New York City's Black 47 bring a political and thoroughly Irish form of rock 'n' roll, with songs covering topics from the Northern Ireland conflict to civil rights and urban unrest in contemporary New York. Here is their video for "Funky Céilí."
November 25 1713 - The second Irish parliament of Queen Anne sits from this date to 24 December. The Whig Alan Brodrick is elected Speaker for the second time, in place of John Forster, after a stormy contest with the government's Tory nominee, Sir Richard Levinge 1764 - Birth of Henry Sirr, Dublin town head of police 1784 - Napper Tandy asks for parliamentary reform for Ireland 1858 - John Smyth Crone, physician and editor, is born in Belfast 1906 - Birth in Belfast of Saidie Paterson, trade unionist and peace activist 1913 - The Irish Volunteers, a militant nationalist splinter of the Irish Parliamentary Party and nationalist version of the 18th-century Ulster Volunteers, is founded by Eoin MacNeill at a mass meeting at the Rotunda, Dublin 1947 - Birth of former Liverpool and Irish international footballer Steve Heighway 1999 - Mystery surrounds the identity of two human skeletons discovered on the site of the former Carnegie school in Killorglin, Co. Kerry. According to experts, the remains of a child and an adult are at least 100 years old and could date to medieval times 2002 - JP McManus, the man who never liked school, receives a doctorate from the University of Limerick. The reluctant schoolboy is now an internationally-renowned financier, racehorse owner and part-proprietor of soccer giants Manchester United 2002 - Hundreds of Irish tourists are left stranded in France as a series of transport strikes threaten to bring chaos to roads, rail, and air traffic. 2005 - James McLoughlin the former bishop of Galway, dies at the age of 76.
November 26 1624 - Birth in Dublin of John Stearne, founder and first president of the College of Physicians 1791 - First convicts from Ireland arrive in New South Wales, Australia 1852 - Aeneas Coffey, inventor of the Coffey Still, dies 1873 - Birth in Cork of Celtic scholar Osborn Joseph Bergin 1885 - Birth in Belfast of Thomas Andrews, chemist and physicist 1926 - Rugby player Karl Mullen is born in Courtown Harbour, Co. Wexford 1955 - Saor Uladh (Free Ulster) a splinter group of the IRA, attacks the police barracks in Rosslea, Co. Fermanagh 1972 - RTÉ Journalist Kevin O'Kelly is imprisoned for contempt of court arising out of an interview with then Provisional IRA chief Séan MacStiofáin. Mr O’Kelly had refused to identify his interviewee in court 1972: Eight armed men protesting against the imprisonment of IRA leader Sean MacStiofain try to rescue him from a Dublin hospital. Police foil the attempt 1998 - Prime Minister Tony Blair makes a historic address to the Houses of the Oireacthas.
November 27 784 - Fergil, the Geometer, Irish educator, dies 1612 - Dungannon, Co. Tyrone, is the first of 40 new boroughs to be incorporated 1774 - John Kyan, inventor, is born in Dublin 1857 - Birth in Clogher House, Kilmore, Co. Roscommon of Thomas Heazle Parke, surgeon, military officer and author. Educated at the Royal College of Surgeons in Dublin, he serves with the British Army in Egypt during Arabi`s 1882 revolt and on the 1884-1885 Nile expedition, to relieve General Gorden in Khartoum. In 1887, he volunteers as Medical Officer on an expedition led by Henry Morten Stanley. This journey takes them right across the Congo. He writes a book "My personal experiences in Equatorial Africa " which becomes a bestseller. He dies suddenly in 1893 at the early age of 36 years. His body is brought back to Clogher House and he is buried with full military honours in Drumsna graveyard 1876 - Henry Robinson Allen, tenor and composer, dies 1878 - Birth of Sir William Orpen, painter, in Stillorgan, Co. Dublin 1906 - Death of Michael Cusack, one of the founders of the GAA. 1953 - Playwright Eugene O'Neill dies 1963 - The Buchanan Committee warns of future chaos as traffic in cities multiplies 1975 - Guinness Book of Records co-founder and editor Ross McWhirter dies of wounds inflicted by Irish gunmen; an outspoken critic of the IRA, the BBC Records Breaker presenter had recently offered a £50,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of IRA bombers.
November 28 1727 - William Connolly is unanimously re-elected Speaker of the Irish House of Commons 1856 - Birth of Cardinal Patrick O'Donnell near Glenties, Co. Donegal 1863 - Foundation of the Fenian newspaper, "Irish People"; John O'Leary is the editor 1871 - The Gaiety Theatre, Dublin, opens with a performance of She Stoops to Conquer 1899 -Irish units in the Boer army fight in the battle of Modder River 1905 The Irish political party Sinn Féin is founded in Dublin by Arthur Griffith 1920 - An entire patrol of 18 auxiliaries at Kilmichael, west Cork, is wiped out by a flying column under the command of General Tom Barry in what would be one of the most effective and bloody IRA ambushes of the war. 1934 - Birth of travel writer Fervla Murphy 1959 - Birth of Tour de France winner, Stephen Roche 1967 - All horse racing in Britain has been cancelled indefinitely to help prevent the spread of foot-and-mouth disease 1969 - Birth of Olympic medalist Sonia O'Sullivan in Cobh, Co. Cork
November 29 1330 - Edward III, on attaining his majority, executes Mortimer on this date and banishes his own mother, Isabella. This revolutionizes the political situation in Ireland and England 1521 - William Rokeby, Archbishop of Dublin, dies 1641 - The Ulster rebels defeat the government forces at Julianstown Bridge 1740 - Edward Sewell, a "couple-beggar" - i.e. a clergyman who conducts illegal marriages involving Catholics and Protestants - is hanged at Stephen's Green 1783 - Ulster Volunteers' parliamentary reform bill is rejected by the Irish Parliament at College Green 1895 - Death of Denny Lane, Young Irelander, author and poet 1898 - Birth of novelist C.S. Lewis in Belfast 1993 - The Conservative government has come under attack in the Commons over the revelations it has had secret contacts with the IRA 1998 - IRA leaders are on the brink of making a goodwill gesture which could kick-start the stalled North peace process 1999 - Pressure grows on the Provisional IRA to hand over weapons in the wake of Northern Ireland’s first power sharing Government in 25 years 2002 - Hurling in Cork is thrown into chaos after the county’s senior squad goes on strike.
