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Olympic Gold medalist runner, Ronald Michael Delany was born in Arklow, County Wicklow on March 6, 1935. Delany showed promise as a schoolboy athlete and in 1954 at age 19 had a breakout year setting multiple Irish records in the half-mile and secur…

Robert Emmet in profile by John Comerford Robert Emmet was born in Dublin on the 4th of March, 1778. He was the 17th child of Dr Robert and Elizabeth Mason. Despite the family’s prosperous circumstances only four of the seventeen children wou…

Actor and beauty Harriet Smithson (1800 - 1854) was born in Ennis, Clare into a theatrical family. She made her debut on the Dublin stage in the Theater Royal at the age of 14. Some 4 years later she first appeared in London at the Theatre Royal to …

Likely the greatest sculptor of 19th century America, August Saint Gaudens (1848–1907), was born in Dublin on March 1st, 1848 to a French father and Irish mother. Before Saint-Gaudens' first birthday, his family emigrated, ultimately settling …

Fr. Hugh Joseph O'Flaherty (1898 - 1963) was born on this day, February 28, 1898 in Lisrobin, Kishkeam, Co. Cork.  Have you listened to our podcast? Get the latest on our Episode Page. Originally O’Flaherty pursued a credential as a…

John Philip Holland (1841 - 1914), commonly considered the father of modern submarines, was born on this day, Feb 24, 1841, in Liscannor, Clare. He trained as a teacher in Cork and worked as a mathematics teacher before emigrating to America in 1873…

Sculptor Jerome Connor (1874 - 1943) was born in Coumduff near Anascaul in Kerry on this day Feb 23, 1874. At age 14 he emigrated along with his family to Holyoke in Massachusetts. Jerome’s father, Patrick appears to have worked as a stonecutt…

Ted Kennedy (1932 - 2009) was born Edward Moore Kennedy in Boston, Massachusetts, on Feb 22, 1932. He was the youngest child of nine, born to Joseph Kennedy and Rose Fitzgerald. His Great Grandfather Patrick Kennedy arrived in Boston in 1849 at the …

On February 21, 1760, 600 troops under the leadership of François Thurot (1727 - 1760) landed in Antrim and captured Carrickfergus Castle from a small garrison. This minor military engagement was part of a broader global military conflict bet…

Few people leave such a permanent mark on a city as James Gandon (1743 - 1823) did in Dublin. He was born in London on this day, February 20, 1743.  Have you listened to our podcast? Get the latest on our Episode Page. He trained as an ar…