On This Day Posts

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

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

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 1880s Sarah 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 Chile Ambrosio 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 Clarke Harry 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…