Stair na hÉireann / History of Ireland

Stair na hÉireann / History of Ireland Stair na hÉireann / History of Ireland tells the story of Ireland — its history, culture, legends, and people. © Stair na hÉireann / History of Ireland.

All Rights Reserved. 2013 Stair na hÉireann is steeped in Ireland's turbulent history, as well as it's culture, music, and is populated in myth and characters. © Stair na hÉireann | History of Ireland 2013. All Rights Reserved.

Ireland 1856 - Friedrich Engels, “One can look upon Ireland as the first English colony, and one which, due to its proxi...
14/09/2026

Ireland 1856 - Friedrich Engels, “One can look upon Ireland as the first English colony, and one which, due to its proximity, is still ruled directly in the old way. Here you become aware that the so-called liberty of the English citizen is founded on the oppression of the colonies. In no other country have I ever seen so many police, the constabulary armed with carbines, bayonets and handcuffs.”

🇮🇪 in 1961 – The Siege of Jadotville beginsOn 13 September 1961, A Company, 35th Infantry Battalion of the Irish Army,...
13/09/2026

🇮🇪 in 1961 – The Siege of Jadotville begins

On 13 September 1961, A Company, 35th Infantry Battalion of the Irish Army, serving with the United Nations Operation in the Congo (ONUC), came under attack at Jadotville in the breakaway province of Katanga.

The 156 Irish soldiers, commanded by Commandant Patrick Quinlan, were vastly outnumbered by Katangese forces supported by European mercenaries and came under sustained attacks from the ground and air.

For five days, A Company held its position against repeated assaults. Cut off from support and with their supplies running out, the Irish soldiers eventually surrendered on 17 September.

Remarkably, none of the Irish soldiers were killed during the siege, although five were wounded. Their opponents suffered heavy losses.

Among those who fought at Jadotville was 24-year-old Lieutenant Noel Carey. Also serving with A Company was 17-year-old Private John Gorman, one of the youngest soldiers there.

After surrendering, the men were taken captive and remained prisoners until their release on 25 October 1961.

The Siege of Jadotville became one of the most remarkable episodes in Irish military history — and for decades, the courage of A Company remained largely unrecognised.

🇮🇪 Remembering the men of A Company, 35th Infantry Battalion.

🇮🇪 — 13 September 1903: Pádraig Pearse arrives in Ros Muc, Co. Galway, for the first time.Pearse came to Ros Muc as an...
13/09/2026

🇮🇪 — 13 September 1903: Pádraig Pearse arrives in Ros Muc, Co. Galway, for the first time.

Pearse came to Ros Muc as an Irish-language inspector with Conradh na Gaeilge. He was deeply impressed by the area, its people and the strength of the Irish language, and returned year after year.

In 1909, Pearse built a traditional three-room thatched cottage at Inbhear overlooking Loch Oiriúlach. It became his summer retreat and a place where he wrote poems and stories inspired by the people, landscape and culture of Connemara. He also brought students from his bilingual school, St Enda’s, to experience life in the Gaeltacht. 🏡📚

Pearse spent his summers at the cottage until 1915. Following his ex*****on in 1916, the cottage was burned by the Black and Tans in 1921, but local people restored it.

Today, Teach an Phiarsaigh and Ionad Cultúrtha an Phiarsaigh preserve Pearse’s connection with Ros Muc and introduce visitors to his life, the Irish language and the rich Gaelic culture of Connemara.

More than a century after Pearse first arrived, Ros Muc remains a living Gaeltacht community and an important part of his story. 🇮🇪

📺 in 1983 — Glenroe airs for the first time on RTÉ.On 11 September 1983, Irish television audiences were introduced to...
11/09/2026

📺 in 1983 — Glenroe airs for the first time on RTÉ.

On 11 September 1983, Irish television audiences were introduced to Glenroe, RTÉ’s hugely popular rural soap set in County Wicklow.

The series introduced viewers to characters including Miley, Biddy and Dinny, who would become household names throughout Ireland. ❤️🇮🇪

Glenroe quickly climbed to the top of the Irish television ratings and became one of Ireland’s best-loved television programmes. Filmed on location in places including Kilcoole and Newtownmountkennedy, Co. Wicklow, the series ran for 18 years, finally coming to an end in 2001.

