Today in History

On this day in 2000, Buddhist spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama visited Belfast and met with MP and fellow Nobel Peace prize laureate John Hume. Both Hume and the Dalai Lama were champions for peace. The city of Belfast played host to the spiritual leader for three days, who was attending the World Community for World Peace held in Belfast. … [Read more...] about October 19, 2000

Thirty-three years after the 1967 film adaptation of James Joyce's epic novel Ulysses was released, Ireland finally decided to lift the ban on the film. Many consider Joyce's great novel to be "unfilmable." However, Joseph Strick, an idealistic American director, decided to take up the project. His adaptation, much like the book, drew much controversy. Many scenes were cut at … [Read more...] about September 27, 2000

Frank Patterson, known as "Ireland's Golden Tenor", died on this day in 2000 at the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York. Born in Co. Tipperary in 1938, Patterson started singing as a young boy with his local church choir. He moved to Dublin in 1961 to enroll at the National Academy of Theater and studied acting and received vocal training. While studying in … [Read more...] about June 10, 2000

Former US Senator George Mitchell moves his make or break review of the Good Friday Agreement, which he helped work on, to London. Secretary of State Peter Mandelson also arrives in Northern Ireland on this day to meet with political leaders. The Good Friday Agreement and the Irish peace process continues to move forward in it's efforts. … [Read more...] about October 12, 1999

Irish singer Bob Geldof, U2 lead singer Bono and several other members of an international lobby group called the Jubilee 2000 Coalition met with Pope John Paul II on this day in 1999. The group called for the cancellation of all third world debts by the year 2000. At this historical meeting, Pope John Paul II gave the group his endorsement and blessing in hopes that world … [Read more...] about September 23, 1999