Irish composer and musician William Vincent Wallace was born in County Waterford on this day in 1812. As a child, he learned to play several instruments, excelling at both violin and piano. At eighteen, he began teaching piano at the Ursuline Convent, where he fell in love with--and eventually married--one of his students. He moved his family to Australia, and in 1836 they … [Read more...] about March 11, 1812
March 10, 1810
Scholar and poet Sir Samuel Ferguson was born in Belfast on this day in 1810. Due to his interest in Irish legends and mythology, he is believed to be a forerunner of William Butler Yeats and the Irish Literary Revival in general. Ferguson studied law at Trinity University, where he supported by contributing to Blackwood's Magazine, and by later writing for Dublin University … [Read more...] about March 10, 1810
September 20, 1803
Irish nationalist Robert Emmet is executed by the British in Dublin on this day in 1803. Born in Co. Cork on March 4, 1778 to a wealthy Protestant family, Emmet attended Trinity College Dublin. After school, he travelled to France and managed to get Napoleon to offer French aid for an Irish rebellion. When the 1798 rebellion by the United Irishmen failed, Emmet attempted to … [Read more...] about September 20, 1803
August 15, 1803
Kilkenny born Edmund Rice opened up his first school in Waterford on August 15th of 1803. Originally a makeshift school for poor boys held in a converted stable on New Street, Rice was forced to move to a more permanent location as the school began to grow. On August 15th, Mount Sion Primary School welcomed its first students. This would be the first school of many future … [Read more...] about August 15, 1803
July 23, 1803
In opposition to the 1800 Acts of Union, Irish nationalist and rebel Robert Emmet returned to Ireland, after attempting to secure aid from the French, to plan a rebellion. On the evening of July 23, 1803, a rising erupted in Dublin. The rebels attempted to seize Dublin Castle, but failed, and the rising only amounted to a large-scale riot. The British military was able to stop … [Read more...] about July 23, 1803