Irish History - June 4 - 9

Here is your Irish history lesson for this week.

June 4
1487 - Thomas FitzGerald, Kildare's brother, accompanies Simnel's army of German mercenaries and some Irishmen to England on this date
1651 - Ireton, Oliver Cromwell's son-in-law, lays siege to Limerick city. By October, Limerick is in Ireton's hands. Ireton dies of the plague shortly afterwards
1731 - Allegedly, the date when the robbery of the Golden Lyon's cargo takes place at Ballyheige Co. Kerry. Owned by the Danish East India Company, the ship had become stranded near Ballyheige, Co. Kerry. Its valuable cargo is moved into a house and guarded by troops, but 'About twelve or one in the night a number of men broke into the house at Ballyheige where the money chests were kept, wounded three of the Danes and carried it off.' Eventually, about ten of the robbers are apprehended and charged, and approximately £7,524 2s is recovered
1798 - In Co. Wexford, Government troops march south out of Gorey. Rebels from Carrigrew move north, they attack and defeat Government forces at Tubberneering. Government forces withdraw north. Rebels occupy Gorey
1798 - Lord Edward Fitzgerald dies at Newgate prison from wounds sustained in the course of his arrest
1820 - Henry Grattan, the moving force behind the Irish Parliament at College Green before it was dissolved by the Act of Union, dies and is buried - against his wishes - in Westminster Abbey
1864 - Neilí Ni Bhriain, Irish Gaelic League activist, is born
1886 - Months of serious rioting begin in Belfast on this date
1909 - Charlotte Grace O'Brien, Irish social reformer dies
1909 - Robert Dudley Edwards, historian, is born in Dublin
1952 - Ciaran Fitzgerald, rugby player, is born in Galway
1957 - John Treacy, athlete, is born in Villierstown, Co. Waterford
1978 - Belfast flute player James Galway reaches no. 10 in the British charts with Annie’s Song
1980 - John Tunley, Protestant Irish nationalist, is assassinated
1998 - A collection of 15 documents, one from George Yeats, the other 14 hand-written missives signed by WB Yeats is sold by fine art auctioneers Christie's for over £5,500; a second collection of 12 letters, including eight signed by WB Yeats, and one by Ezra Pound sells for £5,585
1998 - Amid strict security, His Royal Highness, the Duke of Kent makes a courtesy visit to Lifeboat Stations in Cork and Kerry in his role as President of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI)
1999 - Around 4,000 jobs are threatened in the Irish transport sector, support services and manufacturing industry after defeat is conceded in the fight to save duty free sales
2001 - It is announced that a previously unknown and heavily re-worked draft of one of the closing chapters of James Joyce's epic novel, Ulysses, is set to fetch up to £1.2 million at auction in London next month.

In the liturgical calendar, June 4 is the feast day of St. Cronan the Tanner, a disciple of St. Kevin of Glendalough. It is also the feast day of St. Berriona, an Irish woman “who lived a holy life in Cornwall”.

