Today In Irish History

May 21: 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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WATCH: A Short History of Ireland

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1865: Major General William Hickey

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 was actively involved in Irish politics. He was a member of the Irish Seanad between 1925-1936.

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1945: Mary Robinson is born in Ballina, County Mayo.

Following a distinguished legal and political career, Mary Robinson 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.”

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Mary Robinson Interview

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1981: IRA Hunger Strikers Die

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.

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1997: Dr. Noel Browne

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.

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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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