Anne Maeve Binchy was born in Dalkey, County Dublin. Known to the world as Maeve Binchy, she would go on to become a revered novelist, playwright, short story writer, columnist and speaker. Binchy was beloved for her descriptive characters and charmingly humorous portrayals of life in Ireland. Her novels sold more than 40 million copies worldwide. She died in 2012 at the age of … [Read more...] about May 28, 1939
Today In History
April 30, 1971
On this day in 1971, popular Irish novelist John Boyne was born in Dublin. Boyne is best known for his 2006 release The Boy in Striped Pyjamas, which is narrated by a 6-year-old German boy whose father is a Nazi Commandant at Auschwitz during WWII. The book held the number one spot on the New York Times bestseller list, has sold more than 5 million copies around the world, and … [Read more...] about April 30, 1971
April 11, 1971
The Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) ended its long-held ban on members playing or attending "foreign" sports games such as soccer and rugby on April 11, 1971. The most notable controversy surrounding the ban took place in 1938, when Douglas Hyde, then President of Ireland, was suspended as a Patron of the Association after he attended an international soccer match in … [Read more...] about April 11, 1971
September 26, 1960
Irish American presidential candidate John F. Kennedy clashed with republican candidate Richard Nixon in the first-ever televised presidential debate. This debate, which more than 60 million Americans tuned in for, vastly changed American politics. Kennedy was regarded as the outright winner of the debate, not because of his politics and opinions, but because Kennedy appeared … [Read more...] about September 26, 1960
June 26, 1970
Riots broke out in Londonderry after mid-Ulster MP Bernadette Devlin was arrested. Devlin, who participated in the Bogside riots of 1969, was sentenced to six months in jail. She had previously applied for an appeal, which was rejected by the Northern Ireland Court of Appeals. When police attempted to arrest Devlin at a roadblock in Londonderry, violence quickly escalated with … [Read more...] about June 26, 1970