Sunday 31 March 2013




31 March 1966:

The Insurgent Flag that flew over the General Post Office in Dublin in 1916 was handed back by the British Government of Harold Wilson on this day. It was made by Mary Shannon at the headquarters of the Irish Citizen Army in Liberty Hall and brought from there to the GPO where it was proudly hoisted above.

When the building fell to the British it was taken by British Officers who displayed it upside down at the foot of the Parnell Monument in Upper O’Connell Street, Dublin. This was the traditional way to display flags taken from enemy forces. Eventually it passed into the hands of the British museum authorities. On the 50th Aniversary of the Rising in a gesture of conciliation the British Government decided to return the first flag of the Irish Republic to the Irish Government of the day under An Taoiseach Sean Lemass - himself a veteran of the Rising.

It is now on display in the National Museum of Ireland in Dublin. [above]

Saturday 30 March 2013



30‭ ‬March‭ ‬1979:‭ ‬The British M.P.‭ ‬Airey Neave was assassinated in the car park of the House of Commons,‭ ‬[above] London on this day.‭ ‬Tipped to be Margaret Thatcher’s Secretary of State in the North if she won the upcoming General Election,‭ ‬his death at the hands of the INLA was a severe personal blow to her,‭ ‬which she felt for many years after.‭ ‬A noted hardliner with links to Britain’s‭ ‬Secret Service he was an ex British Officer‭ who had made it known he intended to rule the North with an Iron Hand if he was appointed as Secretary of State.

He had served with distinction in the Second World War‭ (‬DSO‭; ‬MC‭) ‬He was the first officer to make‭ "‬the home run‭" ‬from Colditz,‭ ‬and the intelligence from this experience brought about his appointment to M19,‭ ‬where he was code named‭ "‬Saturday‭"‬.‭ ‬His book‭ ‬Saturday at MI9‭ ‬was a bestseller.‭ ‬When the War ended,‭ ‬he became assistant secretary of the International Military Tribunal in Nuremberg,‭ ‬and had the task of serving indictments on the Nazi war leaders who had survived Hitler.‭ ‬Another book,‭ ‬Nuremberg,‭ ‬dealt with the part he played there.‭ ‬He entered Parliamentary politics in‭ ‬1953.‭

Neave was driving his car up the ramp leading out of Commons car park at around‭ ‬3‭ ‬pm when the mercury tilt switch attached to his vehicle blew up underneath him.‭ ‬Emergency services were on the scene in minutes.‭ ‬The‭ ‬63-year-old Conservative MP was taken to Westminster Hospital where he died from his injuries.‭

Mrs Thatcher was gutted by the news at the loss of her close friend and political ally.‭ ‬She proclaimed that:

He was one of freedom's warriors.‭ ‬Courageous,‭ ‬staunch,‭ ‬true.‭ ‬He lived for his beliefs and now he has died for them.

The British General Election of that year had just been called the day before. Mr Neave was a close adviser to Mrs Thatcher,‭ he had led her campaign to become the Conservative Party leader in‭ ‬1975‭ ‬and after  headed her private office.‭





Friday 29 March 2013



29‭ ‬March‭ ‬1901:‭ ‬The death of James Stephens,‭ ‬founder of the Irish Republican Brotherhood,‭ ‬on this day.‭ ‬He was born in‭ ‬1825‭ ‬at Blackmill Street,‭ ‬Kilkenny,‭ ‬the son of John Stephens,‭ ‬an auctioneer’s clerk.‭ ‬He supported the Young Ireland movement and the Irish Confederation,‭ ‬and he served as‭ ‬aide-de-camp to William Smith O’Brien in the‭ ‬1848‭ ‬Rising at Ballingarry,‭ ‬Co.‭ ‬Tipperary in which he was wounded.‭ ‬In the wake of this abortive affair he escaped to Paris.‭ ‬In the French Capital he met the Young Irelanders,‭ ‬John O’Mahony and Michael Doheny.‭ ‬He was deeply influenced by the French radicals and the underground figures that he encountered.‭ ‬He earned his living by teaching English.‭ 

In‭ ‬1856‭ ‬he returned to Ireland disguised as a beggar.‭ ‬His purpose was to establish a new secret revolutionary society that would achieve Irish independence from British rule by the use of military force.‭ ‬He travelled the Country incognito establishing networks and organising cells.‭ ‬On St Patrick’s Day‭ ‬1858‭ ‬he founded in Dublin the‭ ‘‬Irish Revolutionary Brotherhood‭’‬,‭ ‬which became known later as the‭ ‘‬Irish Republican Brotherhood‭’ (‬aka IRB‭)‬.‭ ‬It was secret and oath-bound Society.‭ ‬Stephens structured it on military principles with himself as the‭ ‘‬Head Centre‭’‬.‭ 

In‭ ‬1858‭ ‬Stephens went to America to raise funds for the IRB.‭ ‬When he returned to Ireland in‭ ‬1859‭ ‬the British knew well who he was and what he was doing,‭ ‬and so he returned to America.‭ ‬He seized nominal headship of the sister movement in the USA,‭ ‘‬the Fenians‭’ ‬in early‭ ‬1859.‭ ‬From‭ ‬1861‭ ‬to‭ ‬1866‭ ‬Stephens’s influence was at its height.‭ ‬The IRB flourished in Ireland,‭ ‬Britain and the USA.‭ ‬He had returned to Ireland in‭ ‬1861‭ ‬and renewed his activities,‭ ‬building up a numerous but very lightly armed Revolutionary structure.‭ ‬Gaining the support of Irish soldiers in the British army and importing arms shipments were meant to overcome the lack of weaponry.‭ ‬However in‭ ‬1865‭ ‬Stephens suddenly suspended a planned Rising after calling all the leaders together in Dublin and after‭  ‬interviewing them one by one he succeeded in getting them all to agree that the time was not ripe to overthrow British rule.‭ 

But by now the British were alert to what was afoot and the scale of the preparations‭ – ‬they decided to strike and break up the IRB.‭ ‬During the same year they raided IRB headquarters in Dublin,‭ ‬situated at the newspaper office of the‭ ‬Irish People‭ ‬where many of the IRB worked as journalists and used as a base.‭ ‬Most of the leaders were arrested and were convicted of‭ ‘‬treason and felony‭’ ‬and sentenced to penal servitude.‭ ‬Stephens,‭ ‬having avoided immediate arrest,‭ ‬was picked up with Charles J.‭ ‬Kickham for conspiracy and was imprisoned in Richmond Gaol,‭ ‬Dublin.‭ ‬However,‭ ‬in a brilliant but relatively straightforward rescue he was sprung from captivity by Breslin and John Devoy and spirited out of the Country to freedom.‭ 

But his star was waning,‭ ‬more especially so as he attempted once again to convince supporters in the USA‭ (‬where he was in exile‭) ‬that a Rising was out of the question in‭ ‬1866‭ ‬too.‭ ‬Col Kelly replaced him as Head Centre.‭ ‬The American Fenians denounced him as a‭ ‘‬rogue,‭ ‬impostor,‭ ‬and traitor‭’‬.‭ ‬Stephens went to France where he worked as a journalist and an English teacher.‭ ‬He spent the years thereafter in France,‭ ‬Belgium and the USA.‭ ‬In‭ ‬1890‭ ‬Charles Stewart-Parnell worked his influence to allow the British to permit his return home.‭ ‬A public subscription was raised by friends in Ireland to facilitate this.‭ ‬Thus Stephens returned home to Ireland in‭ ‬1891.‭ ‬He spent the remainder of his life in seclusion in Blackrock,‭ ‬Co.‭ ‬Dublin,‭ ‬avoiding anymore political intrigue.


Thursday 28 March 2013




28‭ ‬March‭ ‬1957:‭ ‬The death of the Artist Jack B.‭ ‬Yeats on this day.‭ ‬He was born in London in‭ ‬1871‭ ‬the son of John Butler Yeats.‭ ‬His younger brother was W.‭ ‬B.‭ ‬Yeats.‭ ‬His early years were spent chiefly in County Sligo and later in London where he studied at the Westminster School of Art.‭ ‬He initially settled in Devon with his wife and his first one-man exhibition was at the Clifford Gallery,‭ ‬Haymarket,‭ ‬London in‭ ‬1897,‭ ‬showing chiefly Devon paintings.‭ ‬He moved to the USA in‭ ‬1905‭ ‬and had several one-man shows at the Clausen Gallery,‭ ‬New York in this period.‭

He returned to Ireland in‭ ‬1910,‭ ‬living first at Greystones,‭ ‬then in Dublin.‭ ‬He had earned a living from sketch work for various publications as well as Exhibitions of his paintings.‭ ‬He took up Oils in‭ ‬1913‭ ‬and while schooled in traditionalist painting he was drawn to more abstract and impressionist works that soon became his forte.‭ ‬He applied his love of this kind of work to scenes of life in the West of Ireland,‭ ‬travellers and social events both rural and urban.‭ ‬From early youth he was fascinated by the Circus and worked that into his paintings too.‭ ‬A solitary figure‭ ‬he took no pupils and allowed no one watch him work,‭ ‬so his method remains a mystery.‭ ‬In later life he used colour to the full and cut down on distinctive outlines in his works that gave them a blurred but visually strong impact on the viewer.

While he was a successful artist in his own day,‭ ‬not just with the brush but also as an illustrator,‭ ‬playright and novelist.‭ ‬Prior to his death in‭ ‬1957,‭ ‬he began to be recognized as one of the foremost Irish painters and illustrators in the‭ ‬20th century.‭ ‬But‭ ‬ it is only in the last‭ ‬25‭ ‬years that his genius has been accorded the status of a Great Artist and he is now acknowledged as a figure of the considerable importance on the International stage in‭ ‬20th Century Modern Art.

