Tralee Times
Selected Events in Irish History
February
February 1
1177 - John de Courcy invades Ulster and seizes Down; he defeats its king, Rory MacDonlevy, twice, even though
the northern clergy use sacred relics as talismans on MacDonlevy's behalf
1315 - Edward the Bruce of Scotland and his Irish allies win the battle of Skerries in Kildare
1754 - Denis O'Neal, having been convicted of a footpad robbery and sentenced to death, is executed on this
date despite an appeal to the Chief Secretary by Charles O'Neill, MP for Randalstown, to have him spared
1796 - Theobald Wolf Tone, United Irish leader, arrives in France seeking assistance
1814 - The Belfast Academical Institution - later the Royal Belfast Academical Institution, a Presbyterian college -
is opened
1815 - Daniel O'Connell, having killed Norcot d'Esterre in a duel fought on this date, repudiates violence
1878 - Thomas MacDonagh, patriot, poet, critic and scholar, is born in Cloughjordan, Co. Tipperary
1895 - Birth of Sean Aloysius O'Fearna, better known as film director, John Ford
1925 - The Derry to Burtonport train crashes in Co. Donegal, killing 14 people
1967 - The Northern Ireland Civil Rights Movement is founded
1994 - The US Government breaks its policy of "censorship by visa denial" and allows Sinn Féin president
Gerry Adams to make a speech in New York City
1998 - It is announced that the partial filming of the Steven Spielberg film 'Saving Private Ryan' at Curracloe beach
in Co. Wexford last summer brought over £4 million to the local economy. The Normandy D-Day landings of 1944
were re-created at the beach during four weeks of filming last July and August
2002 - Thousands of commuters and motorists are stranded by freak tides, heavy wind and rain.
Rush hour traffic grounds to a halt thanks to fallen trees, downed power-lines and heavy flooding
Today is the feast day of St. Brigid. It is also celebrated in the Celtic nations as Imbolc - the first day of spring.
February 2
1172 - Last day King Henry II holds his court in Dublin
1172 - The Synod of Cashel: the Bishops of Ireland, under duress, pledge allegiance to Henry II of England
1880 - Charles S. Parnell addresses the U.S. Congress
1882 - Birth in Dublin of James Joyce
1882 - James Stephens, poet and novelist, is born in Dublin
1922 - James Joyce's "Ulysses" published in Paris - on his birthday
1972 - The British embassy in Dublin is destroyed by a furious crowd of demonstrators protesting over the
shooting deaths of 13 people in Londonderry on Sunday, January 30
1998 - Terror gangs on both sides of the religious divide in the North issue threat and counter-threat as fears
grow of another bloody month of sectarian slaughter
2000 - It is announced that cars in the pot holed county of Cavan are failing the National Car Test in bigger
numbers than any other part of the country
2002 - Spring tides after a full moon, driving rain, gale force southerly winds and low pressure all contribute
to the highest water levels on the River Liffey in Dublin since 1924
In the liturgical calendar, today is the feast of Candlemas.
February 3
1537 -Thomas FitzGerald, Lord of Offaly and five of his uncles are executed in London. This is the end
of the FitzGeralds as a major power
1744 - Lord Netterville, indicted in August 1743 for the murder of Michael Walsh, is tried by his peers in the
parliament house and honourably acquitted
1801 - Prime Minister William Pitt resigns over royal veto on Catholic emancipation
1881 - Irish Land League organizer Michael Davitt is arrested again in Dublin
1919 - Harry Boland and Michael Collins engineer Eamon de Valera's escape from Lincoln Jail in England.
He is dressed as a woman
2001 - The Department of the Marine appeals for help in identifying a long legged deep sea creature, which
was netted off the Kerry coast. A seasoned specialist on rare fish says he is baffled by the strange
grasshopper like specimen found in nets 220 miles from the shore
2002 - Gales of up to 65 miles per hour ground flights at Dublin Airport and cause a Delta flight carrying
167 passengers and 14 crew to overshoot the main runway. No passengers are injured.
February 4
1775 - Birth of Robert Emmett, Irish patriot
1830 - O'Connell enters parliament, having taken the new oath of allegiance
1868 - Birth of Irish patriot and revolutionary, Countess Constance Markievicz, née Gore-Booth
1921 - Sir James Craig succeeds Lord Edward Carson as Ulster Unionist leader
1992 - Mary Robinson becomes the first Irish President to visit Belfast
2000 - Actors from every genre of stage and screen show come together in the chapel at Terenure College
in Dublin for the funeral service of Ballykissangel star Tony Doyle.
