Today In Irish History

June 22: TODAY in Irish History:

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Today in Irish History: Curated by Conor Cunneen IrishmanSpeaks

Chicago Motivational Humorous Business Speaker, Author and History buff.

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ON THIS DAY

1798: Execution of 1798 rebel John Kelly, known to most every Irish schoolboy as “Kelly, the boy from Killane.” Little is known about his exploits and he would be unknown today if he was not celebrated in song and verse by Luke Kelly and the Dubliners.

Illustration of Ronnie Drew and Luke Kelly of Dubliners in For the Love of Being Irish. Purchase author signed copy HERE

1865:  Irish born David Bass is awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor for valor during the attack on Fort Fisher, 15 January 1865.

His citation reads:

Seaman, U.S. Navy. Born: 1843, Ireland. Accredited to: New York. G.O. No.: 59, 22 June 1865. Citation: On board the U.S.S. Minnesota in action during the assault on Fort Fisher, 15 January 1865. Landing on the beach with the assaulting party from his ship, S/man Bass advanced to the top of the sand hill and partly through the breach in the palisades despite enemy fire which killed and wounded many officers and men. When more than two-thirds of the men became seized with panic and retreated on the run, he remained with the party until dark, when it came safely away, bringing its wounded, its arms, and its colors.

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1822: Death of Co. Longford born (1864) Sir Henry Hughes Wilson.

Wilson was deputy chief of staff of the British Expeditionary Force on the Western Front at the outbreak of World War I and was appointed Imperial Chief of Staff in 1918, a position he held until he retired in 1922 to become MP for North Down.

Wilson was shot dead by two Irish volunteers in London in June 1922, Joseph O’Sullivan (1897-1922)  had lost a leg fighting with the British Army at Ypres and another former British soldier Reginald Dunne.

The killing of Wilson after the Treaty had been signed, outraged English opinion. The Times wrote:

“Field-Marshall Sir Henry Wilson, the famous and gallant soldier, was murdered yesterday upon the threshold of his London home. The murderers were Irishmen. Their deed must rank among the foulest in the foul category of Irish political crimes”

Exactly why he was killed has never been satisfactorily explained with some sources suggesting Michael Collins ordered the killing in retaliation for ongoing anti-Catholic violence in Northern Ireland.

Sir Henry Hughes Wilson           1864-1922

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

BUY Quality Quality Guinness and Ireland Rugby Shirts

For the Love of Being Irish written by Chicago based Corkman Conor Cunneen and illustrated by Mark Anderson which is an A-Z of all things Irish. This is a book that contains History, Horror, Humor, Passion, Pathos and Lyrical Limericks that will have you giving thanks (or wishing you were) For the Love of Being Irish

Watch For the Love of Being Irish author Conor Cunneen – IrishmanSpeaks on his Youtube channel IrishmanSpeaks. Laugh and Learn.

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This history is written by Irish author, business keynote speaker and award winning humoristIrishmanSpeaks – 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 HistoryTODAY IN IRISH HISTORY (published by IrishmanSpeaks)