Archive for June, 2014

June 14,

Rory Gallagher R.I.P. at Today in Irish History

June 14: TODAY in Irish History:

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Rory Gallagher

Rory Gallagher 1948-1995

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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Product Details

SHEIFGAB! Staying Sane, Motivated and Productive in Job Search.

An insightful, realistic, yet humorous book on the job search process by Today in Irish History Curator Conor Cunneen

Special accessible price for job seekers on Kindle of $2.99

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1884: Count John McCormack

Tenor John McCormack is born in Athlone. After studying in Italy, in 1907 he became the youngest leading tenor at the Royal Opera at Covent Garden. He won numerous accolades as a singer and was created a Papal Count in 1928 for his services to the Catholic Church. He had a minor film career but was a huge opera star in Europe and America. He died September 1945 from respiratory problems.

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READDetailed biography of Count John McCormack

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John McCormack sings My Wild Irish Rose

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1995:  Rory Gallagher R.I.P.

Irish blues guitarist legend Rory Gallagher dies in a London hospital from complications following a liver transplant required as a result of longtime alcohol abuse.

Blues great Rory Gallagher

Legend has it that when Jimmi Hendrix was asked what it felt like to be the best guitar player in the world, he responded “I don’t know. Ask Rory Gallagher.” Although almost certainly apocryphal, the story does highlight the legend that the shy unassuming Gallagher became. Born in Ballyshannon Co. Donegal, Rory’s family moved to Cork at a young age where he discovered blues music on American Forces Radio.

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Off stage, Gallagher was described as painfully shy, something his adoring audiences found hard to believe. On stage, he was one of the most electrifying artists to play a Fender Stratocaster, playing marathon concerts of more than three hours, night after night. Gallagher first broke through with Taste (drummer John Wilson, bassist Richard McCracken). The band’s blistering set at the 1970 Isle of Wight Festival (where Hendrix also performed) ensured seven encores!

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“Artistic differences” saw the demise of this power blues trio, but Gallagher went on to have a lengthy career selling more than thirty millions records in one of the most hard-gigging careers of any music legend.

Artists as diverse as U2’s Edge, Slash and Brian May state that Gallagher was a huge influence on their career.

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SLASH on Rory Gallagher

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Although, he toured the US more than twenty times, Gallagher never made it big in the world’s largest market. Some experts attribute this to the fact that he was not interested in developing commercial, radio friendly, three minute material, but those who saw him perform live are unlikely to forget his vibrant performances.

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READ: Donal Gallagher on brother Rory

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WATCH: A Short History of Ireland

Want to learn more about Ireland? See these images and more in the acclaimed For the Love of Being Irish

Irish gift ideas. Best selling Irish booksRonnie Drew and Luke Kelly - Musical Irish Gifts to the worldJoyce Image in For the Love of Being IrishMichael Collins: Image from 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.

Tags: Best Irish Gift, Creative Irish Gift, Unique Irish Gifts, Irish Books, Irish Authors, Today in Irish History TODAY IN IRISH HISTORY (published by IrishmanSpeaks)

   

June 13,

William Butler Yeats – De Valera Taoiseach – Tim Russert at Today in Irish History

June 13: TODAY in Irish History:

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W. B. Yeats

W. B. Yeats illustration in                               For the Love of Being Irish

Snippets of Irish History by Conor Cunneen IrishmanSpeaks 

Conor is a Chicago based Motivational Humorous Business Speaker, Author and History buff.

***********************
WATCH: A Short History of Ireland

***********************

NEW                    NEW

Product Details

SHEIFGAB! Staying Sane, Motivated and Productive in Job Search.

An insightful, realistic, yet humorous book on the job search process by Today in Irish History Curator Conor Cunneen

Special accessible price for job seekers on Kindle of $2.99

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1865: W. B. Yeats

Birth of William Butler Yeats in Dublin, the son of painter John Butler Yeats. He spent much of his childhood in County Sligo which was a huge source of inspiration for him, not least the beautiful Lake Isle of Inisfree.

In For the Love of Being Irish, author Conor Cunneen writes:

WB Yeats in For the Love of Being Irish

Illustration of W.B. Yeats in        For the Love of Being Irish

YouTube has the following  radio recording of Yeats presenting this great poem and explaining how he came up with idea for Inisfree.

Yeats was a major player in the Celtic Revival which endevored (successfully) to raise awareness of the culture of Ireland, much of which had been decimated by English rule. His personal and political life was as interesting as his poetry. The love of his life Irish revolutionary Maud Gonne rebuked his marriage proposals on a number of occasions although they were lovers.

Yeats is buried in Drumcliff, County Sligo.

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1951: Dev becomes Taoiseach

Eamonn De Valera becomes Taoiseach for the second time a position he had previously held between 1937-1948. De Valera was (is) a divisive figure in Irish politics. He fought in the 1916 rebellion, but spent much of the War of Independence in America garnering funds and support for an independent Ireland. He and his supporters voted against the Anglo-Irish Treaty precipitating a vicious civil war that saw the death of the other 20th century giant of Irish politics Michael Collins. A strong believer in the purity of Irish culture (even though he was New York born) and “maidens dancing at the crossroads,” his most infamous moment was when he offered condolences to Germany on the death of Adolf Hitler. His decision to maintain Ireland’s neutrality during World War II made him something of a pariah among the Allies. Whether his views on neutrality were purely philosophical or purely anti-British is difficult to discern.  Politically, a vote to fight with Britain irrespective of the validity of the cause would have been hard for many Irish to bear less than a generation after the 1916 execution, the War of Independence and the the horror of the Black and Tans.

William Butler Yeats was one of those not totally convinced by De Valera “I was rather disappointed—A living argument rather than a living man, all propaganda, no human life, but not bitter hysterical or unjust…… He will fail through not having enough human life to judge the life of others.”

In For the Love of Being Irish, author Conor Cunneen quotes JFK’s humorous reference to De Valera and their respective ancestry when he spoke in Dail Eireann.

Illustration of JFK by Mark Anderson in For the Love of Being Irish

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2008: Death of  TV and political journalist Tim Russert Russert. In 1950 he was born in Buffalo, New York to Irish American Catholic parents.

Tim Russert 1950-2008

Want

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shamrockshamrockshamrockshamrockshamrockshamrockshamrockshamrock

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WATCH: A Short History of Ireland

Want to learn more about Ireland? See these images and more in the acclaimed For the Love of Being Irish

Irish gift ideas. Best selling Irish booksRonnie Drew and Luke Kelly - Musical Irish Gifts to the worldJoyce Image in For the Love of Being IrishMichael Collins: Image from For the Love of Being Irish

___________________________________

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.

Tags: Best Irish Gift, Creative Irish Gift, Unique Irish Gifts, Irish Books, Irish Authors, Today in Irish History TODAY IN IRISH HISTORY (published by IrishmanSpeaks)