Archive for June 26th, 2012

June 26,

Ich Bin Ein Berliner. JFK Visits Ireland. Douglas Hyde on this day in Irish History

June 26: TODAY in Irish History:

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Today in Irish History: Curated by Conor Cunneen IrishmanSpeaks

Chicago Motivational Humorous Business Speaker, Author and History buff.

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ON THIS DAY

1938: Douglas Hyde is inaugurated as first President of Ireland. Thei President is primarily an honorary position with little executive power. The leader of the Irish Government is the Taoiseach.

File:Douglas Hyde inauguration.jpg

Douglas Hyde following his inauguration

Hyde was an ardent supporter of the Irish language and was one of the founders of the Gaelic League in 1893, an organization dedicated to the preservation of Irish culture and language, something which had been decimated during the previous two hundred years. TheJournal.ie has a wonderful set of images of Hyde’s Inauguration.

1963: President Kennedy makes his famous Ich bin ein Berliner speech at the Berlin Wall in front of hundreds of thousands of West Berliners desperate for some  hope in a divided city. Historians and German grammarians like to debate whether Kennedy goofed with his famous phrase and whether the word “ein” should have been included. Apparently “ein Berliner” is a colloquial reference to a “jelly donut,” so the literal translation may have been “I am a jelly donut” !! It is an interesting humorous aside to one of Kennedy’s finest speeches the bulk of which was crafted as usual by his Counselor and speech writer Ted Sorensen who in the video below is the tall bespectacled man behind Kennedy.

KENNEDY VISITS IRELAND FOLLOWING BERLIN SPEECH.

Following his visit to Berlin which had real geo-political rationale and impact, Kennedy indulged himself by visiting Ireland for four days. In his wildest dreams, he could not have expected the tumultuous reception he received. At a time when presidential cavalcades were still relatively informal, the access which the Irish people had to Kennedy now seems quite incredible.

Shortly after 8.00pm on June 26th, Kennedy disembarked from Air Force One at Dublin Airport to be greeted by President Eamonn De Valera. After formal ceremonies and introduction, Kennedy travelled in an open top Lincoln into Dublin and the residence of the Irish President. He was not accompanied by Jackie Kennedy who was heavily pregnant with an infant that would die shortly after birth.

For many years following his visit and tragic death, as the Camelot legend grew, it seemed almost every home in Ireland hung a three picture montage of JFK, Pope John XXIII and Jackie Kennedy.

Image of JFK in For the Love of Being Irish: An A-Z of Ireland via History, Humor and Verse.

JFK image in For the Love of Being Irish

Image of JFK in For the Love of Being Irish: An A-Z of Ireland. 

Buy Author Signed Copy of For the Love of Being Irish today.

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1991: Maguire Seven Convictions overturned.

The Court of Appeal overturns the sentences on the Maguire Seven. In 2005, Prime Minister Tony Blair apologized unreservedly for what happened. “I am very sorry that they were subject to such an ordeal and such an injustice. “They deserve to be completely and publicly exonerated.”

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Want to learn more about Ireland? See these images and more in the acclaimed For the Love of Being Irish

Irish gift ideas. Best selling Irish booksRonnie Drew and Luke Kelly - Musical Irish Gifts to the worldJoyce Image in For the Love of Being IrishMichael Collins: Image from For the Love of Being Irish

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For the Love of Being Irish written by Chicago based Corkman Conor Cunneen and illustrated by Mark Anderson which is an A-Z of all things Irish. This is a book that contains History, Horror, Humor, Passion, Pathos and Lyrical Limericks that will have you giving thanks (or wishing you were) For the Love of Being Irish

Watch For the Love of Being Irish author Conor Cunneen – IrishmanSpeaks on his Youtube channel IrishmanSpeaks. Laugh and Learn.

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This history is written by Irish author, business keynote speaker and award winning humoristIrishmanSpeaks – Conor Cunneen. If you spot any inaccuracies or wish to make a comment, please don’t hesitate to contact us via the comment button.

Visit Conor’s YouTube channel IrishmanSpeaks to Laugh and Learn. Tags: Best Irish Gift, Creative Irish Gift, Unique Irish Gifts, Irish Books, Irish Authors, Today in Irish HistoryTODAY IN IRISH HISTORY (published by IrishmanSpeaks)