A classic video revisited in honor of our fast approaching Halfway to St. Patrick's Day Picnic at Scott Park on September 15 at Scott Park. Check out the sketch artist rendering! Hilarious1
August 26 1725 - Five Dublin children receive the first recorded smallpox innoculations in Ireland 1798 - Humber leaves Ballina bound for Castlebar. He takes an indirect route through the mountains 1904 - Lord Dunraven forms the Irish Reform Association to campaign for some devolution; the following December, unionists form a United Unionist Council to resist Dunraven's plan 1913 - Also known as "The Great Dublin Lockout", the Dublin Transport Strike, led by Jim Larkin and James Connolly, begins 1921 - Re-election of Éamon de Valera President of Dáil Éireann. He is proposed and seconded by Commandant Sean MacEoin and General Richard Mulcahy — both of whom later line up against him in the Civil War 1940 - German aircraft bomb a creamery at Campile, Co. Wexford; three women are killed 1997 - U2 plays at the Botanical Gardens in Belfast. It is the band's first show in Belfast in 10 years 1998 - British Prime Minister, Tony Blair meets with Taoiseach Bertie Ahern in Ashford Castle, Co. Mayo. They join forces to fight terrorism and discuss laws which will be introduced in the aftermath of the Omagh bombing 2002 - Roy Keane’s journey from unemployed potato picker in Cork to multi-millionaire player on the world stage is related in his book "Keane - The Autobiography" which is released on this date.
August 27 1695 - The second Irish parliament of William III is called in Dublin; Robert Rochfort is unanimously elected Speaker 1798 - Humbert appears outside Castlebar. The Government forces are deployed to cover the direct route and Humbert unexpectedly appears on their flank. Humbert attacks. French advance causes Militia to run. Government defence collapses and Humbert takes the town. Cornwallis reaches Tullamore. Rebels assemble on Rebel hill, near Baileborough, Co Cavan 1870 - The Oceanic, a liner built in Belfast by Harland and Wolff for the White Star Line, is launched 1908 - Birth of Niall Ó Dónaill, Irish-language scholar and lexicographer, in the Rosses, Co. Donegal 1920 - Birth of James Molyneaux, Ulster Unionist Party leader 1928 - The Galway Gaelic Theatre - afterwards called the Taibhdheare Theatre - opens with Micheál Mac Liammóir's production of Diarmuid agus Gráinne 1937 - The first traffic lights in the Free State are installed at the junction of Merrion Square and Clare Street 1979 - Assassination of Lord Louis Mountbatten off the coast of Co. Sligo 1982 - The official police death count of the Troubles reaches 3,000 on this date with the killing of Hugh McKibbin in Belfast 1999 - On their first official overseas visit, Prince Edward and his new bride Sophie Rhys Jones arrive at Dublin Castle for the opening of the Millennium Gold Encounter. A total of 77 young people from 25 countries who have won their nation’s equivalent of the Gaisce award will attend the conference. Prince Edward is the chairperson the International Awards Association 2000 - A former member of British military intelligence reveals that weapons used by loyalist gangs who rampaged through Belfast's Shankill district the previous week were provided by British intelligence as part of a plan to defeat the IRA 2001 - Opponents claim that the introduction of tolls on the planned Kinnegad-Enfield-Kilcock motorway will cost commuters to Dublin an extra £20 a week; they outline their objections at an oral inquiry in Mullingar to plans by the National Road Authority to charge car users £1.65 to use the new 35 kilometre road 2001 - The newly restored century-old trading schooner, Kathleen & May arrives in Youghal after a 24-hour historic voyage from England to Ireland 2002 - Roy Keane's autobiography breaks the record for first day sales of a hardback book in Ireland.
August 28 1170 - Richard de Clare marries Aoife Ní Mhurrachadha and sets a precedent for Norman rule in Ireland 1710 - A board of trustees for linen manufacture is established 1788 - Sir Aubrey de Vere, poet, is born in Adare, Co. Limerick 1788 - James Digges La Touche, banker and philanthropist, is born in Dublin 1798 - Cornwallis reaches Athlone; Humbert entrenches in Castlebar 1814 - Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu, novelist and journalist, is born in Dublin 1815 - Mary Letitia Martin, 'Princess of Connemara,' novelist, philanthropist and daughter of 'Humanity Dick' Martin is born in Ballynahinch Castle, Co. Galway 1860 - Napier's and Deasy's Land Acts are passed 1872 - The first horse drawn tram cars enter service in Belfast 1877 - Charles Stewart Parnell becomes president of Home Rule Confederation 1896 - Birth of Liam O'Flaherty 1929 - "Health And Efficiency" becomes the very first publication banned by the Irish Free State 1975 - Willie John McBride retires from international rugby 1998 - The Real IRA and the 32 County Sovereignty Committee are to be placed on an international terrorist list by the US Government. An FBI clampdown on American supporters of both groups is also planned 1998 - The Northern Ireland Assembly heads for its first major crisis after a confidential document discloses that senior Ulster Unionists warned the British government they could no longer endorse the Good Friday agreement 1998 - One of the largest passing-out parades for the Defence Forces in recent years takes place; 86 recruits receive their two-star private rating at a ceremony in Gormanston Army Camp, Co Meath 2000 - Finance Minister Charlie McCreevy faces calls for his resignation as former judge Hugh O’Flaherty withdraws his controversial nomination for vice-presidency of the European Investment Bank.
August 29 1729 - Birth of David La Touche, banking magnate and MP 1798 - Cornwallis reaches Tuam 1803 - Samuel Neilson, co-founder of the United Irishmen, dies 1844 - Death of Edmund Ignatius Rice, founder of the Irish Christian Brothers Order 1890 - The Science & Art Museum and The National Library of Ireland open 1871 - Birth of Jack B. Yeats, painter and author, in London 1950 - Birth of Dick Spring, politician; Labour Party leader and Tánaiste, in Tralee, Co. Kerry 1951 - Bill Graham, rock journalist and author, is born in Belfast 1975 - Death of Eamon de Valera 1992 - U2 plays the first of two shows at Yankee Stadium in New York. They are only the second rock artist to play in this venue. Billy Joel was the first 2000 - Irish Travellers are granted the same legal protection as other ethnic minority groups by a judge in London 2002 - Sixteen soldiers are injured during sectarian street clashes in flashpoint east Belfast 2002 - According to Transparency International’s annual corruption index, Ireland has slipped five places and is now perceived as the third most corrupt country in Europe.