February 5
1820 - Death of William Drennan; physician, poet, educator and political radical, he was one of the chief
architects of the Society of United Irishmen. He is also known as the first to refer in print to Ireland
as "the Emerald Isle". Burial takes place in Clifton Street burial-ground in Belfast and, according to
his will and with deliberate symbolism, his coffin is borne to the grave by three Catholics and three Protestants
1880 -The Irish Rugby Football Union is founded in Dublin
2003 - A 120-strong 12th Infantry Battalion from Sarsfield Barracks is sent to Shannon to beef up security at the
airport. The troops will remain until the threat of further attacks on military planes abates
2006 - Former Bishop of Galway Eamonn Casey returns to Ireland after 14 years in exile. The cleric fled the
country after he admitted to fathering his son, Peter.
February 6
1685 - Coronation of King James II
1900 - John Redmond is elected leader of the Irish Party
1918 - The silent film version of Charles Kickham's popular novel ‘Knocknagow’, about life in a Tipperary village,
is shown for the first time
1998 - Dr Kieran McCarthy, a marine specialist in the Zoology Department at UCG expresses fears that a
uniquely Irish species of fish - pollan - which is found in only four fresh water lakes is being threatened
by the vigorous spread of zebra mussels
2001 - Over 8,000 homes in the south of the country are left without power after a severe electrical storm and
high winds wreak havoc
2002 - The jinx on famine replica ship, the Jeanie Johnston, continues as the High Court grants an order against
the owners and all persons claiming an interest in the ship
February 7
1875 - Sir Alfred Chester Beatty, mining engineer, philanthropist, art collector and the first honorary citizen of
Ireland, is born in New York
1877 - John O'Mahony, founder of the Fenian Brotherhood in US, dies in New York
1999 - Two Irish soldiers are hospitalized after being hit by shrapnel from a heavy 120 mm mortar explosion in
crossfire between the Southern Lebanese Army and Hizbollah guerrillas
2002 - One elderly woman, in line at St Patrick's Church in Ringsend, Dublin for a €1,000 cheque for flood
damage, had all her possessions with her - in just one bag. She is just one of hundreds of homeowners
who benefit after the Archdiocese of Dublin donates hundreds of €1,000 cheques to victims of the
recent flooding in the city
February 8
1872 - Captain John Philip Nolan, a supporter of home rule and tenant rights, defeats Conservative William
Le Poer Trench in a Co. Galway by-election
2000 - US President Bill Clinton makes it clear to the Irish and British Governments he is ready to become
actively involved in trying to save the Northern Ireland government if needed
February 9
1731 - Birth of Sir Lucius O'Brien, opposition politician; he will eventually be described as 'a man who disagrees
with the rest of mankind by thinking well of himself'
1903 - Charles Gavan Duffy, the first editor and proprietor of The Nation newspaper, dies in Nice
1932 - The Army Comrades Association is formed; later to be called the National Guard and nicknamed the 'Blueshirts'
1923 - Birth in Dublin of playwright Brendan Behan
1926 - Birth of Irish statesman, Dr. Garrett FitzGerald. Former Prime Minister. He serves as the Prime Minister
of Ireland from June 1981 to March 1982 and again from December 1982 to March 1987. During his time
in office he attends more than 20 European Council meetings and at different times serves as President
of the Council of Ministers and the European Council of Heads of Government. He is currently a member
of the Council of State and an active Chancellor of the National University of Ireland, which comprises four
of the State's seven universities. Dr. Fitzgerald is also a lecturer, consultant, company director and writer.
He is the author of six books, the most recent being "Reflections on the Irish State"
1983 - A nationwide hunt begins following the kidnapping of prize stallion and 1981 Derby winner Shergar from the
Aga Khan's stables in Co. Kildare
2001 - Limerick man Michael Noonan is elected leader of Fine Gael.
