Three time Olympic gold medalist and Irish swimmer Michelle de Bruin was stripped of her swimming records on this day in 1999 and was officially banned from swimming competitively for four years after it was discovered that she had tampered with a required urine sample. De Bruin was suspected by many as having taken performance-enhancing drugs and the ban effectively ended her … [Read more...] about July 16, 1999
Today In History
July 14, 1999
Fidelma Macken, former judge of the Supreme Court of Ireland, became the first woman ever appointed to the European Court of Justice on this day in 1999. Macken, who was educated at Trinity College Dublin and Kings Inn, currently serves as a High Court judge in Ireland. … [Read more...] about July 14, 1999
March 26, 1999
On this day in 1999, Social Democratic and Labour Party founder and head John Hume revealed that he would donate all£280,000 of Nobel Peace Prize money to the victims of violence in Northern Ireland. As a young ex-seminarian, Hume was inspired by the example of Martin Luther King, Jr., and led a nonviolent civil rights movement in his home town of Derry. Never giving up on the … [Read more...] about March 26, 1999
March 18, 1999
The funeral of Northern Irish human rights lawyer, Rosemary Nelson, was held at St. Peter's Church in Lurgan on this day in 1999. Having obtained her degree in law from Queen's University, Belfast, Nelson represented some high profile and controversial clients, including South Armagh Sniper, Michael Caraher, and the Garvaghy Road Residents' Coalition. She claimed to have … [Read more...] about March 18, 1999
November 19, 1998
Dr. Mary Robinson, the first female president of Ireland and former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, was elected Chancellor of Trinity College Dublin on this day in 1998, making her the first woman in the college's history to hold the position. Robinson was born in Ballina, Co. Mayo and is widely regarded as a transformative figure in Irish politics. Her presidency … [Read more...] about November 19, 1998