June 26: TODAY in Irish History:
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Image of JFK in For the Love of Being Irish: An A-Z of Ireland.
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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1938: Douglas Hyde – First President of Ireland
Douglas Hyde First President of Ireland
Douglas Hyde is inaugurated as first President of Ireland. The President is primarily an honorary position with little executive power. The leader of the Irish Government is the Taoiseach.
- Douglas Hyde following his inauguration
Hyde was an ardent supporter of the Irish language and was one of the founders of the Gaelic League in 1893, an organization dedicated to the preservation of Irish culture and language, something which had been decimated during the previous two hundred years. TheJournal.ie has a wonderful set of images of Hyde’s Inauguration.
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1963: Kennedy’s Ich bin ein Berliner Speech
President Kennedy makes his famous Ich bin ein Berliner speech at the Berlin Wall in front of hundreds of thousands of West Berliners desperate for some hope in a divided city. Historians and German grammarians like to debate whether Kennedy goofed with his famous phrase and whether the word “ein” should have been included. Apparently “ein Berliner” is a colloquial reference to a “jelly donut,” so the literal translation may have been “I am a jelly donut” !! It is an interesting humorous aside to one of Kennedy’s finest speeches, the bulk of which was crafted as usual by his Counselor and speech writer Ted Sorensen who in the video below is the tall bespectacled man behind Kennedy.
KENNEDY VISITS IRELAND FOLLOWING BERLIN SPEECH.
Following his visit to Berlin which had real geo-political rationale and impact, Kennedy indulged himself by visiting Ireland for four days. In his wildest dreams, he could not have expected the tumultuous reception he received. At a time when presidential cavalcades were still relatively informal, the access which the Irish people had to Kennedy now seems quite incredible.
Shortly after 8.00pm on June 26th, Kennedy disembarked from Air Force One at Dublin Airport to be greeted by President Eamonn De Valera. After formal ceremonies and introduction, Kennedy travelled in an open top Lincoln into Dublin and the residence of the Irish President. He was not accompanied by Jackie Kennedy who was heavily pregnant with an infant son who would die shortly after birth.
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For many years following his visit and tragic death, as the Camelot legend grew, it seemed almost every home in Ireland hung a three picture montage of JFK, Pope John XXIII and Jackie Kennedy.
Image of JFK in For the Love of Being Irish: An A-Z of Ireland via History, Humor and Verse.
Image of JFK in For the Love of Being Irish: An A-Z of Ireland.
Buy Author Signed Copy of For the Love of Being Irish today.
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1991: Maguire Seven Convictions overturned.
The Court of Appeal overturns the sentences on the Maguire Seven. In 2005, Prime Minister Tony Blair apologized unreservedly for what happened. “I am very sorry that they were subject to such an ordeal and such an injustice. “They deserve to be completely and publicly exonerated.”
About the Maguire Seven
Forced (beaten) confessions, contaminated forensic kits, a rush to justice following IRA atrocities on the British mainland and sloppy police practices ensured that Anne Maguire, her husband Patrick, sons Vincent 17, Patrick 14, a brother, brother-in-law and a family friend are found guilty of possessing explosives at their London Home and passing them on to the IRA. Anne Maguire received the most severe sentence of fourteen years imprisonment although it could be said her brother-in-law Giuseppe Conlon received a life sentence as he died in prison in 1990 proclaiming an innocence that would not become official until 1991.
In the preface to Annie Maguire’s book Miscarriage of Justice, Cardinal Basil Hume, Archbishop of Westminster writes of Anne Maguire “she is, as far as I am concerned, a very exceptional woman whom it has been a privilege to get to know.”
- Anne Maguire
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Read: Maguire Seven Guilty
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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
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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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