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1798 The first clashes of the 1798 Rebellion took place in the counties surrounding Dublin on this day. The rebels planned to take control of the major buildings in Dublin, and then the surrounding areas to prevent the British being able to send military reinforcements.
However, the British received a tip-off of the rebels planned strongholds in Dublin and were able to secure those buildings with large numbers of troops. The rebel leaders decided to delay the rebellion, but the message didn’t reach all the leaders and many of the counties surrounding Dublin were stormed by the Irish nationalists.
Read more about the 1798 Rebellion – detailed articles
Click here to read more about Irish history
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1877 Hannah Sheehy-Skeffington was born. She was one of Ireland’s leading suffragettes and peace activists, and devoted her life fighting for the right to vote. It was no easy task.
It’s hard to imagine now that less than a hundred years ago women were not allowed to vote in Ireland and most other countries across the world.
Click for quotes from inspiring Irish women
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1921 The first General Election for the parliament of Northern Ireland general election was held on this day in 1921.
The election was won by James Craig of the Ulster Unionist Party with two thirds of the vote. Sinn Féin leader Éamon de Valera received 20% of the vote.
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1928 William Trevor was born in Cork on this day in 1928. He is considered as one of Ireland’s greatest ever writers. Trevor has written several novels but is most noted for his collections of short stories.
Trevor’s stories typically feature around a main character from a group who go partially unnoticed by their society, such as children or the elderly. Without the influence to change their circumstances, Trevor’s characters create their own alternate world where they have the power and voice to fulfil their dreams.
Trevor has been nominated and winner of numerous awards and prizes throughout his career, and in 2002 he was honoured with the PEN Award for his outstanding contribution to Irish literature.
Click here to read about more Irish writers
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1956 Happy birthday to Sean Kelly, born in Tipperary on this day in 1956. He is one of Ireland’s greatest ever sportsmen, and was the world top cyclists through much of the 1980s. In total, Kelly won 14 stages of the world famous race, the Tour de France in his career.
Click here to read more about Sean Kelly and other top Irish sports stars
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1960 Happy birthday to Packie Bonner, born in Donegal on this day in 1960. Bonner was a professional footballer and played as a goalkeeper for Glasgow Celtic and the Republic of Ireland. Bonner was the first choice goalie for Ireland at the World Cup in 1990 and 1994, the first times they had ever qualified for the finals.
Bonner will forever be remembered for his penalty save against Romania in the knock-out phase of the 1990 World Cup. That save helped Ireland to a penalty shootout win and progression to the quarter-finals of the tournament. Bonner later spoke of the importance of the save saying: “It really wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that that one save changed my life forever, certainly in terms of recognition.”
Click here to read more about Sean Kelly and other top Irish sportsmen and women
Packie Bonner explains why he loves his childhood home of Donegal, and his love of football.
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1999 Waterford Treasures officially opened to the public on this day in 1999. The history museum boasts artefacts from as far back as the ninth century.
The museum was the part of a £4.5m tourism project in the city, and proved to be a big hit with tourists.
Click here to read about more tourist attractions in Waterford
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