Today In Irish History

September 17: TODAY in Irish History:

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Curated by Conor Cunneen IrishmanSpeaks Chicago Motivational Humorous Business Speaker, Author and History buff.

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September 17: TODAY in Irish History:

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The Irish Brigade at Antietam

1862: The Irish Brigade suffered over 60% casualties at the Battle of Antietam at an area that came to be known as Bloody Lane. Over 500 Irish Brigade men died in the bloodiest battle of the civil war.

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Irish Brigade Monument at Antietam

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The inscription on the monument reads in part:
“The Brigade fought in all of the major campaigns of the Army of the Potomac. It lost over 4,000 men during the war. This total is larger than the number of soldiers who served in the Brigade at any single time. Eleven Brigade members were awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor. Of the Five Officers who commanded the Brigade, three were killed or mortally wounded. Colonel Richard Byrnes (Cold Harbor), Colonel Patrick Kelly (Petersburg), and Brigadier General Thomas A. Smyth (Farmville).”

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READ: The commander of the Irish Brigade was BRIGADIER GENERAL THOMAS FRANCIS MEAGHER

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Chaplains of The Irish Brigade (Source Library of Congress)

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 1918. Chaim Herzog (d 1997), sixth President of Israel is born in Belfast. In 1983 he is elected by the Knesset to serve as the President of Israel. Herzog served for two five year terms in what is mainly a ceremonial role. During a distinguished World War II service, he was in the intelligence corps in the British Army, an experience that served him well after the founding of the State of Israel where he was head of the IDF Military Intelligence Branch for five years.

In 1975, Herzog  was appointed Israel’s ambassador to the United Nations. During his tenure he spoke on a UN proposal that ‘Zionism is racism,’ giving a speech that regularly features in list of “Great Speeches.” resolution (General Assembly Resolution 3379). In a voice that still contained elements of a brogue (he left Ireland in 1935), Herzog condemned and symbolically tore up a copy of the hateful resolution,  stating: ‘For us, the Jewish people, this resolution based on hatred, falsehood and arrogance is devoid of any moral or legal value.’

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READ: Full Text of Chaim Herzog speech Zionism is Racism

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Want to learn more about Ireland?

See these images and more in the acclaimed 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 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. ___________________________________

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 History TODAY IN IRISH HISTORY (published by IrishmanSpeaks)