February 23: TODAY in Irish History (by IrishmanSpeaks) 
1919: Irish soccer legend, Johnny Carey (d. 1995) is born in Dublin.
Carey was discovered by the legendary Manchester United Irish scout whose most famous discovery was George Best. Johnny Carey played most of his career with Manchester United where he captained Matt Busby’s first great team to victory in the 1948 F.A. Cup and the 1952 First Division Championship. Carey played for Ireland more than thirty times.
Johnny Carey 1948 FA Cup Winning Captain
Carey went to to manage Everton, Nottingham Forest and Blackburn with a limited level of success.
1943: 35 children and one adult die in Cavan orphanage fire at St. Joseph’s Orphanage & Industrial School run by the enclosed order of Poor Clare nuns. Many of the children were orphans, others were committed either because they were born out of wedlock or as in the case of two unfortunates allegedly committed because the local Roman Catholic priest did not want the children to be looked after by a Protestant neighbor following the death of their mother.
A government enquiry placed most of the blame for the deaths on an inadequate fire service although Irish satirist and coincidentally secretary to the tribunal Bryan O’Nolan wrote under his nom de plume Flann O’Brien:
“In Cavan there was a great fire,
Judge McCarthy was sent to inquire,
It would be a shame, if the nuns were to blame,
So it had to be caused by a wire.”
1948: County Monaghan born John Gregg, inventor of Gregg Shorthand dies in New York at the age of eighty.
Shorthand Inventor John Gregg 1867-1948
Learn more about Ireland? See these images and more in the acclaimed For the Love of Being Irish
Today in Irish History is edited by Chicago based business keynote speaker, author, award winning humorist and history buff Conor Cunneen – IrishmanSpeaks. As a Chicago based professional speaker, this Irishman’s client base ranges from Harley-Davidson to Helsinki, from Memphis to Madrid as he Energizes, Educates and Entertains his audience to grow their business, people, teamwork and productivity.
Conor Cunneen is just the 63rd person in the history of Toastmasters to be awarded Accredited Speaker designation. If you spot any inaccuracies or wish to make a comment, please don’t hesitate to contact us. – Cheers!
Today In Irish History 
Leave a Reply