June 5
1646 - Eoghan Rua O'Neill, a superb military strategist, defeats Robert Munro’s Scottish army at Benburb in Co. Tyrone. The victory is celebrated by Pope Innocent X with a Te Deum in Rome
1686 - Richard Talbot, the Earl of Tyrconnell, appointed Lord Deputy of Ireland, (the first Catholic to hold the position since the Reformation) becomes Commander-in-Chief of the Irish army
1795 - An Act provides for the establishment of a Catholic seminary
1798 - Defeat of the rebels at New Ross, Co. Wexford
1798 - The Reverend William Steel Dickson, a Presbyterian minister and United Irishmen supporter is arrested and imprisoned without trial
1868 - James Connolly is born of Irish parents in Edinburgh
1880 - Birth in Dublin of William Thomas Cosgrave, the first President of the Executive Council of the Irish Free State
1886 - Alasdair Mac Cába, pro-Treaty nationalist, politician, and founder of the Educational Building Society, is born in Ballymote, Co. Sligo
1899 - Margaret Anne Cusack (Sister Mary Francis Clare), the 'Nun of Kenmare,' dies in Leamington, Warwickshire, England
1916 - Death of Listowel man Lord Kitchener
1920 - Cornelius Ryan, war correspondent and author of The Longest Day, The Last Battle and A Bridge Too Far, is born in Dublin
1921 - The first sitting of the Northern Ireland Parliament takes place
1932 - Birth of Christy Brown, paraplegic painter and writer. His book “Down All the Days” and the film “My Left Foot” are based on his life
1960 - Birth of singer Dominic Kirwan
1968 - Robert Kennedy is seriously injured in shooting after victory speech
2000 - British Prime Minister Tony Blair issues an apology to the Guilford Four 11 years after they had been released from prison where they each spent 15 years on a trumped up conviction
2001 - Hopes that the £200 million a year Egyptian market for Irish beef would re-open shortly receive a major set back. The authorities in Cairo decide to extend for another four months the import ban they imposed on EU beef after the BSE crisis late last year
2002 - Former US President Bill Clinton travels to Enniskillen, Co Fermanagh, to open a £3m peace centre named after him in recognition of his special role in helping the divided North’s community towards the Good Friday Agreement. The centre is built on the site of the 1987 Remembrance Sunday bombing
2003 - Relics of one of the best loved and admired saints, St Anthony of Padua, arrive in Ireland for a special tour of churches in Dublin and Carlow. The remains, contained in a statue of the Franciscan monk, are received at Fairview Church by Cardinal Desmond Connell and the Apostolic Nuncio to Ireland, Archbishop Giuseppe Lazzarotto.

June 6
1333 - William de Burgh, Earl of Ulster -'the Brown Earl'-is assassinated by his own knights, John de Logan and two of the de Mandevilles, at Le Ford, Belfast. The background is one of intrigue among Norman-Irish lords: William has driven de Mandeville out of Ulster and has starved his own kinsman, Walter de Burgh, to death at Northburgh Castle. His death is followed by a rising of the de Mandevilles and de Logans, allied with the Gaelic Irish of Ulster
1592 - Red Hugh O'Donnell, son of the Earl of Tyrconnell makes a dramatic escape from the Record Tower and returns to Co. Donegal and the leadership of his Clan
1739 - John Scott, Earl of Clonmel; 'Copper-Faced Jack'; Chief Justice, is born in Co. Tipperary
1763 - William Simms, a founder and secretary of the United Irishmen, is born
1790 - Edmund Butler, 11th Viscount Mountgarret and former MP for Co. Kilkenny, fights a duel with a Counsellor Bushe during which Bushe is seriously injured in the stomach
1798 - General Needham reaches Arklow in Co. Wexford and immediately begins digging trenches
1798 - Rebellion breaks out in Ulster: Henry Joy McCracken issues proclamation calling United Irishmen in Ulster to arms
1800 - Ordination of the first priests at St Patrick's College, Maynooth. The college was founded in 1795 as the National Seminary for Ireland
1871 - Joseph Shanahan, missionary bishop in Africa, is born near Templederry, Co. Tipperary
1880 - Birth of William Thomas Cosgrave - Irish statesman and father of Liam Cosgrave*. A member of Sinn Féin, he fought in the Easter Rebellion and was sentenced to life imprisonment. Freed a year later, he was elected to the British Parliament in 1918 but protested British rule by refusing to take his seat. He helped organize an independent Irish Assembly, the Dáil Éireann in 1919. Minister for local government in the revolutionary cabinet, Cosgrave supported the 1921 treaty with Great Britain that set up the Irish Free State. After the deaths of Arthur Griffith and Michael Collins, he was elected president and served from 1922 to 1932. He was opposition leader of his Fine Gael, or United Ireland Party from 1932 until his resignation in 1944
1882 - In Liverpool, Mayo native-son and hero, Michael Davitt, advocates land nationalization in preference to peasant proprietorship
1898 - Birth of Dame Ninette de Valois, Wicklow-born founder of the Royal Ballet
1913 - Birth in Dublin of Patrick Campbell, author and broadcaster; he wrote sixteen books, including Life in Thin Slices, Rough Husbandry and How to Become a Scratch Golfer (he was one himself)
1940 - Willie John McBride, Ireland and Lions rugby captain, is born in Toomebridge, Co. Antrim
1982 - Caitlin Maude, Irish language activist dies.

