Today In Irish History

September 20: 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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1803: Execution of Robert Emmet

Robert Emmet is executed (hanged, drawn and quartered) for high treason.

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Emmet had been captured in Dublin on August 25th following a hopelessly unsuccessful attempt at insurrection

In one sense, Emmet’s rebellion deserves little more than a footnote in history. The rebellion itself was more a riot than a full scale insurrection, but it garnered major publicity when the Lord Chief Justice of Ireland was killed in the affray.

Robert Emmet’s place in history is primarily due to his powerful speech from the dock where he said:

“Let no man write my epitaph; for as no man who knows my motives dare now vindicate them, let not prejudice or ignorance, asperse them. Let them and me rest in obscurity and peace, and my tomb remain uninscribed, and my memory in oblivion, until other times and other men can do justice to my character. When my country takes her place among the nations of the earth, then and not till then, let my epitaph be written. I have done.”

Emmet’s burial place is unknown.

READ: Full Text of Robert Emmet’s Speech from the Dock.

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1863: The Irish Confederates at Chicamauga

1863: The 5th Confederate Infantry consisting of a large number of Irish from Memphis fight in one of the bloodiest battles of the war, at Chickamauga. One of the commanders was Cork born Patrick Cleburne whom historians universally recognize as one of the most capable officers on either side during the awful conflict, although Chicamauga, might not have been his finest hour as this Master’s thesis by Major Joseph M Lance on Cleburne at Chicamauga suggests. Cleburne was known as the “Stonewall of the West.” He was one of six Confederate Generals to die at the slaughter at Franklin.

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READ: Memphis Irish at Chicamauga

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1920: Capture of Kevin Barry

Eighteen year old medical student Kevin Barry is captured following an ambush on British troops in Dublin in which one soldier is killed. On November 1, 1920, he would become the first Irish rebel to be executed by Britain since the 1916 executions, thus cementing his place in history.

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Undoubtedly a brave young man, he is often seen through heroic rose tinted glasses as for instance in this Wikipedia reference. “On the morning of 20 September 1920, Kevin Barry went to Mass, and received Holy Communion; he then joined a party of IRA volunteers on Bolton Street in Dublin. Their orders were to ambush a British army truck as it picked up a delivery of bread from the bakery, and capture their weapons. The ambush was scheduled for 11:00 A.M., which gave him enough time to take part in the operation and return to class in time for an examination he had at 2:00 P.M.”

Barry is also commemorated in an eponymously titled song that every Irish school boy had drilled into him by the Christian Brothers. The song has been covered by numerous Irish bands including Wolfe Tones and the Dubliners.

This version by  Leonard Cohen lacks the passion of an Irish band, but in its own way is a soulful rendition by a man who can sing about pain and despair as well as any Irishman

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Leonard Cohen sings Kevin Barry

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READ: Detailed Profile of Kevin Barry

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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

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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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