The second stage of the Tour de France takes place for the first time in Ireland and ends on July 13, 1998 in Cork. A crowd of almost 50,000 people turn out to watch this historic event. The race was won by Italian Marco Pantani, with German Jan Ullrich taking second and American Bobby Julich finishing in third. … [Read more...] about July 13, 1998
June 8, 1998
Irish playwright Martin McDonagh's debut play "The Beauty Queen of Leenane" wins four Tony awards for its 1998 Broadway production. Director Garry Hynes wins for best director, the first woman to do so at the Tonys. Marie Mullen wins best actress. Annie Manahan wins best supporting actress and Tom Murphy wins best supporting actor. The success of "The Beauty Queen of Leenane" … [Read more...] about June 8, 1998
The Dawn of a New Peace
HISTORIC NI AGREEMENT GIVES HOPE FOR FUTURE: Deaglán de Bréadún, Northern Editor of The Irish Times, describes an epic week in the history of the North of Ireland culminating in the historic peace deal. ℘℘℘ I have been privileged to cover two truly epic stories in my career as a journalist. One was the mass migration of the Kurds from northern Iraq into Iran and Turkey … [Read more...] about The Dawn of a New Peace
March 5, 1998
Irish drug baron and gangster George "The Penguin" Mitchell was arrested in Amsterdam on this day in 1998, after being caught stealing five million pounds worth of computer parts. A native of Ballyfermot in Dublin, he became involved with associates of the murdered gangland boss Martin "The General'' Cahill, and participated in a number of their robberies. He moved from Dublin … [Read more...] about March 5, 1998
March 2, 1998
The Kerry Bog Pony, an old Mountain and Mooreland breed (aka the "hobby") originating in the south-west of Ireland, received its official "passport" from Weatherbys on this day in 1998. This breed of pony was traditionally used for light work on small farms. Its presence in Ireland began to wane during the famine, and then further during the Napoleonic Wars, when British … [Read more...] about March 2, 1998