In the liturgical calendar, today is the feast day of St. Jarlath, first Abbot-Bishop of Tuam.

*Liam Cosgrave was Taoiseach from 1973 to 1977

June 7
1420 - A parliament meets at Dublin
1546 - England signs Peace of Andres with Ireland and Scotland
1705 - Francis Flood, grandfather of Henry Flood, is expelled from the House of Commons for abuses against Agmondisham Cuffe MP, Cuffe's tenants and others in Co. Kilkenny
1766 - The Tumultuous Risings Act, against the Whiteboys, is passed
1798 - Father James Coigly is executed by hanging at Pennington Heath. A member of the United Irishmen, he had been arrested in Margate, England as he was about to embark for France. Papers found on his person indicate that his intention is to invite the French Directory to land an army in England. He is found guilty of high treason
1798 - In Wicklow, the Rebels burn Carnew; in Ulster, they take Larne and the Larne garrison retreats to Carrickfergus. The Rebels take Ballymena and Randalstown and then attack Antrim. They also attack Maghea in Co Derry
1861 - Death of Patrick Brontë from Ballynaskeagh, Co Down, father of Emily, Charlotte, Anne and Bramwell
1866 - Irish Fenians raid Pigeon Hill, Quebec
1892 - Birth of Irish statesman, Kevin Christopher O'Higgins in Stradbally, Co. Laois. He attempted severe repression of the Irish Republican Army in the years of the Irish “Troubles” following the Anglo-Irish treaty of 1921. A man of intellectual power, he is described as “a soul incapable of remorse or rest” and - by William Butler Yeats - “a great man in his pride confronting…"
1899 - Birth in Dublin of Elizabeth Bowen, novelist and short-story writer. Acclaimed for her fictional representations of Anglo-Irish "Big House" life, she is best known in Ireland for her novel The Last September
1900 - Patricia Lynch, children's author, is born in Cork
1921 - George V opens the first Northern Ireland Parliament. James Craig becomes Northern Ireland's first Prime Minister
1925 - Death of Matt Talbot. With the help of a priest friend, Matt overcomes chronic alcoholism and models his life on that of the monks, who lived in Ireland in the 6th and 7th centuries. It is a tough programme of prayer, fasting and almsgiving. He gives away most of his wages every week to the poor at home and abroad. He is also keenly aware of his fellow workers struggle for social justice. A loyal member of Ireland's Transport and General Workers Union, a Union leader, Stephen McGonagle, describes him as "a beacon of light to Irish workers". After a life of heroic perseverance, he dies suddenly on the way to Mass. A candidate for canonization, his statue stands at the south end of the Liffey, by the bridge named after him
1952 - Birth of Liam Neeson (William John Neeson) in Ballymena, Co. Antrim
1999 - Michelle de Bruin, the swimmer who propelled her way into the history books at the last Olympic games by winning four medals, three gold, loses her appeal against a four-year ban for a doping offence
1999 - British Prime Minister Tony Blair urges an immediate Downing Street meeting in a fresh bid to end the disarmament deadlock threatening the future of the Northern Ireland peace process
2001 - At the RTÉ Radio Centre, President Mary McAleese unveils a sculpture by Galway-based artist John Behan to celebrate the 75th anniversary of radio in Ireland
2002 - An imposing white limestone statue created by Cork sculptor Ken Thompson in honour of St. Patrick is unveiled by celebrated author Brian Keenan and blessed by the Bishop of Clogher, Most Rev Joseph Duffy at Europe’s only island pilgrimage location, St Patrick’s Purgatory in Lough Derg, Co, Donegal.

In the liturgical calendar, today is the feast day of St. Colman.