August 30 1559 - Lord Sussex, is sworn in as Lord Deputy 1690 - First siege of Limerick ends 1708 - Penal Laws passed in 1695 restricting Catholics rights are strengthened for the second time 1709 - All registered Catholic priests in Ireland are required to renounce the claims of the Stuarts to the thrones of England and Ireland — only 33 out of 1,089 comply 1841 - The Cork Examiner, now The Irish Examiner, hits the streets for the first time 1855 - Birth of Feargus Edward O’Connor, Chartist leader 1874 - Michael Banim, storywriter, dies; along with his brother and co-author John, he sought to create sympathetic, yet non-stereotypical Irish characters in his stories 1875 - National synod of Catholic bishops begins at Maynooth; they renew condemnation of Queen's Colleges and condemn Trinity College 1911 - The Chamber of Commerce calls for Ireland to adopt Greenwich Mean Time — 25 minutes behind Irish Standard Time 1928 - William Trevor, pseudonym of William Trevor Cox, short-story writer and novelist, is born in Mitchelstown, Co. Cork 1950 - Birth of Dana, pseudonym of Rosemary Scallon, singer/songwriter 1967 - Black Velvet Band by the Dubliners enters the British charts 1997 - U2 returns home for the first of two shows at Dublin's Lansdowne Road stadium 2000 - SDLP leader John Hume, announces his intention to quit as a Stormont Assembly member 2000 - As many as 21 houses in the County Antrim town of Carrickfergus are attacked in incidents linked to the North’s bitter loyalist feud 2001 - Death of Donal O'Sullivan; he was Cork's captain in the 1956 All-Ireland football final against Galway and prominent in GAA administration at county and provincial level 2002 - The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Mary Robinson accuses the United States of trying to scale back plans to save the world’s poorest people.
August 31 1767 - Birth in Belfast of Henry Joy McCracken, United Irishman and leader of Ulster insurgents in 1798 rebellion 1803 - French "Irish Legion" organized in Brittany 1806 - Birth in Dublin of Charles Lever; fiction writer who was famous for his rendering of Trinity College's privileged atmosphere 1830 - William Fitzpatrick, biographer and historian, is born in Dublin 1957 - Birth of Colm O'Rourke, Meath Gaelic footballer, in Co. Meath 1994 - IRA announces a cease-fire 1997 - U2 pays tribute to Princess Diana at Dublin concert 2000 - First Minister David Trimble is understood to be involved in secret talks with the Ulster Volunteer Force in an attempt to resolve the bloody loyalist feud raging on the streets of Northern Ireland 2000 - Former SDLP Derry Mayor Annie Courtney is to replace John Hume as an Assembly member for Foyle 2000 - The world’s largest fishing vessel arrives in Dublin after completing its maiden voyage from Norway. "Atlantic Dawn", which took over two and a half years to build in a Norwegian shipyard, cost Irish owner Kevin McHugh £50 million In the liturgical calendar, it is the feast day of St. Aidan
September 1 1737 - Launch of the Belfast Newsletter, now the oldest surviving newspaper in Ireland or Britain, and one of the oldest in the world 1729 - Death of dramatist, essayist and publisher Sir Richard Steele, the Dubliner who founded The Tatler and The Spectator 1789 - Marguerite Gardiner, née Power; Countess of Blessington; author, is born near Clonmel, Co. Tipperary 1814 - Birth of James O'Flanagan, author, in Fermoy, Co. Cork 1830 - Dublin Zoo opens 1830 - The “Wild Colonial Boy” is shot dead in a gun battle with police at Cambelltown, Sydney. Contrary to the popular song, “The Wild Colonial Boy” was John Donohue, transported from Ireland in 1824 1856 - Birth of Irish Nationalist Party leader John Redmond in Ballytrent, Co. Wexford 1864 - Roger Casement, British consular official and Irish nationalist, is born in Sandycove, Co. Dublin 1870 - Isaac Butt founds the Home Government Association; Home Rule is now the objective of constitutional nationalists `999 - Van Morrison beomes the first the first inductee to The Hot Press Irish Music Hall of Fame. 1999 - Five-year-old triplets Jake, Melissa and Denis Doherty from Knockanes, Headford, Co. Kerry, arrive for their first day at school in Knockanes National School 2000 - The number of people out of work falls to an 18-year low 2000 - The resumption of normal train services to Westport, Co. Mayo is celebrated with a platform party. Bemused but delighted passengers are greeted with delicacies and glasses of champagne laid on by the local Atlantic Coast Hotel, one of hundreds of establishments in the Mayo region hit financially by the 10 week rail stoppage 2002 - Hugh Orde, Northern Ireland’s new chief constable vows to crack down on paramilitary "godfathers" who have orchestrated a series of unsolved sectarian murders.
The friends of Old St. Patrick's Church and the A.O.H. invite you to a Garden Mass Sunday, August 19th at 1:00 p.m. St. Patrick's Church is located at 17th Street and Liberty Avenue inthe Strip. The Mass will honor Our Lady of Knock, the Assumption of the Blessed Mother, and the Queenship of Mary.
Here is a widely used prayer to our Lady of Knock.
Our Lady of Knock, Queen of Ireland, you gave hope to your people in a time of distress and comforted them in sorrow. You have inspired countless pilgrims to pray with confidence to your Son, remembering His promise: "Ask and you shall receive, seek and you shall find." Help me to remember that we are all pilgrims on the road to heaven. Fill me with love and concern for my brothers and sisters in Christ, especially those who live with me. Comfort me when I am sick or lonely or depressed. Teach me how to take part ever more reverently in the holy Mass. Pray for me now, and at the hour of my death. Amen. Our Lady of Knock, pray for us.
August 19 1504 - After Ulick Burke of Clanricard seizes Galway city, Edward Fitzgerald, the Earl of Kildare, goes to Connacht and defeats Burke at Knockdoe. This is the largest battle ever fought between Irishmen, with 10,000 participants and 2,000 fatalities; however, most of the fighting is done by gall óglach - foreign warriors - or gallowglas. As a reward, Fitzgerald is made a Knight of the Garter 1792 - Edward Hincks, orientalist, is born in Cork 1839 - Act passed for the "improvement of navigation on the Shannon" 1876 - The ship Catalpa arrives in U.S. with Irish Fenian prisoners rescued from Australia 1887 - Birth of poet Francis Ledwidge in Slane, Co. Meath 1995 - After 26 years of shows by some of Ireland's top artists, Dublin's Baggot Inn hosts its final live concert performance 1998 - David Trimble demands that the British government introduce anti-terrorist laws equal to those planned by the Republic 1998 - Sonia O'Sullivan wins the 10,000m at the European championships in Budapest 1999 - The Connemara Pony Fair in Clifden- the west of Ireland's most prestigious horse festival - is marred by brawls between two traveller groups. The violence is a result of a long running feud between the McDonagh and Ward families 2001 - The remains of Aer Lingus chairman Bernie Cahill, who is believed to have drowned after an accident while attending his boat, are received by Rev. Fr. Michael Nolan at St. Mary's Church in Schull.