Amongst his most well known works are:‭ ‬Bachelor’s Walk‭; ‬In Memory‭; ‬The Funeral of Harry Boland‭ ‬; Communicating with Prisoners‭;‬ The Singing Clown‭ ‬and the Face in the Shadow.

Towards the end he described his Life as follows:

I have traveled all my life without a ticket,‭ ‬and therefore I was never to be seen when Inspectors came round because then I was under the seats.‭ ‬It was rather dusty but I used to get the Sun on the floor sometimes.

He was‭ ‬85‭ ‬years old when he died and still active until a few days beforehand.‭ ‬His funeral was held at St stephens Church,‭ ‬Upper Mount Street and afterwards to the burial plot at Mount Jerome Cemetery.‭ ‬There were no‭  ‬flowers,‭ ‬only a single one one the coffin.





Wednesday 27 March 2013



27‭ ‬March‭ ‬1174:‭ ‬Gilla Mae Liac,‭ ‬the Archbishop of Armagh,‭ ‬died on this day.

Gilla Mae Liac‭ ‬[Gelasius‭]‬,‭ ‬son of Ruaidhri,‭ ‬successor of Patrick,‭ ‬archbishop and primate of Ard-Macha and of all Ireland,‭ ‬son of chastity,‭ ‬full of purity of heart and of peace,‭ ‬died piously after choice old age,‭ ‬on the‭ ‬6th of the Kalends of April‭ ‬[March‭ ‬27‭]‬,‭ ‬the Wednesday after Easter,‭ ‬in the‭ ‬87th year of his age,‭ ‬the‭ ‬37th of his episcopacy.‭ ‬That noble man was sixteen years full honourably in the abbacy of Columcille in Daire before‭ ‬[receiving‭]‬ the succession of Patrick.

Annals of Ulster

Gelasius [Gilla Meic Liac mac Diarmata] was a reforming Archbishop who had been picked for the job by the great Saint Malachy himself to help bring the Church into line with the ecclesiastical Reform movement that was taking hold across the western Europe. Before he gained the highest position in the Gaelic Church he was the Abbot of Derry for sixteen years. In 1158 he organised a Synod at Bri Meic Thaide in Mide (County Meath) that was attended by the Papal Legate Christianus and twenty five Bishops. They instituted ‘good rules and conduct’ for the further Reform of the Church but the details are now alas lost to us.

Tuesday 26 March 2013



26‭ ‬March‭ ‬1931:‭ ‬The death occurred of Timothy Healy [above],‭ ‬ex Governor General of the Irish Free State on this day.‭

Healy had been active in Irish politics for over‭ ‬40‭ ‬years when he was appointed to this controversial position.‭ ‬Born in Bantry,‭ ‬Co Cork he moved at an early age to Waterford and was a Nationalist MP for various constituencies from‭ ‬1880‭ ‬until‭ ‬1918.‭ ‬He started his political career in England,‭ ‬pressing for Irish Home Rule.‭ ‬Parnell admired Healy's intelligence and energy after Healy had established himself as part of Parnell's broader political circle.‭ ‬He became Parnell's secretary,‭ ‬but was denied contact to Parnell's small inner circle of political colleagues.‭ ‬He famously fell out with Parnell following the exposure of his affair with Kitty O’Shea.‭ ‬Parnell felt that Healy had politically stabbed him in the back and indeed there were many who thought the same.‭

In the years following the Split he drifted in and out of Irish Politics but was considered something of a loose cannon and never really regained his place at the centre of Irish political life and remained on the fringes.‭ ‬He spent many years building up his legal practise to compensate for this.‭ ‬When the Great War broke out he supported the Allied War aims and had a son at Gallipoli.‭ ‬But the events of Easter‭ ‬1916‭ ‬shook him and he slowly drifted towards supporting the idea of full Independence if it could be achieved without bloodshed.‭ ‬He acted for Thomas Ashe at his trail and represented Republican prisoners held by the British but confined his activities within the legal sphere.‭ ‬He resigned his seat in Cork North east in advance of the‭ ‬1918‭ ‬General Election to allow SF a clear run and did not seek re election elsewhere.

However he came to prominence once again when in October‭ ‬1922‭ ‬when he was proposed as the Governor General of the Irish Free State.‭ ‬Healy accepted the post after some consideration.‭ ‬His name was suggested to the British by the head of the newly emerging State W.T.‭ ‬Cosgrave.‭ ‬Healy thus took up occupancy of the old Viceregal Lodge as the official representative of King George V and his Government to the Irish Free State.‭ ‬There is no doubt that he enjoyed the role tremendously and did his best to make the role a viable part of public life in the State.‭ ‬Technically he had the power to dissolve the Free State Parliament and call elections but this scenario never arose during his tenure.‭ ‬He acted as a liaison between the British Government and the Free State and gave advice whether wanted or not as to how matters should proceed between the two.‭ ‬Cosgrave had a difficult time with him and had to remind the Governor of the limits of his powers until Healy got the message.‭ ‬Though to be fair his notions as to what exactly his role should be was an open question.‭ ‬Basically his misconceptions were due more to feeling his way than to any deliberate intent to supersede his authority.‭ ‬Overall he was adept enough to steer his way through any difficulties that arose and avoided outright political controversy – ‬an unusual state of affairs for him‭!


However in the latter part of his time in Office his influence was diminished as his role was redefined to one of the King’s Representative only and not that of the British Government per se.‭ ‬Though he appeared to think that being Governor General was his for life this was not the view of the Free State Executive and James McNeill took up this role on his retirement in January‭ ‬1928.‭ ‬His wife had died the the year before and he retired to the family home at Chapelizod,‭ ‬Co.‭ ‬Dublin.‭ ‬He the published his extensive two volume memoirs called‭ ‬Letters and Leaders of my Day.

He is buried in Glasnevin Cemetery, Dublin.




Monday 25 March 2013




25‭ ‬March‭ ‬1738:‭ ‬The death of the Harpist Turlough O'Carolan/‭ ‬Toirdhealbhach Ó Cearbhalláin‭ ‬on this day.‭ ‬He was the most famous Irish musician and player of his day who plied his trade throughout Ireland.‭ ‬He was born in‭ ‬1670‭ ‬at Nobber,‭ ‬Co Meath and from an early age trained to become a player of the harp.‭ ‬However at the age of‭ ‬18‭ ‬he caught the smallpox and was left Blind.‭ ‬Nevertheless he continued his love of the instrument and mastered his disability.‭ ‬Due to the generosity of a patron,‭ ‬Mrs.‭ ‬MacDermott,‭ ‬he was able to equip himself for the road with a harp,‭ ‬a horse,‭ ‬a guide,‭ ‬and the money to launch a career as an itinerant harper,‭ ‬playing for patrons throughout the Irish countryside.

Various sources say that he was cheerful and gregarious,‭ ‬enjoyed ludicrous stories,‭ ‬practical jokes and he was an excellent backgammon player.‭ ‬As with many harpers of the time,‭ ‬he also drank a great deal,‭ ‬and he had a temper to be avoided.‭ ‬He developed his natural musical talent and talent and turned his hand to composition,‭ ‬penning over‭ ‬220‭ ‬works of Irish music many of which are still recorded and played today.‭ ‬In his travels around the Country he stayed at the Houses of various Patrons,‭ ‬both native and planter and his influences were drawn not just from Ireland but also further afield.

He eventually married a woman called Mary Maguire,‭ ‬they lived on a farm near Mohill,‭ ‬Co.‭ ‬Leitrim and had seven children.‭ ‬Mary died in‭ ‬1733‭ ‬and just five years later,‭ ‬feeling ill,‭ ‬Carolan returned to the home of his original Patron Mrs.‭ ‬MacDermott Roe.‭ ‬After several days,‭ ‬he called for a drink and repeated these lines to his first patron:‭

Mary Fitzgerald,‭ ‬dear heart,‭
‬Love of my breast and my friend,‭
‬Alas that I am parting from you,‭
‬O lady who succoured me at every stage.‭

‬His final composition was to the butler,‭ ‬Flinn,‭ ‬who brought him his last drink.‭ ‬And,‭ ‬in a final fitting salute,‭ ‬his wake lasted four days.

When he died his passing was recalled a famous man of letters of the time:

Saturday,‭ ‬the‭ ‬25th day of March‭ ‬1738.‭ ‬Turlough O'Carolan,‭ ‬the wise master and chief musician of the whole of Ireland,‭ ‬died today and was buried in the O'Duignan's church of Kilronan,‭ ‬in the sixty-eighth year of his age.‭ ‬May his soul find mercy,‭ ‬for he was a moral and religious man.
Charles O'Conor



Sunday 24 March 2013



24‭ ‬March‭ ‬1968:‭ ‬The Aer Lingus plane,‭ ‬St Phelim,‭ ‬plunged into the Irish Sea off the Tuskar Rock on this day.‭ ‬Just after noon on a fine spring day‭ ‬the aircraft‭ ‬inexplicably plunged into the Irish Sea off the County Wexford coast from a height of‭ ‬17,000‭ ‬ft,‭ ‬killing all‭ ‬61‭ ‬passengers and crew on board.‭ ‬Flight‭ ‬712‭ ‬had taken off from Cork airport about‭ ‬30‭ ‬minutes beforehand and was due to land at Heathrow,‭ ‬London.‭

The plane was a‭ ‬propeller driven‭ ‬Vickers Viscount‭ ‬803‭ [like above] ‬with no known structural defects that could explain the sudden loss of this aircraft.‭ ‬Of the‭ ‬61‭ ‬people on board only‭ ‬14‭ ‬bodies were ever recovered.