November 30 1667 - Birth in Dublin of Jonathan Swift, poet, satirist and clergyman 1670 - Birth in Inishowen, Co. Donegal of John Toland, deist and philosopher 1864 - Cork-born Confederate General Patrick Cleburne is killed in command of his division at a battle in Franklin, Tennessee 1869 - Birth of James Hamilton, 3rd Duke of Abercorn and first Governor of Northern Ireland 1900 - Death of Oscar Wilde in Paris 1909 - Lloyd George's People's Budget is rejected by the House of Lords, the first money bill to be rejected by Lords in 200 years. The Lords' loss of power to veto subsequent bills comes as good news to the Irish Nationalist Party because a third Home Rule Bill looked likely now that the Liberals are back in power and dependent on their support. 1930 - Death of Cork-born union organizer and human rights activist, Mary Harris - "Mother" Jones" 1933 - Birth of Eamon Campbell of the Dubliners 1960 - Catherina McKiernan, athlete, is born in Cornafean, Co. Cavan 1967 - Death of poet Patrick Kavanagh 1970 - Birth of Phil Babb, Irish soccer international 1995 - Bill Clinton visits Northern Ireland on this date - the first serving US president to do so 2000 - Tributes are paid in the Supreme Court to former Chief Justice, Mr Justice Liam Hamilton, who passes on in the early morning hours on this date 2000 - With forecasters saying rainfalls in September, October and November are the highest in living memory, severe storms again lash the country. Munster and South Leinster get the worst of the weather as gales of up to 80 mph batter parts of Cork, Tipperary, Carlow, Kilkenny and Wexford.
December 1 1494 - Poynings Law enacted. This forbids the Irish parliament to convene without the King's prior permission, and all intended legislation has to be approved by him 1848 - The paddle steamer The Londonderry, with immigrants fleeing the famine, takes shelter in Derry harbour. When the covers are removed from the hold it is discovered that 72 men, women and children have suffocated 1889 - Michael Hayes, politician and professor of Irish is born in Dublin 1890 - Six days of Irish Parliamentary Party debates begin, only to end in a split, with the majority opposing Parnell 1901 - Fenian Thomas Clarke Luby dies in New York. Luby was born in Dublin in 1821. He was the son of a Church of Ireland minister and graduate of Trinity College. His first political experience was in the Young Ireland movement 1946 - Singer Gilbert (Richard) O'Sullivan is born in Waterford 1955 - Birth of Pat Spillane, Kerry Gaelic footballer 1956 - Birth of hurler Joachim Kelly 1986 - Guinness shares plunge by £300m after the British government orders an inquiry into the affairs of the company 1998 - President Bill Clinton contacts First Minister, David Trimble, and his deputy, Seamus Mallon, in a bid to save the stalled Northern Ireland peace process 1999 - The British Prime Minister, Tony Blair hails the transfer of powers to Stormont as “one giant step forward” 1999 - Plans to develop Pol an Ionain cave, which according to the Guinness Book of Records contains the largest free hanging stalactite in the world, are given the go ahead by Clare County Council 2001 - Morans on the Weir, Kilcolgan, Co Galway, wins the prestigious Gilbeys Gold Medal Award 2002 - Film producer Noel Pearson and brother Billy Harris lead the tributes to Richard Harris as hundreds pack the Church of the Sacred Heart for a memorial mass 2002 - Gusts reaching up to 80 miles per hour and driving rain continue to sweep across the country; in the west Clare village of Quilty, six fishing boats sink as winds reached between gale force seven and nine along the Clare coast.
November 18 1703 - On 18 November the Commons hears a petition from Sir Kildare Dixon Burrowes, John Allen, Robert Dixon, Francis Spring, Alexander Gradon (all MPs) and 'other inhabitants of the County of Kildare complaining, that the inhabitants of the said County have been under great oppressions and grievances by the exorbitant power of Maurice [another MP], John and Francis Annesley, Esqrs, Justices of the Peace'. Shortly before this, the burgesses and freemen of Naas have also complained about the activities of the Annesleys. The allegations against Maurice and Francis are found not to be proved, but John is found to have illegally extorted money under cover of warrants and fees and is removed as sheriff 1709 - Birth of Henry Loftus, Earl of Ely and 4th Viscount; politician and proprietor of several boroughs 1873 - A three-day conference begins in Dublin to establish the Home Rule League. It will supersede Isaac Butt's Home Government Association 1880 - An historic meeting takes place at Queens Hotel, Belfast which will have far reaching effects on the administration of football in Ireland. At what is, in effect, the inaugural meeting of the Irish Football Association, the IFA elects its first President, 1899 - Death of William Allingham, poet 1922 - Court martial of Erskine Childers begins 1926 George Bernard Shaw refuses to accept the Nobel Prize money of £7,000 awarded to him a year earlier. He said: "I can forgive Nobel for inventing dynamite, but only a fiend in human form could have invented the Nobel Prize." 1960 - The first Aer Lingus Boeing jet Padraig arrives at Dublin Airport 1999 - Former US senator George Mitchell makes his final report into the Good Friday Agreement; he urges the IRA to appoint its representative to discuss disarmament on the same day the new power-sharing government is set up 2000 - Ensign Marie Gleeson of Cashel becomes the first female cadet to capture the prestigious Fastnet Trophy. The award is given to the cadet who achieves first place in his or her class 2002 - The Belfast High Court is told that Sinn Féin's administration office manager at Stormont, Denis Donaldson, is an active member of the IRA's intelligence unit with connections to terrorist groups in Europe and in El Salvador.