August 20 1778 - Birth of Bernardo O'Higgins, of Co. Meath origins, first Chilean head of state 1798 - Richard R. Madden - writer, historian, traveller and abolitionist - is born in Dublin 1818 - Birth in Dublin of scientist and Alpine traveller, John Ball 1860 - An expedition led by Robert O'Hara Burke, an Irish policeman, leaves Melbourne with the intention of making the first European crossing of Australia. They will make the crossing, but Burke and fellow-explorer, William Wills, will die on the return journey 1872 - Sectarian rioting in Belfast which began on August 15 continues through this date 1876 - The Irish Republican Brotherhood Supreme Council withdraws its support from the Home Rule movement 1880 - Death of Ellen Kean, one of the greatest actresses of her time 1919 - The Irish Republican Army is established by the Dail Eireann 1927 - The Currency Act establishes a separate currency for the Irish Free State 1951 - Birth of Thin Lizzy lead singer, Phil Lynott 1979 - Bob Geldof and the Boomtown Rats reach no. 1 in the British charts with I Don’t Like Mondays 1981 - Twenty-seven-year-old Michael "Mickey" Devine, from the Creggan in Derry dies on the 60th day of his hunger strike. He was the third INLA Volunteer to join the H-Block hunger strikers and he was the last of the group to give their lives in order to retain their status as political prisoners. 1999 - The main square in Tralee rocks to the Grand Old Man of Soul, James Brown, as the 41st International Rose Ball kicks off in the new Festival Dome 2000 - Teenage heartthrobs, Westlife, make their first appearance in Tralee. More than ten thousand fans attend the free, open air concert 2002 - Postal deliveries in small communities across the country are delayed again on the second day of industrial action by members of the Irish Postmasters Union.
August 21 1791 - Birth of the word ‘quiz’ (allegedly and disputed). Richard Daly, a theatre proprietor in Dublin, makes a bet that within 48 hours he can introduce a new word into the English language. After the evening performance, Mr. Daly distributes cards to all the staff with the word written on it, and instructs them to write it on walls all over the city. Thus ‘quiz’ enters the language 1861 - Birth in Belfast of Frederick Crawford, militant unionist and organizer of Larne gun-running 1855 - Last ever Donnybrook Fair, held in Dublin since 1204. The general uproar of the annual event results in its suspension 1879 - A Vision of the Virgin Mary is witnessed by 15 villagers in Knock, Co. Mayo 1882 - Birth in Gloucester of Arthur Luce, a professor of philosophy and fellow of Trinity College in Dublin for 65 years 1911 - Irish Women's Suffrage Federation is formed 1920 - Birth in Belfast of Rinty Monaghan, world flyweight boxing champion 1970 - The Social Democratic and Labour Party is founded with Gerry Fitt as leader 1978 - RTÉ broadcasts Eddie Macken on Boomerang winning the Aga Khan trophy 1982 - Bono marries his high-school sweetheart Alison Stewart at a ceremony in Raheny, Dublin 1983 - A train from Tralee failed near Cherryville Junction and was run into from the rear by a train from Galway. Seven passengers die in the crash and and another passenger later dies from their injuries 1998 - A salmonella alert is issued following the deaths of five elderly people in two separate outbreaks at a hospital and home for the aged in Co. Galway 2000 - Two men are shot dead in broad daylight as an all-out war erupts between rival loyalist terror gangs in Belfast 2000 - The Catholic hierarchy confirms it is actively considering allowing lay people to be ordained deacons in a bid to cope with the shortage of priests 2001 - Sinn Féin warns British prime minister Tony Blair he should take note of a poll which found the vast majority of British people believe the North should no longer be part of Britain 2001 - Unionists withhold their endorsement of the Government's new implementation plan for future policing arrangements in Northern Ireland 2002 - Celestica Electronics sheds half of its workforce of 500 at Swords, Co Dublin.
August 22 1791 - Theobald Wolfe Tone publishes "An argument on behalf of the Catholics of Ireland" 1798 - A French force of 1,019 men under General Humbert lands at Killala, Co. Mayo 1846 - John Keegan Casey, Fenian, poet and writer of "Rising of the Moon" is born near Mullingar, Co. Westmeath 1850 - First Catholic Synod in Ireland since the Middle Ages in Thurles, Co. Tipperary. Paul Cullen summons the synod which runs from this date through September 10 1881 - Second Gladstone Land Act introduces the 'three Fs' - fair rent, fixity of tenure, free sale - and sets up the Land Commission 1889 - Birth in Belfast of Seán McEntee, Fianna Fáil politician 1918 - Dublin-born WWI ace Dennis Latimer shot down. A Bristol Fighter pilot and the highest scoring ace in 20 Squadron, Latimer shot down 28 enemy aircraft between March and August of 1918. On this date, he and his observer, Lieutenant T.C. Noel, were shot down near Westroosebeke by a member of Jasta 7. Latimer was captured, Noel was killed 1922 - Michael Collins is assassinated. On the last day of his life, he set out from Cork in a convoy that passed through Bandon, Clonakilty, and Rosscarbery on its way to Skibbereen. He stopped at Woodfield, and there in the Four Walls, the pub situated across the road from the house where his mother had been born, he stood his family and escort to the local brew - Clonakilty Wrastler. On the return trip they again passed through Bandon. Michael Collins had only twenty minutes more to live. Around eight o'clock, his convoy was ambushed at a place known as Beal na mBláth - the mouth of flowers. Only one man was killed--Michael Collins. It is thought that Irregulars did the shooting, but some say that it might have been his own men. To this day, there is controversy about what actually happened 1933 - The National Guard is banned 1954 - Birth of Jimmy Barry Murphy, hurler and Gaelic footballer, in Cork 1966 - The Munster & Leinster, Provincial and Royal Banks merge to form Allied Irish Banks 1977 - Cardinal Tomas Ó Fiaich becomes the 112th successor to St. Patrick as Primate of All Ireland 1998 - The republican splinter group INLA calls for a total and unconditional ceasefire and says it has instructed all units to desist from the "armed struggle" 1999 - Yann Reynard Goulet - "The Fox" - Breton patriot and Irish Republican dies in Ireland 2000 - Prominent loyalist Johnny ‘‘Mad Dog’’ Adair is sent back to prison after Northern Ireland Secretary Peter Mandelson suspends his early release licence 2002 - Caroline Corr, drummer with Irish pop band The Corrs, marries Frank Woods on the Spanish island of Mallorca 2002 - U2's "Elevation 2001: Live From Boston" picks up the "Best Music Release DVD" award at the 5th DVD Awards in Hollywood.
