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1718 John Gore was born on this day in 1718. He was a skilled politician and knowledgeable in law, and became Lord Chief Justice of the King’s Bench for Ireland, one of the most powerful men in the country. Gore was granted the title Baron Annaly and was elected Speaker of the Irish House of Lords.
He married Frances Wingfield but they had no children so when Gore died in 1784, there was no one to carry on the Baron Annaly title and it disappeared, despite being briefly revived by his brother.
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1871 British Prime Minister William Gladstone first acknowledged the mood of the Irish people and their desire for Home Rule on this day in 1871, when he broached the subject during a speech in the House of Commons.
The desire of the Irish people for greater autonomy – which ranged from those who wanted Home Rule to those who wanted total independence – continued to grow over the next few decades resulting in the Easter Rising, the War of Independence and the Civil War.
Click here to read more about the Easter Rising
Click here to read more about the Irish War of Independence
Click here to read more about the Irish Civil War
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1914 Patrick Pearse gave a Commemoration address for Robert Emmet in Brooklyn, New York. Emmet was executed in 1803.
Read his story; Robert Emmet – romantic hero from a failed rebellion
Robert Emmet Speech from the dock on the eve of his execution + recording of the speech
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1948 Rory Gallagher was born on this day in County Donegal in 1948. He was a brilliant blues rock guitarist and sold more than 30 million albums worldwide. In 1972 he was named International Guitarist of the Year.
Many of the world’s best guitar players name Gallagher as one of their inspirations, including The Edge from U2, Brian May of Queen and Slash of Guns n’ Roses.
The Times, 16 June 1995 called him an ‘uncompromisingly serious musician.’
Rory Gallagher performing at Montreux in 1979.
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1979 Happy birthday to Damien Duff, born on this day in Dublin in 1979. Duff is a professional footballer who plays for Fulham in the English Premier League. Duff won the title two years running with Chelsea in 2005 and 2006, playing under José Mourinho. He played for the Republic of Ireland at the 2002 World Cup Finals in Japan and South Korea, where he scored a goal in the 3-0 win over Saudi Arabia.
In total Duff appeared 100 times for his country, scoring eight goals before retiring from international football in 2012.
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1979 Christy Ring died on this day in 1979. He was an amateur hurler, and considered by many as the most talented player in the history of the game. Ring won eight All-Ireland Senior Championships and three National Hurling League, all with his home town side, Cork.
He was named in the Hurling Team of the Century and Hurling Team of the Millennium by the Gaelic Athletic Association.
Christy Ring gave this advice to young players;
1. Develop the greatest possible strength in your arms;
2. Practice swift pucking and striking;
3. Never hit the ball for the sake of hitting it – deliver it to the right place. To strengthen your arms you must play the ball on the ground – a soft ball that is hard to hit far. One day you might hit the ball ten yards, then twenty but the day will come when you’ll drive it 80 yards. You’ll drive it that length consistently but you can’t do it without making your arms good and strong.
Two hurling Legends, Christy Ring and Mick Mackey – an RTE broadcast.
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1999 Dusty Springfield (real name Mary Isabel Catherine Bernadette O’Brien) OBE died on this day, 2 March 1999. Her mother’s family were from Co Kerry. She was a singer and a major white soul artist with a distinct sensual sound – she had a unique look with a peroxide blonde bouffant hairstyle and heavy make-up, and usually appeared wearing ball gowns. She made a big impact on the American market and became an icon of the Swinging Sixties.
She recorded the album ‘Dusty in Memphis’ in Memphis, Tennessee with Atlantic Records, to improve her authority as a soul singer. It was released in 1969 and was voted as one of the greatest albums of all time by the US magazine Rolling Stone. From 1963 to 1970, she had 18 singles in the Billboard Hot 100.
Here’s Dusty Springfield with You Don’t Have To Say You Love Me
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2001 On this day in 2001, Bill Whelan was honoured with the IMRO Lifetime Achievement Award. The ceremony took place at Dublin Castle and Whelan was presented with the award by Taoiseach Bertie Ahern. Whelan has worked with the best musicians to come out of Ireland in the last 50 years. He has produced albums for U2, The Dubliners, Planxty and Van Morrison to name a few.
Whelan also composed the music for Riverdance, which was performed at the 1994 Eurovision Song Contest and received such a positive response that it was turned into a worldwide tour.
Eurovision Song Contest 1994 – Interval Act – ‘Riverdance’.
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2001 The foot and mouth crisis continued in Ireland on this day in 2001. America banned the import of any Irish meat following France’s lead, and the Philippine government ordered that 1,000 boxes of Irish beef be returned.
The Dáil moved to try and prevent any more spread of the disease amongst the countries livestock, by sealing off three farms in Monaghan and closing an abattoir in Kildare.
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