February 1: TODAY in Irish History:
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John Ford 1894-1973
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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1796:Wolf Tone in France
Wolfe Tone arrives at Le Havre under the assumed name of James Smith, having travelled from the United States where he had been living for a time. Tone was one of the founding fathers of the United Irishmen which with the aid of France attempted to gain independence for Ireland. He would spend 9 months in France, generating French support for the Irish cause.
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1873: Kilkenny born Victoria Cross Winner John Barry
John Barry, who would be awarded a posthumous Victoria Cross for his bravery during a Boer War incident is born in Kilkenny.
- Private John Barry VC 1873-1901
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His citation reads “During the night attack on the 7th and 8th January, 1901, on Monument Hill, Private Barry, although surrounded and threatened by the Boers at the time, smashed the breach of the Maxim gun, thus rendering it useless to its captors, and it was in doing this splendid act for his country that he met his death.” Like many Irish at the time, Barry enlisted into the Royal Irish Regiment (December 1890) and saw active service in India before his involvement in the Boer War.
Barry’s VC medal was sold at auction in 2000 for £85000.
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1894: Film Director John Ford
John Ford is born in Maine to Irish immigrant parents. His father was born in Spiddal, Co. Galway. His mother from the Aran Islands. Film site IMDb states “John Ford is, arguably, The Great American Director.” Although born John Martin Feeney, he never forgot his Irish roots.
In For the Love of Being Irish, An A-Z of Ireland, author Conor Cunneen when writing of “Q for The Quiet Man” writes of Ford and what he did for Irish tourism:
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1922: Harry Hammon Lyster VC
County Dublin born Harry Hammon Lyster dies, age 92. Lyster rose to the rank of Lieutenant General in the British army won the Victoria Cross at the age of 27 during the Indian Mutiny of 1858. He is buried in Maidenhead, England.
- Lieutenant General Harry Lymon Lyster
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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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