August 23 1170 - Strongbow, a henchman of Henry II, arrives in Waterford at the behest of Dermot McMurrough, an event described in the Annals of Ulster as “the beginning of the woes of Ireland” 1742 - Birth of Walter Hussey (Burgh), lawyer, politician and orator 1798 - Frenchman General Humbert proclaims at Ballina, Co. Mayo, “Union, liberty, the Irish Republic” 1887 - The Land Act gives courts the power to revise and fix rents 1908 - Birth in Dublin of Mervyn Wall, writer who wrote under the pseudonym of Eugene Welply 1912 - Birth of Irish American actor Gene Kelly 1920 - Violent clashes in Belfast; 30 people are killed between August 23 and August 31; Catholics are expelled from shipyards and engineering works 1953 - Birth of John Rocha, fashion designer, based mainly in Dublin since the late seventies 1972 - Lord Killanin becomes the first Irish president of the International Olympic Committee 1995 - RTÉ reports on the closure of the Irish Press newspaper 1998 - A memorial service for the victims of the Omagh bombing is held at St. Patrick's Cathedral in Dublin and attended by many dignitaries including President Mary McAleese 1999 - Dublin Bus opens the controversial Stillorgan Quality Bus Corridor and triples travelling time for city bound motorists 1999 - Bus Éireann announces a luxury Expressway coach hourly daily service from Limerick to Dublin 2001 - An Bord Pleanála grants permission to build a four-lane bridge between Macken Street and Guild Street in Dublin In the liturgical calendar, it is the feast day of St. Eogan.
August 24 1210 - King John sails from Dublin for England. He had landed at Waterford in June and campaigned in Leinster; after a short siege, he captures Carrickfergus, where the de Lacys have made a stand. On 28 July he captures William de Braose and confiscates his lands. Hugh and Walter de Lacy, lords of Ulster and Meath, forfeit their lands but escape to Scotland. John has defeated the hostile Norman magnates and has established relations with various Irish kings. Cathal Crovderg O'Connor, king of Connacht, has fought in John's army but then quarrelled with him - O'Connor offered his son Aedh to John as a hostage, but Aedh's mother refused to allow this. The dispute is later resolved 1747 - Birth in Dublin of William La Touche, founder of the Bank of Ireland 1798 - Generals' Cornwallis and Lake leave Dublin. Lake travels fast by road with a small force. Cornwallis travels with the main force down the Grand Canal 1803 - James Napper Tandy, Irish patriot, dies in exile in France. Originally a small tradesman in Dublin, he gained attention by his attacks on municipal corruption and his proposal to boycott English goods as a reprisal for the restrictions placed on Irish commerce. He joined the Irish volunteer army and he aided Theodore Wolfe Tone in founding the Dublin branch of the United Irish Society. When faced with a sedition charge in 1793, Tandy fled to the United States and then to France,where he was given the title of general. In 1798, he landed in Ireland, but when he discovered that the French expedition of General Humbert to aid the Irish rebellion had failed, he fled to Hamburg, where he was arrested. He was returned to Ireland, sentenced to execution, but reprieved through French influence. His fame is perpetuated in the Irish ballad “The Wearing of the Green” 1962 - Death of Agnew McMaster, the last of the touring actor-managers who presented Shakespeare’s plays throughout rural Ireland 1968 - The Northern Ireland Civil Rights Association marches from Coalisland to Dungannon in Co. Tyrone in one of the first large-scale marches of the six-county civil rights movement 1990 - Brian Keenan is released on 24 August, having spent 52 months as a hostage in Beirut 1998 - Shops re-open in Omagh; among the shops to open was Wattersons, which lost three members of staff, and the Oxfam shop, whose two teenager volunteers were also killed 1998 - Eight Navy divers are injured during an air-sea rescue display. The men who are all members of the Navy Diving Team were taking part in a demonstration by the Defence Forces as part of the Tall Ships festival in Dublin 1999 - Waterford Crystal is chosen to usher in the millennium in the city of New York with a gigantic cut glass Star of Hope ball. The component parts of the six foot diameter sphere, made of 572 crystal panels each consisting of five diamond shapes, will be assembled in New York. It is planned to hang 22 stories high over Manhattan and be lowered down a 77ft high flagpole in time for the stroke of midnight 2000 - Additional troops are ordered onto the streets of Belfast night as fears grow for the fragile peace process 2001 - Bono's father, Bob, is laid to rest at Old Balgriffin Cemetary in Co. Dublin.
August 25 1170 - Richard de Clare (Strongbow) marries MacMurrough's daughter Aoife, as part of an agreement made two years earlier 1645 - Edward Worcester, Earl of Glamorgan; aristocrat and inventor, is sent to Ireland to raise troops for the king, and makes two secret treaties with the confederates on this date and on 20 December 1764 - James Hope, a member of the United Irishman, is born in Templepatrick, Co. Antrim 1769 - Henry Flood, MP for Callan, kills James Agar, MP for Tulsk, in a duel. The Flood and Agar families had disputed the representation of Callan for many years 1798 - Humbert takes Ballina after token resistance by Government forces 1803 - The British capture Robert Emmet 1863 - Eugene O'Growney, priest and Irish-language revivalist, is born in Ballyfallon, Co. Meath 1865 - Robert Lloyd Praeger, botanist and writer, is born in Holywood, Co. Down 1882 - Birth of Sean Ó Ceallaigh, Ireland’s second president 1921 - Birth in Belfast of Brian Moore who is best known for his novel "The Lonely Passion of Judith Hearne" 1958 - The first Rose of Tralee festival is held 1986 - ‘Hurricane Charlie’ hits Ireland and the heaviest rain-fall over a 24 hour period is recorded — 10.63 inches at Kippure Mountain, Co. Wicklow 1998 - British Prime Minister, Tony Blair, arrives in the North to announce a security crackdown in the wake of the Omagh bombing 1998 - An armada of tall ships from around the world sails away from Dublin, ending a five-day visit 2001 - U2 brings the Elevation Tour to Slane Castle north of Dublin, site of the annual Slane Festival since 1981. It's U2's first performance at Slane since that first festival 20 years ago, when they were on the support bill for Thin Lizzy.
