For more information, email Ed Blank or call him at 412.854.5555; or call Rob Tierney at the IIP at 412.394.3900.
THE MOVIE STARTS AT 8:00 P.M. SHARP ON MONDAY NIGHT, APRIL 23RD.
Here is the movie trailer.
Here is an interview with one of the stars in the movie.
Irish Song Óró Sé Beatha 'Bhaile - The wind that shakes the barley - uses clips from the film "The Wind that Shakes the Barley" and the music, featured in the film, Óró Sé Beatha 'Bhaile issung by Sinead O'Connor.
Here is another song from the movie in English The Dead Can Dance.
Here is your Irish history lesson for this week. April 9 1346 - Death of Ralph de Ufford, justiciar 1793 - The Relief Act grants Catholics parliamentary franchise and certain civil and military rights 1807 - After resigning as Commissioner of the Treasury (UK) over the issue of Catholic relief, Maurice FitzGerald, MP for Co. Kerry states on this date that their war effort alone merits concessions to Irish Catholics 1837 - Edward Hallaran Bennett, surgeon, is born in Cork 1916 - The merchant ship Aud leaves Germany for Ireland with arms for the Irish Republican Brotherhood 1917 - Birth of legendary racehorse trainer, Vincent O'Brien 1921 - Dr. William Walsh, archbishop and nationalist, dies 1926 - Birth in Belfast of Lord Gerry Fitt, politician 1961 - A census on this date shows the population of the Republic to be 2,818,341 and that of Northern Ireland is 1,425,642 1961 - Mark Kelly, rock keyboard musician, is born in Dublin 1981 - IRA hunger striker Bobby Sands wins a seat in the British parliament in the Fermanagh and South Tyrone by-election 1984 - Leslie De Barra, revolutionary, wife of General Tom Barry, dies 1998 - Taoiseach Bertie Ahern is back in Norther Ireland to resume his bid with Prime Minister, Tony Blair, to save the peace talks 2000 - Nobel Peace Prize winner, Nelson Mandela, arrives in Ireland to commence a four day private visit. During his visit, he is to receive an honorary degree in law at Trinity 2001 - Celebrities from the entertainment world turn out in force for the funeral mass of former lead singer with the Capital Showband, Butch Moore, at St Canice’s Church in Finglas
April 10 1346 - Following the death of Ralph de Ufford, Roger Darcy is appointed justiciar 1650 - Cromwell's New Model Army is victorious at Macroom, Co. Cork 1662 - A charter of Charles II replaces Cromwell's charter of Londonderry 1726 - Birth of William Brownlow, parliamentarian and Volunteer 1816 - Birth of Sir Charles Gavan Duffy, nationalist, in Monaghan 1838 - Fr. Theobald Mathew, with the support of William Martin, a quaker, founds the total abstinence movement in Cork 1865 - Oliver Sheppard, sculptor, is born in Cookstown, Co. Tyrone 1866 - Campobello New Brunswick Irish-American Fenians attack Campobello Island from Eastport, Maine; they are persuaded to leave by British warships and US agents 1867 - George William Russell (pseudonym A. E. Russell); poet, painter, writer, economist and mystic, is born in Lurgan, Co. Armagh 1918 - British Parliament proposes conscription in Ireland 1923 - Liam Lynch, chief of staff of the Irish Republican Army, is mortally wounded by Free State troops in the Knockmealdown Mountains, Co. Tipperary; Frank Aiken takes over as IRA chief of staff 1940 - Gloria Hunniford, TV personality, is born in Portadown, Co. Antrim 1966 - The widespread and prolonged commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the Easter Rising begins throughout the island 1990 - Death of Wexford hurling legend, Nicky Rackard 1992 - A huge IRA bomb explodes in London's financial district; three people are killed and 91 injured 1998 - The Peace Agreement comes under fire with both unionist and republican camps facing internal revolt, as the battle to sell the deal intensifies 1998 - A bronze bust of world-renowned Irish aviator, Colonel James 'Fitz' Fitzmaurice who, along with two Germans, made the first east-west transatlantic crossing in 1928, is unveiled in his hometown of Portlaoise 1998 - The Northern Ireland peace talks end with an historic agreement. The accord - dubbed the Good Friday Agreement - is reached after nearly two years of talks and 30 years of conflict.