November 19 1783 - The Volunteers' parliamentary reform bill is rejected by the Irish House of Commons, 157 to 77 1798 - Theobald Wolfe Tone dies from a stab wound to his neck which he inflicted upon himself on November 12; his attempted suicide is the result of being refused a soldier's execution by firing squad and being sentenced to death by hanging 1821 - 17 people are burned to death in a house in Tubber, Co. Tipperary, probably by 'Rockite' agitators 1871 - Margaret Emmeline Conway Dobbs, Irish historian, language activist and defender of Roger Casement, is born 1900 - Birth of Pamela Hinkson, daughter of Katharine Tynan; she's best known for her novel "The Ladies Road" which sold over 100,000 copies in the Penguin edition 1913 - Irish Citizen Army is formed 1924 - Death in Ara Coeli, Armagh, of Cardinal Michael Logue, Primate of All Ireland 1944 - Denis Brosnan, managing director of Kerry Group, is born in Tralee 1954 - First performance of Brendan Behan’s The Quare Fellow at the Pike Theatre in Dublin 1957 - Affectionately known as "Jacko", Jack O'Shea, Kerry Gaelic footballer, is born in Cahirciveen, Co. Kerry 1998 - UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Dr Mary Robinson, is elected as chancellor of Trinity College, Dublin. Dr Robinson is the first woman in the college's history to be appointed to the position, making her the head of the University of Dublin of which Trinity College is the sole constituent 1999 - The life of eighty-five year old Eamon Kelly is celebrated at a banquet in his honour held at the Listowel Arms Hotel in Co. Kerry. Among the 250 guests are John B. Keane, Barry McGovern, Niall Toibin and Frances Black 2001 - Taoiseach Bertie Ahern announces that low-cost airlines will have a dedicated wing at Dublin Airport in 18 months; Aer Rianta is told to drop airport charges to attract tourists into the country.
November 20 1762 - Francis Andrews is appointed first professor of history at the University of Dublin 1719 - Spranger Barry, actor, is born in Skinner's Row (Christ Church Place) Dublin 1800 - Richard Rothwell, painter, is born in Athlone, Co. Westmeath 1830 - Birth of Patrick Henry Jones, Union General from Co. Meath 1840 - Birth of John Russell Young, journalist in American Civil War, from Co. Tyrone 1889 - Donn Byrne (real name Brian Donn-Byrne) novelist and short-story writer, is born in Brooklyn, New York of Irish parents 1908 - Birth of Alistair Cooke who describes himself as a "Lancastrian Irishman" - his mother was from Co. Sligo 1917 - The 16th Irish Division of the British army assaults an area of the German lines known as Tunnel Trench 1925 - Eoin MacNeill resigns from the Boundary Commission 1959 - Stephen Roche, champion cyclist, is born in Dublin 1998 - An historic union between Labour and Democratic Left is agreed. Unveiled by the two top negotiators, Labour's deputy leader Brendan Howlin and DL Deputy Eamon Gilmore, the merger proposal will go before Labour's General Council and DL's Executive for ratification 2000 - Three Galway pubs are prosecuted by the Director of Consumer Affairs for failing to display correct price lists, in the first ever such prosecutions brought under new Retail Price Display regulations 2001 - Cash-strapped Aer Lingus auctions its collection of paintings. Most money went on "By Merrion Strand" by Jack B. Yeats, an oil on canvas, which is sold for £290,000 2002 - The last surviving member of the recruits which founded the Garda Síochána is laid to rest. Galway-born Charlie Clarke, who spent most of his career in Dublin, celebrated his 100th birthday last summer.
November 21 1281 - Stephen de Fulbourne, bishop of Waterford and treasurer, replaces the infirm Robert de Ufford as justiciar and establishes a mint at Waterford 1759 - Henry Flood enters parliament and becomes leader of the opposition 1767 - United Irishman Thomas Russell is born in Kilshanick, Co. Cork. Although born in the Rebel County, he is now identified in the popular imagination of Co. Down and elsewhere as "The man from God-knows-where", from the ballad which recalls his charismatic but doomed efforts to raise the county in support of Robert Emmet’s rebellion of 1803 1887 - Joseph Mary Plunkett, Irish patriot and poet, is born in Dublin 1918 - The Parliament (Qualifications of Women) Act entitles women to sit and vote in the house of commons 1920 - On the morning of this date, 14 British intelligence officers are shot dead in Dublin by Michael Collins' men. In the afternoon, at a GAA match in Croke Park, Dublin, between Tipperary and Dublin, 12 civilians including one of the players die after Black & Tans open fire; auxiliaries kill three prisoners, including two IRA men, in Dublin that night; the date becomes infamously known as 'Bloody Sunday' 1929 - Birth in Cork of stage, television and film actor Niall Toibin Photo Credit: Official Niall Toibin website 1952 - Birth in Dublin of middle distance runner and former World Champion Eamon Coghlan 1974 - Bombs believe planted by the Provisional IRA devastate two central Birmingham pubs, killing 19 people and injuring over 180 1999 - Victims of Birmingham IRA bombings are remembered in a 25th anniversary service at St. Philips Cathedral 1999 - President Mary McAleese pays a warm tribute to former President Dr Erskine Childers on the 25th anniversary of his death. Speaking at Derralossary Cemetery, Co. Wicklow, Mrs McAleese describes Dr Childers as a pivotal figure in politics for more than 35 years.
