Today In Irish History

November 14: 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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1908: Senator Joe McCarthy

Joe McCarthy, Republican Senator for Wisconsin, arch anti-communist,  fear monger and generator of McCarthyism is born to Bridget Tierney, from County Tipperary and Timothy McCarthy whose own father emigrated from Ireland.

McCarthy first came to national prominence when in February 1950, he stated at an Ohio County Women’s Republican Club in Wheeling, West Virginia,  “I have here in my hand a list of 205 (State Department employees) that were known to the Secretary of State as being members of the Communist Party and who nevertheless are still working and shaping the policy of the State Department.”

Facts and human decency were never that important to the Senator. A media frenzy fed his ego, encouraging him to make more and more (now seen as) outlandish statements. McCarthy though was sowing on fertile soil. America “knew” the USSR was evil and a major threat to the western way of life.

At the time, McCarthy had the support of many established, and up and coming politicians including Richard Nixon. Robert Kennedy served as counsel for McCarthy’s investigative committee for a period of time. McCarthy terrified Washington and ruined many lives for a period of years with numerous unsubstantiated allegations. His power and popularity declined following the Army-McCarthy hearings.

Listen: Joe McCarthy on Meet the Press

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The Army-McCarthy Hearings

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READ: Covering Joe McCarthy by UPI journalist Alvin Spivak

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1973: Eight IRA Convicted of London Bombing.

Eight IRA members (six men, two women –  sisters Marion and Dolores Price) are convicted of  the London bombings in March 1973 which killed one person and injuring over 100.  One of those  convicted –  Gerry Kelly escaped from the Maze Prison in 1983, but was recaptured in 1986. He was a member of Sinn Fein’s negotiating team for the Good Friday Agreement. He is currently a Sinn Fein Assembly Member for North Belfast in the Northern Ireland Assembly.

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SEE: Gerry Kelly official Northern Ireland Assembly bio

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1981: IRA Assassinate Unionist MP Rev. Robert Bradford

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Three IRA men are involved in the assassination of Unionist MP Robert Bradford. The IRA justified their killing in a statement – “Belfast Brigade IRA claims responsibility for the execution of Robert Bradford MP, one of the key people responsible for winding up the loyalist paramilitary sectarian machine in the North.”
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READ: Belfast Telegraph report on assassination of Robert Bradford

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NEW                    NEW

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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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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