February 17: 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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1846: Daniel O’Connell speaks about the Famine
In the House of Commons, Daniel O’Connell warns about the dangers of famine. “It was certain that there was a fearful prospect of a most calamitous season before the people of Ireland. The extent of that calamity had been disputed, and there had been a time when there was a prospect of some portion of it being possibly averted……….. The calamity was pressing, was imminent—more pressing, more imminent, and more fearful than that House was aware of. In order to understand it, it was right that the House should be made aware of the state of Ireland before the calamity, had impended.”
The level of poverty in Ireland was evidenced by further comments from O’Connell, “The last Population Returns of 1841 showed that, out of the whole rural population of Ireland, 46 per cent lived in a single room; the entire human family and the pigs occupied the same apartment together. The next fact was, that of the civil population—that is, of the inhabitants of towns—36 per cent lived in a single room, and that two or three families sometimes occupied the same room.”
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- Daniel O’Connell 1775-1847
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1945: Academy award winning actress Brenda Fricker
- Brenda Fricker with Oscar
Brenda Fricker is born in Dublin. Fricker won the 1989 Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance as Christy Brown’s mother in My Left Foot. The movie was a triumph for Irish film making. Daniel Day Lewis won best actor for his portrayal of the disabled Brown while director Jim Sheridan received numerous Best Director nominations at various film festivals.
BRENDA FRICKER’S OSCAR WINNING PERFORMANCE
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1978: La Mon Hotel Bombing – IRA Bomb Kills Twelve Protestants
In one of the worst atrocities of the Northern Ireland conflict, the IRA plants an incendiary device at the La Mon House Hotel near Belfast killing twelve civilians (all Protestants) and seriously injuring more than twenty others. At the time, the IRA had a policy of bombing commercial premises with loyalist / unionist affiliation and in general providing “adequate” warning. In the La Mon incident, only nine minutes warning was provided where patrons were enjoying the annual dinner dance of the Irish Collie Club. Gasoline canisters ignited by a small bomb caused an immediate fireball, burning many people beyond recognition. The following day the IRA “apologized” for the deaths.
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Inquiry Call into La Mon Bombing
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La Mon Massacre Documentary
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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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