Its penultimate,‭ ‬garbled message indicated another aircraft was in the area.‭ ‬In its last message,‭ ‬eight seconds later,‭ ‬co-pilot Paul Heffernan,‭ ‬aged‭ ‬22,‭ ‬said:‭ "‬12,000‭ ‬ft descending,‭ ‬spinning rapidly.‭"

Witnesses say Captain Barney O'Beirne,‭ ‬aged‭ ‬35,‭ ‬managed to level the four-engine plane about‭ ‬1,000‭ ‬ft above the water,‭ ‬and flew on for about‭ ‬15‭ ‬minutes before it crashed close to Tuskar Rock.‭ ‬There was no black box recorder on the aircraft,‭ ‬which had undergone a major inspection three weeks earlier.

The Guardian‭ ‬11‭ ‬January‭ ‬1999

Speculation over the years has centered around the possibility that the plane was shot down by a rogue British test missile fired from an RAF base in Wales.‭ ‬However no set of established facts has ever been able to show what actually caused the plane to crash with such a devastating loss of life.‭ ‬The‭ ‬St Phelim Disaster is the worst ever recorded in the history of Irish Aviation.

Saturday 23 March 2013




23‭ ‬March‭ ‬1535:‭ ‬Sir William Skeffington captured Maynooth Castle, Co Kildare on this day.‭ ‬Skeffington had been sent over from England by Henry VIII to impose Royal rule upon the Irish and Anglo-Irish Lords.‭ ‬He was faced with a military revolt by‭ ‬Lord Thomas Fitzgerald.‭ ‬This young man feared for his father,‭ ‬the great Garrett Oge Fitzgerald,‭ ‬who was held captive in the Tower of London.‭ ‬Lord Thomas or‭ ‘‬Silken Thomas‭’ ‬was a rash and impetuous youth who badly misjudged his own power and abilities.‭ ‬But the power of his family’s name and the desire of the Catholics of Ireland to pre-empt the imposition of the English Reformation upon Ireland led to a flush of initial success that rapidly petered out at the end of‭ ‬1534.

‬Sir William Skeffington remained inactive during the whole winter.‭ ‬But in March‭ ‬1535‭ ‬he laid siege to the castle of Maynooth,‭ ‬the strongest of Fitzgerald's fortresses,‭ ‬which was defended by‭ ‬100‭ ‬men.‭ ‬After a siege of nine days,‭ ‬during which the castle was battered by artillery,‭ ‬then for the first time used in Ireland,‭ ‬he took it by storm,‭ ‬except the great keep‭; ‬and the garrison who defended this,‭ ‬now reduced to thirty-seven men,‭ ‬seeing the case hopeless,‭ ‬surrendered,‭ ‬doubtless expecting mercy.

From‭ ‬A Concise History of Ireland by P.‭ ‬W.‭ ‬Joyce

The siege began on the‭ ‬14‭ ‬March and lasted nine days.‭ ‬Eventually the outer defenses were stormed under a hail of artillery,‭ ‬marking the first time a castle in Ireland was taken through the use of such a weapon.‭ ‬Only the great keep remained untaken and the survivors struck terms that their lives would be spared if they would but come out and lay down their weapons.

Skeffington wrote to King Henry:

Their lives were preserved by appointment,‭ ‬until they should be presented to me,‭ ‬your deputy,‭ ‬and then to be ordered,‭ ‬as I and your council thought good.‭ ‬We thought it expedient to put them to execution as an example to others‭ (‬Carew Papers‭)‬.‭ ‬Local tradition holds that they were hanged from the central arch of the castle.

The Neighbourhood of Dublin
By Weston St.‭ ‬John Joyce

However the Lord Deputy’s ruthlessness backfired on his successors,‭ ‬as his actions only made future defenders more wary of such capitulations and‭ ‘‬the Pardon of Maynooth‭’ ‬became a byword for treachery amongst the Irish.‭

Friday 22 March 2013



March 22 1931: The death of the 1st Baron Glenavy on this day. James Henry Mussen Campbell was born into a solidly Unionist family in Dublin in 1851. He attended Trinity College, graduating with a B.A. in 1874. After being called to the Irish bar in 1878, Campbell was made an Irish Queen’s Counsel in 1892 and six years later was elected Unionist M.P. for the Dublin seat of St. Stephen’s Green. The following year he called to the English bar, and in 1903 was elected to the House of Commons as representative for Dublin University, also becoming Solicitor General that same year. He was made the country's Attorney General in 1905, and in 1916 became Lord Chief Justice of Ireland. He was created a Baronet in 1917, and the following year was appointed Lord Chancellor of Ireland. On relinquishing office in 1921 he was ennobled as Baron Glenavy, of Milltown.

In January 1923 Lord Glenavy chaired a Judicial Committee to advise the Irish Free State on the creation of a new courts system. His recommendations were implemented in the Courts of Justice Act 1924 which largely created the Irish courts as they currently exist. He was appointed to the Irish Free State Senate in 1922 and held the position of Chairman/Caothairleach Seanaid Éireann of that body until 1928 when he did not seek reappointment. He died in 1931 and is buried in Mount St Jerome Cemetery

Thursday 21 March 2013



21‭ ‬March‭ ‬1918:‭ ‬The‭ ‬16th‭ ‘‬Irish‭’ & ‬36th‭ ‘‬Ulster‭’ ‬Divisions were attacked in the‭ ‘‬Kaisers Battle‭’‬/Kaiserschlacht that began on this day.‭ ‬The German Spring offensive,‭ ‬known as‭ '‬Operation Michael‭’‬,‭ ‬was launched along a‭ ‬50-mile front at dawn.‭ ‬A massive preliminary bombardment preceded the onslaught of groups of infantry led by specially trained‭ ‘‬Storm Troops‭’‬.‭ ‬The Germans had gathered together‭ ‬6,473‭ ‬artillery guns and‭ ‬3,532‭ ‬mortars.‭ ‬During the bombardment they fired over one million shells,‭ ‬filled with a mix of munitions that included a variety of different types of poisoned gas.‭ ‬Holding part of the Front Line day were men of the‭ ‬16th Irish Division who were part of the Anglo-Irish General‭ ‬Sir Hubert Gough’s Fifth Army.

The‭ ‬16th Division was still designated Irish but the proportion of troops from Ireland had been greatly reduced owing to casualties and fresh volunteers being assigned on a less stringent national basis than heretofore.‭ ‬At the time of the Offensive there were nine battalions distributed amongst three Brigades.‭ ‬The Ulster Division,‭ ‬despite all else,‭ ‬had managed to retain a strong regional identity but this battle was to test it to the limits.‭ ‬It too had nine battalions distributed amongst three Brigades.

At‭ ‬4.30‭ ‬am that morning the‭ ‬49th Inf.‭ ‬Brigade of the‭ ‬16th Division reported that‭ ‬intense hostile bombardment had been opened on the main battle positions‭ & ‬support lines,‭ ‬Mainly gas shell on forward lines and Brig.‭ ‬H.Q.‭ ‬All wires were cut and communications by visual‭ & ‬pigeon impossible owing to the dense mist.‭ ‬No S.O.S.‭ ‬signals were given.‭ ‬The German attacks were sustained throughout the day and into the night as fortified outposts were cut off and forced to surrender.‭ ‬The German Storm troops were able to infiltrate through the Irish lines and advance deep into the rear as the remnants of the Division were forced back.‭ ‬Within days the cohesion of the‭ ‬16th Irish had been shattered and it never saw action again as a unit.‭ ‬Its constituent battalions were either broken up or assigned to other Divisions for the duration of the War.‭ 

The Ulster Division was not quite so overwhelmed but its relatively cohesive state meant it was used to conduct a fighting retreat that left it‭ ‬5,000‭ ‬men short by the end of the month.‭ ‬It was only put back in the line near end of the War to support the final advance of the Allies.

At first the Hun had all in his favour,‭ ‬as for the first five days you could not see‭ ‬50‭ ‬yards ahead owing to the mist,‭ ‬and we always found on retiring that the enemy had gone four or five miles past us…on the second day of the offensive we held the Haig Line,‭ ‬although the Germans were five miles past us.‭ ‬We stopped one night in a village but next morning the Hun was on top of us,‭ ‬so it was a case of fighting again.‭ ‬It was very sad to see the women and children flying for their lives and leaving everything behind.
The Irish on the Somme
By Steven Moore

However the‭ ‬German assault was finally halted at Villers-Bretonneux,‭ ‬near Amiens,‭ ‬on April‭ ‬4/5.‭ ‬Though a‭ ‬40-mile salient had been created in the British lines,‭ ‬Ludendorff's armies failed to achieve a decisive breakthrough.

But this did not save the Wexford born General Gough,‭ ‬whose military reputation was ruined by his inability to hold the line and then being forced into Retreat.‭ ‬He was dismissed and his Army never saw action again and was broken up.

For the soldiers from Ireland‭ ‬21‭ ‬March‭ ‬1918‭ ‬and the days following were some of the bloodiest battles of the War and indeed in Irish History as they attempted to hold the line‭ ‬against the most intense attacks ever witnessed in modern warfare up to that point.





Tuesday 19 March 2013



19‭ ‬March‭ ‬1921:‭ ‬Battle at Crossbarry,‭ ‬Co Cork on this day.‭ ‬The Flying Column of the West Cork Brigade under Commandant Tom Barry successfully engaged and defeated a number of different British units that were advancing on his position at the crossroads near Crossbarry,‭ ‬12‭ ‬miles south west of Cork City.‭ ‬During the days preceding the encounter both sides had engaged in a deadly game of intelligence and counter intelligence gathering information as they desperately tried to outwit each other.‭ ‬The IRA were keen to ambush a British column but their intention‭ & ‬general location had been given away.‭ ‬General Strickland,‭ ‬head of the British forces in Cork,‭ ‬decided to organize a‭ ‘‬sweep‭’ ‬that would flush out Barry’s men and kill or capture them.‭ ‬In return Irish scouts and agents brought news to Barry as to what was afoot.‭

With just‭ ‬104‭ ‬Officers and men,‭ ‬armed with only rifles and‭ ‬40‭ ‬rounds per man he knew that to retreat would mean his column would be cut to pieces in a running battle.‭ ‬He decided to hold his ground and fight it out‭ – ‬he calculated that when the enemy was broken and no longer in a position to pursue would be the moment to withdraw on his own terms.