Recently, AOH 32 member Bill Carr asked for our help in raising money for the Topu Honis Kutet orphanage in East Timor. Our order generously donated $200.
The Topu Honis Kutet organization is run by a Divine Word Missionary priest Father Richard Daschbach, SVD. It began about 12 years ago, and was up to 60 children when, in 1999, a rampage of Indonesian troops occurred.
Disaffected about East Timor's overwhelming vote to become independent from Indonesia, these troops succeeded in destroying the entire infrastructure of the little fledgling country, including the orphanage buildings.
Father Richard hid out in the surrounding hills with the children until Australian and other UN forces intervened. When it was safe, they returned and commenced to rebuild the orphanage.
The children (orphans, function orphans, and special cases) were up to 125 by 2007 when soaring prices and a poor harvest threatened the continuance of the orphanage. Rice rose from $250 to $500 a ton. It takes $14,000 a year now just to feed the children rice.
The good Father sends his thanks to AOH 32 through this letter:
Thank you for the generous $200 for the Children's Home in East Timor. Your donation will help feed and clothe the kids.
I have certainly known of the Ancient Order of Hibernians over the years, but had never been in contact with them. My brother has referred several times to Irish organizations helping to build various parts of his children's home complex, and perhaps your organization had a part in that.
There is no Irish blood on my mother's side (Czechoslovakian), but dad's side's a mixture that includes Irish. So I guess there is a bit of the ol' Irish in meeself as well. That explains the good elements with which I am endowed.
Please know that your donation will go entirely to the kids. There is no solicitation cost involved in this endeavor.
God bless you for your concern for God's children.
August 12 1646 - Archbishop Giovanni Rinuccini, papal nuncio to the Irish Confederate Catholics, condemns their adherence to Ormond's peace terms for failing to fully recognize Catholicism 1652 - 'Act for the Settling of Ireland' allows for the transplantation to Clare or Connacht of proprietors whose land is confiscated by Cromwell to meet promises to adventurers and soldiers; also known as the "To Hell or Connacht" Act 1796 - Kilmainham Gaol in Dublin receives its first prisoners 1804 - Birth of James Whiteside, orator and Lord Chief Justice, in Delgany, Co. Wicklow 1821 - George IV begins his visit to Ireland; he is received enthusiastically by O'Connell and others 1822 - Robert Stewart, Viscount Castlereagh, commits suicide by cutting his throat with a penknife 1870 - Sir Hubert Gough, soldier and participant in 'Curragh mutiny' of 1914, is born in Gurteen, Co. Waterford 1898 - Irish Local Government Act sets up elective county and district councils 1899 - First issue of James Connolly's Workers Republic 1914 - Death of John Holland, from Liscannor, Co. Clare, designer of the first submarine 1920 - Terence MacSwiney, Lord Mayor of Cork, arrested by British; he immediately goes on hunger strike 1922 - Arthur Griffith, founder of Sinn Fein, dies of a cerebral hemorrhage 1969 - British troops are deployed in Northern Ireland after riots in Derry and Belfast 1998 - Freak twister ravages Martinstown in Co. Antrim; no injuries or fatalities are reported 1999 - Memorial service is held for the victims of the Omagh bomb attack 2001 - Playing to a capacity crowd at the Manchester Evening News Arena, U2 kicks off their European tour with a plea for peace in Northern Ireland 2001 - Loyalist protesters block a main road in north Belfast to prevent the republican Wolf Tone flute band from joining a major march commemorating the 20th anniversary of the 1981 IRA hunger strikes.
August 13 1689 - The Duke of Schomberg lands at Groomsport with his 10,000 strong Williamite army 1819 - Birth of Sir George Gabriel Stokes, mathematician and physicist, in Skreen, Co. Sligo 1846 - Birth of Otto Jaffe in Hamburg. Otto was the first non-Protestant to hold the office of Lord Mayor of Belfast — he was Jewish 1881 - First issue of United Ireland, Parnellite weekly 1887 - Special committee appointed to investigate Parnell's ties to Phoenix Park murders 1898 - The first issue of Workers’ Republic 1947 - The Health Act extends the powers of county councils and provides maternity care 1974 - Kate O'Brien, Irish writer, dies 1999 - A new set of 30p stamps is issued by An Post to honour the Gaelic Football team of the Millennium. It depicts the members of the An Post-GAA official Gaelic Football Team of the Millennium as chosen by a panel of experts 2000 - The RUC promises an increased profile at sectarian flashpoints in Belfast after a large scale attack on Catholic houses further heightens tensions. In the liturgical calendar, today is the feast day of St. Muredach.
August 14 1598 - High O'Neill defeats the English at the Battle of Yellow Ford 1778 - Gardiner's Catholic Relief Act is enacted and grants rights of leasing and inheritance to those who have taken the oath of allegiance: the first rolling back of the penal laws 1784 - Nathaniel Hone, painter and member of the Royal Academy at the time of its founding in 1768, dies 1814 - Mary O'Connell is born in Co. Limerick. Known as Sister Anthony, she serves in the American Civil War as a nurse 1850 - The Irish Franchise Act is enacted and has the effect of increasing the electorate from 45,000 to 164,000 1903 - The Land Purchase Act (Wyndham Act) is enacted and allows for entire estates to be purchased by the occupying tenantry, subsidized by the state 1907 - H. Montgomery Hyde, author and unionist MP, is born in Belfast 1968 - Golfer Darren Clark is born in Dungannon, Co. Tyrone 1969 - First deployment of British troops in Northern Ireland 1992 - Boxer Michael Carruth wins an Olympic Gold medal in Barcelona 1998 - The Family Mediation Service, which enables separating couples to reach agreement on a range of issues relating to their break-up, is to be expanded nationwide 1998 - Taoiseach Bertie Ahern pledges that the Stormont Agreement relating to the release of prisoners convicted of killing gardaí has to be honoured by the Government 1998 - "The Sovereign Nation", a publication of the 32-County Sovereignty Movement is launched in Dundalk 2000 - The Irish Locomotive Driver's Association rejects a bid to end the two-month-old rail dispute 2001 - Northern Ireland Secretary John Reid strongly criticizes the IRA after they withdraw a plan to put their weapons beyond use 2002 - Emer McGrath from Ballynew in Ballinrobe on the Mayo/Galway border becomes the country’s top student with eight Leaving Certificate A1s and one A2.
