Today In Irish History

December 28: TODAY in Irish History:

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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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WATCH: A Short History of Ireland

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 1795: Anti-Catholic Discrimination

The rationale for the 1798 Rebellion and the logic behind the cause of the United Irishmen can be seen in a document signed by Lord Gosford, Governor of Armagh who railed against anti-Catholic discrimination in a document dated on this day in 1795

“It is no secret that a persecution, accompanied with all the circumstances of ferocious cruelty which have in all ages distinguished this calamity, is now raging in this country; neither age, nor sex, nor even acknowledged innocence, is sufficient to excite mercy or afford protection. The only crime which the unfortunate objects of this persecution are charged with, is a crime of easy proof indeed; it is simply a profession of the Roman Catholic faith. A lawless banditti have constituted themselves judges of this species of delinquency, and the sentence they pronounce is equally concise and terrible; it is nothing less than a confiscation of all property and immediate banishment—a prescription that has been carried into effect, and exceeds, in the number of those it consigns to ruin and misery, every example that ancient or modern history can supply. These horrors are now acting with impunity. The spirit of justice has disappeared from the country; and the supineness of the magistracy of Armagh has become a common topic of conversation in every corner of the kingdom.”

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1836: William Sampson – United Irishman

Death of United Irishman, Lawyer and author William Sampson in New York. Born in well-to-do Protestant ascendancy, Sampson was one of many non-Catholics who were disturbed by the level of discrimination and violence against members of the Catholic faith. As a lawyer, he defended United Irishmen for anti-British actions before being arrested himself. Expelled from Ireland, he settled in American in 1806. His most lasting impact on American judicial law was when he won a judgment accepting the confidentiality of the confessional.

The opening lines of Salmon’s Memoirs read:

“At length, I take up my pen….. to give you the history of my extraordinary persecution. From it you may form a judgment of that system of government which drove the unhappy people of Ireland to revolt. But, to judge rightly, you should also be aware, that of many thousand such cases, mine is one of- the most mild.”

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READ FREE eBOOK: Memoirs of William Salmon

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1891: Death of Painter and Artist Augustus Nicholas Burke

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Born in 1828 in County Galway, he was a regular exhibitor at the Royal Academy in London and the Royal Hibernian Academy in Dublin. He resided in Holland and Brittany for a number of years before returning to Dublin.  His portraits include a Breton Farmyard; The Feast-day of Notre Dame de Tremala, Brittany and a View in Connemara. Burke’s brother was murdered along with Lord Frederick Cavendish, Chief Secretary for Ireland in the infamous Phoenix Park Murders of 1882.
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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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