In the very early hours of the day Barry’s scouts reported considerable enemy activity from a number of different points of the compass as they converged on his position.‭ ‬His plan was that all the men were to stay under cover until the British were amongst them and could be surprised at close quarters.‭ ‬All sections were to stay put even if under pressure and only to move from their positions under express orders.‭ ‬To encourage his men in battle he had made arrangements that on the commencement of firing the Column’s Piper would strike up martial airs on his bagpipes to quicken their spirit.‭ ‬As luck would have it the British advance was not well co coordinated and this gave Barry the chance to defeat them in sequence of arrival.‭ ‬All went well until the first convoy of lorries weaved its way along the road and was almost ready to be attacked when‭ (‬despite strict orders‭) ‬a Volunteer inadvertently revealed himself to the enemy who immediately started to deploy for action.‭ ‬The order was then given to open up and the British soldiers were either cut down or fled the scene.‭ ‬But there was no time to savour the moment as another three columns came upon them from different directions and were also shot down or bolted.‭ ‬Eventually all the converging forces were engaged and defeated in detail until not one organised enemy unit remained in the field.


About two hours had elapsed since the opening of the fight‭; ‬we were in possession of the countryside‭; ‬no British were visible and our task was completed.‭ ‬The whole Column was drawn up in line of sections and told they had done well.
Guerrilla Days in Ireland
By Tom Barry‭

Barry then gave the order to move out leaving behind a scene of dead and wounded British soldiers strewn about the ambush site as their lorries blazed away in the background.‭ ‬His men carried away much military booty‭ – ‬plenty of bandoliers of ammunition,‭ ‬rifles and a much prized Lewis machine gun.

While the enemy had lost numerous casualties the Flying Column had not escaped without loss either.‭ ‬Three Volunteers were killed in action and another three were seriously wounded.‭ ‬Those who died for Ireland that day were Peter Monahan,‭ ‬Jeremiah O’Leary and Con Daly.‭ ‬Earlier the British had shot dead a wounded volunteer,‭ ‬Charlie Hurley,‭ ‬when they discovered him in a nearby farmhouse.‭ ‬But he did not die in vain for the shots that killed him helped alert his comrades to the close presence of the enemy.

Crossbarry was a great morale booster for the IRA and helped to further weaken the grip of British rule not just in Cork but also further afield.‭ ‬For it showed that even in an open fight and against overwhelming odds that the British could be defeated when brave and well-led Volunteers with excellent Leadership were given the chance.






Sunday 17 March 2013




17 March 493 AD Saint Patrick/Naomh Pádraig died on this day. Or as the Annals might say ‘according to some.’ For while Patrick is certainly the most famous saint associated with Ireland he remains something of a man of mystery to us – his persona and character definitive in some respects while his origins and obit remain a matter of some speculation to those who have written on him.

Patrick (Patricius) was born in Britain, as the collapse of Roman rule on that island began. He was from a settlement called Bannaventa, probably a locale near or beside the sea along the western coast. His father Calpurnius was a well to do landowner and a minor figure in the local administration called a ‘Decurion’. The father of Calpurnius was called Potitus, who had held the same administrative position in his own day. Calpurnius and Potitus were also Deacons of the Church. Thus Patrick would have been brought up in a household where Christianity was part and parcel of his life, however he was not very religious himself. When he was about sixteen Patrick was captured by Irish raiders and brought to Ireland as a Slave. Where exactly he spent his captivity is not known but the hills of Antrim and the coast of Mayo are the most probable locations. He worked as a Shepard while in captivity. In despair he turned to Jesus Christ to sustain him and heard his Voice speak to him. Eventually after about seven years he escaped and returned home. Patrick also followed his father and grandfather into the Church and became an administrator of ecclesiastical affairs. He may have spent time in France or indeed in Rome as he worked his way up the clerical ladder. He seems to have done well. The years drifted by but Patrick never forgot his time here and longed to return to preach the Word. In a dream he heard the Irish call to him and determined to go back.


By then the Papacy had taken an interest in the full conversion of the Gaels of Hibernia. Following the demise of Palladius, the first Bishop to the Irish, it was decided to send Patrick (presumably after some gentle lobbying on his part) to Ireland to continue the Mission. Later writers attribute his selection to the influence St Germain of Auxerre under whose patronage he studied for many years. He may indeed have already gained some missionary experience amongst the Morini of Gaul.

Though the evidence is loose it would seem that Patrick’s arrival ‘shook up’ a rather low-key effort to convert the Irish. While Palladius was dead by then or had perhaps fled there were more than likely a few centres of Christianity along the east coast. The names of such early missionaries as Auxilius, Secundinus and Iserninus are associated with sites that perhaps predate the Patrician Mission.

So when Patrick arrived a small Christian presence was already established here. He seems to have made a point of trying to win over the powerful kings and chieftains of Ireland to at least tolerate his proselytising. He had quite a success in getting many of the younger sons and daughters of these men to follow him. Legend has it that he lit the Paschal Fire at Easter on the Hill of Slane in defiance of the King Laoghaire of Tara – the most sacred site in Ireland. The King and his Druids were astounded by his temerity. St Patrick then proceeded to Tara where he challenged the Druids in magical displays and overthrew them. Now whatever the veracity or otherwise of these stories it would seem probable that Patrick did indeed follow a traditional Christian approach to missionary work in trying to win over or at least neutralise the Royal families of any area they entered. This was to allow a Mission to proceed without hindrance and such an approach served the Church well over many centuries. Nevertheless Patrick did face many trails and tribulations in his years on the roads of Ireland. Twelve times he tells us that he was held in captivity and once in actual chains. He seems to have made a point of moving from place to place, baptising as many converts as he could and founding churches. He was greatly in favour of monasticism and a believer in celibacy. 

He did three great things in his Mission: he ensured that Christianity went from a minor to the major religion of the Irish; he converted and ordained thousands of people and priests and spread the Word across the island to the furthers kingdoms of the western seaboard; and he ensured that Ireland, in its own particular way, through the medium of the Latin language, came within the fold of the wider Christian World.

Many places around Ireland are associated with his name incl St Patrick’s (Cathedral) in Dublin, Croagh Patrick in Mayo (on which he fasted for 40 days and 40 nights) and Saul and Downpatrick in Co Down. He never seemed to have founded a great monastery but in later centuries Armagh became closely associated with his name and its claim to fame is probably though by no means definitely based on good grounds. In recognition of its claim it is still holds the Primacy of the Irish Church.

Yet for all his great work the written contemporary record is meagre and all in his own hand. His 'Confessio' and the 'Epistola ad Coroticum' are the only extant documents we have by him. The first is a detailed confession and denial of unspecific charges against Patrick that he felt compelled to refute. It is written in plain but unsophisticated Latin and throws some light on how Patrick viewed himself spiritually and psychologically. The ‘Letter to Coroticus’ is a condemnation addressed to a British king excommunicating a group of his armed retainers for killing and kidnapping recently converted Christians. All else we have was written after the Saint passed from this World and while much of it is probably well founded there is no way to confirm or cross check the veracity of the material. Scholars are cautious to attribute ‘facts’ to Patrick’s Life that cannot be verified and with good reason – but while a critical approach is wise there is a line between Criticism and Cynicism that it can be useful to avoid as well. 

Traditionally the Saint ended his days at Saul (Sabhall), Co Down. St. Tassach is said to have administered the last sacraments to him. His remains were then wrapped in a shroud woven by St. Brigid's own hands. The bishops and clergy and faithful people from all parts crowded around his remains to pay due honour to the Father of their Faith. Some of the ancient Lives record that for several days the light of heaven shone around his bier. His remains were interred at the chieftain’s Dun or Fort two miles from Saul, where in after times arose the Cathedral of Down where his reputed burial site can still be seen. But of Patrick nothing remains for his bones are long since gone from where he was laid to rest.


Saturday 16 March 2013



16 March 1988:

The Milltown Cemetary Attack in Belfast on this day. Mourners at the funeral of the three IRA Volunteers shot dead by the SAS in Gibraltar came under gun and grenade attack by a Loyalist assassin called Michael Stone. There were many thousands of people in attendance at what was the biggest cortege seen in the City since the burials of the H Block Hunger Strikers in 1981.

Stone clearly has advanced knowledge that for the first time in many years there would not be a strong presence of the Crown Forces at a Republican Funeral. He was able to enter the grounds of the cemetery unchallenged and mingle with the crowd. As the last of the coffins was being lowered into the ground he struck, throwing a number of light grenades into the mourners. He then opened fire with a semi automatic pistol that hit more people. Shock and panic ensued as people dived for cover.

Very soon though it became apparent from which direction the deadly hail of bombs and bullets was coming from and that only one man was involved. Chase was soon given as Stone bolted from the scene pursued by scores of men and youths. As he ran he turned quite a few times to open fire on his pursuers. A number of men fell, two of whom were mortally wounded. 

Stone just made it to the motorway at the bottom of Milltown Cemetery were he evidently expected to be picked up by an accomplice. By this stage he was out of ammunition and at the mercy of the crowd. He frantically tried to stop passing vehicles in order to escape  but to no avail. He was then caught and badly beaten and facing certain death when he was rescued by the RUC who by now had been alerted to what was happening.

Thomas McErlean, John Murray and IRA Volunteer Caoimhín Mac Brádaigh died in Stone’s murderous attack and another 60 people were wounded and injured. 

In the 19 March issue of the Irish Times, columnist Kevin Myers, a steadfast critic of republicanism, wrote:

"Unarmed young men charged against the man hurling grenades and firing an automatic pistol ...The young men stalking their quarry repeatedly came under fire; they were repeatedly bombed; they repeatedly advanced. Indeed this was not simply bravery; this was a heroism which in other circumstances, I have no doubt, would have won the highest military decorations".

