Posts tagged ‘ian paisley’

  |   Newer Entries »
April 6,

Arrest of Oscar Wilde. Ian Paisley and Gerry Adams on this day in Irish History

April 6: TODAY in Irish History (by IrishmanSpeaks) Twitter Icon

1895: Oscar Wilde is arrested after losing his libel case against the Marquess of Queensbury. Married to Constance Lloyd and father of two children Cyril (1885-1915) and Vyvyan (1886-1967), Wilde was also conducting an ongoing affair with Lord Alfred “Bosie”  Douglas, the third son of the Marquess of Queensbury.  When the outraged Marquess called Wilde a homosexual, the Irish playwright took the silly decision to sue for libel. He lost, was arrested for homosexuality (then a crime) and sentenced to two years hard labor for gross indecency. Jail broke his spirit and a lonely, desolate, poverty striken  Wilde died in Paris in 1900 at age 46.

Oscar Wilde image in For the Love of Being Irish

Oscar Wilde image in For the Love of Being Irish

1926: Ian Paisley, Moderator and minister of the Free Presbyterian Church,  and dominating voice of reactionary loyalist emotion for most of the latter part of the twentieth century is born in Armagh. Paisley first came to prominence in the 1960s organizing demonstrations and loyalist paramilitary groups that often bordered on the edge of legality.

Ian Paisley

Cover image of Clifford Smith book on Ian Paisley

In 1969, Paisley was jailed along for organizing an illegal counter-demonstration against a Northern Ireland Civil Rights Association march in Armagh. His bullying personality and robust  anti-papist rhetoric made him a hero amongst working class protestants. Over a period of time, the big man mellowed from one who was a leader architect of the downfall of the Sunningdale power sharing agreement to joining in government with life long foe (and alleged former IRA leader) Martin McGuinness. On 8 May 2007 Paisley was elected as First Minister of Northern Ireland with Martin McGuinness as the deputy First Minister.

2005: Sinn Féin President Gerry Adams MP made a direct appeal to the men and women of the IRA to commit themselves to purely political and democratic activity.

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

BUY Quality Quality Guinness and Ireland Rugby Shirts
Guinness Rugby Shirts - Brilliant!Rugby Shirt - Ireland


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

Posted in Today in Irish History | 5 Comments »

Tags: , , , ,
January 14,

Sean Lemass and Terence O’Neill Meet

January 14: TODAY IN IRISH HISTORY (published by IrishmanSpeaks)

1922: Provisional Government set up by pro-Treaty TDs. Michael Collins is elected Leader of the government.

1965: The Taoiseach of Ireland (Sean Lemass) and the Prime Minister of Northern Ireland (Terence O’Neill) meet for the first time since the partition of Ireland in 1922. It was a truly historic meeting that began a thaw in relations between the two states. The meeting at Stormont Castle of two distrustful parties was so momentous and prone to disruption that it was not announced prior to the event. The meeting evoked generally positive reaction in the Republic but caused major problems for O’Neill. While moderate unionists supported talks on non-constitutional issues such as co-operation on tourism, the meeting did not sit well with Protestant fundamentalist like Rev. Ian Paisley who saw it as the start of a sell out. O’Neill paid a reciprocal visit to Dublin in February.

Terence O'Neill and Sean Lemass

The smiles of Terence O'Neill and Sean Lemass hid years of distrust between North and South.

Sean Lemass had a strong republican background. Born in Dublin in 1899, he participated in the 1916 Rising, fighting in the GPO (General Post Office). He was also in the Irish Republican Army during the War of Independence. He was arrested in 1920 and interned for a year. He joined with De Valera on the anti-treaty side and was in the Four Courts as second in command at the start of the Civil War.

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

BUY Quality Quality Guinness and Ireland Rugby Shirts
Guinness Rugby Shirts - Brilliant!Rugby Shirt - Ireland

Your editor is an Accredited Speaker

Editor of Today in Irish History, Conor Cunneen is just the 63rd person in the history of Toastmasters International to be awarded Accredited Speaker designation. As a Chicago based professional speaker, this Irishman’s client base ranges from Harley-Davidson to Helsinki, from Memphis to Madrid as he Energizes, Educates and Entertains his audience to grow their business, people, teamwork and productivity. Here is a clip of Conor in action that might just get you wondering about his Irish brogue!

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

Posted in Today in Irish History | 3 Comments »

Tags: , , , ,
  |   Newer Entries »