February 20: TODAY in Irish History:
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James Gandon
Snippets of Irish History by Conor Cunneen IrishmanSpeaks 
Conor is a Chicago based Motivational Humorous Business Speaker, Author and History buff.
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1743: Architect James Gandon
James Gandon, possibly the most influential architect in Irish history is born in London.
James Gandon 1743-1823
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Gandon was responsible for shaping the face of Dublin. Gandon did not arrive in Dublin until he was forty but he had a huge impact on the architecture of the City designing the Custom House, the House of Lords extension, the Four Courts and the King’s Inn.
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- Four Courts Dublin
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1873: James Haughton, Irish social reformer
James Haughton, Irish social reformer, anti-slavery campaigner and temperance activist dies.
James Haughton 1795-1893
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READ: Biography of James Haughton
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1979: The Shankill Butchers Reign of Terror
In Belfast eleven members of the “Shankill Butchers” gang are given a total of 42 life sentences for the murder of 19 people. The “Butchers’ were from the Protestant Shankill area of Belfast whose reign of terror was led by Lenny Murphy. The gang was involved in sectarian mayhem during the 1970’s against innocent Catholics. Anyone unfortunate enough to be kidnapped by Murphy and his gang, suffered appalling deaths preceded by gruesome torture and mutilation. Murphy was eventually killed by the IRA. There is considerable evidence that the execution was aided by the loyalist community who considered Murphy to be out of control.
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Shankill Butchers Documentary (not for the squemish)
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SEE: The Shankill Butchers: A Case Study of Mass Murder
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Death of Shankill Butcher Lenny Murphy
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2009: Irish author Chrisopher Nolan dies age 44.
Despite suffering from cerebral palsy, Nolan authored a number of acclaimed books and won the Whitbread Award for book of the year for his 1987 memoir Under the Eye of the Clock.
Nolan wrote with the aid of a word-processing computer and a stick strapped to his forehead while his mother held his head. His normal means of communication was via eye signals.
In an acceptance speech for his Whitbread Aaward, read by his mother, Nolan said: “I want to shout with joy. My heart is full of gratitude. You all must realise that history is now in the making. Crippled man has taken his place on the world’s literary stage.”
His prize-winning book tells how he was deprived of oxygen at birth leaving him unabe to talk, walk or use his hands.
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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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This history is written by Irish author, business keynote speaker and award winning humorist IrishmanSpeaks – 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.
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Today In Irish History 
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