Today In Irish History

November 8: 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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1847: Dracula author Bram Stoker is born in Dublin.

Bram Stoker 1847-1912

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Stoker was bed-ridden for much of his childhood, but lived a relatively healthy life during his adulthood. Educated at Trinity College, he moved to London in 1878 and married actress Florence Balcombe. Dracula received some praise on its publication. (Sir Arthur Conan Doyle praised it highly) but it was not until the movie Dracula, starring Bela Lugosi opened in 1931 that vampire mania really took off.

“We learn from failure, not from success.” – Bram Stoker

READ: Bram Stoker biography

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1921: Anglo Irish Treaty Negotiations:

British Prime Minister Lloyd George suggests the idea of a boundary commission to the Irish delegation to determine the boundary of Northern Ireland.

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1960: Irish Troops Die in Congo Massacre

Nine Irish peace-keeping troops die in the Niemba massacre in Congo. This was the Irish army’s first overseas role since attaining independence. A total of 26 Irish troops died during the Congo deployment for which they were totally unprepared. Irish troops arrived with heavy wool uniforms and having been advised by Archbishop of Dublin Dr. McQuaid that the Congolese were “a very gentle people.” The Baluba tribesmen of the Congo quickly changed that perception.

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Responding to a book published on the massacre in 2005, Minister for Defence Willie O’Dea outlined what happened.

‘The nine members of the Defence Forces who were killed in the Niemba ambush were the first members of the Defence Forces to lose their lives in battle while serving on a UN mission. This was the largest single loss of life in any one incident in the history of the Defence Forces participation in UN service. The 33rd Battalion was equipped and trained in accordance with prevailing military doctrine at the time.

On 8 November 1960 an 11 man patrol was engaged by Baluba tribesmen and they retreated into the bush, where fighting continued for some time. Nine members of the patrol were killed that day. Two members survived and were found by Irish patrols on 9 and 10 November. Eight of the nine bodies were also recovered over these two days. The ninth body was not located at the time. In the autumn of 1962 the Defence Forces learned that the location of the ninth body was known.”

READ: Niemba Massacre Survivor

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1987:  IRA Bomb Kills 11 in Enniskillen

Remembrance Day in Northern Ireland and another dreadful outrage sees eleven people die as a bomb explodes without warning at the town’s cenotaph where people had gathered to remember the dead from previous wars. In a beautiful act of forgiveness, Gordon Wilson who lost his twenty year old daughter in the incident said ” “I bear no ill will. Dirty sort of talk is not going to bring her back to life. She was a great wee lassie.” And she had a great dad.

No one has ever convicted of the atrocity. A 12^th victim, Ronnie Hill died in 2000 after being in a coma for 13 years.
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READ: Survivor Stephen Ross story

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1990: Mary Robinson – President of Ireland

Mary Robinson

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In what looked to be a totally unlikely result at the start of the campaign, Mary Robinson is elected first female President of Ireland. Robinson served one term and has achieved distinction as a human rights activists and jurist. In 2004, she received Amnesty International’s most prestigious human rights award – Ambassador of Conscience Award – for her work in promoting human rights.

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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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