On This Day Posts

James Plunkett author of Strumpet City, one of the best books on Dublin was born on 21 May 1920 in the Hibernian metropolis. Strumpet City details the lives of common Dublin folk and their hero, James Larkin, and is a must-read for anybody that want…

Playwright, Seán O’Casey (1880 - 1964) was born on March 30, 1880, in Dublin into a Protestant family of modest circumstances. O’Casey’s father, Micheal, died when Seán was five years old leaving a family of 13 behind…

Mary MacSwiney (1872 - 1942) was born in London on March 27, 1872. She was the oldest of seven children born to a staunchly separatist father and English mother. At age seven the family moved to Cork in 1879 where her younger brother Terence was bor…

Olympic Gold medalist runner, Ronald Michael Delany was born in Arklow, County Wicklow on March 6, 1935. Delany showed promise as a schoolboy athlete and in 1954 at age 19 had a breakout year setting multiple Irish records in the half-mile and secur…

Robert Emmet in profile by John Comerford Robert Emmet was born in Dublin on the 4th of March, 1778. He was the 17th child of Dr Robert and Elizabeth Mason. Despite the family’s prosperous circumstances only four of the seventeen children wou…

Actor and beauty Harriet Smithson (1800 - 1854) was born in Ennis, Clare into a theatrical family. She made her debut on the Dublin stage in the Theater Royal at the age of 14. Some 4 years later she first appeared in London at the Theatre Royal to …

Likely the greatest sculptor of 19th century America, August Saint Gaudens (1848–1907), was born in Dublin on March 1st, 1848 to a French father and Irish mother. Before Saint-Gaudens' first birthday, his family emigrated, ultimately settling …

Fr. Hugh Joseph O'Flaherty (1898 - 1963) was born on this day, February 28, 1898 in Lisrobin, Kishkeam, Co. Cork.  Have you listened to our podcast? Get the latest on our Episode Page. Originally O’Flaherty pursued a credential as a…

John Philip Holland (1841 - 1914), commonly considered the father of modern submarines, was born on this day, Feb 24, 1841, in Liscannor, Clare. He trained as a teacher in Cork and worked as a mathematics teacher before emigrating to America in 1873…

Ted Kennedy (1932 - 2009) was born Edward Moore Kennedy in Boston, Massachusetts, on Feb 22, 1932. He was the youngest child of nine, born to Joseph Kennedy and Rose Fitzgerald. His Great Grandfather Patrick Kennedy arrived in Boston in 1849 at the …