For his actions that day Stone was handed down a sentence of over 600 years in March 1989, but under the terms of the Good Friday Agreement 1998 he was set free after serving just 12 years for his crimes that day. He is currently back in prison after a botched attack on Gerry Adams and Martin McGuinness at Stormont in 2006.


Thursday 14 March 2013



14‭ ‬March‭ ‬1921:‭ ‬Six members of the IRA were executed in Dublin on this day.‭ ‬The men were hanged in Mountjoy Jail.‭ They were ‬Paddy Moran;  Thomas Whelan; Patrick Doyle,‭ ‬Bernard Ryan,‭ ‬Frank Flood and Thomas Bryan.

They were numbered amongst the ‘Forgotten Ten/An Deichniúr Dearmadta’ whose remains were left in unmarked graves in Mountjoy Jail after the British left Dublin.

Paddy Moran and Thomas Whelan were hanged for actions they were said to have been involved in on Bloody Sunday in November‭ ‬1920.

Paddy Moran‭ ‬had previously fought in Jacobs Garrison in Easter Week‭ ‬1916,‭ ‬under Thomas Mac Donagh.‭ ‬He had also been imprisoned in England.‭ ‬He was rounded up after Bloody Sunday in November‭ ‬1920‭ ‬and charged with involvement in shooting a British Officer dead.‭ ‬He strongly denied this but was sentenced to death by a British Court Martial.

Thomas Whelan was arrested in November‭ ‬1920‭ ‬and brought to Kilmainham Jail.‭ ‬He was then
transferred to Mountjoy to await sentence.‭ ‬He was charged with the shooting of another British Officer‭
on Bloody Sunday.‭ ‬He too strongly denied the charge.‭ ‬His mother went to Dublin during the trial which lasted several days,‭ ‬and was present outside Mountjoy on the morning of the execution.‭ ‬He sang‭ ‘‬The Shawl of Galway Grey‭’ ‬for her the night before he went to the gallows.

The four other men were hung for taking part in an ambush in the Dublin suburb of Drumcondra. Their names were Patrick Doyle,‭ ‬Bernard Ryan,‭ ‬Frank Flood and Thomas Bryan.‭ ‬As no British soldiers were killed in the ambush it was decided to charge the men with‭ ‘‬with high treason and levying war against the King‭’‬ which obviously was no act of treason in their eyes.

Patrick Doyle‭ ‬was a carpenter,‭ ‬married with four children and an active member of the Dublin Brigade.‭ ‬His brother Seán was fatally wounded at the Custom House‭ ‬6‭ ‬weeks later.‭ ‬One of Doyle’s infant twins died‭ ‬2‭ ‬days before his own execution.

Bernard Ryan was an apprentice tailor,‭ ‬and the only son of an elderly widow,‭ ‬with whom he lived with in Phibsborough.‭ ‬He was born and bred in Dublin,‭ ‬went to St.‭ ‬Gabriel’s N.S.‭ ‬in Cowper Street.‭ ‬He became a clerk in a city firm,‭ ‬and was the breadwinner for his family.‭ ‬Described as quiet and practical,‭ ‬he was renowned for his love of the Irish language.

Frank Flood was a very close friend of Kevin Barry’s,‭ ‬and was a student in UCD,‭ ‬which he attended under a scholarship.‭ ‬Prior to that he had been a student in O’Connell’s School,‭ ‬Dublin.‭ ‬He asked to be buried as close as possible to Kevin.‭ ‬He was a lieutenant in H Coy,‭ ‬First Battalion.‭ ‬He was the leader of the ambush.‭ ‬His brother Alfred J.‭ ‬Flood became a Deputy Commissioner in the Garda Síochána.

Thomas Bryan was an electrician and married just four months before his arrest.‭ ‬In‭ ‬1917,‭ ‬he took part in the hunger strike in Mountjoy in which Thomas Ashe died.‭ ‬After that he spent time in Dundalk Prison.‭ ‬He was active in the War for Independence before he was captured.

A fifth prisoner charged,‭ ‬Dermot O’Sullivan,‭ ‬had his sentence commuted to Life Imprisonment,‭ ‬as he was just‭ ‬17‭ ‬years old.

March‭ ‬14‭ ‬was a day of public mourning in Dublin‭; ‬all business was suspended until‭ ‬11‭ ‬am.‭ ‬Before dawn crowds began to assemble outside Mountjoy Jail‭; ‬sacred pictures and candles were set up in the streets and around these about twenty thousand people stood,‭ ‬praying and singing hymns.‭ ‬When the bells tolled at six o’clock for two executions,‭ ‬again at seven o’clock and again at eight,‭ ‬the people fell on their knees to pray for the dying‭; ‬their emotions of grief and anger were overpowering.‭ ‬An impression remained which nothing could efface.‭  

The Irish Republic
By Dorothy Macardle

In October 2001 they amongst those given a State Funeral and re interred in Glasnevin Cemetery Dublin, with full Military Honours.




Wednesday 13 March 2013



13‭ ‬March‭ ‬1846:‭ ‬The Ballinglass Evictions took place on this day [like above].‭ ‬The local landlords,‭ ‬Mr.‭ ‬and Mrs.‭ ‬Gerrard,‭ ‬had the population of this village in Co Galway evicted in order to turn over the land to grazing.‭ ‬Hundreds of men,‭ ‬many with their rent money still in their hands,‭ ‬along with their women and children were left on the side of the road.‭

‘The village of Ballinglass consisted of‭ ‬61,‭ ‬solidly built and well-kept houses,‭ ‬with thick plastered walls.‭ ‬None of the inhabitants were in arrears with their rent,‭ ‬and had by industry reclaimed about four hundred acres from a neighbouring bog.‭ ‬On the morning of the eviction a large detachment of the‭ ‬49th infantry commanded by Captain Brown and numerous police appeared with the sheriff and his men‭…‬.‭ ‬the people were officially called on to give up possession,‭ ‬and the houses were then demolished‭ ‬-‭ ‬roofs torn off,‭ ‬walls thrown down.‭ ‬The scene was frightful‭; ‬women running,‭ ‬wailing with pieces of their property,‭ ‬clinging to door-posts from which they had been forcibly removed‭; ‬men cursing,‭ ‬children screaming with fright‭… 
That night the people slept in the ruins‭; ‬next day they were driven out,‭ ‬the foundations of the houses were torn up and razed,‭ ‬and no neighbour was allowed to take them in.‭’

The Great Hunger
By Cecil Woodham Smith

This outrageous action was widely reported and condemned.‭ ‬However not all were of the opinion that the landlords had overstepped the mark.‭ ‬Lord Brougham,‭ ‬speaking in the House of Lords on‭ ‬23‭ ‬March was of the opinion that:‭        

The tenants must be taught by the strong arm of the law that they had no power to oppose or resist…it was the landlord’s undoubted,‭ ‬indefeasible and most sacred right to deal with his property as he wished.‭ ‬’

However his fellow Lord,‭ ‬and one of the great landowners of Ireland,‭ ‬The Marquess of Londonderry,‭ ‬speaking in the House of Lords on‭ ‬30‭ ‬March that year stated that:

I am deeply grieved,‭ ‬but there is no doubt concerning the truth of the evictions at Baltinglass.‭ ‬Seventy six families,‭ ‬comprising‭ ‬300‭ ‬individuals had not only been turned out of their houses,‭ ‬but had even‭ – ‬the unfortunate wretches‭ – ‬been mercilessly driven from the ditches to which they had betaken themselves for shelter.‭  

Nevertheless despite widespread condemnation the evictions were never rescinded.


Tuesday 12 March 2013




12‭ ‬March‭ ‬1689:‭ ‬King‭ ‬James II landed at Kinsale,‭ ‬Co Cork on this day [above].‭ ‬He brought with him some‭ ‬6,000‭ ‬French soldiers,‭ ‬attended by a French fleet of over forty warships and transports.‭ ‬On board were‭ ‬13,000‭ ‬seaman manning over‭ ‬2,200‭ ‬naval guns.‭ ‬King Louis XIV provided him with a purse of‭ ‬500,000‭ ‬crowns.

His presence here was somewhat forced upon him as he was reluctant to start a Civil War but he was prevailed upon by his mentor,‭ ‬King Louis,‭ ‬to lead an Expedition to Ireland to attempt to regain the Crowns of England,‭ ‬Ireland and Scotland.

