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1918 Constance Markievicz became the first woman elected to the British Parliament on this day in 1918.
She was one of 73 Sinn Féiners to take the 105 available Irish seats. The party based their campaign on working for an independent Irish Republic and captured the spirit of the nation.
Irish patriotism was at an all-time high, with the Easter Rising still fresh in public minds and the country about to enter into a War of Independence.
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1960 Aer Lingus received delivery of three new Boeing 720 planes on this day in 1960. The new aircrafts were for use of trans-Atlantic flights from Dublin to New York and Boston. It was a significant step in the growth of the tourism industry in Ireland. Now, more than 800,000 Americans visit Ireland each year.
Click here to read about some of the best places to visit in Ireland
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1972 Happy birthday to Jason Barry, born in Dublin on this day in 1972. He is an actor who will be recognisable to many as Tommy Ryan, the Northern Irish third class passenger on the Titanic from the 1997 smash movie. Barry has also appeared in several other films and television programmes including the popular RTÉ drama Love/Hate.
Click here to read about more Irish actors
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1973 Happy birthday to Pat Burke, born in Dublin on this day in 1973. He moved to America as a young child, and was raised in Ohio. Burke had his dream of playing in the NBA dashed in 1997, when he failed to get a contract with any team at the Auburn University draft.
He moved to Europe and played in the Spanish and Greek leagues, before fulfilling his dream in 2002 when he signed for Orlando Magic. Burke played for the Magic for a year before returning to Europe. He later played in the NBA again for the Phoenix Suns.
Burke was the first Irishman to appear in the NBA and has represented Ireland on numerous occasions.
Click here to read about more top Irish sports stars
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1982 Garret Fitzgerald was elected Taoiseach on this day in 1982.
He was leader of Fine Gael and served as the country’s leader for four and a half years.
His term was generally unpopular with the public due to high unemployment levels, as the government struggled to find ways to reduce the national debt, and kick-start the economy.
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1984 Happy birthday to Chris Brunt, born in Belfast on this day in 1984. He is a professional footballer who has played in the English Premier League for several years. Brunt has been a key player for West Bromwich Albion since he joined from Sheffield Wednesday in 2007. He took over the WBA captaincy in 2011 and has played for Northern Ireland more than 40 times, scoring his first goal in 2009.
Many Irish football experts use Brunt as a prime example of a quality player from Northern Ireland that would be a major asset to an ‘All-Ireland’ side. If the two countries played as one team, as they do in rugby, then Ireland would have a greater pool of players to pick from, and ultimately stand more chance of reaching major tournaments.
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