June 8
1561 - Shane O'Neill rebels and is proclaimed a traitor
1739 - Earl of Clonmell and Chief Justice John Scott, aka 'Copper-Faced Jack', is born in Co. Tipperary
1798 - In Co. Wicklow, the Arklow garrison is reinforced. In Co. Wexford, The rebel southern division moves camp from Carrickbyrne to Slievecoilte. In Ulster, General Nugent offers amnesty to rank and file rebels. Rebel forces in Antrim begin to disintegrate
1847 - Acts setting up soup-kitchens and rate-aided outdoor Famine relief come to an end
1886 - Gladstone's Home Rule Bill is defeated
1905 - Brian Coffey, poet and scientist, is born in Dún Laoghaire, Co. Dublin
1929 - Birth of Peter Rafferty, diplomat
1985 - Barry McGuigan beats Eusebia Pedrosa to become the World Featherweight Champion
1998 - The IDA and Apple Computer management continue emergency talks over the expected loss of at least 500 jobs at the American giant's Cork plant
1998 - After being nominated in six categories, Galway's Druid Theatre wins four Tony awards for its production of Martin McDonagh's The Beauty Queen of Leenane. Director Garry Hynes wins best director, the first woman in the history of the Tonys to receive this honour; Marie Mullen wins best actress, Anna Manahan best supporting actress, and Tom Murphy best supporting actor
2001 - The Good Friday Agreement in Northern Ireland comes under fierce new pressure after big General Election victories by the Rev. Ian Paisley's hardline Democratic Unionists
2003 - An RTÉ spokesperson confirms that the popular Who Wants to be a Millionaire quiz show is to be axed due to lack of funding.
2004 - Catholic Primate Archbishop Sean Brady makes history by being the first Roman Catholic leader to attend the opening of the Presbyterian General Assembly in Belfast.

June 9
597 - Death of St. Colomcille
1641 - Patrick Darcy, a prominent constitutional lawyer, argues that the Irish parliament possesses independent authority
1657 - The Settlement Act "for the Assuming, Confirming and Settling of Lands and Estates in Ireland" is passed
1798 - Rebels attack Arklow. They are defeated with heavy losses; in Co. Down, Rebels take Saintfield and repulse a Government attack. Garrison abandons Newtownards, which is occupied by the rebels; unsuccessful attack on Portaferry
1888 - Basil Stanley Brooke, 1st Viscount Brookeborough; unionist politician and Northern Ireland prime minister from 1943-63, is born in Colebrook, Co. Fermanagh
1953 - Cinema owners in Dublin unanimously decide not to show the film of Queen Elizabeth's coronation in London. There are real fears that any such screening would lead to widespread damage to the cinemas
1998 - Plans by supermarket chains to build shopping centres on the outskirts of towns are thrown into doubt, following the decision of Environment Minister Noel Dempsey to impose strict size restrictions
2001 - Cetacean experts head for Cork harbour after the arrival of three stocky killer whales in the estuary. The black Orcas with distinctive white markings create a huge stir in the Cobh area where the promenade is lined with people from early afternoon until near darkness as the whales circled the waters
2001 - Bord Fáilte director Maurice O'Donoghue, a pioneering figure in Irish tourism, dies after collapsing at Macroom Golf Club
2003 - Readers of the best-selling international guide to romantic hotels, Room for Romance, give their number one vote to the Stephen’s Green luxury hideaway, Brownes Townhouse
2003 - A huge amount of equipment needed for the visiting special Olympians starts rolling out of the state’s prisons as the final countdown to the tournament begins. Inmates and officers in four prisons have been working for nearly two years to produce a range of equipment, from 75,000 opening ceremony flags to power-lifting platforms
2004 - The replica famine ship Jeanie Johnston begins a four-month voyage around Ireland.

In the liturgical calendar, today is the feast day of St Columcille, one of the spiritual giants of the early Christian church, and one of Ireland’s three patron saints. Born in Donegal, he founded the city of Derry — it was originally called Doiré Colmcille — and went on to establish many monasteries including Iona, the centre from which Scotland was converted to Christianity.

Sources: Irish Culture and Customs, The Celtic League, Irish Abroad, The Wild Geese