King James was an experienced soldier‭ (‬he had fought with Turenne‭) ‬and an Admiral and his personal valour was not in doubt.‭ ‬But the King had not fought in a land campaign since the Battle of the Dunes in‭ ‬1658‭ – ‬ironically enough against an Anglo-French Army.‭ ‬He had fought with valour against the Dutch at sea but his last taste of battle had been in‭ ‬1672‭ ‬after which King Charles‭ (‬his older brother‭) ‬forbade him to engage in action again.‭

During the years of the Restoration James Duke of York became increasingly drawn to the Catholic Religion and secretly converted.‭ ‬However such a momentous decision could not remain unknown forever and eventually his conversion became known at Court and within Parliament.‭ ‬The Test Act of‭ ‬1673‭ ‬meant he had to relinquish the position of‭ ‬Lord High Admiral and leave England for a while.‭ ‬He bided his time however and when his elder sibling suddenly died in‭ ‬1685‭ ‬he was crowned King James II in his place.‭ ‬The new King was accepted but not loved by the English Protestants.‭ ‬His rigid interception of Royal prerogatives and his promotion of Catholic favourites to positions of power and influence welled up into open discontent within the Protestant Oligarchy.‭

However the tipping point came in the Summer of‭ ‬1688‭ ‬when a male heir‭ (‬the future‭ ‘‬Old Pretender‭’ ‬James III‭) ‬was born.‭ ‬With a Catholic succession now guaranteed the Protestant nobles appealed to William of Orange for help.‭ ‬He landed with a Dutch Army at Torbay in November and some weeks later James was forced to flee to France to seek the protection his most Christian Majesty Louis XIV.‭ ‬Within weeks a force was assembled to be dispatched to Ireland in order to deflect William IIIs attention away from the Low Countries and to give the exiled King James at least a fighting chance of success.‭


And so it happened that the king landed at Kinsale on the twelfth of March,‭ ‬1688,‭ ‬old style,‭ ‬that is‭ ‬1689,‭ ‬new style‭; ‬with whom came count D'Avaux,‭ ‬ambassador from Louis XIV.,‭ ‬the most Christian king,‭ ‬general de Rosen,‭ ‬lieutenant-general Pusignan,‭ ‬lieutenant-general Momont,‭ ‬monsieur Boisselau‭; ‬James Fitzjames,‭ ‬the duke of Berwick‭; ‬William Herbert,‭ ‬the duke of Powis‭; ‬Thomas Cartwright,‭ ‬the Protestant bishop of Chester,‭ ‬in England‭; ‬the earl of Melfort,‭ ‬Henry FitzJames,‭ ‬lord grand prior,‭ ‬and several others,‭ ‬French,‭ ‬English,‭ ‬Irish,‭ ‬and Scots,‭ ‬lords,‭ ‬knights,‭ ‬gentlemen,‭ ‬officers,‭ ‬and chaplains.‭ ‬The king arrived that night at the city of Cork‭; ‬from thence he took his journey straight to Dublin,‭ ‬the capital of the kingdom.

A light to the blind

When he landed at Kinsale that day King James‭’ ‬chances of success looked reasonable.‭ ‬He had a well-trained and well-armed force with him and the promise of substantial aid from the Catholics of Ireland in his endeavour.‭ ‬If he could drive the Protestant armies out of Ireland then he could look forward to at least regaining one of the Kingdoms of his Realm that he considered his own by right of Succession.‭





Monday 11 March 2013



11 March 1597: On a dry and breezy Friday afternoon over 400 years ago the city of Dublin [as above] was rocked by the greatest and most deadly explosion ever recorded in its history. At least 126 people were killed and many hundreds more injured by this devastating eruption on the Quays.

The source of the explosion was the many barrells of gunpowder that had been unloaded at the Wood Quay on the south side of the River Liffey. Stored in the open they were awaiting transportation to Dublin Castle where they were to be distributed to the English Army in Ireland. A dangerous situation had arisen due to a labour dispute with the carters and porters whose job it was to move them off the docks. Basically they instituted as 'go slow' that week and with such an accumulation of barrells of powder the potential for a devastating outcome was greatly increased.

The barrells had to be landed by a lighter making its way up the Liffey as the shallow draught of the river back then made it difficult for merchant ships to sail up it. The lighter moored itself adjacent to the City Crane mounted on the Crane House. This was situated more or less where Winetavern St meets the Liffey Quays at Wood Quay.

The barrells had to be landed by a lighter making its way up the Liffey as the shallow draught of the river back then made it difficult for merchant ships to sail up it. The lighter moored itself adjacent to the City Crane mounted on the Crane House. This was situated more or less where Winetavern St meets the Liffey Quays at Wood Quay.

On that fateful day the craneman was one Stephan Sedgarve. Just as the clock over the Bridge Gate struck the hour of one in the afternoon and as Sedgarve was manouvering the very last four barrells on to the Quay the whole thing went up and blew asunder the hapless craneman, the Crane House and some 20 other dwellings in the vicinity of the eruption. At least 126 people were killed and many hundreds more injured - a casualty list that would have been higher except for the hour of day when many of the Port's officials had departed for lunch and by the fact that most of the carters and porters were some distance off as they were reluctant to move the cargo until their dispute was resolved.

An Official Inquiry under the Lord Mayor Michael Chamberlain was set up to establish what exactly had caused the explosion but no satisfactory explanation was ever reached. There were reports of children rolling a barrell of gunpowder either in play or in theft or that a horse's hoof had let a spark amongst the deadly cargo. But with the immediate area a gaping crater in the ground and all that stood near dead or missing nothing could be said for sure:

Richard Toben, mr porter of Dublin, of the age of 55 yeares or thereabouts likewise sworne and duly examined deposeth, that he this depont being at the Crane, the daie and yeare aforesaid helping to put out the powder, and leaving eche barrell at the Crane dore readie to be carried awaie by suche as the Q. officers had apointed, the children of the streete and other persons there standing idle and not hired, fell a rowling of the powder; but who the children or persons were that so rowld them this depont. did not well note or knowe them.

He further deposeth that Thadie Carroll servant to John Allen, clarke of the Storehouse, was there put taking the note of the barrells, and Patrick Carroll the said Thadies brother was loading the same upon carrs, the owner of one of the carrs his name is Derbie Ferrall, and the owner of the other he knowetil not.

Official Enquiry  

One hundred and forty-four barrels of powder were sent by the Queen to Dublin, to her people, in the month of March. When the powder was landed, it was drawn to Wine-street, and placed on both sides of the street, and a spark of fire got into the powder; but from whence that spark proceeded, whether from the heavens or from the earth beneath, is not known; howbeit, the barrels burst into one blazing flame and rapid conflagration which raised into the air, from their solid foundations and supporting posts, the stone mansions and wooden houses of the street, so that the long beam, the enormous stone, and the man in his corporal shape, were sent whirling into the air over the town by the explosion of this powerful powder; and it is impossible to enumerate, reckon, or describe the number of honourable persons, of tradesmen of every class, of women and maidens, and of the sons of gentlemen, who had come from all parts of Ireland to be educated in the city, that were destroyed. The quantity of gold, silver, or worldly property, that was destroyed, was no cause of lamentation, compared to the number of people who were injured and killed by that explosion. It was not Wine-street alone that was destroyed on this occasion, but the next quarter of the town to it.
Annals of the Four Masters








10‭ ‬March‭ ‬1653:‭ ‬Sir Phelim O'Neill [above] was hanged,‭ ‬drawn and quartered at Dublin on this day.‭ ‬Sir Phelim was a wanted man from the day back in October‭ ‬1641‭ ‬when he led the Irish of Ulster out in revolt against the English Parliament.‭ ‬He was a most unlikely ‘‬Rebel‭’ ‬for his family had sided with the English during the the Nine Years War‭ (‬1594-1603‭) ‬and again during O’Doherty’s Rebellion in‭ ‬1608‭ ‬in which his own father was killed in the service of King James I.‭

O’Neill in turn had openly adapted to the new dispensation,‭ ‬studied Law in London and on return had settled down to the life of a powerful if spendthrift landlord in Tyrone.‭ ‬But by the early‭ ‬1640‭’‬s the situation both in Britain and Ireland was rapidly spinning out of control as King Charles personal rule fell apart and the Puritans rose in power.‭ ‬O’Neill amongst others recognised that these people sought to further colonise Ireland and suppress the Catholic Religion.‭

‬On the night of‭ ‬22‭ ‬October‭ ‬1641‭ ‬he opened the Revolt by seizing Charlemont Fort in Tyrone.‭ ‬Two days later,‭ ‬O'Neill issued a proclamation declaring that he and his associates had taken up arms only for the defence and liberty of themselves and the native Irish‭; ‬the insurgency was not intended to harm either King Charles or any of his subjects in Ireland.‭ ‬In a brilliant move he had forged a commission early in November‭ ‬1641,‭ ‬purporting to bear the King’s Seal and which authorised the Irish to rise in defence of their liberties against the Westminster Parliament.

Sir Phelim had mixed success in the years that followed,‭ ‬never quite getting the better of his enemies,‭ ‬and never quite securing command of the Irish of Ulster.‭ ‬His initial success was marred by an outbreak of vicious massacres and‭ ‘‬ethnic cleansings‭’ ‬of Protestant settlers that was greatly exaggerated but widely believed in Scotland and England.‭ ‬While O’Neill stood aloof he was blamed nonetheless by the Puritans and they were determined to execute him if he was ever taken alive.‭ ‬He commanded a Regiment at the great Irish Victory of Benburb in‭ ‬1646‭ ‬but had to flee the field at‭ ‬Scariffhollis in‭ ‬1650.‭ ‬He tried to defend Charlemont Fort against the English Parliamentary army in August‭ ‬1650‭ ‬but was forced to flee and go into hiding‭ ‬as the Cromwellians tightened their grip on Ireland.‭ ‬They put a price of‭ ‬£300‭ ‬on his head and in February‭ ‬1653‭ ‬his hiding place on an island in Lough‭ ‬Roughan in County Tyrone was betrayed and he was captured.‭ ‬Brought to Dublin he was imprisoned to await Trial but he must have known he was doomed to the gallows.


He was tried by the Cromwellian‭ ‘‬High Court‭’ ‬sitting in Dublin which was specifically charged with executing as many of the ringleaders of the‭ ‬1641‭ ‬Rising as they could.‭ ‬The trial was held at‭ ‬the Court of Chancery in Dublin.‭ ‬Here the Judges sat,‭ ‬and were directed what questions they should allow by a Committee,‭ ‬who placed themselves in an adjoining room,‭ ‬called the Chancery Chamber.‭ ‬A communication was kept up between this Committee and the Judges by means of a messenger,‭ ‬who went constantly between them,‭ ‬relating to the Committee all proceedings that passed in the Court,‭ ‬and bringing their instructions to the Judges on every occasion,‭ ‬speaking to them through a square hole in the wall.‭ ‬His examiners were most anxious to know whether his Great Seal from the King was genuine or a forgery.‭ ‬O’Neill would not pleasure them with an answer even though they insinuated that his life could be spared if he answered in the affirmative.‭ ‬After a trial of just five days Sir Phelim O'Neill was found guilty and sentenced to be hung drawn and quartered.‭

While not a commanding figure,‭ ‬fate had placed Sir Phelim in a pivotal position in the Autumn of‭ ‬1641‭ ‬where his actions triggered a series of events that were to have profound effects across these islands that still resonate down to the present day.