April 11 1603 - In the revolt of the towns, or recusancy revolt, Catholic worship is re-established in Kilkenny and the main Munster towns between this date and 10 May, in the hope that James I will grant religious toleration; Mountjoy marches south and forces the towns to submit 1700 - Richard Levinge, an Irish MP and later a prominent Tory, who had been committed by the English House of Commons to the Tower of London on 16 January for speaking ill of his fellow Commissioners of Forfeited Estates is released on this date 1878 - Kathleen Daly Clarke, Irish patriot, is born 1966 - Herbert Asquith introduces the third Home Rule Bill in the House of Commons 1971 - The GAA lifts its ban on members playing or attending 'foreign' sports such as soccer or rugby 1986 - Brian Keenan is taken hostage in Beirut 1999 - The Northern Ireland peace process faces collapse as politicians prepare to return to Stormont, with agreement on the key issue of disarmament as distant as ever 1999 - Despite reports to the contrary, manager Louis Walsh insists pop group Boyzone will stay together for at least another year 2000 - In a dramatic end to the two-month trial, a jury at the Central Criminal Court finds Catherine Nevin guilty of all four charges against her arising out of the shooting death of her husband in 1996 2000 - The newspaper known as The Examiner is re-launched as The Irish Examiner 2000 - Nelson Mandela receives a hero's welcome as spectators turn out in droves in Dublin to honour the former president of South Africa prior to his receiving an honorary degree at Trinity. He is the first African leader to be so honoured. He already is a Freeman of the City, an honour granted shortly after being freed from jail 2002 - During a remembrance ceremony at St Colman's Cathedral, candles are lit for each of the 79 people who boarded the Titanic on her maiden and final voyage which departed from Cobh, then known as Queenstown, on this date in 1912.
April 12 1654 - The Ordinance of Union comes into effect, uniting Ireland and Scotland with England 1816 - Sir Charles Gavan Duffy is born in Co. Monaghan. He is self-educated as a journalist and founds the Nation, a nationalist weekly journal with Thomas Davis and John Dillon in 1842; ultimately, he emigrates to Australia and while determined to avoid politics, he is induced to enter the Victorian Parliament where he fills in succession the position of minister of public works and minister of public lands; for a brief period he is prime minister 1824 - An Act establishes free trade in manufactured articles between Britain and Ireland 1837 - Birth in Galway of Patrick Ford, journalist in the USA and fund-raiser for Irish causes 1847 - The American relief ship, Jamestown, lands supplies in Cork for famine victims 1861 - The American Civil War begins; 150,000 Irishmen will serve with the Union forces, and 40,000 with the Confederacy 1889 - Patrick McGilligan, pro-Treaty nationalist and politician, is born in Coleraine, Co. Derry/Londonderry 1914 - George Bernard Shaw's play "Pygmalion" opens in London with Mrs. Patrick Campbell as Eliza Doolittle and Sir Herbert Tree as Professor Higgins 1923 - The Shadow Of A Gunman by Sean O'Casey premieres at the Abbey Theatre 1960 - The Broadcasting Authority Act grants Radio Éireann authority to provide and maintain national radio and television service 1999 - The country's biggest building project, the giant Citibank site in Dublin's financial services centre, is hit when 600 workers walk off the job in solidarity with striking scaffolders 1999 - Demands for IRA disarmament are stepped up following fresh evidence that they are harbouring advanced anti-aircraft missiles 1999 - A United Nations report points to evidence of security force collusion in the murder of leading Belfast solicitor Pat Finucane 2000 - Queen Elizabeth II presents the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) with the George Cross, the highest civilian award for bravery 2000 - The Irish Red Cross launches an appeal for approximately £3 million in an effort to avert the impending famine in Ethiopia 2000 - A safety probe gets underway following an explosion at the SIFA Limited chemical plant in Co. Clare. Seven people suffering from shock and hearing difficulties are transferred to Limerick Regional Hospital and are later released 2000 - The first of two side-by-side castles on Dublin's Dalkey seafront comes up for auction. Inniscorrig, built in 1847, has a starting price of £3.5m. The Herbert Park house has a pre-auction guideline of £3m. 2001 - Ted Sweeney, the weather forecaster instrumental in saving the D Day landings from disaster, dies in his native Blacksod near Belmullet in Co Mayo. In 1944, Ted Sweeney claims a special place in world history by filing a famous weather report which delays the D Day landings in Normandy for 24 hours 2001 - Preliminary test results on a suspected foot and mouth case in Co. Tyrone are negative 2001 - The Real IRA threatens a fresh campaign of violence and vows to attack British targets in their quest for a united Ireland 2002 - A blockade by salmon fishermen at the Port of Cork passes off without incident 2003 - Hopes are raised of a breakthrough in the stalled Northern Ireland peace process, when the IRA outlines its future intentions to the Irish and British Governments. In a statement, the IRA sets out its position on the peace process, its ceasefire, and its approach to a third act of decommissioning.
