Today In Irish History

July 1: 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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For a unique perspective on Ireland featuring History and Humor, BUY Author signed copy of For the Love of Being Irish

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1681: Oliver Plunkett, Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of All Ireland is hung, drawn and quartered at Tyburn, London for High Treason. The charge is generally accepted to have been a trumped up one and his main “crime” was he was an activist Catholic who refused to accept Protestant doctrine. He was the last Catholic martyr in England. Beatified in 1920, on October 12, 1975, he was canonized by the Catholic Church as a result of miracles associated with him. He was the first Irish saint in over 700 years.

Portrait of St Oliver hanging in the Irish College in Rome

FOR MORE ON: St. Oliver Plunkett

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1867: Death by drowning of Thomas Francis Meagher, Fenian, Irish nationalist and leader of the Young Irelanders in the Rebellion of 1848. Transported to Australia following the 1848 rebellion, he escaped to America in 1852.  When the Civil War started, he was instrumental in forming the Irish Brigade, which fought so valiantly in numerous conflicts including Chancellorsville, Fair Oaks and Fredericksburg. Meagher was a brave leader, loved by his men who unfortunately ultimately fell foul of Ulysses S. Grant. When the war ended, he was appointed Acting Governor of the (then) Territory of Nevada.

Thomas Francis Meagher 1823-1867

FOR MORE ON THOMAS FRANCIS MEAGHER

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1881: The Royal Dublin Fusiliers is formally created by the amalgamation of two British Army regiments in India – the Royal Bombay Fusiliers and Royal Madras Fusiliers . The vast majority of the men who would fight with the Fusiliers came from a catchment area of Dublin and surrounding counties. The regiment was garrisoned in County Kildare. Nicknamed “The Dubs,” the regiment saw battle in many major conflicts including the Boer War and World War I where they fought at Ypres, Arras and Gallipoli. In total seven members of the Fusiliers were awarded the Victory Cross for gallantry. In one of the many ironies of Irish history, “The Dubs” were engaged in combat against fellow Irishmen during the 1916 Rising.

John Dillon, the Irish Party MP and Land League activist who was in Dublin during Easter week, told the House of Commons: I asked Sir John Maxwell himself, “Have you any cause of complaint of the Dublins [the Royal Dublin Fusiliers] who had to go down and fight their own people in the streets of Dublin? Did a single man turn back and betray the uniform he wears?” He told me, “Not a man.”

Following the end of the war and the commencement of the Irish War of Independence a number of disbanded Fusiliers joined the IRA. The regiment formally disbanded in 1922 on Irish Independence.

For Soldiers Stories of the Royal Dublin Fusiliers.

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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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For the Love of Being Irish written by Chicago based Corkman Conor Cunneen and illustrated by Mark Anderson 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 History TODAY IN IRISH HISTORY (published by IrishmanSpeaks)