October 24, 1945

The United Nations was born in Washington, D.C. on this day in 1945. During a short ceremony, representatives from a total of 29 nations ratified the UN charter which declared that nations work together to uphold human rights and work together to overcome social, economic, humanitarian and political challenges. Formed in the wake of World War II, Ireland was at first denied access to the UN on the grounds that the country took a neutral stance during the war and did not aid the Allied forces. Ireland was accepted into the UN ten years later, in 1955. Although Ireland did not join NATO, they became an active nation, contributing Irish Defence Forces to UN peace-keeping missions in Congo, Cyprus, Lebanon and Bosnia and Herzegovina.