Posts tagged ‘de valera’

June 24,

Irish born Lord Kitchener – Lloyd George Writes to De Valera at Today in Irish History

June 24: 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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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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1850: Birth of Field Marshal Horatio Herbert Kitchener in Ballylongford, County Kerry.

Kitchener was the son of Lt. Col. Henry Horatio Kitchener who settled in Ireland under a scheme to encourage the purchase of land after the recent potato famine. The father was an unpopular tenant-evicting landlord. The young Kitchener was commissioned into the Royal Engineers on 4 January 1871.

Kitchener saw active service in numerous British colonial conflicts: Africa, where he achieved fame as Lord Kitchener of Khartoum; the Boer War where he conducted an aggressive campaign herding many Boer civilians into concentration camps, and India. At the outset of World War I, he was appointed Secretary of State for War.

The iconic Kitchener poster stating “Your Country Needs You” means he will never be forgetten.

Irish born Lord Kitchener

Kitchener was one of a number of high-profile English military personnel born in Ireland, the most famous being the Duke of Wellington.l

Kitchener died in 1916, when the HMS Hampshire carrying him to negotiations with Russia was sunk by a German mine.

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READ: Detailed biography of Lord Kitchener

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1921: Lloyd George writes to De Valera on Negotiations

British Prime Minister David Lloyd George writes to Irish leader Eamonn De Valera inviting him to a conference in London “to end the ruinous conflict which has for centuries divided Ireland and embittered the relations of the peoples of these two islands, who ought to live in neighbourly harmony.” The invitation would ultimately result in the cessation of violence related to the War of Independence with the signing of the Anglo-Irish Treaty in December 1921, a treaty that would result in the Irish involved in another vicious conflict this time against each other in the Irish Civil War.

Letter from Lloyd George to De Valera.

Sir,

The British Government are deeply anxious that, so far as they can assure it, the King’s appeal for reconciliation in Ireland shall not have been made in vain. Rather than allow yet another opportunity of settlement in Ireland to be cast aside, they felt it incumbent upon them to make a final appeal, in the spirit of the King’s words, for a conference between themselves and the representatives of Southern and Northern Ireland, I write, therefore, to convey the following invitation to you as the chosen leader of the great majority in Southern Ireland, and to Sir James Craig, the Premier of Northern Ireland:

(1) That you should attend a conference here in London, in company with Sir James Craig, to explore to the utmost the possibility of a settlement.

(2) That you should bring with you for the purpose any colleagues whom you may select. The Government will, of course, give a safe conduct to all who may be chosen to participate in the conference.

We make this invitation with a fervent desire to end the ruinous conflict which has for centuries divided Ireland and embittered the relations of the peoples of these two islands, who ought to live in neighbourly harmony with each other, and whose co-operation would mean so much not only to the Empire but to humanity.

We wish that no endeavour should be lacking on our part to realise the King’s prayer, and we ask you to meet us, as we will meet you, in the spirit of conciliation for which His Majesty appealed.

I am, Sir, Your obedient servant,
D. Lloyd George

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WATCH: A Short History of Ireland

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

Irish gift ideas. Best selling Irish booksRonnie Drew and Luke Kelly - Musical Irish Gifts to the worldJoyce Image in For the Love of Being IrishMichael Collins: Image from 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.

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)

   

June 13,

William Butler Yeats – De Valera Taoiseach – Tim Russert at Today in Irish History

June 13: TODAY in Irish History:

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W. B. Yeats

W. B. Yeats illustration in                               For the Love of Being Irish

Snippets of Irish History by Conor Cunneen IrishmanSpeaks 

Conor is a Chicago based Motivational Humorous Business Speaker, Author and History buff.

***********************
WATCH: A Short History of Ireland

***********************

NEW                    NEW

Product Details

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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1865: W. B. Yeats

Birth of William Butler Yeats in Dublin, the son of painter John Butler Yeats. He spent much of his childhood in County Sligo which was a huge source of inspiration for him, not least the beautiful Lake Isle of Inisfree.

In For the Love of Being Irish, author Conor Cunneen writes:

WB Yeats in For the Love of Being Irish

Illustration of W.B. Yeats in        For the Love of Being Irish

YouTube has the following  radio recording of Yeats presenting this great poem and explaining how he came up with idea for Inisfree.

Yeats was a major player in the Celtic Revival which endevored (successfully) to raise awareness of the culture of Ireland, much of which had been decimated by English rule. His personal and political life was as interesting as his poetry. The love of his life Irish revolutionary Maud Gonne rebuked his marriage proposals on a number of occasions although they were lovers.

Yeats is buried in Drumcliff, County Sligo.

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1951: Dev becomes Taoiseach

Eamonn De Valera becomes Taoiseach for the second time a position he had previously held between 1937-1948. De Valera was (is) a divisive figure in Irish politics. He fought in the 1916 rebellion, but spent much of the War of Independence in America garnering funds and support for an independent Ireland. He and his supporters voted against the Anglo-Irish Treaty precipitating a vicious civil war that saw the death of the other 20th century giant of Irish politics Michael Collins. A strong believer in the purity of Irish culture (even though he was New York born) and “maidens dancing at the crossroads,” his most infamous moment was when he offered condolences to Germany on the death of Adolf Hitler. His decision to maintain Ireland’s neutrality during World War II made him something of a pariah among the Allies. Whether his views on neutrality were purely philosophical or purely anti-British is difficult to discern.  Politically, a vote to fight with Britain irrespective of the validity of the cause would have been hard for many Irish to bear less than a generation after the 1916 execution, the War of Independence and the the horror of the Black and Tans.

William Butler Yeats was one of those not totally convinced by De Valera “I was rather disappointed—A living argument rather than a living man, all propaganda, no human life, but not bitter hysterical or unjust…… He will fail through not having enough human life to judge the life of others.”

In For the Love of Being Irish, author Conor Cunneen quotes JFK’s humorous reference to De Valera and their respective ancestry when he spoke in Dail Eireann.

Illustration of JFK by Mark Anderson in For the Love of Being Irish

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2008: Death of  TV and political journalist Tim Russert Russert. In 1950 he was born in Buffalo, New York to Irish American Catholic parents.

Tim Russert 1950-2008

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shamrockshamrockshamrockshamrockshamrockshamrockshamrockshamrock

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WATCH: A Short History of Ireland

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

Irish gift ideas. Best selling Irish booksRonnie Drew and Luke Kelly - Musical Irish Gifts to the worldJoyce Image in For the Love of Being IrishMichael Collins: Image from For the Love of Being Irish

___________________________________

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.

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)