For millions of Irish viewers, Glenroe became a familiar part of Sunday evenings — and a lasting piece of Irish television history. 📺☘️

🇮🇪 in 1831 – Jeremiah O’Donovan Rossa is baptised in West Cork.Jeremiah O’Donovan Rossa was born in Rosscarbery, Co. C...
10/09/2026

🇮🇪 in 1831 – Jeremiah O’Donovan Rossa is baptised in West Cork.

Jeremiah O’Donovan Rossa was born in Rosscarbery, Co. Cork, in late August or early September 1831 and was baptised on September 10.

The son of tenant farmer Denis O’Donovan and Nelly (Ellen) O’Driscoll, Jeremiah spent part of his childhood with his maternal grandparents in Reenascreena, near Rosscarbery.

His childhood was shaped by the devastation of An Gorta Mór. The repeated failure of the potato crop severely affected his family and the people of West Cork. His father died in 1847, after becoming ill while working on a public works project, and the family subsequently lost their holding.

These experiences would profoundly influence O’Donovan Rossa’s political outlook. He went on to become one of the most prominent figures in the Fenian movement and a leading advocate of Irish independence.

🇮🇪 His story began in West Cork — and would eventually take him from the hardships of An Gorta Mór to the heart of Irish revolutionary nationalism.

in 1845 — The Dublin Evening Post reported the appearance of potato blight in Ireland.The newspaper’s report is a stri...
09/09/2026

in 1845 — The Dublin Evening Post reported the appearance of potato blight in Ireland.

The newspaper’s report is a striking reminder of how little was understood about the disease that would soon devastate Ireland’s principal food crop. Although reports of blight had already appeared elsewhere, the Dublin Evening Post initially expressed confidence that Ireland’s potato crop was not in serious danger.

The disease, caused by Phytophthora infestans, would return repeatedly over the following years, contributing to the catastrophe remembered as An Gorta Mór — the Great Hunger.

Between 1845 and 1852, more than one million people died from starvation and hunger-related disease, while more than two million people emigrated.

Across Ireland, the landscape still bears witness to those years. Famine burial grounds, abandoned settlements, ruined cottages and workhouses remain as reminders of communities devastated and permanently transformed.

An Gorta Mór changed Ireland forever, its consequences felt in the population, culture, language and diaspora for generations.

🇮🇪 An Gorta Mór — 1845–1852

in 1806 – Death of Patrick Cotter O’Brien, the famous Irish Giant.Born Patrick Cotter around 1760 at Belgooly, near Ki...
08/09/2026

in 1806 – Death of Patrick Cotter O’Brien, the famous Irish Giant.

Born Patrick Cotter around 1760 at Belgooly, near Kinsale, Co. Cork, he grew to extraordinary height and worked as a stonemason, bricklayer and plasterer before becoming a professional showman.

In 1779, he travelled to England and eventually adopted the name O’Brien, claiming descent from the legendary High King Brian Boru. He became known as the “Irish Giant” and the “Bristol Giant”, attracting crowds at fairs and theatres throughout Britain.

His true height was a subject of considerable debate. Advertisements claimed he was nearly 9 feet tall, while a surgeon who examined him in 1804 estimated him at approximately 7 ft 10 in (2.39 m). His coffin plate and memorial gave different measurements, including 8 ft 1 in and 8 ft 3 in.

Examinations of his remains in 1906 and 1972 indicated that he had stood somewhere between approximately 7 ft 10 in and 8 ft 1 in (2.39–2.46 m). Modern medical analysis indicates that he suffered from pituitary gigantism and later acromegaly.

Cotter died in Bristol on 8 September 1806, aged 46. Fearing that anatomists would steal his body, he arranged an elaborate burial involving multiple coffins and a deep, heavily protected grave. Despite his precautions, his remains were eventually examined nearly a century later.

