Australian explorer Robert O'Hara Burke, born in Co. Galway, died on this day in 1861. Burke, who had migrated to Australia in 1853 after a short military and police career, and was appointed to lead the Victorian Exploring Expedition in 1860. He partnered with William John Wills as surveyor and the party set out with the goal of discovering a south to north route through … [Read more...] about June 28, 1861
April 12, 1861
On this day in 1861, the first official shots of the American Civil War were fired. The short battle, which took place at Union-held Fort Sumter in Charleston, South Carolina, marked the beginning of the war, though it was not the first unofficial battle to occur. The skirmish lasted for 34 hours and resulted in U.S. Major Robert Anderson’s surrender of the fort to Confederate … [Read more...] about April 12, 1861
January 7, 1861
Irish-American poet, essayist and editor, Louise Imogen Guiney was born in Roxbury, Massachusetts. She was the daughter of Irish-born Civil War officer Gen. Patrick R. Guiney. … [Read more...] about January 7, 1861
January 17, 1860
Born in Castlerea, Co. Roscommon on this day in 1860, Douglas Hyde would become a champion of the Irish language and the first Irish President. After attending Trinity College Dublin and becoming fluent in French, Latin, German, Greek and Hebrew, Hyde went on to establish the Gaelic League with the hope of saving Irish from extinction. He became a professor of Irish at … [Read more...] about January 17, 1860
March 17, 1858
The Irish Republican Brotherhood (IRB) was founded in Dublin by James Stephens on this day 1858. After the collapse of the 1848 rebellion, James Stephens and John O'Mahony fled to Europe to avoid being arrested. In 1856, he made returned to Ireland. O'Mahony had moved to America in 1853 and begun the Emmet Monument Association. He contacted Stephens, asking him to start a … [Read more...] about March 17, 1858