August 15 1649 - Oliver Cromwell arrives in Ireland as Commander-in-Chief and Lord Lieutenant with an army of 20,000, a huge artillery train and a large navy 1715 - On this date, Frederick Hamilton, former MP for Donegal, writes to George I that although the county is well affected, 'The great scarcity of armes in ye country is beyond anything I could have imagin'd till about three days ago that I had occasion to send some men after seven Tories that were hunted out of Fermanagh, & in the barony of Kilmakrenan, I could not get thirty men tolerably armed tho' I believe the country will be able to array seven thousand men' 1755 - Molesworth Phillips, sailor and companion of Captain James Cook, is born in Swords, Co. Dublin 1803 - Edmund Rice opens a school for poor boys in Waterford - precursor of the schools run by the Christian Brothers 1843 - Daniel O'Connell holds meetings for Repeal of the Union, attended by hundreds of thousands, at Trim and the Hill of Tara 1880 - Five people drown in Derrybeg, Co. Donegal when a chapel is flooded during Mass 1882 - Unveiling of O’Connell monument in Dublin 1919 - Birth of Benedict Kiely, novelist, short story-writer and critic, in Dromore, Co. Down 1917 - Birth of Jack Lynch, Taoiseach, in Co. Cork 1998 - Massive bomb explodes in Omagh shopping center; 29 people are killed and hundreds injured 1999 - The Portmarnock Hotel in Dublin wins the Powers World Irish Coffee Making Championship for the second successive year 1999 - Mobs in Derry attack police, loot businesses and torch buildings 1999 - Founder member of the SDLP, Paddy Devlin, dies in Belfast’s Mater Hospital after a long illness. In the liturgical calendar, today is the Feast of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary. It is also the feast day of St. Daga, 6th century Bishop of Iniskin, Dundalk.
August 16
1793 - The Convention Act bans representative bodies set up to campaign for a change in the law, i.e. putative rivals to the parliament 1832 - An Act is passed which allows for tithe payments to be commuted 1878 - The Intermediate Education Act grants female students the right to participate in public examinations and to enter into careers and professions 1879 - National Land League of Mayo is founded 1882 - Charles Stewart Parnell becomes a Freeman of the city of Dublin 1892 - National Literary Society is founded 1920 - Court-martial of Terence MacSwiney, Irish Volunteer and Lord Mayor of Cork 1921 - The first Dáil Éireann is dissolved and the second Dáil convenes 1981 - U2 plays its first show ever at Slane Castle outside Dublin, and its only Irish show of the year 1982 - Malcolm McArthur, who is wanted for the murder of a nurse named Bridie Gargan, is found in the flat of the Attorney General, Patrick Connolly; Mr Connolly resigns on this date 1995 - More than 100 people are evacuated from The Kitchen, the basement nightclub below the Clarence Hotel in Dublin after a fire is spotted on the roof. No injuries or fatalities are reported 1997 - On the 20th anniversary of the death of Elvis Presley, U2's PopMart show in Vienna, Austria is filled with tributes and references to the King 2001 - Dozens of wild birds, including swans, mallard and moorhens are rounded up by animal welfare workers after a major oil spill in the River Liffey at Palmerstown in Co. Dublin.
August 17
1779 - William Corbet, United Irishman and soldier, is born in Ballythomas, Co. Cork 1786 - Birth of Davy Crockett, American frontiersman and son of an Irishman 1791 - Birth of Richard Lalor Sheil, dramatist and politician; first Catholic privy councillor, in Drumdowney, Co. Kilkenny 1846 - Lord John Russell's Whig administration decides not to interfere with internal or export markets for food 1878 - Birth of Oliver St. John Gogarty, writer, and the model for the ‘stately, plump Buck Mulligan’ in Joyce’s "Ulysses" 1922 - RIC is disbanded to be replaced by the Garda Síochána 1978 - Thousands gather in Carnsore Point to protest against nuclear power 1999 - Mandate, the largest union representing bar and retail workers, demands the Millennium New Year’s Eve off for their workers 1999 - Emir Holohan Doyle is crowned Miss Ireland 1999 - Junior doctors threaten a period of industrial action throughout the country 2000 - The last RUC passing out parade takes place in Belfast before the force’s controversial name change to the Police Service of Northern Ireland 2000 - President Mary McAleese leads mourners at the funeral of former Fine Gael Minister John Boland in St Patrick’s Church, Skerries, Co. Dublin 2000 - Beo 2000, the inaugural festival of Irish traditional music, takes place at the National Concert Hall in Dublin 2001 - General SemiConductor announces that its plant in Macroom, Co. Cork will close; 670 jobs are lost.
August 18 1579 - Death of James Fitzgerald, rebel leader 1728 - James Caulfeild, 4th Viscount and 1st Earl of Charlemont; soldier and nationalist, is born in Dublin 1814 - Birth of David Moriarty, Catholic Bishop of Kerry and opponent of nationalism, in Kilcarah, Co. Kerry 1961 - Death of playwright, humorist and writer Lynn Doyle 1986 - Chris de Burgh reaches no. 1 in British and Irish charts with Lady In Red 2000 - Guinness agrees to suspend the closure of its Dundalk plant and plans to axe 90 jobs at the Harp Brewery 2000 - Thousands flock to Kilrush in Co. Clare for the 40th anniversary of Ireland's only concertina-based festival which is held every year in memory of Elizabeth Crotty 2002 - In a bid to redress the huge population imbalance, it is announced that the Government is to scrap tough planning laws banning the building of single houses in rural Ireland.
Kudos to AOH32 brother Jim Lamb for his article (read below) which recently appeared in the July 18-24 issue of the Irish Echo.
Devolution and the installation of a joint local authority in Northern Ireland, important victories for the island of Ireland, have left many committed Irish Americans wondering what to do next.
Is there a role for Irish America in a peaceful and prosperous ancestral land? Will Ireland thrive regardless of Irish American interest and involvement? And in the global context, can Ireland’s success story of peace and prosperity bring hope to other places mired in conflict and poverty?
For decades, Irish America has been a contributor, a shelter, an employer, a champion for Ireland. America was the land of opportunity. And Ireland survived, thanks in part to the support of her emigrants and subsequent generations of Irish American diaspora.
The hardships that mark Ireland’s history resulted in wave after wave of new Irish immigrants to the United States, further strengthening the link between Ireland and America.
Recent prosperity in Ireland has reversed the direction of immigration. Thousands of Irish have returned to terrific career opportunities there. Ireland’s economic emergence has attracted workers from around the world. The U.S. Department of State reports that, since 2004, the Irish economy has created 270,000 new jobs. Over 200,000 foreign workers, primarily Polish, have moved to Ireland in the past three years.