November 22 1773 - Lord John Beresford, Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of all Ireland, is born in Dublin 1830 - Justin McCarthy, politician, novelist and historian, is born in Cork 1869 - Jeremiah O'Donovan Rossa, Fenian, contests and wins a Tipperary by-election in abstentia, but is declared ineligible as a convicted felon 1912 - Birth in Dublin of poet, dramatist and lawyer Donagh MacDonagh, son of Thomas MacDonagh 1919 - Birth of Máire Drumm, Irish Republican, in Newry, Co. Armagh 1963 - C. S. Lewis, Irish writer, dies 1963 - The first Roman Catholic president of the United States, John F. Kennedy, is assassinated in Dallas, Texas 1974 - Hugh Callaghan, Patrick Hill, Robert Hunter, Noel McIlkenny, William Power and John Walker, who become known as “The Birmingham Six” are charged in connection with pub bombings which took place earlier in the week. Nineteen people were killed. They are found guilty in August 1975 of carrying out the bombings and sentenced to life imprisonment. But they are released after 16 years in jail when their convictions are quashed by the Court of Appeal in May 1991. The real bombers are never prosecuted and no group has ever admitted planting devices. Three detectives are charged with perjury and conspiracy in connection with the investigation, but their trial is halted in 1993 on the grounds of prejudicial media coverage. The six men finally agree undisclosed compensation settlements in June 2002 - more than 10 years after they are freed. 1998 - Security forces in Northern Ireland brace themselves as fears grow over a new bomb-blitz alert, the first since the Omagh massacre 1999 - The North’s politicians are given an ultimatum when the British Government warns it will pull the plug on the planned Stormont institutions if the IRA fails to decommission its arms 1999 - A timetable for the transfer of power to an inclusive Northern Ireland executive is outlined to the House of Commons 2000 - Blockades by taxi drivers brings the threat of serious confrontation with gardaí, mainline train services are paralysed by strike, and secondary schools are again closed 2000 - Sinn Féin President Gerry Adams meets with Bertie Ahern on the forth coming Irish Budget
November 23 1074 - Donatus (or Dunan), the first Bishop of Dublin, dies and is buried in Christ Church Cathedral. Patrick, his successor, is sent to Canterbury for consecration. (Some records say he died on May 6) 1702 - Birth of Sir Richard Cox, politician and pamphleteer 1819 - Birth in Waterford of Margaret Aylward, founder of the Sisters of the Holy Faith 1841 - Birth in Co. Cork of Richard Croker, Boss of Tammany Hall, New York 1845 - Charlotte Grace O'Brien, social reformer who campaigned against conditions on emigrant ships, is born 1865 - Birth of Herbert Trench, poet, dramatist and theatre producer, in Avonmore, Co. Cork 1867 - Fenians Michael Larkin, William Philip Allen, and Michael O'Brien - the "Manchester Martyrs" - are executed 1876 - Sir Richard Dawson Bates, unionist politician and minister in Northern Ireland is born in Belfast 1913 - Irish Citizen Army is founded in Dublin by James Larkin 1923 - Tomás Ó Fiaich, cardinal, historian and Catholic Primate of All Ireland, is born in Cullyhanna, Co. Armagh 1927 - Birth of journalist and BBC political editor, John Cole 1941 - Birth of poet, Derek Mahon, in Belfast 2000 - The Opel Corsa is named the Semperit Irish Car of the Year 2001 by the Irish Motoring Writers Association 2000 - Traffic in Dublin comes to a standstill as hundreds of taxi drivers protest against the decision to deregulate the industry In the liturgical calendar, today is the feast day of St. Columbanus.
November 24 1713 - Lawrence Sterne, clergyman, humorist, and author of the experimental novel Tristram Shandy, is born in Clonmel, Co. Tipperary 1807 - Henry Blosse Lynch, soldier and explorer, is born in Ballinrobe, Co. Mayo 1820 - Arthur French, MP for Co. Roscommon, dies 'of excessive fox-hunting' 1865 - Two weeks after being arrested, James Stephens escapes from Richmond prison, Dublin 1922 - Irish republican Erskine Childers is executed by the Free State government 1940 - Prime Minister of Northern Ireland, Sir James Craig, dies peacefully at his home on this date and is succeeded by the Minister of Finance John Andrews 1942 - Death of Peadar Kearney, writer of the Irish National Anthem, "A Soldier's Song" 1965 - The Government imposes an experimental 70mph speed limit on motorways 1972 - The RTÉ authority is replaced by the government after RTÉ broadcasts a radio interview with IRA leader Seán Mac Stiofáin 1982 - General election in the Republic leads to a Fine Gael-Labour coalition government 1998 - The national 24-hour stoppage by train drivers costs Dublin City centre traders about £1·5m in lost sales, with Irish Rail losing substantial revenue from more than 60,000 stranded travellers 1999 - Father Aengus Finucane, CSSp, former chief executive of Concern Worldwide, is conferred by the University of Limerick with an Honorary Doctorate of Laws in recognition of his outstanding work with the world’s disadvantaged peoples 2002 - Ireland’s TDs and Senators, lose 3-2 to their Scottish counterparts in a friendly football match. The ‘Clash of the Celts’ inter-parliamentary match was held to highlight the Irish-Scottish bid to host the Euro 2008 football championships.
Ninety years ago this month, the first Americans died in World War I. Irishman Thomas Enright of Pittsburgh was one of the three. Here is the story of a forgotten hero.
November 11 1171 - Henry II holds his court in Dublin from this date to 2 February 1172 1718 - Birth of Thomas Waite , MP and Under Secretary for the Civil Department: pillar of the Irish administration 1747-80 1873 - Birth of Daniel Daly, double Medal of Honor winner in Glen Cove, NY 1880 - Ned Kelly, Australian bushranger and son of Tipperary transportee, is hanged in Melbourne 1887 - Birth of John M. Hayes in Murroe, Co. Limerick; priest and founder of Muintir na Tíre 1918 - World War I ends 1919 - The first edition of the Irish Bulletin is published 1923 - Birth of F.S.L. Lyons, historian and biographer 1941 - Birth of Eddie Keher, Kilkenny hurler and winner of six All-Ireland medals 1998 - Paddy Clancy, Irish folk musician dies 1999 - The peace process is on a knife edge after Ulster Unionist leader David Trimble fails to get his Assembly members to support the latest proposals for a route to devolution 1999 - Dublin confirms itself as Europe’s most vibrant music capital as an estimated 300 million people tune in to the sixth MTV Europe Music Awards live from The Point 2000 - A massive fault on an ESB 110kv powerline results in a nationwide power surge, triggering the automatic shutdown sequence at the State’s only oil refinery 2002 - IRA intelligence-gathering in Belfast is smashed open by one of the biggest police investigations in Northern Ireland in the last decade 2002 - A huge temple, once surrounded by about 300 huge posts made from an entire oak forest, is discovered directly beneath the Hill of Tara in Co. Meath.
