Posts tagged ‘irish writers’

March 15,

Bono Inducts Bruce Springsteen to Rock n Roll Hall of Fame – The Burning of Bridget Cleary at Today in Irish History

March 15: TODAY in Irish History:

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Land of Hope and Dreams by Greg Lewis, Moira Sharkey

Our favorite “Irish” rock artist

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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1767: President Andrew Jackson

Birth of Andrew Jackson, seventh President of the United States. Jackson’s father was from County Antrim who emigrated in 1765. The original Jackson homestead in Ireland was demolished in 1860, but a similar building is available for viewing at the Andrew Jackson Centre in Carrickfergus.

Andrew Jackson
Andrew Jackson

Jackson served as President 1829-1837. See biography of Andrew Jackson at Whitehouse.gov.

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1852: Lady Gregory

Birth of co-founder of the Abbey Theatre, Lady Gregory in County Galway. Lady Gregory (born Isabella Augusta Persse) was a playwright and folklorist, who along with William Butler Yeats was responsible for the Irish literary revival. Yeats called her 1902 work Cuchulain of Muirthemne “the best book that has ever come out of Ireland.”

Lady Gregory
Lady Gregory

Lady Gregory wrote over fifty plays, the most famous of which is probably The Rising of the Moon about the escape of an Irish prisoner. In John Ford’s 1957 movie of the same name, the play featured as one of three short stories.

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1895: The Burning of Bridget Cleary

Bridget Cleary is burned to death by her husband Michael who believed her spirit had been taken by bad faeries and replaced with a changeling. The horrific case dominated media in Ireland and UK during the trial. Reports of the incident suggest that her husband (who was sentenced to 15 years for manslaughter) was the one who was not mentally sound shouting “It is not Bridget I am burning” during the horrific incident.

“I saw Cleary throw lamp-oil on her. When she was burning, she turned to me” (imagine that face of woe!) “and called out, ‘Oh, Han, Han!’ I endeavoured to get out for the peelers. My brother William went up into the other room and fell in a weakness, and my mother threw Easter water over him. Bridget Cleary was all this time burning on the hearth, and the house was full of smoke and smell. I had to go up to the room, I could not stand it. Cleary then came up into the room where we were and took away a large sack bag. He said, ‘Hold your tongue, Hannah, it is not Bridget I am burning. You will soon see her go up into the chimney.’ ”

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READ: The Burning of Bridget Cleary

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1999: Bruce Springsteen Inducted to Rock n Roll Hall of Fame

The Boss playing Dublin

The Boss playing Dublin

Irish American Bruce Springsteen – THE Boss is inducted into the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame. He was introduced by Bono. Six years later, Springsteen would return the favor when inducting U2 into the Hall of Fame.

Springsteen’s acceptance speech was as one would expect from a master entertainer – entertaining.

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To read more about Springsteen and his Irish connection, read

Land of Hope and Dreams by Greg Lewis, Moira Sharkey

To PURCHASE: Land of Hope and Dreams

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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)

   

March 10,

Actor Barry Fitzgerald – Author Frank O’Connor – Comic Dave Allen at Today in Irish History

March 10: TODAY in Irish History:

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Dublin born character actor Barry Fitzgerald

Dublin born Barry Fitzgerald

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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1810: Sir Samuel Ferguson Born

Birth in Belfast of poet and antiquarian Sir Samuel Ferguson (d.1886). Ferguson had a strong interest in ancient Irish history and mythology.

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Ferguson’s major work, the long poem Congal was published in 1872 and a third volume, Poems in 1880. In 1882, he was elected President of the Royal Irish Academy.

At a speech honoring the bi-centenary of his birth in 2010, Belfast Lord Mayor Cllr. Naomi Long said “Samuel Ferguson was deeply interested in antiquities, and wrote many papers for the Royal Irish Academy, becoming its President in 1882. His work reorganising the Public Records of Ireland earned him a knighthood in 1878.”

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READ: Belfast Honors Sir Samuel Ferguson

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FREE Download: The Poetry of Sir Samuel Ferguson

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1888: Actor Barry Fitzgerald is born William Joseph Shields in Dublin.

Dublin Born Barry Fitzgerald

Dublin Born Barry Fitzgerald

Barry Fitzgerald is the ONLY actor in Hollywood history to be nominated for Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor for the same role, something he achieved as Father Fitzgibbon in the 1944 movie Going My Way with Bing Crosby.

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Barry Fitzgerald and Bing Crosby in Going My Way

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1966: Death of Author Frank O’Connor 

Frank O’Connor was born Michael Francis O’Connor O’Donovan in the “Real Capital!” – Cork in 1903.

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Frank O’Connor 1903-1966

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O’Connor’s memoir An Only Child is an evocative work detailing his upbringing in poverty in his native Cork. He fought in the Irish War of Independence and supported the anti-Treaty side in 1922 for which he was interned for a period of time. O’Connor served as a director of the Abbey Theatre, Dublin, in the 1930s, collaborating on many of its productions.

O’Connor’s writing on His First Confession is pure comedy as he tells the priest he planned to kill his grandmother because “she’s an awful woman… she takes porter, father, and snuff , father.”

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2005: Dave Allen – Comedian

dave allen irish born comic

Dave Allen 1936-2005

Death of Irish comedian Dave Allen (born David O’Mahoney 1936 in Dublin.) Allen was an irreverent comic who found fame in the UK, regularly poking  fun at the political and religious establishment.

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READ: Obituary Dave Allen

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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)