Other Eastern Europeans continue to pour in to Ireland, not to mention African refugees, Brazilian tradesmen, Chinese students, South Asian entrepreneurs, and yes, even British laborers are taking jobs the wealthy Irish will not perform.
The economy of Ireland is one of the strongest in the world, achieving average annual growth of seven percent over the past ten years according to government reports. In spite of the rising cost of living, and traffic gridlock around Dublin, U.S. companies in knowledge-based economy industries continue to invest and expand there. Lower corporate taxes and plenty of talented workers make this an easy decision. For new investors, Ireland’s ever improving infrastructure and all-island approach to development facilitate profitable opportunities in Cork, Belfast, Limerick, Derry, Galway, and smaller towns beyond the Pale.
The newfound wealth in Ireland is also creating a new dynamic. Irish investors are now seeking opportunities in the U.S. But Ireland still has important social, economic, and cultural challenges. Some are familiar. Others are new.
While peace has taken hold in the North, constructive dialogue among and within the communities remains a work in progress. Commitments to a political solution have led nationalists and unionists to share common ground, but true reconciliation may take another generation.
In addition, the most disadvantaged, economically distressed areas continue to breed ignorance, hatred and despair. A report from the Office of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister on low-income households in 2002, showed that Belfast’s inner city accounted for 18 percent of the North’s population yet it contained over 30 percent of Northern Ireland’s poorest households. Likewise, the Southern and Western Border areas had 20 percent of the population, but 36 percent of the low-income households. In these communities, where criminal gangs still offer false promises to vulnerable young people, much work remains.
Peace and prosperity in Ireland have transformed the island in countless positive ways. But the growing pains accompanying change present new problems.
Immigration to Ireland has challenged the governments to deal with ethnic and cultural diversity, foreign languages, social exclusion, swollen welfare roles, anti-immigrant sentiment, hate crimes, and deportation. A 2004 poll indicated that 60 percent of Irish voters felt immigrants to Ireland were hurting the country to some degree, in spite of foreign laborers’ contributions to the Celtic Tiger mentioned above.
Another important concern is Ireland’s general physical health. Sedentary lifestyles, poor diets and excessive consumption of affordable drugs, tobacco, and alcohol have led to dramatic increases in obesity, type-II diabetes, cancer, and heart disease.
I believe Irish America has an important role to play in all these matters. And I am happy to report that many Irish American initiatives are under way to meet these challenges.
Through a network of leading Irish Americans and organizations in Ireland, the Ireland Institute of Pittsburgh continues to reach out to young people in Northern Ireland’s most depressed communities to provide vocational training, and personal and professional development. We also will facilitate another U.S. business delegation in 2008 to explore transatlantic trade and investment opportunities between Ireland and Pittsburgh.
We intend to spur discussions between Pittsburgh area leaders and their Irish counterparts, North and South, to discuss urgent and priority issues in education, social development, and health, to exchange ideas and create mutually beneficial solutions.
We will apply our knowledge and experience, working for peace and reconciliation to other regions in conflict. Divided communities in Cyprus, South Africa, the Middle East, the Balkans, and elsewhere provide unlimited opportunities to test an important hypothesis: That our models for peace, reconciliation, and prosperity are transferable.
Irish America should continue to celebrate the achievement of peace in Northern Ireland. Let’s now focus on and facilitate reconciliation. Let’s view Ireland as a partner with its own significant resources and skills.
In partnership we can help each other solve the social ills that accompany advanced economies. Let’s continue to remind Ireland and ourselves of the profound contributions we’ve made to each other and to the international community. And let us work together as developed nations to bring peace, justice, reconciliation, and prosperity to every corner of the world.
August 5 1722 - Birth of William Fortescuem, politician and sportsman, who tried unsuccessfully in the 1760s to introduce a bill 'to preserve partridges and hares and to take away the lives of above half the dogs in the nation' 1888 - Philip Henry Sheridan, the son of Irish immigrants from Cavan, dies in Nonquit, Massachusetts. He became an officer in the Federal cavalry and is infamously credited with the phrase: "The only good Indian is a dead one" 1891 - The Land Purchase Act further facilitates tenants' purchase of acreage from former landlords and establishes a board to purchase and redistribute land at a local level in the west 1901 - Peter O'Connor sets long jump record at 24' 11 3/4". He was born in Ashford, Co.Wicklow, but he lived and worked as a solicitor in Waterford City for most of his life. He won his first title in 1899 at the age of 25 years and his last in 1906 - but that was the Olympic title. He was the first IAAF ratified long jump world record holder and his remarkable world, and Irish, long jump record, set in Ballsbridge, Dublin on this date lasted for 20 years 1931 - Birth of Billy Bingham, Northern Ireland footballer and manager, in Belfast 1934 - Gay Byrne, broadcaster, is born in Dublin 1984 - U2 finish recording "The Unforgettable Fire" 1999 - A unique exhibition - "75 Years of Giving" - is officially opened in in Dublin by President Mary McAleese. It comprises a collection of treasures from museums and art galleries throughout the country and marks the 75th anniversary of the foundation of the Friends of the National Collections of Ireland (FNCI).
August 6 1312 - John de Wogan ceases to be justiciar; Edmund le Botiller will act as justiciar for the present 1761 - Richard Nugent, Lord Delvin, MP for Fore, and still a teenager, dies of wounds he received after fighting a duel with a Mr Reilly on July 30 1775 - Daniel O'Connell, Irish patriot, is born in Cahirciveen, County Kerry 1853 - Sir William Ridgeway, classical scholar, is born in Ballydermot, Co. Offaly 1920 - The Dáil orders the boycotting of Belfast unionist firms 1927 - Poet Richard Murphy is born 1998 - Triple Olympic champion, Michelle de Bruin, is banned for four years by FINA, the swimming's world governing body, for tampering with a urine sample 1999 - Labour analysts at the Economic and Social Research Institute announce that the country is heading for full employment for the first time in history 2000 - In Waterford, a team of six men, five of them former international boxers, skip their way into the Guinness Book of Records by smashing the 24 hour relay skipping record 2000 - The first annual Witness Festival comes to a close at Fairyhouse in Co. Meath 2001 - The chairman of the International Commission on Decommissioning, General John de Chastelain, reveals that his members and an IRA representative have agreed on a method for decommissioning.