Saturday 9 March 2013



9‭ ‬March‭ ‬1932:‭ ‬Eamon de Valera was elected President of the Executive Council of the Irish Free State in Leinster House on this day.‭ ‬It is believed that that he and his fellow deputies in‭ ‬Fianna Fáil entered the House with revolvers in their pockets,‭ ‬such was their distrust of their ex Civil War opponents in Cosgrave’s defeated Government.‭ ‬They had deep suspicions that a coup d’etat would be attempted by disaffected elements in the Free State Army who would not allow a changeover to take place.‭ ‬But in the event everything went smoothly and parliamentary forms were observed to the letter by all sides.

Of the TDs assembled that day‭ ‬81‭ ‬deputies voted in favour of his election and‭ ‬68‭ ‬against the motion.‭ ‬De Valera was five seats short of an overall majority but William Norton,‭ ‬leader of the Labour Party committed his seven parliamentary colleagues in ensuring that Dev was elected the President.‭ ‬Cumann na nGaedhael under W.T.‭ ‬Cosgrave,‭ ‬the Farmers Party under Michael Heffernan and most of the Independents.

After thanking the House de Valera proposed his Cabinet [above] as follows:‭

The President himself,‭ ‬in charge of the Department of External Affairs‭;
Deputy Seán T.‭ ‬O'Kelly,‭ ‬Vice-President,‭ ‬in charge of the Department of Local Government and Public Health‭;
Deputy Patrick J.‭ ‬Ruttledge,‭ ‬in charge of the Department of Lands and Fisheries‭;
Deputy Seán F.‭ ‬Lemass,‭ ‬in charge of the Department of Industry and Commerce‭;
Deputy Seán MacEntee,‭ ‬in charge of the Department of Finance‭;
Deputy James Ryan,‭ ‬in charge of the Department of Agriculture
Deputy Frank Aiken,‭ ‬in charge of the Department of Defence
Deputy Thomas Derrig,‭ ‬in charge of the Department of Education
Deputy James Geoghegan,‭ ‬in charge of the Department of Justice
Senator Joseph Connolly,‭ ‬in charge of the Department of Posts and Telegraphs

To avoid political embarrassment the Governor General James McNeill came in person to Leinster House to officially announce the result.‭ ‬This was to avoid Dev himself having to make the trip out to the Vice Regal Lodge in the Phoenix Park‭ – ‬which was still seen as a symbol of the old Imperial Regime by his supporters.

Eamon de Valera was to remain in power for the next‭ ‬16‭ ‬years until he was defeated in the‭ ‬1948‭ ‬General Election.

Friday 8 March 2013




8‭ ‬March‭ ‬1966:‭ ‬Dissident Irish Republicans blew up Nelson’s Pillar in Dublin on this day.‭ ‬The‭ ‬121‭ ‬foot high column to England’s greatest Naval Hero,‭ ‬Admiral Lord Nelson,‭ ‬was erected in‭ ‬1808‭ ‬to commemorate his victories at sea and his death at the Battle of Trafalgar in‭ ‬1805.‭ ‬A subscription was raised from amongst the Loyal citizens of Dublin to fund the design and construction of the column and also the‭ ‬13‭ ‬foot high statue of Nelson that was placed on top of this imposing edifice.‭  

A number of attempts over the years,‭ ‬some legal and others not so legal,‭ ‬were initiated to have it removed.‭ ‬Some were based on aesthetic and others on commercial grounds‭ ‬-‭ ‬that it was a block on traffic etc.‭ ‬But after‭ ‬1922‭ ‬a more political angle emerged as it was seen as an embarrassment that such an open symbol of British Imperial history dominated the main thoroughfare of Ireland’s Capital city.‭ ‬Notwithstanding this the open platform perched high above O’Connell Street remained a popular visit for both tourists and natives alike.‭ ‬It was also a well-known meeting place and landmark and the phrase‭ ‘‬I’ll meet you at the Pillar‭’ ‬was one that fell from many a Dubliners lips for generations.‭ ‬Many of the citys‭’ ‬Trams and later the Buses had the simple words‭ ‘‬The Pillar‭’ ‬on their frontage as the name of their destination with no further explanation necessary to the passengers.‭

However with the approach of the Commemoration of the‭ ‬50th anniversary of the Easter Rising in‭ ‬1966‭ ‬a small group of non-aligned republicans decided to remove the object by way of explosion.‭ ‬A plan,‭ ‘‬Operation Humpty Dumpty‭’ ‬was initiated to place within the pillar a device of such force that the structure would collapse.‭ ‬It was decided to plant a timebomb on the stairs set to go off in the early hours of a weekday so as to avoid civilian casualties.‭ ‬No warning was to be issued and the perpetrators took a huge risk in this endeavour but Dublin was a far quiter city back then than it is now and this played in their favour.

At around‭ ‬2‭ ‬AM on the morning of‭ ‬8th March a huge explosion rocked the City and awakened the more alert of the citizens situated near the city centre.‭ ‬The‭ ‬bomb destroyed the upper half of the pillar,‭ ‬throwing the statue of Nelson onto the street and causing large chunks of masonry to litter the surrounding area.‭  ‬By sheer good Fortune no one was killed or injured.‭

So long had the Admiral cast his eye over the City that at first many people did not believe the news on being told.‭ ‬But disbelief soon turned into undisguised amusment that this political eyesore was gone at last and in such bizarre circumstances.‭ ‬More mirth was had some days later when the Irish Army was ordered to remove the remains of the column by detonation.‭ ‬While this was accomplished the resultant official bombing destroyed many of the shop front windows in O’Connell St‭ – ‬none of which were subject to damage in the initial explosion‭!

Within days the event was commemorated in a ballad called‭ ‘‬Up went Nelson in O’Connell Street‭’ ‬by a group from Belfast called‭ ‘‬The Go Lucky Four‭’ ‬that reached Number‭ ‬1‭ ‬in the Irish Charts and stayed there for eight weeks.‭ ‬While Lord Nelson’s head from the statue survived damaged but intact it suffered further indignities as it was stolen from storage in a Student Prank and used to raise funds.‭ ‬It appeared in a TV add and on stage with the Dubliners.‭ ‬After many years on view in the Civic Museum it is now on display in the Dublin City Library‭ (‬Gilbert Library‭) ‬in Pearse Street.

In September‭ ‬2000‭ ‬Liam Sutcliffe,‭ ‬a resident of Dublin,‭ ‬claimed during a radio interview that he was one of the people responsible for the attack on the monument.‭ ‬On being questioned by the Gardai he refused to substantiate his claim and the matter was let drop.‭ ‬No one was ever charged or convicted for this attack in what was probably the most popular bombing ever to occur in Ireland.‭

Thursday 7 March 2013



7‭ ‬March‭ ‬1921:‭ ‬George Clancy‭ ‬the Mayor of‭ ‬Limerick,‭ ‬and‭ ‬his immediate predecessor,‭ ‬Michael O'Callaghan were shot dead in their homes on this day.‭ ‬Known as‭ ‘‬the Curfew Murders‭’‬,‭ ‬as their houses were raided during the hours of curfew,‭ ‬their deaths shocked the whole City and Country and became International News.‭ ‬Mrs Clancy was wounded in a vain attempt to shield her husband from assassination and Mrs O'Callaghan also witnessed the murder of her spouse.‭ ‬Both victims were distinguished members of the Community and had been involved in the struggle for Independence.‭ ‬Clancy was an ex University Professor and a friend of James Joyce.‭ ‬He is believed to have provided the background for a character in Joyce’s Classic‭ ‬‘Portrait of an artist as a young man.‭’‬ O'Callaghan’s grandfather,‭ ‬Eugene O‭' ‬Callaghan,‭ ‬was Mayor of Limerick in‭ ‬1843.‭ ‬A third leading Citizen,‭ ‬Joseph O’Donoghue,‭ ‬was taken from his house that night and found shot dead in a field some hours later.

Their‭ ‬assailants were in Mufti,‭ ‬wore goggles and with their coat collars turned up but it quickly became obvious that the gang in question were serving members of the Crown Forces.‭ ‬Mrs O’Callaghan gathered what evidence she could collect and demanded an Inquest but no inquiry other than a military one was ever carried out.‭ ‬Even the ex British Prime Minister Herbert Asquith stated that members of the RIC‭ (‬Auxiliaries‭) ‬were the culprits.‭ ‬However the particular individuals who carried these attacks were never formally identified with the crimes.‭ ‬Many years later in the‭ ‬1950s a deceased British Officer was named as one of the murderers but no conclusive proof was ever established as to his involvement.‭

Wednesday 6 March 2013




6 March 1923, 5 Free State soldiers, including Captains Michael Dunne and Joseph Stapleton of Dublin Brigade, were killed in Knocknagoshel, Co Kerry, by a booby trap mine. The target of the trap was a particular local fellow by the name of Paddy "Pats" O'Connor who, according to the IRA, was a notorious torturer of prisoners. O'Connor joined the Free State army because of the treatment of his father by the local IRA.

The Dublin Guards, who had been in Kerry since the previous August, were commanded by Paddy O'Daly. He was furious over the booby trap and it subsequently became clear that he was responsible for what took place following the Knocknagoshel incident.

At around 2am on March 7th 9 IRA prisoners, many of whom had been tortured, were brought to Ballyseedy wood where they were told that they were to remove an "irregular road block". However, it was clear to the men what was in store for them when they had been shown 9 coffins in the barracks. Each were offered a cigarette and told it be "the last you'll have". They were then tied together to the mined road block and blown up. Some of the men were still alive and were finished off by grenade and machine gun.

