Today In Irish History

Dec 9: 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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1845: Frederick Douglass in Belfast

Belfast media publish article on speech given by abolitionist Frederick Douglass to a large audience in the city on December 5th.

“Mr. DOUGLASS then came forward, and was received with loud applause. He said he felt great pleasure in seeing so many kind and respectable people there assembled, in order to hear an account of the system of slavery from one who had experienced what it was to be a slave. He felt considerable embarrassment in thus standing before intelligent people, for the purpose of instructing them. Slavery was a poor school for acquiring moral, religious, or intellectual improvement.”

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Douglass Mural Belfast

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 1912: Tip O’Neill

Famed Irish-American politician Tip O’Neill is born. O’Neill’s grandfather who was from Mallow, Co. Cork emigrated to the US in 1851.  Tip O’Neill went on to become Speaker of the House in 1977 a position he held for ten years. Although on opposite sides of the political aisle, O’Neill was very friendly with Ronald Reagan often swapping profane Irish and ethnic stories. O’Neill was a strong supporter of the Northern Ireland peace process.

When O’Neill died in 1994 at the age of 81, he was lauded by friends and political foes. Longtime rival Bob Dole said “He was the Congressman’s Congressman.”

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Reagan with Tip O’Neill

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1920: Capture of Ernie O’Malley

IRA officer Ernie O’Malley is captured by British forces in Co. Kerry with a notebook containing names of his IRA colleagues. Seven were arrested as a result. O’Malley fought on the anti-treaty side during the civil war. He was captured and imprisoned by Irish government forces in 1922 and spent almost two years in jail. He had strong literary skills. His most famous work is a well received memoir about the Irish War of Independence titled On Another Man’s Wound which he wrote while traveling in Mexico and Peru.

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Ernie O’Malley

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1973: Sunningdale Agreement

The Sunningdale Agreement is signed in Belfast by British, Irish and Northern Ireland representatives. The agreement called for the setting up of a Council of Ireland made up of a cabinet of ministers and a consultative assembly. The power sharing agreement would eventually fall in the face of Unionist intransigence and an Ulster Workers Council general strike in May 1974. London would then institute direct rule over Northern Ireland.

Taoiseach Liam Cosgrove and PM Ted Heath after signing of Agreement

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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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