August 7 1798 - Examination by secret committee of MacNeven, O'Connor, Neilson, Thomas Emmet, and Bond begins in the House of Lords 1832 - The Parliamentary Reform Act increases Irish seats from 100 to 105 and introduces ten-pound franchise in the boroughs: the electorate is increased to 1.2% of the population (county electorate 60,000; borough electorate 30,000). 1 Irish urban dweller in 26 and one Irish rural dweller in 116 now has the vote, as compared to 1 in 17 and 1 in 24 in England 1892 - Birth of Tom Falcon Hazel, WWI Ace, in Clifden, Co. Galway 1916 - O'Neil of the Glen, the first production released by the Film Company of Ireland, premiers at Dublin's Bohemian Theatre 1937 - Rosemary Smith, rally driver, is born in Dublin 1943 - Sarah Purser, Irish painter, dies 1998 - Unemployment falls for the 16th month in a row to reach its lowest level in almost eight years 2001 - British Airways begin a training programme for the crew of the Concorde aircraft at Shannon Airport amid speculation the supersonic plane could be back in the air within the next number of weeks 2001 - Family and close friends gather in the Spanish resort of Alicante for the cremation of one of Ireland's best loved actors, Joe Lynch 2002 - The government announces that American Special Forces will not be allowed to use Irish airspace or airports during any attack on Iraq.
August 8 1588 - The Spanish Armada is defeated by the English, with some Spaniards slain upon reaching the coasts of Ireland and some survivors remaining 1694 - Birth of Francis Hutcheson, Presbyterian philosopher, in Co. Down 1781 - James Gandon moves from London to Dublin; the first stone of his Customs House is laid on this date 1923 - The Civic Guard is renamed the Garda Siochana 1953 - The library of Alfred Chester Beatty, containing his unique collection of oriental manuscripts, opens in Dublin 1961 - On Edge of U2 (David Evans) is born in Barking Maternity Hospital, East London 1976 - Founding of the Peace Movement in the North 1981 - Thomas McElwee, Irish politicl prisoner , dies on the 62nd day of his hunger strike in Maze Prison, Northern Ireland. 2000 - A leading figure in the Young Ireland Movement, Edward Walsh, poet, folklorist, song writer and teacher, is remembered on the 150th anniversary of his death 2001 - The Taoiseach and Tánaiste urge Irish workers and employers not to panic as computer giant Gateway signals a shutdown of Irish operations with 900 job losses.
August 9 1690 - First siege of Limerick begins 1850 - Irish Tenant League is founded 1971 - Internment without charge or trial is introduced in Northern Ireland; the first wave of arrests on this date is based largely on incorrect or outdated information and causes massive resentment among nationalists; 17 people are killed in the rioting that follows 1979 - The first Vietnamese boat people arrive in Ireland 1998 - U2's PopMart movie debuts at the Festival Revue in Edinburgh, Scotland 2000 - Secondary picketing by striking train drivers, who are members of the Irish Locomotive Drivers' Association, causes transport chaos for thousands of Dublin commuters.
August 10 1316 - Battle of Athenry. Irish rising in support of Edward Bruce of Scotland 1636 - The Annals of the Four Masters is completed 1719 - The House of Commons proposes that all unregistered priests in Ireland should be branded on the cheek. The plan is ultimately abandoned. 1854 - A statutory provision is made for the establishment of a national gallery of paintings, sculpture and fine arts in Ireland 1857 - Death of John Wilson Croker, Galway-born politician and writer 1890 - Death of journalist and republican John Boyle O’Reilly 1848 - Birth in Clonakilty of William Hartnett, master of still life painting 1886 - Death of Joseph Medlicott Scriven from Seapatrick, Co. Down, who wrote the words for What A Friend We Have In Jesus 1920 - Death of actor James O’Neill, in Kilkenny. Remembered for his portrayal of the Count of Monte Cristo, he was also the father of playwright Eugene O’Neill 1928 - Peter Barry, Fine Gael politician, is born in Co. Cork 1971 - Birth in Co. Cork of soccer star Roy Maurice Keane, the "human dynamo" 1975 - Death of Robert Barton, last of the surviving 1921 Treaty signatories 1984 - John Treacy wins a silver medal in the marathon at the LA Olympics 1998 - Car clamping of illegally parked cars is introduced in Dublin 1998 - After 26 years on the air, Gay Byrne confirms he will quit his RTÉ morning radio programme at Christmas and will give up the Late Late Show next June 1998 - After serving 21 years, William Moore, the last member of the terrifying Shankill Butchers Gang to remain behind bars is released, despite a Judge's recommendation that he should never go free. He was given 14 life sentences for his role in the abduction and murder of 19 innocent Catholics 1999 - Lakes featured in The Quiet Man are put on the market 2000 - Ruth-Kelly Walsh from Bray, Co. Wicklow wins the special prize for the 'Most Creative Hat' in the RDS Ladies Day Competition at the Kerrygold Horse Show.
August 11 1691 - A Jacobite force under Patrick Sarsfield, guided by Galloping Hogan, destroys a Williamite siege train at Ballyneety, hampering the siege of Limerick 1835 - Henry Grattan Guinness, is born in Dún Laoghaire, Co. Dublin 1894 - Dan Breen, nationalist revolutionary and politician, is born near Soloheadbeg, Co. Tipperary 1927 - After the Free State general election on June 9, de Valera and Fianna Fáil enter the Dáil as the largest opposition party; the Cosgrave administration brings the Farmers' Party into government (independent Ireland's first coalition government, though not so called) 1927 - The Electricity Supply Board (ESB) is established to control the Shannon hydro-electric scheme and take over all existing projects for the electrification of Ireland 1979 - Disaster overtakes the Fastnet Challenge yacht race when the biggest-ever fleet of 303 vessels is caught in a vicious storm. Seventeen people lose their lives 1998 - Fine Gael warns that many farmers who are at the mercy of the worst harvesting weather for 20 years will have no incomes by Christmas unless the Government adopts a strategy to help them out 1999 - Last almost-total solar eclipse of the century takes place in Western Europe. Cloud cover in many parts of Ireland spoils the view, but hundreds in Croke Park, Dublin watch the phenomenon under cloudless, blue skies 2000 - Hugh O'Flaherty's nomination to the European Investment Bank may be in jeopardy after the bank confirms it has the power to recommend someone else for the job 2000 - The Royal Ulster Constabulary welcomes deal which will allow a low-key policing operation for a loyalist march at the weekend in Derry. 2003 - Model plane goes transatlantic after "The Spirit of Butts Farm" - named after its testing site - lands safely in County Galway, Ireland, 38 hours after it took off from Canada. The balsa wood and mylar plane flies 3,039 kilometres (1,888 miles). US, Canadian and Irish engineers work together using satellite navigation and an autopilot system overseen by engineers and radio operators using laptop computers.