April 13 1593 - Birth of Thomas Wentworth, Earl of Strafford/Viceroy of Ireland 1722 - Charles Leslie, Irish controversialist, dies 1728 - Samuel Molyneux, former MP for the University of Dublin and son of the writer William Molyneux, collapses in the British House of Commons and dies on this date, aged 38 1780 - Alexander Mitchell, civil engineer and inventor, is born in Dublin 1742 - Handel's Messiah is performed for the first time, conducted by the composer, at Mr. Neale's Great Musick Hall, Fishamble Street, Dublin, before an audience of 700 1825 - Thomas D'Arcy McGee, Nationalist, writer, and Canadian politician is born in Carlingford, Co. Louth 1829 - The Catholic Emancipation Act receives royal assent on this date; it permits Catholic men who can afford the poll tax to enter Parliament and hold civil and military offices 1906 - Birth of Samuel Beckett in Foxrock, Co. Dublin 1920 - Liam Cosgrave, Fine Gael leader and Taoiseach, is born 1926 - Birth of Peter Carrol, optical physicist 1939 - Poet, Seamus Heaney, is born in Mossbawn, near Belfast 1952 - Jockey, Jonjo O'Neill, is born in Castletownroche, Co. Cork1968 - Cliff Richard comes second in the Eurovision Song Contest with the Phil Coulter composition, Congratulations; It subsequently outsells the winner throughout Europe 1998 - RUC Chief Ronnie Flanagan warns that Northern Ireland could explode into renewed street violence during the Summer marching season 1998 - One of Ireland's leading three-day event riders, David Foster is fatally injured in a fall at a show near his Co. Meath home 1998 - The Northern Ireland peace settlement clears another crucial hurdle last night when the first contentious day in the marching calendar draws to a close without incident. An Apprentice Boys' parade in Belfast stops short of the Catholic Lower Ormeau Road, a flashpoint for serious violence in previous years 1999 - Track star Sonia O'Sullivan receives an honorary Doctor of Philosophy, the first such conferring by the Dublin Institute of Technology 2001 - A second foot-and-mouth outbreak in Northern Ireland is confirmed after secondary tests on samples from cattle on a large dairy farm, near the shores of Lough Neagh, prove positive 2001 - In what has become an Easter tradition, Our Lady’s Choral Society choristers accompanied by soloist Emmanuel Lawlor and the National Sinfonia conducted by Prionnsias O’Duinn performs excerpts from Handel’s Messiah on the site of Neal’s Music Hall, Fishamble Street, where his famous musical work was first performed in 1742 2001 - Well-known musician and music center/hostel owner, Larry O'Brien, dies in a fire which guts part of the Boghill Centre near Lisdoonvarna, Co. Clare.
