Today marks the 161st anniversary of the birth of Roger Casement who was hanged for his role in the 1916 rising. Casement led an interesting life, firstly as a British diplomat serving as British consul in Portuguese East Africa (Mozambique; 1895–98), Angola (1898–1900), Congo Free State (1901–04), and Brazil (1906–11), before siding with the Irish nationalist cause. In 1976 the Irish Press recalled the final moment...
Monsignor Hugh O’Flaherty Eighty years ago, with the end of the Second World War, the story of an Irishman who helped save thousands of lives in war time Italy emerged. It later made it to the film screens telling the story of Monsignor Hugh O’Flaherty, the county Kerry born priest who became known as a ‘Vatican Pimpernel’. Risking life and limb, O’Flaherty managed to organised the safe passage of thousands of all...
Sinead de Valera On a day when the debate continues as to who the Fianna Fail Presidential election candidate will be ….today also marks the 50th anniversary of the death of President of Ireland, Eamon de Valera. But did you know his wife, Sinead, an accomplished writer and author also died 50 years ago this year. Here the Irish News reports on her death: SINEAD de VALERA DIES AT 97…Mrs. de Valera entered the...
Teresa Brayton Have you ever heard the song ‘The Old Bog Road’? I am sure it has been sung at many the ballad session, particularly amongst the Irish abroad. It was written by a woman from Kilcock, county Kildare who herself was an Irish emigrant. Born at Kilbrook in Kildare in 1868, Brayton emigrated to America in 1895. When she returned to live permanently in Ireland in 1932 her story was widely publicised: The wel...
The 1913 Lockout On this day, 112 years ago the great Dublin ‘Lockout’ or strike began and led by James Larkin. This major industrial dispute lasted from August 1913 to January 1914. It was a major conflict between Dublin employers, led by William Martin Murphy, and approximately 20,000 workers of the Irish Transport and General Workers' Union (ITGWU), led by James Larkin. The Dublin employers refused to recognise t...
Eoghan O’Growney On this day in 1863 the Irish-language revivalist and priest, Fr Eoghan O’Growney was born in county Meat. He made the headlines during his lifetime for his activities in promoting the Gaelic League and the Irish language, but he also made headlines in death. Did anyone ever have as many funerals as O’Growney? O’Growney died in 1899 in Los Angelas where he had moved for health reasons and was buried...
Michael Collins On this day, 22 August, 103 years ago, during the Irish Civil War, Michael Collins was shot dead at Beal na mBlath in county Cork. Collins was enigmatic figure and leader of during the revolutionary period, and had briefly served as the Chairman of the Provisional Government of the Irish Free State, as well as commander-in-chief of the National Army. Over the years numerous news stories appeared in Irish ne...
Richard Carmichael In several blog posts over the last few years, we have mentioned various history columns that newspapers such as the Irish Press published through the years with various contributors. Amongst the most popular of these was ‘Window on the Past’ and in this 1967 column the historian, TP O’Neill draws attention to the little-known story of the Irish medical man, Richard Carmichael: In the 19th centur...
Rev John Hayes Social reformer, priest and founder of the influential group, Muintir na Tire, Canon John Hayes died in 1957 and his loss was greatly lamented. But who was he and why was Muintir na Tire such a powerful social reform movement in the middle of the 20th century? The Offaly Independent reported: Big Loss to the Nation Death of Very Rev. Canon Hayes….In the years since 1937 the names of Canon Hayes and of...
The Derrybeg tragedy, 1880 In 1933 the Derry Journal shed light on the Derrybeg tragedy which occurred in county Donegal in the summer of 1880. Although over fifty years had passed the incident was still recalled in the locality. Five people drowned when a chapel flooded during mass. It was a terrible incident and one the people of Donegal could hardly believe could happen. Here the newspaper reports: ANNIVERSARY OF MEMO...