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1900 John Redmond was elected as leader of the Irish Party on this day in 1900. Redmond held the position until his death in 1918, and played a major part in persuading the British government to grant an Irish free state.
He had almost achieved Irish independence with a bill being considered by the British parliament, only for the breakout of World War One to cause it to be suspended.
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1918 The film, Knocknagow was released on this day. It is the silent film of Charles Kickham’s popular 1873 novel. It’s about life in a Tipperary village in 1848. A fascinating look at cinemaogrphy of nearly 100 years ago.
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1949 Jim Sheridan, the six-time Oscar nominated director was born in Dublin on this day in 1949. He made several films, including rapper 50 Cent’s Get Rich or Die Tryin’. His most famous work though, was My Left Foot, for which Brenda Fricker won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress.
Click here to read more about Brenda Fricker
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1959 Happy birthday to Paddy Doherty, born on this day in Manchester in 1959. He is an Irish Traveller who appeared in the 2010 Channel 4 programme, My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding. Doherty was a bare knuckle boxer in the past and also appeared on Danny Dyers Deadliest Men.
After the success of My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding, Doherty was invited to appear on Britain’s Celebrity Big Brother. He was the third person to enter the house and went on to win the competition.
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1971 Robert Curtis was killed by the IRA in Belfast on this day in 1971. He was the first British soldier killed while on duty in Ireland since the 1920s, and his death was the first of many throughout the ‘Troubles’ in Northern Ireland.
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2011 On this day in Malaga, Spain in 2011, Thin Lizzy guitarist Gary Moore died aged 58. The Belfast born rocker enjoyed great success with Thin Lizzy in the 1970s most famously with their hit, The Boys are Back in Town.
As someone said on YouTube ‘There must be some great party going on in heaven with all the legends up there!’.
www.irishmusicdaily.com/blog/gary-moore-an-irish-music-legend
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2012 Noel Kelehan died on this day in 2012 in Dublin. He was an orchestra conductor and worked with Irish artists at the Eurovision Song Contest for more than 30 years.
Kelehan conducted the orchestra for five winning Irish acts. He also conducted for other countries at the contest on occasions. When he retired in 1999, the organisers of the Eurovision Song Contest discontinued the use of an orchestra for future entrants.
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