May 21: TODAY in Irish History:
_______________________________________________________________________
Today in Irish History: Curated by Conor Cunneen IrishmanSpeaks
Chicago Motivational Humorous Business Speaker, Author and History buff. 
_____________________________________________________________________________
ON THIS DAY
1865: Birth of William Bernard Hickey in Co. Tipperary. He would go on to become a Major General in the British Army and fight with distinction during WWI.
Hickie commanded the Royal Munster Fusiliers when it landed in France December 1915 and led it during the battles of the Somme, 1916, at Messines and ‘Third Ypres’ in 1917.
Following the treaty and the disbandment of the Fusiliers, he became actively involved in Irish politics. He was a member of the Irish Seanad between 1925-1936.
Major General William Hickie 1865-1950
.
1945: Mary Robinson is born in Ballina, County Mayo. Following a distinguished legal and political career, she would be elected Ireland’s first woman President on December 3, 1990. In 1997, Robinson became the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights. Her dedication to human rights has seen her win numerous awards including Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian honor awarded by the United States. This award was criticized by many pro-Israel supporters who perceive Robinson’s support for disadvantaged Palestinians to be anti-Zionist. Robinson did not take the criticism lying done ““There’s a lot of bullying by certain elements of the Jewish community. They bully people who try to address the severe situation in Gaza and the West Bank. Archbishop Desmond Tutu gets the same criticism.”
Mary Robinson – Presidential Medal of Honor
.
1981: Two more IRA hunger strikers – Raymond McCreesh and Patsy O’Hara – die in the Maze Prison as the protest for political status continues. Bobby Sands was the first hunger striker to die on May 5. In total , ten men would die on hunger strike.
.
1997: Death of Dr. Noel Browne, former Labour Minister for Health and a progressive who took on (and was savaged) by the Irish Catholic Church when he attempted to introduce the Mother and Child Scheme in 1951 which proposed the introduction of free maternity care for all mothers and free healthcare for all children up to the age of sixteen.
Conservative elements in the Catholic Church led by the Archbishop of Dublin John Charles McQuaid railed against legislation that interfered with the parents’ right to provide their own healthcare. The fact that most Irish did not have the income to do so failed to register on McQuaid’s radar who believed this was the start of socialism and also believed it could pave the way for state supporter contraception.
Forced to resign as the might of the Irish Catholic Church came down on him, Browne continued as a progressive voice in Irish politics for decades.
Dr. Noel Browne 1915-1997
.
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.
___________________________________
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 IrishmanSpeaksto 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)
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.
___________________________________
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 IrishmanSpeaksto 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 