On This Day Posts

Irish Independent, July 1, 1932, with headline story on Anglo-Irish economic tensionsBackground to the Anglo-Irish Trade WarWhile the Anglo-Irish Treaty of 1921 granted Ireland a measure of independence, many in the newly formed Saorstát &E…

James Plunkett, author of Strumpet City, one of the best books on Dublin, was born on 21 May 1920 in the Hibernian metropolis. Strumpet City details the lives of common Dublin folk and their hero, James Larkin. The novel is an excellent fiction…

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

John Thomand O'Brien was born in Baltinglass, Wicklow, on the 24th of June 1786. He emigrated to Brazil in 1811 where he attempted to set up several businesses in Brazil and then Argentina. O'Brien's efforts in the commercial domain proved unsuccess…

Rory Gallagher, a rock guitarist, was born in Ballyshannon, Donegal, on the 2nd of March, 1948.  He is frequently cited as the greatest rock guitarist you've never heard of, a testament to his unwillingness to compromise on the types of music h…

Charles Algernon Parsons (1854 - 1931) was born in London, the youngest child of William Parsons, the 3rd Earl of Ross. Like his remarkable father, who built the Leviathan Telescope at the family seat in Birr Castle, Charles decided to pursue a care…

Hanna Sheehy-Skeffington c. 1920Hanna Sheehy-Skeffington, suffragette, nationalist and feminist was born Johanna Mary Sheehy into a nationalist family in Kanturk, Cork on May 24th, 1877. She was educated in Dublin receiving both a batchelors and m…

Oisín Kelly was born, Austin Ernest Kelly, into a protestant family on May 17th, 1915. His father, William Kelly, was a school teacher and the family lived on James Street in the heart of working class Dublin on the south side of the River Li…

Daniel Pollen, the 9th Premier of New Zealand, was born in Ringsend in Dublin on the 2nd of June, 1813. Little is known of his early life, although some accounts indicated he initially emigrated to the United States where his father worked on the co…

Artificial Intelligence rendering of the Battle Of FarsetmoreLikely more than a 1,000 men lay dead on the shores, or in the tidal waters of the river Swilly near Letterkenny in Donegal. The encounter at the ford of Farsetmore (Fearsaid Súil…

Mainie Jellett (1897 - 1944) Despite her short life, Mainie Jellett, made significant contributions to the arts in Ireland. Mainie was a pet name; she was born Mary Harriet Jellett on April 29, 1897, into a prosperous Dublin family at 37 Fitzwilli…

On April 24th, 1916, a group of Men enter the General Post Office in Dublin and took control of the building. That act and the proclamation of the Republic of Ireland spelled the begining of the 1916 Rising. Many refer to the these events as the Eas…

Brian Boru - Henry MacManus lithograph, mid 19th centuryBrian Boru or Brian Bóruma mac Cennétig is believe to have been born C. 941 into a family of 12 sons. What we know about Brian is obscured by the passage of over 1,000 years. Th…

Seán O Faoláin, master of the short story and man of letters, was born John Francis Whelan in Cork city on this day, February 27, 1900.  At age 18, he began to learn Irish and subsequently changed his name to Seán O Faol&aa…

Katherine Cecil Thurston, best selling Edwardian era author, was born Kathleen Annie Josephine Madden in Cork on April 18th, 1874. Her family circumstances were comfortable, her nationalist father Paul Madden was a banker and served twice as mayor o…

John Millington Synge, one the most the preeminent playwrights of the Irish Literary Revival, was born in Rathfarnham, Dublin on April 16th, 1871. His father, John Hatch Synge was a barrister and landlord and died a year after his last son's birth. …

19th century etching of the Battle of KilrushOn April 15th 1642,  on the road between Athy and Dublin, two opposing armies faced off at Kilrush, Kildare. The ensuing battle between Irish Catholic Rebel Confederates and Protestant Royalist for…

Louis Henry Sullivan, modernist architect, was born in Boston on September 3rd, 1856. His parents were both immigrants, his mother Andrienne List was a Swiss pianist and his father Patrick Sullivan was a Cork born dancing instructor from Clonakilty.…

Hugh Carey, the 51st Governor of New York, 7-term member of the US House of Representatives and grandson of Irish immigrants, was born in Brooklyn on Apr 11th, 1919.Have you listened to our podcast? Get the latest on our Episode Page.Carey w…

Oliver Sheppard was born in Cookstown, Tyrone on April 10th, 1865. He emerged as a prominent sculptor in Irish art during a period of cultural and political transformation. His artistic journey mirrored the complexities of a nation grappling with it…

Thomas D'arcy McGee,  Canadian politician, author, journalist, conservative and revolutionary, was born on the April, 3rd, 1825 in Carlingford, Louth. His mother died when he was 8 years old and the family moved to Wexford where he showed a pro…

Frances Power Cobbe, author, feminist, suffragettist, animal rights pioneer and LGBTQ icon was born in Donabate, Dublin on December 4th, 1822. Her predisposition against convention emerged early and caused conflict with her father, Charles, when she…

Oliver goldsmith by Sir Joshua ReynoldsThe exact place and year of Oliver Goldsmith's birth is a matter of dispute. Traditionally the author is listed as being born on November 10th, 1728 at Pallas Longford. Westmeath also lays claim to his birthp…

Dionysus Lardner, polymath, writer, lecturer and popularizer of science was born in Dublin on April 3rd, 1793. Lardner’s father was a solicitor and his son was initially expected to pursue the family trade in law, however the work did not appe…