November 12 1798 - In the early morning hours on the day he is due to be executed, it is discovered that Wolf Tone has inflicted a deep wound in his neck; a French emigrant surgeon is called in, closes the wound and reports that, "as the prisoner had missed the carotid artery, he might yet survive, but was in the extremest danger." Wolf Tone on hearing this prognosis is quoted as saying: "I am sorry I have been so bad an anatomist." 1934 - Birth of John McGahern, known primarily for his novel, The Dark 1971 - RTÉ bans several patriotic ballads including Dublin In The Green and The Patriot Game 1998 - The Loyalist Volunteer Force (LVF) announced it has made a commitment to an "act of decommissioning" within weeks. The announcement comes following the British Government decision to recognise the organisation's ceasefire 1998 - Prompted by the loss of more than £60m every year because of the negative impression created by the raucous vulgar nature of stag-hen parties in Temple Bar, the Dublin Chamber of Commerce announces plans to ban them 2000 - O´gra Fianna Fáil votes to support blanket ban on abortion
November 13 867 - Death of Pope Nicholas I 1643 - Charles I appoints James Butler, 1st Marquess of Ormond as Lord Lieutenant of Ireland 1726 - At Clonmel, Joseph Slattery, MP for Blessington, dies from wounds received in a duel with Stephen Moore, MP for Fethard 1923 - Leonard Boyle, priest and palaeographer, is born in Donegal 1998 - Paddy Clancy of the Clancy Brothers is laid to rest in Faugheen cemetary, Carrick-on-Suir 1999 - Environmentalists warn that Killarney’s picture postcard Lough Lein is in danger from pollution 2000 - A report on the status of the Irish language in Loughrea Co. Galway indicates there are Irish speakers in 362 of the 500 households who returned questionaires. The report also shows 91% of the town’s people want Irish language names for housing estates and 88% want more Irish used in signposts and public notices. All Irish education was also overwhelmingly accepted with 91% supporting the recently opened Gaelscoil Riabhach 2000 - Clamping of illegally parked vehicles goes into effect for the first time in Galway city centre 2000 - Former Secretary of State Dr Mo Mowlam is chosen Ireland’s International Person of the Year. She secures the accolade for her enormous contribution to the quest for peace 2001 - RTÉ announces it is to become the first broadcaster in Europe to provide an on-screen aid to warn viewers of programmes containing sex, violence or foul language 2001 - Irish troops walk out of the gates of Camp Shamrock - ending more than two decades of peacekeeping duty in Lebanon.The camp is handed over to a contingent of troops from Ghana 2002 - A major fire in a Dublin industrial complex continues to blaze more than 16 hours after flames are first spotted 2002 - The Irish and British governments invite the north's political parties to take part in talks at Stormont to try to ease the crisis in the peace process In the liturgical calendar, it is the Feast day of St. Kilian of Aubigny. In the 7th century, he becomes the only Irish person in the entire history of the Church to be offered the Papacy; he declines the honour.
November 14 1669 - St. Oliver Plunkett becomes Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of All Ireland 1832 - Birth near Letterkenny, Co. Donegal of Stopford Brooke, chaplain-in-ordinary to Queen Victoria, writer and literary critic 1873 - Michael Healy, stained-glass artist, illustrator and painter, is born in Dublin 1907 - Sir Francis Leopold McClintock, Irish arctic explorer, dies 1913 - Official founding date of the Provisional Committee of the Irish Volunteers 1918 - Seumas O'Kelly, playwright, novelist , short story writer , and journalist, dies 1921 - Roy McFadden, poet, is born in Belfast 1923 - W.B. Yeats receives the Nobel Prize for Literature 2000 - Teachers begin the first of eight planned days of industrial action. More than 4,200 teachers take to the picket lines in Dublin in pursuit of their 30% pay claim. Over 620 secondary schools are closed as a result of the strike 2000 - Irate business leaders renew calls for competition on the railways as up to 50,000 commuters are left stranded by the 24 hour strike involving 138 train signal staff 2002 - Restoration work on a fountain built near Dublin in memory of Queen Victoria is halted following threats made by suspected republican paramilitaries against men carrying out the job 2002 - Ireland's first cancer patient retreat and help centre opens outside Mullingar in Co. Westmeath In the liturgical calendar, it is the feast day of St. Laurence O’Toole, the first Archbishop of Dublin and the city’s patron saint. It is on this date in 1180 that he dies at Eu in Normandy.
