On This Day Posts

Brian Boru - Henry MacManus lithograph, mid 19th century Brian 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 Kilrush On 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…