April 14 1661 - Birth in Dublin of Sir Thomas Molyneux, scientist, archaeologist, physician and MP; first to assert that the Giant's Causeway is a natural phenomenon 1848 - In Dublin, the tricolor national flag of Ireland is presented to the public for the first time by Thomas Francis Meagher and the Young Ireland Party 1886 - Jack Beattie, socialist politician and trade unionist, is born in Belfast 1912 - The Titanic, the world's largest ship built at Belfast's Harland and Wolfe, hits an iceberg 1917 - Birth of actress Valerie Hobson in Larne, Co. Antrim 1919 - Limerick Soviet commences general strike in protest against English militarism in Ireland; for three weeks in April, the city's Trades Council takes over the entire running of the city, publishes their own newspapers and issues their own currency. The Soviet receives worldwide publicity and is seen by the British government as a major threat to their power in Ireland 1922 - Led by Rory O'Connor, forces against the Anglo-Irish Treaty seize the Four Courts in Dublin. The provisional government later attacks the garrison, which starts the civil war1836 - Pat Kirby, handballer, is born in Tuamgraney, Co. Clare 1972 - Terry Wogan launches his first British radio show 1998 - Patrick J. Kennedy, son of Edward and nephew of JFK, unveils a commemorative plaque and declares the fully refurbished and redecorated White House Hotel in Kinsale open once more 1998 - Poll results indicate that Unionists and nationalists in Northern Ireland will have equal representation on a power sharing executive if the 1997 General Election results are repeated 2003 - An international survey rates Dublin as one of the safer cities in the world. At 18 in the rankings, it is well ahead of many other cities.
April 15 1642 - Ormond defeats insurgents at Kilrush, Co. Kildare 1642 - A Scottish army under Robert Munroe lands at Carrickfergus 1707 - Birth of Sir Henry Cavendish, MP and incompetent Teller of the Exchequer who left chaos in his wake 1784 - First unmanned balloon in Ireland is launched by Richard Crosbie 1840 - The Repeal Association is founded by Daniel O'Connell 1848 - On Abbey Street in Dublin, the tricolor national flag of Ireland is presented to the public for the first time by Thomas Francis Meagher and the Young Ireland Party 1864 - The first Dublin Horse Show is held 1882 - Mary Swanzy, painter, is born in Dublin 1908 - Birth in Greenock, Scotland of Dennis Devlin, poet, translator and diplomat 1912 - The Titanic sinks on her maiden voyage with the loss of 1,513 souls, many of them Irish; 732 survive 1931 - Birth of Sir Kenneth Bloomfield, Northern Ireland public servant 1968 - Birth of rock guitarist Ed O'Brien, grandson of a Tipperary emigrant 1951 - John O'Keeffe, Kerry Gaelic footballer, is born 1974 - The 78th Boston Marathon is won by Neil Cusack of Co. Limerick in 2:13:39. He is the first Irishman to win this race 1998 - Englishman Mark Robins is awarded £3,000 after winning the first racial abuse case to be heard in Northern Ireland 2000 - The generosity of two Londoners, Alice and Charles Armstrong, turns a dream into reality as a new state-of-the-art lifeboat is handed over to the RNLI. The craft is named Alice and Charles after its benefactors 2001 - Security on the border is tightened after a third case of foot-and-mouth is confirmed in Cushendall, Co Antrim 2001 - Hundreds of people greet the relics of St Therese of Lisieux at Rosslare for the start of a 75 day tour of the country 2003 - The peace process remains deadlocked as Taoiseach Bertie Ahern and British Prime Minister Tony Blair continue to press the IRA for more clarity about its intentions.
Email Bernie Donnelly if you're interested in joining the AOH32 golf league which plays every other Friday at Frosty Valley Golf Course. There is a $26.00 entrance fee.
During this most holy time, please keep Katie Rodack and her family in your prayers. Katie is the 13 year old with cancer that AOH Division 4 (through President Pat O'Brien's leadership) have been raising funds for her and her family. Katie's condition has worsened and is now comatose. Her time is hour to hour. Katie is surrounded by her Mom, Dad and eight brothers and sisters. Thanks to AOH 32 for its support and to Maggie Cloonan, The St. Brigid's Court Committee and The St. Patrick's Day Committee for picking Katie for St. Brigid's Court. One of Katie's last wishes before her condition soured was to participate inThe St. Patrick's Day Parade. This she did. Her family is forever grateful to The AOH/LAOH for all that has been done for the family thus far.