November 15 1881 - William Pearse, brother of Patrick, is born in Dublin 1923 - Birth of Tom Clifford, rugby player, in Ballyporeen, Co. Tipperary 1945 - Petrol for private cars goes on sale in the State again for the first time since before the War 1968 - Córas Iompair Éireann (CIE) retires its last dray horse 1985 - Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and Irish Taoiseach Garret FitzGerald sign the Anglo-Irish Agreement (AIA) at Hillsborough Castle. It it is considered to represent the most significant development in the relationships between Britain and Ireland since the partition settlement in 1920. The Agreement is an international treaty lodged at the United Nations and supported by the House of Commons and Dáil Éireann 1998 - Bridget Dirrane, who was imprisoned with Kevin Barry and who canvassed for John F. Kennedy in the United States, celebrates her 104th birthday with news that she is to be featured in the new edition of the Guinness Book of Records. Earlier this year, Bridget received an honorary Master of Arts degree from NUI Galway which makes her the oldest person in the world to be awarded a degree 1999 - Gardaí order the cancellation of a lecture by British revisionist historian David Irving after 600 anti-fascists stage a protest at the University of Cork 2000 - Taoiseach Bertie Ahern is placed in a political minefield on the abortion issue as a Dáil committee fails to agree on the way forward. He now faces demands from the four Independents to hold a referendum on the issue 2000 - The Northern peace process is plunged into crisis when Sinn Féin president Gerry Adams announces the party will mount a legal challenge to David Trimble’s ban on its ministers attending North South meetings 2001 - Jacob's Bakery celebrates its 150th anniversary with the launch of a book detailing its history, "Jacob's Bakery - Limited Twiglets." The author, Séamas O´ Maitiú, jokes that the working title was Quaker Bakers go Crackers. The famous bakery was founded in 1851 by two Quaker brothers from Waterford, William and Rober Jacob 2002 - The number of people on waiting lists for local authority houses is set to soar following government spending cutbacks. Fresh figures show the number of applicants waiting for social housing has reached 50,000 - a 25% increase in just three years 2005 - The only remaining medal from the first All-Ireland, one of the rarest pieces of GAA memorabilia goes up for auction at Sotheby's in London.
November 16 1272 - Henry III dies; his son Edward I, who has been Lord of Ireland since 1254, succeeds him 1754 - Birth in Verval, Co. Wicklow of William Marsden, orientalist, Malayan scholar and numismatist 1793 - Francis Danby, landscape painter, is born near Killinick, Co. Wexford 1814 - Michael Kelly Lawler, general in the Union army during the American Civil War, is born in Co. Kildare 1816 - Benjamin Woodward, architect, is born in Tullamore, Co. Offaly 1893 - Death of George A. Osborne, Irish composer, organist and director of the Royal Academy of Music 1939 - Birth of Luke Kelly of the Dubliners 1965 - Death of William Thomas Cosgrave, first President of the Irish Free State 1999 - In Lismore, Co. Waterford, a tradition stretching back almost 130 years passes away as the last remaining Christian Brother Patrick Ryan turns the key on the front door of the monastery for the final time; the order has had an uninterrupted presence in the town since 1871 2000 - Furious taxi drivers have to be restrained from protesting outside Leinster House following reports that the Government is poised to completely deregulate the industry 2000 - In the largest class of graduates since the BSN degree was introduced in 1997, more than 50 nurses are presented their diplomas at the Royal College of Surgeons 2000 - Dr Therese Kinsella, a senior lecturer at University College Dublin becomes the first woman to receive the prestigious Royal Irish Academy Medal in Biochemistry 2001 - American ambassador Richard Egan is presented with a book of condolences compiled from IrishExaminer.com since the September 11 attack on the World Trade Center in NYC 2002 - Niall Quinn is chosen as Man of the Year at the 28th annual People of the Year awards. A special one-off award to mark the 75th anniversary of the ESB is made to Dr TK Whitaker who is named Greatest Living Irish Person for his role in transforming the Irish economy in the 1950s.
November 17 1814 - Joseph Finegan, a Confederate general in the American Civil War, is born in Clones, Co. Monaghhan 1922 - The Irish Free State begins the executions of seventy-seven anti-Treaty republican prisoners 1852 - Donegal-born Brigadier Michael Corcoran's Irish Legion is mustered into the Federal service; it is involved in the defense of Washington D.C. Mrs. Danforth is a great-great niece of Michael Corcoran 1930 - The first Irish Hospital Sweepstakes draw takes place; three Belfast men share a prize of £208,792 1994 - Taoiseach Albert Reynolds is forced to resign 1999 - Christian churches reject idea of elections on the sabbath day as a means of trying to increase voter turnout 1999 - The owners of the first cars to be called for inspection under the new National Car Test receive notification in the post 2001 - An £8.5 million annual pay deal for local politicians is to be finalised before Christmas, giving them a salary for the first time.
In another two months or so, we'll celebrate the 2nd anniversary of AOH 32's Blog and I thought it would be interesting to see how it's been received. From the looks of this chart and for our little group of about 130 Irishmen, it's been a welcome read. If you have any ideas to improve our Blog, please leave your comments. If they're smart comments and we sort of like you, we may consider them! Hah!
Per Amazon, Cassidy's 5-star rated tome is described as follows, "In a series of lively essays, this pioneering book proves that US slang has its strongest wellsprings in nineteenth-century Irish America. "Jazz" and "poker," "sucker" and "scam" all derive from Irish. While demonstrating this, Daniel Cassidy simultaneously traces the hidden history of how Ireland fashioned America, not just linguistically, but through the Irish gambling underworld, urban street gangs, and the powerful political machines that grew out of them. Cassidy uncovers a secret national heritage, long discounted by our WASP-dominated culture."
Daniel Cassidy is founder and co-director of An Lann ireannach, the Irish Studies Program at New College of California in San Francisco. His research on the Irish language's influence on American vernacular and slang has been published in the New York Observer, Ireland's Hot Press magazine, The San Francisco Chronicle, and L, the Irish-language newspaper.
Miller Makes Concessions; Boycott and Anti-Miller PR Campaign End
Here's a follow-up from a prior post - courtesy of brother Bill Carr.
October 31, 2007 - Catholic League president Bill Donohue explained today why the protest of the Miller Brewing Company has ended: "From the beginning of the Folsom Street Fair controversy, the position of the Catholic League has been that it was insufficient for the Miller Brewing Company to simply apologize for the misappropriation of its logo on an offensive Last Supper promotional poster.
What we wanted was an acknowledgment that there were other extremely disturbing anti-Catholic aspects to this event. We have now secured that missing piece. Miller is now saying that following a review of what happened, 'we are aware of other disrespectful activities, objects and groups associated with or present at the fair which, like the promotional poster, violate our marketing policies.
