On This Day Posts

Michael Davitt, refugee, physically disadvantaged, revolutionary, agrarian agitator, parliamentarian, journalist, author and servant of his people was born on the 25th March, 1846 in Sraide, Mayo during the Great Hunger to a family of Irish speaking…

Sarah Purser as drawn by John Butler Yeats in the early 1880sSarah Henrietta Purser (1848 - 1943) was born in Dublin into a larger family of 11 children on March 22nd, 1848. Her family was prosperous with a background in brewing and milling. …

Nora Barnacle the great love and muse of James Joyce was born in Galway’s workhouse on March 21st, 1884. Her family circumstance were clearly challenging as her parents separated some 12 years after she was born.Have you listened to our po…

Patrick McGoohan was born in Astoria, Queens, New York City on March 19th, 1928. The actor’s Irish parents were from Carrigallen, Leitrim to which they returned shortly after McGoohan’s birth before moving to Sheffield, England.Have …

Ambrosio O'Higgins - Governor of ChileAmbrosio O'Higgins was born in Sligo c.1720. At an early age, he was sent to Spain to be educated and ultimately settled in Cadiz in 1751 where he worked in a number of unsuccessful enterprises. In 1756 he emi…

Portrait of Harry Clarke by his wife Margaret Crilley ClarkeHarry Clarke was born in Dublin on St Patrick's Day on March 17th 1889.Clarke was best known for his revolutionary work in stained glass and brilliance as an illustrator. His work in gl…

Daniel Patrick Moynihan  was born in Tulsa, Oklahoma on March 16th, 1927. His grandfather John Conners Moynihan emigarated from Kerry in Ireland in the late 19th century. At the age of 6, Moynihan’s Irish Catholic family moved to Hell&rsq…

Cover of the first edition of At Swim-Two-Birds. Published by Longman's Green & Co., (1939)On March 13th, 1939, just six months before the of World War II, Longman's Green published "At Swim Two Birds". The book had been recommended to the Bri…

The remains of Nelson's Pillar before it's final destructionAt 1:32 AM on March 8, 1966, many Dubliner's were woken by an explosion emanating from O'Connell Street, the Pillar was no more. A substantial chunk of the column was left, but  the …

Eilís Dillon occupies a significant position within Irish literature with an extensive body of work spanning five decades. Born in Galway on March 7th. 1920, she was immersed in the traditions and struggles of the Irish nation. Her family a…

Battle of Tallaght from the London Illustrated NewsOn March 5th 1867, a planned uprising by the Irish Republican Brotherhood, also known as the Fenians, resulted in a brief skirmish near Dublin.The Fenians, aiming to overthrow British rule in Ir…

Spike Milligan 1990Terence Alan Milligan, better known as Spike Milligan was born in Ahmednagar, India on April 16th, 1918 to a Sligo born Irish father and British mother. He was best known as a comedian, but also proved to be an adept writer, mus…

Peadar O'Donnell,  a man whose life embodied the complexities of 20th-century Irish history, was born in Meenmore, Donegal on February 22nd, 1893. His background could best be described as one of economic impoverishment from which he escaped th…

Born Muiris Ó Súilleabháin on the 19th of Febuary 1904, Maurice O'Sullivan's life and work intertwined with the unique Gaelic culture of Ireland's remote Great Blasket Island. His experiences, deeply marked by the island's harsh…

George Johnstone Stoney (1826–1911)Irish physicist George Johnstone Stoney was born in clareen, Offaly on February 15th, 1826. He carved his niche in history not with a groundbreaking discovery, but with a name – electron. Though the p…

Marguerite Moore was born Marguerite Nagle in Waterford, Ireland in 1846. Her precise date of birth is unclear. Tragically by age 12 she had lost both her parents. The orphaned Marguerite was enrolled in the Sacred Heart Convent boarding school in R…

Born around 1748 in County Cork, Philip Cogan's early life remains obscure. His documented musical journey began as a choirboy at St. Fin Barre's Cathedral, later serving as a lay vicar. This foundation equipped him with skills that propelled him on…

From left to right: St. Brigid by by Patrick Joseph Tuohy;A Brigid cross rendered in stained glass;Brigid turning water into beer: 16th-century fresco by Lorenzo LottoFebuary 1st marks the feast day of St. Brigid. Traditionally, feast days align w…

Jim Larkin Speaking in Dublin's O'Connell StreetJim Larkin (1874 - 1947), "Big Jim" and labor leader, was born in Liverpool to Irish parents on January 28th, 1874. His childhood was marked by poverty, beginning work at 7 years of age and leaving s…

1798 Print Depicting the Position of the English and French armies at Ballinamuck Prior to SurrenderThe last major military land engagement of the 1798 Rebellion took place on September 8, 1798 at Ballinamuck in Longford. A combined force of Frenc…

William Parsons, astronomer and 3rd Earl of Rosse was born in York, England on the 17th of June 1800. Parsons is best remembered for his construction of the world's largest telescope at Birr Castle.Parsons was educated at both Trinity College Dubl…

Actor, Ray McAnally was born in Buncrana, Donegal on the 30th of Mar, 1926. He was the winner of 4 BAFTA awards for his work in both film and television.Playing Patrick Brown father of Christy Brown in the Award Winning My Left FootRay McAnall…

Note the racist depiction of Irish men with simian features - an ugly feature of many 19th century American publicationsOn Sunday, June 11th, 1837, a shoving match transformed into a full-scale sectarian riot in Boston between Irish American Cat…

Sarah Grand, author, women's rights advocate, and suffragettist was born Frances Elizabeth Bellenden Clarke on the 10th of June 1854 at Donaghadee, Co. Down.On the death of her father in 1861, her mother moved the family to Yorkshire. While at fin…