Here is your Irish history lesson for this week. April 2 1871 - A census on this date shows the population of Ireland to be 5,412,377; only 285 Jews are recorded in the census 1902 - Premiere of Yeats' Cathleen ni Houlihan starring Maud Gonne 1914 - Cumann na mBan, Irish women's Republican movement, is founded 1970 - Several days of rioting following Easter rising commemorations end on this date 1972 - Radio na Gaeltachta goes on the air for the first time and is launched by Eamon De Valera 1973 - Special Powers Act replaced by Northern Ireland (Emergency Provisions) Act 1998 - Dissident republicans, aligned to the 32 County Sovereignty Committee and a Louth-based former IRA Quartermaster are said to be behind a massive explosives find in Dun Laoghaire 1998 - Mentally exhausted and following the advice of his doctor, Christy Moore announces in an open letter to fans that he is taking a year off from live performances 1999 - More than 170 staff at the biggest Dunnes Stores branch in the west of Ireland are suspended in a row over a worker facing dismissal because she sampled food at the delicatessen counter 2000 - Westlife make pop history with five consecutive British number one chart hits 2002 - Linda and Declan Fleming win the second largest individual jackpot in Lotto history - £5.26 million 2003 - Protestors against the war in Iraq clash with gardaí outside the Dáil. 2003 - Pat Leahy, star of Fair City for eleven years, dies of kidney failure
April 3 1793 - Dionysius Lardner, scientific writer and lecturer, is born in Dublin 1798 - Writer John Banim, who was praised by Yeats as a writer who tried to "make one see life plainly," is born in Kilkenny 1807 - Maurice FitzGerald, MP for Co. Kerry, resigns as Commissioner of the Treasury (UK) over the issue of Catholic relief 1825 - Thomas D'Arcy McGee, Young Irelander, journalist and promoter of Canadian Federation, is born 1843 - Birth of James McCudden, WWI ace1 846 - Death of Michael Moran, aka Zozimus, balladeer and storyteller 1900 - Queen Victoria arrives at Kingstown for a three-day visit to Ireland 1946 - Birth of Ruari Quinn, former Labour leader 1951 - Birth of Michael Morris, jockey, winner of the 1977 Irish Grand National, trainer, and son of Lord Killanin 1998 - Taoiseach Bertie Ahern and British Prime Minister Tony Blair announce that with ''realistic negotiation'', agreement in the Northern Ireland peace process could be reached by Thursday's deadline 1998 - Witnesses for the new inquiry into Bloody Sunday launched on this date in Derry, will not be offered blanket immunity from prosecution, according to the presiding chairman of the tribunal 2000 - Thousands of gallons of diesel oil are pumped off a storm-stricken Dutch barge which ran aground on a sandbank in Bray Harbour, Co. Wicklow 2000 - At the Special Criminal Court, John Gilligan denies having any involvement in the murder of journalist Veronica Guerin 2001 - The Government agrees to a £2 million package to bail out the financially troubled Jeanie Johnston famine ship project 2001 - The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Mary Robinson changes her mind about stepping down from the post on foot of a pledge that funding and staffing problems in her office will be addressed 2001 - It is announced that towns and villages within the current foot-and-mouth exclusion zone in Co. Louth have been barred from this year’s national tidy towns’ competition 2001 - Farm leaders from North and South meet in Dublin to pursue an agreed objective — the highest animal health status for all of Ireland.
April 4 1774 - Death of Oliver Goldsmith 1818 - Mayne Reid, pseudonym of Thomas Mayne; soldier, journalist, and writer of boys' stories, is born in Ballyroney, Co. Down 1933 - Paddy Hopkirk, international rally driver, is born in Belfast 1934 - Birth of novelist and journalist Mary Kenny 1951 - The Catholic hierarchy condemns the "Mother and Child" plan for free medical services, fearing the consequences of health education for women. Dr Noel Browne, Minister for Health, resigns; the scheme is abandoned on 6 April 1951 - Birth of singer and actress Adele King, better known as Twink 1952 - Gary Moore, rock guitarist, is born 1966 - Pirate Radio Scotland changes name to Radio Ireland 1994 - Riverdance appears in public for the very first time at the Eurovision Song Contest in Dublin 1999 - Sinn Féin warns that the peace process stands in crisis over provocative demands for arms decommissioning 1999 - The annual World Irish Dancing Championships come to an end in Ennis 2001 - Former employees and staff join three generations of the Barry family in a celebration of 100 years in business for a firm which has become an Irish institution 2001 - Dublin-born Butch Moore, the first singer to represent Ireland in the Eurovision Song Contest, dies after a very short illness 2001 - The Supreme Court strongly criticizes the State’s failure to provide official Irish translations of laws and important legal materials.
