The Sunningdale Agreement was signed on this day in 1973 by British Prime Minister Edward Heath, Irish premier Liam Cosgrave, and representatives of the Unionist, Social Democratic, Labour and Alliance parties of Northern Ireland. The agreement set up a Council of Ireland made up of a board and a power-sharing Consultative Assembly. The council's primary focus was to give the … [Read more...] about December 9, 1973
March 14, 1973
Liam Cosgrave was elected Taoiseach of Ireland on this day in 1973. Cosgrave joined Fine Gael when he was only 17, speaking at his first public meeting that same year. When he was just 23, he sought election to Dáil Éireann in the 1943 general election, and was elected as a Teachta Dála for Dublin County. His father, W. T. Cosgrave, was one of the founders of the Irish Free … [Read more...] about March 14, 1973
June 19, 1972
June 19, 1972 marks the commission of the LE Deirdre, a naval offshore patrol ship. The L.E. Deirdre, which was the first ship purpose-built in Ireland to patrol Irish waters, and its launch on January 21, 1972, marks a significant milestone in the development of Ireland's Navy. … [Read more...] about June 19, 1972
January 30, 1972
On this day in 1972, great tragedy struck Derry, Northern Ireland in an event which history would remember as Bloody Sunday. Twenty-six unarmed protesters were shot by the British Army during a Nothern Ireland Civil Rights Association march. A total of fourteeen were killed, the marjority of whom were under the age of 25 at the time. The tragedy was highly publicized due to the … [Read more...] about January 30, 1972
October 10, 1971
Roy Keane, Ireland's biggest football star to date, was born on this day in 1971 in Cork. Keane played for Cobh Ramblers, Nottingham Forest and Manchester United during his career. He ended his career in 2006 while playing for Glasgow Celtic. Keane had a long run representing the Republic of Ireland team, both playing and as their captain for almost 14 years. He played in the … [Read more...] about October 10, 1971