We extend our original apology to include these unfortunate events and items as well.' "This has been a team effort. We are particularly grateful for the support that several bishops and ad hoc groups have shown, especially the wonderful people in Michigan's Chaldean community. "The Catholic League is happy that Miller has reconsidered this ugly issue and has no plans to revisit it again.
Accordingly, the boycott is off. So, too, is our anti-Miller PR campaign. There may very well be a follow-up meeting with the principals to this controversy; we welcome such an opportunity to convey our concerns to the Miller brass. Now it's time for everyone who enjoys Miller beer to resume consumption again."
1802 - Birth of novelist Lady Rosina Lytton, née Wheeler, in Co. Limerick 1884 - Birth in Hillsborough, Co. Down of Harry Ferguson, engineer, inventor, and pioneer of the modern tractor 1908 - Six women meet at the home of women's activists Hanna and Francis Sheehy-Skeffington to establish the Irish Women's Franchise League 1927 - Birth in Waterford of comedian, Hal Roach 1951 - Debut of the Wexford Opera Festival 2001 - Riverdeep founder Pat McDonagh is named Ireland's wealthiest businessman by the Sunday Times 2002 - Delivery of up to a half million letters grounds to a halt with the 24-hour closure of sorting facilities 2002 - Sonia O'Sullivan finishes 12th in NYC marathon 2002 - King of skiffle Lonnie Donegan dies after collapsing midway through a UK tour 2002 - Gerry Adams and David Trimble hold a face to face meeting at Stormont in an attempt to break the deadlock in the peace process.
November 5 1688 - William of Orange arrives in England with 15,000 men 1878 - The New York Gaelic Society is formed 1987 - Death of broadcaster Eamon Andrews 1991 - Charles Haughey's leadership of Fianna Fáil is challenged 1999 - Reinforcing Manchester United’s historic ties with Ireland, the first official Irish club shops open in Dublin, Tallaght and Cork. In Dublin, United legend, Sir Bobby Charlton is on hand to meet and greet the hundreds of fans. For those who can't get to Old Trafford, the stores will offer greater access to the club’s merchandise, information and promotions. The club’s soccer schools will also be run through the shops Photo Credit: Billy Higgins 1999 - History is made when 22 newly-qualified air traffic controllers are presented with certificates in the first graduation ceremony held by the Irish Aviation Authority 2000 - The army and Civil Defence are on standby as a further 36 hours of heavy rainfall are predicted for parts of the country. Flood damage costs from the weekend deluge and high winds are expected to run into the millions Photo Credit: Kieran Clancy 2001 - Politicians from all parties join hundreds of mourners on Achill Island to pay tribute to former Gaeltacht Minister and Mayo Fianna Fáil TD, Denis Gallagher 2002 - A large area of Dublin’s northside is engulfed by a huge cloud of smoke caused by a massive fire at a scrapyard at Dunsink Lane, Finglas 2002 - Matt Cooper resigns as Sunday Tribune editor to replace Eamon Dunphy as presenter of the Last Word show on Today FM 2002 - Mick McCarthy steps down as Republic of Ireland soccer manager.
November 6 1628 - Founding of the Irish College in Rome. Among its former students was St Oliver Plunkett, who attended in the late 17th century 1649 - Owen Roe O'Neill - Catholic military leader against Cromwell - dies 1812 - Charles Graves, bishop and mathematician, is born in Dublin 1887 - Birth at sea of Edward McLysaght, genealogist and writer 1929 - The Gaelic League announces expulsion for anyone who attends 'foreign jazz dances' 1940 - Michael John Giles, "Johnny Giles", footballer and pundit, is born in Dublin 1948 - The first ball-point "Biro" pen goes on sale in Dublin 1974 - A proscenium ceiling collapses at the Olympia Theatre in Dublin 1981 - Taoiseach Garret Fitzgerald and british Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher decide to set up an Anglo-Irish Inter-Governmental Council 1998 - Jobless level reaches a 14-year low 2000 - High winds and torrential rain continue in much of the East, South and South West causing widespread flooding, power outages and major disruptions in public and private transportation services 2001 - Finance Minister Charlie McCreevy admits there is no end in sight to the downturn as the economy suffers a further jobs blow 2002 - Thousands of people, including 600 seriously ill children, face disappointment as the Winter Wonderland project in the Curragh is cancelled 2002 - Green Party TDs chain themselves to trees in Dublin’s O’Connell Street in a last-ditch attempt to save landmarks from the axe 2003 - Death of writer and historian Risteard Ó Glaisne in Dublin. He was the author of biographies of two former Presidents, Douglas Hyde and Cearbhall Ó Dálaigh. 2005 - At a historic ceremony in memory of Irish and British soldiers killed at the Battle of Messines in 1917, the Tricolour of the Republic and the Union Jack are flown alongside one another at the war memorial in the Diamond of Derry City.