April 5 1806 - William Dool Killen, ecclesiastical historian, is born in Ballymena, Co. Antrim 1818 - Bernardo O'Higgins defeats the Spanish at the battle of Maipo River, Chile 1855 - The Dublin-Belfast railway line is completed 1869 - Birth in Dublin of Margaret Tennant, née Abraham; trade unionist and campaigner for improved working conditions 1900 - Spencer Tracy, the son of an Irish father, is born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin 1916 - Patrick Pearse denies rumors of a possible rising to Irish Volunteer Chief of Staff Eoin MacNeill 1938 - Bill Attley, trade unionist, is born in Rathcoole, Co. Dublin 1961 - Death of Oscar-winning Irish actor of stage and screen Barry Fitzgerald. Born in Dublin in 1888, he pursues an acting career at the Abbey Theatre and then heads for Hollywood where he becomes Paramount's resident Irishman in such films as "Going My Way" for which he won a Best Supporting Actor Oscar. His finest works are under director John Ford, including "How Green Was My Valley" and the "The Quiet Man." 1962 - Guinness formally adopts the harp as its symbol 1975 - L'escargot, ridden by Tommy Carberry, wins the Aintree Grand NationalArt Print by G. Isom from All-Posters 1998 - All sides in the Northern peace talks talk up the chances of a new peace agreement as Stormont sources reveal that both Bertie Ahern and Tony Blair will fly to Belfast for the final hours of talks on Thursday 1998 - Cannabis worth £2 million is seized during a dramatic early morning raid by members of the National Drugs Unit (NDU) in Ashbourne, Co Meath 1999 - More than 300 Co. Waterford people armed with gloves and plastic bags brave a driving mist and head for the hills for the annual Clean up the Comeraghs campaign 1999 - The first major event of the Loyalist marching season a controversial Apprentice Boys parade along the predominantly Nationalist Ormeau Road in Belfast - passes off peacefully 2000 - Debbie Walsh and Jennifer McCarthy are shown at the opening of 'the father of the modern day submarine' exhibition in Cobh heritage centre. This year is the 100th anniversary of the commissioning of the first US submarine invented by John Phillip Holland from Liscannor, Co. Clare 2000 - Marine Minister, Frank Fahey, announces new moves to protect Irish fishing vessels from harassment outside the 12 mile limit 2001 - Gardaí attempt to trace the origin of a herd of Friesian cattle found roaming without ear tags on a roadside at Rosadrehid in the Glen of Aherlow, Co. Tipperary 2002 - Forty-four young police graduates march their way into the North's history books as they become the first fully-fledged members of the new Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) 2003 - Attended by the entire cast of Fair City, the popular RTÉ television soap in which she starred for 11 years, the funeral of veteran actress Pat Leavy takes place at the Church of the Holy Spirit in Ballyroan, south Dublin. April 6 1830 - James Augustine Healy, the first black Roman Catholic bishop in America, was born to an Irish planter and a slave on a plantation near Macon, Georgia 1889 - Actor Barry Macollum is born 1926 - Birth in Armagh of Ian Paisley, clergyman and Unionist politician 1947 - Death of Henry Ford, automobile production pioneer and son of Irish immigrants 1954 - The Flags & Emblems Act legislates against interference with the Union Jack, effectively prohibiting display of the tricolor in Northern Ireland 1956 - Kerry GAA footballer Seanie Walsh is born 1964 - Birth of Nick Popplewell, former rugby international 1965 - Former international footballer Norman Whiteside is born 1982 - James Prior launches 'rolling devolution' for Northern Ireland 1998 - Hopes of an historic peace deal are put at "less than 50%" as the multi-party talks deadline looms 1998 - Telecom Eireann launches a commemorative 50 unit Call Card to mark the 25th anniversary of the University of Limerick 2000 - Gregory Peck receives an honorary Doctor of Literature from the National University of Ireland in recognition of his contribution to the art of film 2000 - British soldiers and police search the perimeter fence of Ebrington Army Base in Derry after a bomb explodes inside the base 2001 - The Government pledges to give the GAA £60 million over the next three years in return for their commitment to staging matches — including All Ireland semi finals — in the new National Stadium. This deal effectively undermines the argument to open up Croke Park for rugby and soccer matches 2001 -The Parades Commission agrees to allow an Apprentice Boys’ march along Belfast’s flashpoint Ormeau Road on Easter Monday 2002 - Galway man Richard Donovan becomes the first person in history to run a marathon at both the North and South Pole.