🇮🇪 Patrick Cotter O’Brien — the extraordinary Irish Giant from Co. Cork.

in 1981 – Irish writer, poet and painter Christy Brown died at the age of 49.Born in Dublin on 5 June 1932 into a larg...
07/09/2026

in 1981 – Irish writer, poet and painter Christy Brown died at the age of 49.

Born in Dublin on 5 June 1932 into a large working-class family, Brown had severe cerebral palsy and was unable to walk. He retained control of his left foot and, with the encouragement of his mother, Bridget, learned to write, paint and type using it.

His remarkable autobiography, My Left Foot, was published in 1954 and brought his story to an international audience. His 1970 novel Down All the Days further established him as an important Irish literary figure.

In 1989, director Jim Sheridan brought Brown’s story to the screen in My Left Foot: The Story of Christy Brown. Daniel Day-Lewis portrayed Brown, while Brenda Fricker played his mother, Bridget. Both won Academy Awards for their performances, with Fricker becoming the first Irish woman to win an Oscar.

Sadly, Brenda Fricker died earlier this year, on 16 July 2026, aged 81. Her unforgettable portrayal of Bridget Brown remains one of the defining performances in Irish cinema.

Christy Brown died at his home in Parbrook, Somerset, England, on 7 September 1981. His remains were returned to Dublin, where he was buried in Glasnevin Cemetery.

Christy Brown’s extraordinary life and work remain an enduring part of Ireland’s literary and cultural history. 🇮🇪☘️

in 1971 – Dolores O’Riordan was born in Ballybricken, Co. Limerick.Dolores O’Riordan became one of Ireland’s most dist...
06/09/2026

in 1971 – Dolores O’Riordan was born in Ballybricken, Co. Limerick.

Dolores O’Riordan became one of Ireland’s most distinctive and internationally recognised singers as the lead vocalist and principal songwriter of The Cranberries.

She joined the Limerick band in 1990, helping propel them to worldwide success with songs including Linger, Dreams and Zombie. After 13 years of recording and touring, The Cranberries announced a hiatus in 2003, eventually reuniting in 2009.

During the hiatus, O’Riordan released two solo albums: Are You Listening? in 2007 and No Baggage in 2009. She also served as a judge and coach on RTÉ’s The Voice of Ireland during the 2013–14 season.

In April 2014, she joined a musical project with former Smiths bassist Andy Rourke and Olé Koretsky, which became known as D.A.R.K.

O’Riordan was renowned for her distinctive lilting voice, signature yodel and unmistakable Limerick accent. Her voice became one of the defining sounds of alternative rock in the 1990s.

Dolores O’Riordan died unexpectedly in London on 15 January 2018, aged 46.

Her extraordinary voice and songwriting continue to resonate around the world. 🇮🇪

☘️ in 1593 – Gráinne Ní Mháille (Grace O’Malley) meets Elizabeth IOn this day in 1593, Gráinne Ní Mháille travelled to...
06/09/2026

☘️ in 1593 – Gráinne Ní Mháille (Grace O’Malley) meets Elizabeth I

On this day in 1593, Gráinne Ní Mháille travelled to Greenwich to make her case directly to Queen Elizabeth I.

The daughter of Eóghan Dubhdara Ó Máille, Gráinne became head of the powerful Ó Máille dynasty and a formidable political and maritime leader on Ireland’s western coast.

In 1593, her son Theobald (Tibbot) Bourke and her half-brother Dónal an Phíopa Ó Máille had been imprisoned by Sir Richard Bingham, the English governor of Connacht. Facing the threat that her son might be executed, Gráinne petitioned Elizabeth for their release.

She was summoned to Greenwich in early September and presented her case to the queen. On 6 September, Elizabeth ordered immediate inquiries into Bingham’s conduct. By the end of the year, Gráinne’s son and half-brother had been released.

Gráinne—known in Irish tradition as Gráinne Mhaol, and later anglicised as Granuaile—had spent decades navigating the turbulent politics of Gaelic Ireland, defending her family’s interests and maintaining a powerful maritime presence along the western coast.

Her meeting with Elizabeth I remains one of the most remarkable encounters in Tudor Irish history: two formidable women, accustomed to exercising authority in a world dominated by men, meeting face-to-face to negotiate power, loyalty and survival. ☘️

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