Today In Irish History

March 10: TODAY in Irish History:

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Dublin born Barry Fitzgerald

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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1810: Sir Samuel Ferguson Born

Birth in Belfast of poet and antiquarian Sir Samuel Ferguson (d.1886). Ferguson had a strong interest in ancient Irish history and mythology.

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Ferguson’s major work, the long poem Congal was published in 1872 and a third volume, Poems in 1880. In 1882, he was elected President of the Royal Irish Academy.

At a speech honoring the bi-centenary of his birth in 2010, Belfast Lord Mayor Cllr. Naomi Long said “Samuel Ferguson was deeply interested in antiquities, and wrote many papers for the Royal Irish Academy, becoming its President in 1882. His work reorganising the Public Records of Ireland earned him a knighthood in 1878.”

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READ: Belfast Honors Sir Samuel Ferguson

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FREE Download: The Poetry of Sir Samuel Ferguson

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1888: Actor Barry Fitzgerald is born William Joseph Shields in Dublin.

Dublin Born Barry Fitzgerald

Barry Fitzgerald is the ONLY actor in Hollywood history to be nominated for Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor for the same role, something he achieved as Father Fitzgibbon in the 1944 movie Going My Way with Bing Crosby.

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Barry Fitzgerald and Bing Crosby in Going My Way

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1966: Death of Author Frank O’Connor 

Frank O’Connor was born Michael Francis O’Connor O’Donovan in the “Real Capital!” – Cork in 1903.

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O’Connor’s memoir An Only Child is an evocative work detailing his upbringing in poverty in his native Cork. He fought in the Irish War of Independence and supported the anti-Treaty side in 1922 for which he was interned for a period of time. O’Connor served as a director of the Abbey Theatre, Dublin, in the 1930s, collaborating on many of its productions.

O’Connor’s writing on His First Confession is pure comedy as he tells the priest he planned to kill his grandmother because “she’s an awful woman… she takes porter, father, and snuff , father.”

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2005: Dave Allen – Comedian

Dave Allen 1936-2005

Death of Irish comedian Dave Allen (born David O’Mahoney 1936 in Dublin.) Allen was an irreverent comic who found fame in the UK, regularly poking  fun at the political and religious establishment.

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READ: Obituary Dave Allen

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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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