Fionán Lynch He held three ministerial posts - Minister for Education; Minister for Fisheries Minister, and Minister for Lands and Fisheries, served as Leas-Cheann Comhairle of Dáil Éireann, was a Judge of the Circuit Court for fifteen years, and played an important role in the Irish revolutionary period. Born in county Kerry in 1889, Fionán Lynch is the focus of today’s blog. Despite his relatively young age, Lynch ...
Chester Beatty To some it is a hidden gem, to others a well traversed spot when in Dublin, yet to more they may be totally unaware of it. I am talking of course about the Chester Beatty library. The Chester Beatty Library, now known as the Chester Beatty, is a museum and library in Dublin. It was established in Ireland in 1953, to house the collections of mining magnate, Sir Alfred Chester Beatty. When he died in Jan...
John and Henry Sheares Their names were synonymous with the lead up to the 1798 rebellion and in the 1930s there were thousands of visitors on an annual basis to visit their final resting place, yet to many they will not have heard of their names. Brothers John and Henry Sheares were barristers, and prominent members of the Society of United Irishmen in Ireland in the lead up to 1798. The brothers were influenced by t...
Anniversary of the Anglo-Irish Truce, 1921 Tomorrow, 11 July marks the 10th anniversary of the Anglo-Irish Truce of 1921 which brought to an end the Irish War of Independence. The war had raged since January 1919 when the First Dail met, and the first shots of the conflict were fired in county Tipperary. The Truce paved the way for the Treaty negotiations which took place later in the year and ultimately ended with the Angl...
Live Aid, 1985 Its forty years this month since ‘Live Aid’, the world benefit concert held on July 13, 1985, which aimed at raising funds for famine relief in Ethiopia. For thousands of young and old alike across the globe it was a day never to forget as in two venues - Wembley Stadium, London, and JFK Stadium, Philadelphia - and attended by over 150,000 audience members in total, the Live Aid concerts were beamed to t...
The GPO It was the headquarters of the Easter Rising in Dublin in 1916 and since then it has been an important part of national identity ever since. The General Post Office, or the GPO as it is known, is back in the news again amid concerns over its future. Indeed, just this very week questions have been raised in Dail Eireann about plans for the historic site. Back in 1935, ahead of the 20th anniversary of the Risin...
The Battle of the Somme It was fought 109 years ago today, 1 July, and one was one of the bloodiest battles and prolonged conflicts in modern warfare. The Battle of Somme also cost thousands of Irish lives as they were amongst the first to ‘go over the top’ on that July morning. A major part of the Great War, the Somme offensive was fought by the British and French against the Germans and lasted from July to November 19...
‘The nation holds its breath’ One of the really interesting aspects of browsing the Irish Newspaper Archive is to examine the headlines and full page spreads on significant and historic dates in Irish history. When a particular event dominates most of the page it is even more interesting. Take for example this day 35 years ago when news of the Republic of Ireland’s victory over Romania in the World Cup (Italia 90)...
Robert Dudley Edwards: how his biographer made use of newspaper archives The biography of historian and archivist Robert Dudley Edwards, Professor of Modern Irish History at University College Dublin is published this month, drawing repeatedly on newspapers within the Irish News Archive. Telling the Truth is Dangerous is to be launched on 26 and 27 June, and interested parties are welcome to attend (see details below). Th...
Spancil Hill If you know your Irish ballads, you will know that today – 23rd June – is ‘the day before the fair’, a reference to the great annual fair which was held annually on the 24th June in the county Clare village. It was made famous by the ballad ‘Spancil Hill’ which starts: ''Last night as I lay dreaming of pleasant days gone by My mind been bent on rambling to Ireland I did fly I stepped on...