Today in History

On this day in 1932, the 7th Irish general election was held. The Fianna Fail party defeated the Cumann na nGaedheal party, winning 72 seats, while Cumann na nGaedheal won 57 seats. This allowed Eamon de Valera to succeed W.T. Cosgrave as President of the Executive Council. This election and the transition of power marked what many believed was Ireland's first true test of … [Read more...] about February 16, 1932

On this day in 1930, Richard Harris, famous for his portrayal of King Arthur in 1967's Camelot and Albus Dumbledore in the first two Harry Potter films, was born in Limerick, Ireland. Harris attended the Jesuit Crescent College. He had a promising career as a rugby player but fell ill with tuberculosis. He hoped to become a director and directed his first production, Odet's … [Read more...] about October 1, 1930

Irish poet John Montague was born on this day in 1929 in Brooklyn, New York. During the Depression years, Montague was sent back to Ireland and was raised in Tyrone by his two aunts. He went on to study at University College Dublin in 1946, where he was first inspired to write poetry by a post-war atmosphere in Dublin. Several of his poems were published in literary magazines. … [Read more...] about February 28, 1929

William Trevor, short story-writer and novelist, was born in Co. Cork. Trevor, who has won the Whitbread Prize three times and has been short-listed five times for the Booker Prize, is considered one of Ireland's greatest writers. In a rare interview with Irish America magazine in 1992 Trevor said, "I think we Irish are a nation of storytellers. If you study the way we argue, … [Read more...] about May 24, 1928

Irish patriot, social activist and suffragist Countess Constance de Markievicz died at the age of 59 on July 15, 1927 in Dublin. Born to a wealthy English family with ties to Ireland, Markievicz became the first ever woman to be elected to the British House of Commons in December 1918. Yet, Markievicz along with her political party Sinn Feinn, chose not to take her seat and … [Read more...] about July 15, 1927