Joe Doherty, former member of the Provisional Irish Republican Army, killed Captain Herbert Westmacott, the highest ranking member of the British Army to be killed in Northern Ireland. Doherty was caught and tried in May 1981. However, he managed to escape Crumlin Road Jail just before the court convicted him with life imprisonment. Doherty managed to flee to America. In June … [Read more...] about February 19, 1992
November 7, 1990
Tom Clancy of The Clancy Brothers died on this day in Cork in 1990. After moving to New York with his brother Patrick Clancy, the two found work as off-Broadway actors. In 1955, Liam Clancy joined his brothers Tom and Patrick in New York, along with his friend Tommy Makem. They began singing together and became The Clancy Brothers in 1959. The group was very successful … [Read more...] about November 7, 1990
July 1, 1990
The Republic of Ireland national football team's longest running winning streak comes to an end on this day in 1990, after being defeated by Italy 0-1 in the quarter final round of the 1990 FIFA World Cup. 1990 marked Ireland's best year for football. They won games against Spain, Northern Ireland, Hungary, Malta and Romania, with draws against England, Egypt and Holland. The … [Read more...] about July 1, 1990
December 22, 1989
On this day in 1989, Irish playwright Samuel Beckett died. Following his wife Suzanne's death in July of that same year, Beckett was confined to a nursing home suffering from emphysema and Parkinson's. He died at the age of 83. Beckett was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1969. His wife viewed the award as a "catastrophe," fearing the fame and attention it would … [Read more...] about December 22, 1989
November 5, 1987
On this day in 1987, Irish television broadcaster Eamonn Andrews died in London at the age of 64. Andrews was best known as the presenter for the popular BBC television show, "This Is Your Life," in which celebrities and important figures were taken through a history of his or her life. Andrews hosted the show from 1955-1964 and then again from 1969-1987. He was also famous for … [Read more...] about November 5, 1987