Unbeknownst to the Free State troops one man was blown clear and managed to escape. His name was Stephen Fuller (to become a FF TD in 1937). Because the bodies were so badly mangled all nine coffins were filled with the remains of the 8 who perished. This was to lead to a near riot in Tralee when the coffins were handed over the the families at the gates of Ballymullen barracks. The families broke open the coffins to try and identify the remains.

Later on the same day a very similar incident took place at Countess Bridge in Killarney where 5 IRA prisoners where asked to remove a mined road block which was also blown up. Three of the men who lay wounded were finished off by grenade. Again, amazingly, a fifth man named Tadhg Coffey, survived and escaped.

Tuesday 5 March 2013



5/6‭ ‬March‭ ‬1867:‭ ‬The Fenian Rising happened on this day.‭ ‬Long planned it turned into a complete fiasco.‭ ‬Thousands of volunteers turned up at various locations in Dublin,‭ ‬Cork,‭ ‬Tipperary,‭ ‬Limerick,‭ ‬and to a lesser extent in Clare,‭ ‬Waterford and Louth.‭ ‬However most were armed with pikes if at all.‭ ‬Very few firearms were available.‭ ‬There was no coherent plan of operations.‭ ‬Attempts were made to take a number of police barracks and engage the Constabulary in action but all ended in failure.

‭ ‬An‭ ‬informer,‭ ‬Corydon,‭ ‬betrayed the plans and to add to the woes of the insurgents a great snow storm made absolutely impossible not only all communications but all organised movements of men.‭ ‬The Constabulary knew something was afoot but decided to allow events to take their course and then take action.‭ ‬In the Dublin area it is possible that as many as two thousand men assembled with perhaps twice that number in county Cork and a few hundred elsewhere.‭ ‬One of the greatest Irish movements of the century had - ended apparently in complete failure.

While the British Government was caught off guard the Rising was over before they could react.‭ ‬Hundreds of men were rounded up and imprisoned.‭ (The Fenian flag shown above was taken in the skirmish at Tallaght, then a little village outside Dublin.) ‬Some were sentenced to Death but all these were commuted and no one was actually executed for their part in this affair.‭ ‬However long terms of imprisonment were handed down and many of the prisoners were subjected to very harsh conditions while in captivity.‭ ‬On top of this the Rising showed that Irish Republicanism was still a potent force and had by no means been crushed by the British.‭

This event did have important repercussions however as it led to a reorganisation of much of the underground activities of the IRB and the formation in America of Clan na Gael that was determined to prosecute a campaign against British rule notwithstanding recent setbacks.‭ ‬The failure of the‭ ‬1867‭ ‬Rising did not mark an end but a new beginning for those who were determined to end British rule over Ireland.

Monday 4 March 2013



4‭ ‬March‭ ‬1778:‭ ‬Robert Emmet was born in Dublin on this day.‭ ‬He was the youngest son of Dr Robert Emmet and Elizabeth‭ (‬Mason‭)‬.‭ ‬His father was a well to do Physician in the City with‭  ‬a house on St Stephens Green and another one down the Country.‭ ‬His elder brother Thomas Addis Emmet was a personal friend of Wolfe Tone who visited the family home on many occasions.‭ ‬He entered Trinity College in‭ ‬1793‭ ‬and joined the College Historical Society,‭ ‬a debating society.‭ ‬He became secretary to the United Irish Society in the college,‭ ‬but had abandon his studies in April‭ ‬1798‭ ‬when he and a number of students were expelled for their Republican sympathies.‭

 ‬In‭ ‬1799‭ ‬he travelled to France to escape arrest and to secure support for another Rising in Ireland.‭ ‬He returned home in late‭ ‬1802‭ ‬after the Peace of Amiens and began to lay plans to seize Dublin from the British.‭ ‬Unfortunately his plans were laid open by a premature explosion of his arsenal in July of the following year.‭ ‬He then banked all his hopes on an immediate eruption on‭ ‬23‭ ‬July but his venture quickly fell apart and he want into hiding.‭ ‬A few weeks later he was captured,‭ ‬tried for‭ ‘‬Treason‭’ ‬and gave the speech of his Life before the Court that quickly became a sensation and secured his reputation as a Patriot.‭

My country was my idol.‭ ‬To it I sacrificed every selfish,‭ ‬every endearing sentiment,‭ ‬and for it I now offer up myself‭ … ‬I acted as an Irishman,‭ ‬determined on delivering my country from the yoke of a foreign and unrelenting tyranny and the more galling yoke of a domestic faction,‭ ‬which is its joint partner and perpetrator in the patricide‭…

He was sentenced to be hung,‭ ‬drawn and quartered.‭ ‬This was duly carried out on‭ ‬20‭ ‬September before a large crowd in Thomas Street Dublin.‭ ‬The whereabouts of his body today remains a mystery.‭

Sunday 3 March 2013



3‭ ‬March‭ ‬1577:‭ ‬The town of Naas,‭ ‬Co Kildare was torched by Rory Og O’More and Cormac MacCormac O’Connor on this day.‭ ‬These two Gaelic Chieftains with a select force of‭ ‬140‭ ‬men and boys ran through Naas like the‭ ‬‘haggs and furies of hell,‭ ‬with flakes of fire fastened on poles‭’‬,‭ ‬and burned between‭ ‬700‭ & ‬800‭ ‬of the thatched houses belonging to the local townsfolk‭ ‬-‭ ‬who were still recovering from celebrating St David’s Day‭ [‬1‭ ‬March‭]‬.‭ ‬The English Lord Deputy Sydney was furious that Irish‭ ‘‬rebels‭’ ‬from the bogs of Laois were able to make such a surprise attack upon one of the chief towns of the Pale,‭ ‬cause such destruction in such a short space of time and then get clean away.‭ ‬He wrote that:

They had not one horseman,‭ ‬nor one shot with theim‭; ‬they ran through the town,‭ ‬beinge open,‭ ‬like haggs and furies of hell,‭ ‬with flakes of fier fastened on pooles ends,‭ ‬and so fiered the low thatched howsies‭; ‬and being a great windie night,‭ ‬one howse took fiere of another in a moment‭; ‬they tarried not half an houre in the town,‭ ‬neither stoode they upon killinge or spoylinge of any.

There was above fyve hundred mennes boddies in the towne manlyke enough in appearance,‭ ‬but neither manfull,‭ ‬nor wakeful as it seamed‭; ‬for they confesse they were all aslepe in their bedde,‭ ‬after they had filled themselves and surfeyted upon their patrone day‭; ‬which day is celebrated,‭ ‬for the most part,‭ ‬of the people of this country birthe,‭ ‬with gluttonye and idollatrye as farre as they dare.

But Sydney was a cold and ruthless man.‭ ‬An insult to his authority like this could not be passed over.‭ ‬He was determined to bring in Rory O’More dead or alive.‭ ‬All that year and well into the next he harried his elusive opponent.‭ ‬He killed any of O’More’s soldiers he could engage in battle and also members of the O’More family‭ ‬-‭ ‬including Rory’s wife Margaret‭ (‬O’Byrne‭)‬.‭ ‬Finally in June‭ ‬1578‭ ‬O’More was killed in a skirmish,‭ ‬his head cut off and brought to the Lord Deputy who had it stuck on a pole on the walls of Dublin Castle.‭ 

Rury Oge,‭ ‬the son of Rury Caech,‭ ‬son of Connell O'More,‭ ‬fell by the hand of Brian Oge,‭ ‬son of Brian Mac Gillapatrick.‭ ‬This Rury was the head of the plunderers and insurgents of the men of Ireland in his time‭; ‬and for a long time after his death no one was desirous to discharge one shot against the soldiers of the Crown.

Annals of the Four Masters


Saturday 2 March 2013




2 March 1914: John Redmond, the leader of the Irish Parliamentary Party, agreed to temporarily forego the introduction of Home Rule in the Ulster counties on this day. He was forced to adopt this decision in order to placate the growing opposition in the northeast to the imminent introduction of Home Rule for Ireland.

Up until this point he had vehemently opposed such a measure. But he now felt that to press for a full implementation throughout Ireland would risk a Civil War and a complete break with the Unionists that would become permanent. He wrote to the British Prime Minister Herbert Asquith:

We are ready to give our acquiescence to the solution of the standing out for three years by option of the counties of Ulster as the price of peace.   

However Redmond’s decision was to prove a fatal one. For his obvious weakness on this issue further encouraged the Ulster Unionists to hold out for a permanent division. Redmond’s vacillation also disillusioned many on the Nationalist side that compromise was likely to bring about a positive result for Ireland. 

Friday 1 March 2013



1 March 1965: Roger Casement's body was re-interred in Glasnevin Cemetery on this day. The Taoiseach Sean Lemass only announced this surprise move some days previously when he stated in Leinster House that:

I am very glad to announce to the Dáil that I have been informed by the British Prime Minister that his Government have recently decided to meet our request for the repatriation of the remains of Roger Casement.

As Deputies are aware, it was Casement's express wish that he should have his final resting place in Ireland, and it has long been the desire of the people of Ireland, shared by successive Irish Governments, that this wish be fulfilled.

A State funeral was immediately organised. Thus on a cold and sleety day Casement’s remains were brought out to Glasnevin for burial. President Eamon De Valera, against Doctors orders, took the stand to deliver a televised address to the Nation. He said that:

It required courage to do what Casement did, and his name would be honoured, not merely here, but by oppressed peoples everywhere, even if he had done nothing for the freedom of our own country.

He spoke that those assembled were privileged to be there and we were glad that Casement was back amongst us and that in future his grave would be a place of pilgrimage.

While this was something of a coup to get the British to release Casement’s body his dying wish was that he should be laid to rest in his beloved County Antrim and not in Dublin City. But the British Government had only released his remains on condition that they were re interred in Dublin and not in the North of Ireland. His remains for now anyway, are interred in Glasnevin Cemetary [above]. One day perhaps his favourite place in Ireland will indeed become his final repose.