April 7 1720 - The Declatory Act defines the right of the British Parliament to legislate for Ireland and denies the appellate jurisdiction of the Irish House of Lords 1801 - The trial of United Irishman, Napper Tandy, begins 1861 - A census shows the population to be 5,798,967. Only 393 Jews are recorded 1922 - Special Powers Act is introduced in Northern Ireland 1926 - Mussolini's Irish wife breaks his nose 1927 - The world’s first ever paid television broadcast takes place. An Irishman, Mr. A. Dolan was employed by the American Telephone and Telegraph company to provide a “short act of monologue and song”. Interestingly, the first professional artist to be seen on television in Britain, a year later, was Irish singer Peg O'Neil 1941 - A Luftwaffe bomb kills 13 people in Belfast. Ultimately, the city is devastated by air raids; 700 people are killed and 400 seriously injured in what becomes known as Belfast's Blitz. The British government appeals to De Valera for help and he authorizes fire brigades from Dublin, Dundalk, Drogheda and Dun Laoghaire to give assistance 1973 - Death of Archbishop of Dublin John Charles McQuaid 2000 - Four environmental protesters, including Diana Peuker shown here, who had been jailed for their part in the Glen of the Downs protest in Co. Wicklow, are freed in the High Court 2001 - The longest running legal action in the history of the State ends when the Superwood Group of companies, which claimed £90 million compensation from three insurance companies, are awarded a total of £300,000 2003 - A member of the British army's 1st Battalion of the Irish Guards, Lance Corporal Ian Malone from Ballyfermot, Dublin, is killed in the battle for Basra in southern Iraq. April 8 1719 - Birth of Viscount Edmond Pery, speaker of the House of Commons from March 1771 to September 1785 1805 - Sir William Rowan Hamilton, mathematician and astronomer, is born in Dublin 1816 - Sir Frederick Burton, painter, is born in Corofin, Co. Clare 1835 - Jonah Barrington, the Irish Parliament's leading opponent of the Union with Britain and author of The Rise and Decline of the Irish Nation, dies 1861 - John George Adair evicts 244 tenants on his estate at Derryveagh, Co. Donegal 1867 - A. E. (George Russell), pivotal Irish Renaissance poet, painter, journalist and mystic, is born 1886 - Home Rule Bill introduced in English Parliament by Gladstone 1923 - Edward Mulhare is born in Co. Cork; he grew up to become an actor and starring roles include Capt. Daniel Gregg in the 1968 release of The Ghost and Mrs. Muir 1930 - Birth in Dublin of Frank Cluskey, politician and Labour Party leader from 1977-1981 1930 - Writer and critic John Jordan is born in Dublin 1933 - The Army Comrades' Association parades in blue shirts on this date 1951 - A census on this date shows the population of the Republic to be 2,960,593 and that of Northern Ireland is 1,370,921 1960 - The Royal Showband is forced to change its name to the Waterford Showband for an appearance at the Victoria Palace Theatre in London because two members of the British royal family are in attendance 1981 - Death of Greta Bowen, artist known as "The Irish Grandma Moses" 1999 - The peace process is plunged into a new crisis after mainstream loyalist paramilitaries make it clear they have no intention of handing over weapons and the Sinn Fein's leadership brands the Hillsborough Declaration "unacceptable" 1999 - The Department of Education unveils a new primary school curriculum which replaces the one of 1971 2002 - The IRA makes a second and substantial gesture of putting arms beyond use which is broadly welcomed by political leaders in Dublin, London and Belfast 2003 - U.S. president George W. Bush leaves Belfast at the end of a two-day summit attended by British Prime Minister, Tony Blair and Taoiseach, Bertie Ahern 2003 - Paul Muldoon wins the Pulitzer prize for poetry. The 51-year-old Belfast poet is awarded the prestigious prize for his work Moy Sand and Gravel. Sources: Irish Culture and Customs, The Celtic League, Irish Abroad, The Wild Geese
The Ireland Institute of Pittsburgh
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