November 7 1366 - Lionel of Clarence, third son of Edward III and king's lieutenant in Ireland, leaves the country 1730 - The Danish East India Company ship, Golden Lyon, is stranded near Ballyheige, Co. Kerry 1771 - Funeral of Charles Lucas in Dublin attracts 'the most numerous crowds of people ever known in this Kingdom' 1791 - The Customs House opens 1854 - The first public performance of Fion Boucicault's Arrah-na-pogue is given at Dublin's Theatre Royal 1878 - Margaret Cousins, née Gillespie, suffragist and India's first female magistrate, is born in Boyle, Co. Roscommon 1881 - Birth near Dundalk of Peadar Ó Dubhda, teacher of Irish and translator 1900 - George Wyndham becomes Chief Secretary for Ireland 1968 - Death of Margaret Mary Pearse, Irish language educator 1970 - Neil Hannon of The Divine Comedy is born 1971 - The Official IRA murders Senator John Barnhill near Strabane 1975 - Dr Tiede Herrema, a Dutch industrialist kidnapped by the IRA,is freed 1976 - Crosses are planted in Belfast for lives lost in Northern Ireland since 1969 -1,662 in all 1963 - 12 people are arrested at a Beatles concert in the Adelphi, Dublin 1980 - Death of Frank Duff, founder of the Legion of Mary 1983 - Garret FitzGerald and Margaret Thatcher meet for the first session of the Anglo-Irish Governmental Council 1990 - Death of Tom Clancy of the Clancy Brothers 1999 - Dublin's Millennium pedestrian bridge is put into position over the River Liffey 2000 - A call is made to ban Red Bull, the stimulant soft drink 2000 - Geraldine Mills from Galway wins the Hennessy New Irish Writer award 2001 - Dublin commuters face a 60% rise in taxi fares under recommendations by an independent assessor 2001 - Central Bank governor Maurice O'Connell warns that Ireland has probably seen the end of the Celtic Tiger, as the number of jobs lost this year reaches 13,000 2002 - The National Roads Authority denies protesters’ claims of victory after archaeologists resume work on the controversial Carrickmines Castle site 2002 - Allegations that a civil servant was spying on David Trimble for the IRA plunges the Northern Ireland peace process deeper into crisis.
November 8 1847 - Birth in Dublin of Bram Stoker, author of Dracula 1887 - Birth of Sir Arnold Bax, composer, writer and Hibernophile 1960 - An Irish peacekeeping force is ambushed in the Congo, causing the first overseas combat deaths of the Irish Republic. Nine are killed by Baluba tribesmen - one of these, Anthony Browne, will be awarded the Military Medal for Gallantry 1984 - Charles Mitchel, RTÉ's first newsreader, reads his last bulletin 1987 - Eleven people are killed after a bomb explodes during a Remembrance Day service at Enniskillen in Co. Fermanagh 1990 - The Republic elects their first woman president, Mary Robinson, who defeats Brian Lenihan and Austin Curry 1998 - A well-placed loyalist source claims that a renegade loyalist terror group, is plotting to target Government Ministers here and launch cross-border bombing raids in the run up to Christmas 1998 - The Provisional IRA announces that it will decommission large amounts of Semtex to allow Sinn Féin to take its seats in the new Northern Executive 1998 - Flights at Shannon Airport are brought to a standstill for several hours after a Boeing 767 jet, with 250 passengers and 11 crew aboard, leaves the runway and becomes stuck in soft ground shortly after landing 1998 - President Mary McAleese says it is time to acknowledge that the 50,000 Irishmen killed in the Great War came from all parts of the country and from both sides of the political divide 1998 - Finance Minister Charlie McCreevy declares war on farmers, telling them that he is not responsible for their problems 1999 - Northern Ireland Secretary, Peter Mandelson comes under fire as talks on the peace process enter another crucial phase 2001 - An EU survey shows dancing is the favourite pastime of young Irish people 2001 - Senior IRA leaders meet in Co. Louth to discuss further arms decommissioning 2001 - In a meeting at the White House, Taoiseach Bertie Ahern assures President Bush he will do everything possible to ensure Ireland's international banking services are not used to fund Osama Bin Laden and his followers 2001 - The Poulnabrone portal dolmen in the Burren, Co. Clare is bought for £300,000 by the State to protect it from vandalism 2002 - Mail in rural areas is delivered despite industrial action by the Irish Postmasters’ Union which closes sorting facilities at over 500 sub post offices.
November 9 1711 - The first Irish parliament of Queen Anne is dissolved 1791 - Napper Tandy convenes the first meeting of Dublin's United Irishmen 1875 - Sir Hugh Lane, art collector and critic, is born in Ballybrack, Co. Cork 1926 - Birth in Dublin of Hugh Leonard, pseudonym of John Keyes Byrne, playwright 1935 - Nineteen Donegal islanders are drowned when their currach founders 1966 - Jack Lynch becomes leader of Fianna Fáil 1999 - Ireland’s most accomplished mountaineer, Pat Falvey, conquers Ama Dablam in the Himalayas 2000 - The largest prison outside Dublin, the Midlands Prison in Portlaoise, goes into operation. It was built at a cost of £43m and boasts the most advanced technology and the highest standards of prisoner accommodation in the State 2000 - Martin McGuinness accuses David Trimble and Ulster Unionist cabinet colleagues of jeopardising the Good Friday Agreement’s political institutions with their ban in a bid to force progress on IRA disarmament.
November 10 1728 - Birth in Pallas, Co. Longford of Oliver Goldsmith, playwright, novelist and poet 1783 - National Volunteer convention on parliamentary reform begins at the Rotunda in Dublin 1795 - Edward King, Viscount Kingsborough, student and promoter of Mexican antiquities, is born in Cork 1798 - Theobald Wolfe Tone tried and convicted of treason 1813 - Thomas Lloyd, son of John Lloyd, former MP for King's County and Innistiogue, is killed at the head of his regiment at the passage of Nivelle in south-west France 1832 - Charles Russell, 1st Baron Russell of Killowen; lawyer and Lord Chief Justice of England, is born in Newry, Co. Down 1841 - Death of Sister Catherine McAuley, founder of the order of the Sisters of Mercy 1861 - In Dublin, thousands turn out to view the coffin of Terence Bellew MacManus, Young Irelander who died in poverty in San Francisco 1879 - Padraig Pearse, Irish revolutionary and one of the leaders of the 1916 Easter Rebellion, is born 1896 - Lady Mary Heath, née Sophie Catherine Pierce, pioneer aviator and athlete, is born in Newcastlewest, Co. Limerick 1902 - Leon Ó Broin, writer and public servant, is born in Dublin 1966- Fianna Fáil's Jack Lynch replaces Seán Lemass as Taoiseach 2002 - Ireland and Sunderland soccer star Niall Quinn announces his retirement from club football.
