On This Day Posts
Blog entries which commemorate Irish events and people
Feb. 20, 2022
James Gandon - Architect (1743 - 1823)
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.
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He trained as an ar…
Feb. 18, 2022
John O'Shanassy - Australian Politician (1818 - 1883)
John O'Shanassy (1818 - 1883) was born on this date, February 18th, in Thurles, Tipperary. O’Shanassy’s education was cut short when his father died prematurely and at age 13 he was apprenticed to a draper and wine merchant.
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Feb. 17, 2022
OTD: Lola Montez (17 Feb, 1821 - 17 Jan, 1861)
Lola Montez (1821 - 1861) is an unlikely name for an Irishwoman. She was born Eliza Rosanna Gilbert in Sligo on February 17, 1821. Despite her privileged background, the family was resident in Limerick's Castle Oliver; Montez refused to conform to e…
Feb. 14, 2022
OTD: Birth of Mary Agnes Lee - 1821
Mary Agnes Lee (1821 - 1909) was born in Monaghan and at at age 58, following the death of her husband, emigrated to Australia to care for an ailing son. Sadly her son Benjamin died the following year in 1880.
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Feb. 13, 2022
OTD: Birth of Frank Aiken - 1898
Frank Aiken (1898 - 1983) was born into a staunchly Republican family in Camlough, County Armagh, on February 13, 1989. By age 16, Aiken had become a member of the local Irish Volunteers. That group chose not to participate in the 1916 Rising, but b…
Feb. 12, 2022
OTD: Birth of Kay McNulty - 1921
Computer programming pioneer Kay McNulty (1921 - 2006) was born on Feb 12, 1921, in Cresslough, part of the Donegal Gaeltacht. At age 3, McNulty's family emigrated to Philadelphia, her father, James, had opposed the 1921 Anglo-Irish Treaty and opted…
Feb. 10, 2022
OTD: Agnes Mary Clerke - Scientific Writer (1842 - 1907)
Agnes Mary Clerke (1842 - 1907) was born in Skibbereen, County Cork, on February 10, 1842. Her father, John William Clerke, introduced her to astronomy at an early age, undoubtedly abetted by the possession of a family telescope.
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Feb. 9, 2022
Brendan Behan - Author (1923 - 1964)
Brendan Behan was born in Dublin on February 9, 1923. Behan, an enfant terrible of the Irish literary scene, is remembered as much for his notorious displays of alcoholism as his literary talent. He was both adored and reviled in his native Dublin.
…
Feb. 8, 2022
OTD: Birth of Kate Chopin - 1850
Kate Chopin (1850 - 1904), an important foundational figure in American feminist literature, was born Katherine O'Flaherty on February 8, 1850, in St Louis, Missouri. Her father, Thomas, was an immigrant from Galway. Her mother, Eliza Farris, was a …
Feb. 7, 2022
OTD: Birth of Chester Beatty - (7 Feb, 1875 - 19 Jan, 1968)
Alfred Chester Beatty was born in New York City on February 7, 1875. His paternal grandparents were Irish emigrants originating from Laois and Armagh, respectively.
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Aft…
Feb. 5, 2022
OTD: Birth Peter Lalor - 1827
Peter Lalor (1827 - 1889) was born in Ratheen, Laois on the 5th of February 1829. Lalor was the youngest of 11 children born of strong nationalist opinions.
Lalor received an education as a civil engineer and along with with his brother Richa…
Feb. 4, 2022
OTD: Birth of Constance Markievicz - 1868
Constance Markievicz (1868 - 1927) was born in London on February 4th, 1868. She was born Constance Gore-Booth and is often called Countess Markievicz by virtue of her 1900 marriage to Count Casimir Markievicz whose claims to title and nobility are …
Feb. 3, 2022
OTD: Birth and Death of Thomas Mellon - 1813 and 1908
Upper Left: Thomas Mellon (1813 - 1908)Lower Left: Thomas Mellon Birthplace, Tyrone, IrelandRight: Mellon Headquarters, Pittsburgh
One of America's wealthiest families originates from the small village of Cappagh in County Tyrone. In 1813, Thomas M…
Feb. 2, 2022
OTD: Publication of Ulysses and James Joyce's Birthday - 1922
Upper Left: Ulysses First EditionLower Left: Ulysses: A Reader's Odyssey by Danial MulhallRight: James Joyce (1882 - 1941)
The publication of Ulysses and James Joyce's birthday coincided in 1922. The book has bewitched and bewildered readers for 10…
Feb. 1, 2022
OTD: O'Connell - D’Esterre Duel - 1815
Left: Daniel O'Connell; Upper Right: The 1815 Duel; Lower Right: Bishopscourt House
When Talking of Daniel O'Connell (1775 - 1847) to folks unfamiliar with Irish history, I often refer to him as an equivalent to Martin Luther King, Jr or Mahatma Ga…
Jan. 31, 2022
OTD: Michael Coleman - Fiddle Legend (1891 - 1945)
Michael Coleman (1891 - 1945) was born into a musical family in Sligo. Coleman is considered one of the most important 20th-century influences on traditional Irish music. In 1914 he emigrated to America, where he settled in New York City. Duri…
Jan. 29, 2022
OTD: Explorer John Palliser - (Jan 29, 1819 - Aug 18, 1887)
John Palliser (1817 - 87) was born in Dublin and raised in Waterford. His family was descended from William Palliser, a late 17th-century bishop of Cashel. Despite being multilingual, a product of his family's continental European travels, Palliser …
Jan. 28, 2022
OTD: Death of William Butler Yeats - 1939
William Butler Yeats (1865 - 1939) died on this day at the Hôtel Idéal Séjour in Menton on the French Riviera. We repeat his words to each other; they can be both lyrical and provocative. Even now, when we recite his verses long …
Jan. 27, 2022
OTD: Birth of Mairead Maguire - 1944
Mairead Maguire, peace advocate and Nobelist, was born on this day in 1944.
In 1976, an out-of-control car killed three children of her sister, Ann Maguire. The driver, a member of the IRA, had been fatally shot by the British Army. Another woman, …
Jan. 26, 2022
OTD: Seán MacBride - Politician and Activist - (1904 - 1988)
The enigmatic Seán MacBride was born on January 26th, 1904, the son of nationalist, political activist and poetic muse, Maude Gonne. His father, Major John MacBride was a volatile man of action who had served in the Boer war against the Briti…
Jan. 25, 2022
OTD: Robert Boyle - (25 Jan, 1627 - 30 Dec, 1691)
Robert Boyle (1627 - 1691), considered by many to be the Father of Chemistry, was born on this day in Lismore Castle in Waterford. He was the 4th son of the enormously wealthy Richard Boyle, 1st Earl of Cork, and Catherine Fenton
Lismore Castle
…
Jan. 24, 2022
OTD: Sybil Connolly - Fasion Designer (1921 - 1998)
Sybil Connolly was born in Swansea, Wales on January 24, 1921. On her father's death, John, in 1936, the family relocated to his native Waterford. During those years, Sybil showed a flair for fashion and design and was apprenticed to a London dressm…
Jan. 23, 2022
OTD: John Field - (1782 - 1837)
John Field (1782 - 1837), is considered by many to be Ireland’s most influential classical composer. Field is credited with the creation of the nocturne, a musical form usually written for the piano and evocative of the night.
Field w…
Jan. 22, 2022
OTD: Éamon de Buitléar - (22 Jan 1930 - 27 Jan 2013)
Born on this day in 1930, Éamon de Buitléar became a fixture on Irish television, particularly for his iconic series, Amuigh Faoin Spéir (Out Under the Sky), focusing on the Irish natural world.
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