On This Day Posts

Blog entries which commemorate Irish events and people
March 8, 2024

The Destruction of Nelson's Pillar - March 8, 1966

The remains of Nelson's Pillar before it's final destruction At 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 …

View more
March 7, 2024

Eilís Dillon - Author (1920-1994)

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…

View more
March 5, 2024

Battle of Tallaght - March 5th, 1867

Battle of Tallaght from the London Illustrated News On 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…

View more
Feb. 27, 2024

Spike Milligan - Comedian (1918 - 2002)

Spike Milligan 1990 Terence 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…

View more
Feb. 22, 2024

Peadar O'Donnell - Author and Socialist (1893 - 1986)

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…

View more
Feb. 19, 2024

Muiris Ó Súilleabháin - Author (1904 -1950)

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…

View more
Feb. 15, 2024

George Johnstone Stoney - Physicist (1826-1911)

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…

View more
Feb. 6, 2024

Marguerite Moore Suffragette and Patriot (1846 – 1933)

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…

View more
Feb. 3, 2024

Philip Cogan - Irish Composer - (c.1748 - 3 Feb, 1833)

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…

View more
Feb. 1, 2024

Brigid of Kildare (c. 450 - 1 Feb, 524)

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 Lotto Febuary 1st marks the feast day of St. Brigid. Traditionally, feast days align w…

View more