February 10
1844 - Daniel O'Connell is convicted of "conspiracy," fined and sentenced to 12 months in prison
1889 - Richard Piggott is exposed as forger of 'Times' Phoenix Park letters
1999 - Bertie Ahern's minority Coalition suffers another blow to its stability when Fianna Fáil backbencher,
Beverly Cooper-Flynn, chooses to back her father, Padraig Flynn, rather than the Government in a
crucial Dáil vote
1999 - A potentional major tragedy is averted when over 100 mine-workers ar lifted to safety after a fire 1,150
feet below the ground at Tara Mines, Navan
February 11
1858 - The Miracle of Lourdes takes place when St Bernadette - Bernadette Soubirous - has her first vision
of the Virgin Mary
1926 - Rioting greets the Abbey Theatre performance of Sean O'Casey's The Plough and the Stars because
of what is viewed as anti-Irish sentiment. Yeats tells the audience 'You have disgraced yourselves again'
1992 - After Haughey's resignation as Taoiseach, he is succeeded by Albert Reynolds on this date
February 12
1722 - Thomas Burgh, MP for Naas, and Richard Stewart, MP for Strabane, receive the first £2,000 of £8,000
from the Irish parliament for operating their colliery at Ballycastle, Co. Antrim
1782 - The right of habeas corpus is introduced in Ireland
1820 - The ships East Indian and Fanny, with about 350 Irish emigrants aboard, leave Cork for Cape Colony,
carrying some of the "1820 settlers"
1848 - John Mitchel publishes first United Irishmen
1930 - The first Free State Censorship Board is appointed
1989 - Patrick Finucane is murdered by Unionist assassins; Finucane, who acted as solicitor for republican
hunger striker Bobby Sands was shot dead at his north Belfast home in front of his wife and children
1998 - It is confirmed that Ireland has one of Europe's top economies and our ability to compete globally
outstrips Germany and France
1999 - Literary legend John B. Keane discloses that he is back writing again after a four-year break due to illness
2003 - Mystery surrounds the identity of an artist as 24 of his paintings are launched at the Irish Museum of
Modern Art (IMMA). Known only as “John the Painter”, he has been in psychiatric care in Cork city for
more than 30 years
February 13
1689 - William and Mary - daughter of James II - are proclaimed king and queen jointly
1898 - Frank Aiken, revolutionary and politician from Co. Armagh, is born
1998 - It is announced that Irish Embassy staff in Riyadh and Tel Aviv, the Saudi and Israeli capitals, are being
kitted out with special suits to protect them against nuclear, biological or chemical weapons
1998 - Ireland's electricity industry, one of the last bastions of the closed market, takes a historic step towards
open competition when Enterprise Minister Mary O'Rourke inspects the site of a Finnish-owned
peat-fuelled generating station in Offaly
2001 - Kosovar refugees living in Tralee and Waterford celebrate their right to become Irish citizens, almost
two years after they first arrived in Ireland. A total of 140 Kosovar refugees, displaced as a result
of an ethnic war in their homeland, are to be allowed live in Ireland permanently on humanitarian grounds
2003 - Nearly10,000 people are forced to find an alternative way of getting to work in Dublin when Dart services
are disrupted by a major overhead line fault.
February 14
1853 - The Queen Victoria sinks in a storm off Howth, with the loss of 55 lives
1895 - Birth in Tipperary of Revolutionary, Sean Treacy
1981 - The Stardust Ballroom in Artane, Dublin goes up in flames; 48 young people are killed and more
than 100 are injured
2000 - Castlecove, Co. Kerry wins two prizes in the Nations in Bloom competition, held in Hamamatsu,
Japan, overcoming challenges from cities such as Lisbon and Toronto
2002 - Pregnant women are advised by the Departments of Agriculture, Food and Rural Development and
of Health and Children to avoid contact with sheep at lambing time. The advice is issued in the
context of the potential risks of contracting an infection that can occur in some ewes
2003 - Hundreds of train passengers have their travel plans disrupted by a lightning industrial action by the
National Bus and Rail Workers Union in Cork. All services out of the city’s Kent Station from lunchtime
until 5pm are affected.
February 15
1782 - The first Dungannon Convention of the Ulster Volunteers calls for an independent Irish parliament;
Grattan continues to campaign for the same objective
1793 - A third convention of Dungannon - a gathering of Volunteers from Ulster is held
1794 - The United Irishmen publish a plan for parliamentary reform, advocating universal male suffrage,
equal electoral districts and the secret ballot
1874 - Birth in Kilkea, Co. Kildare of Antarctic explorer, Sir Ernest Shackleton
1966 - Novelist John McGahern loses his job as a teacher at Clontarf National School because of ‘indecencies’
in his book "The Dark"
1971 - Ireland switches to decimal currency
1998 - Ireland has the second lowest number of workplace accidents in Europe, but employers face the highest
rate of insurance claims, totalling £400m per year
1998 - According to the Small Firms Association, as many as 1,000 jobs could be lost in Ireland, following the
takeover of the HCR group of chemist shops by British superchain, Boots
2000 - The National Bus and Rail union claim a high level of public support for its one day strike which forces
200,000 passengers to find alternative ways of getting to work
2001 - One week after protesters call off their blockade of the ill-fated Mullaghmore interpretative centre and
car park in the Burren, machinery moves in to demolish the buildings and associated facilities
February 16
1768 - The Octennial Act limits Irish parliaments' life to eight years
1886 - The Irish Catholic Hierarchy formally endorses Home Rule
1932 - Fianna Fáil wins the general election; de Valera succeeds Cosgrave as President of the Executive Council;
Seán Lemass is Minister for Industry and Commerce
2003 - Protesters make formal complaints to the gardaí alleging offences under the National Monuments Act
after archeological contractors move on to the Carrickmines Castle site to start taking apart the
stone structure.
February 17
1896 - In the House of Commons. Horace Plunkett and W.E.H. Lecky, Irish Unionists, support John Redmond's
plea for clemency for Irish political prisoners
1980 - The Derrynaflan Chalice and other ancient silver and bronze pre-Christian antiquities are discovered in
Co. Tipperary
1999 - Farmers with tractors and trailers move through the centres of 28 cities and towns during a National Day
of Action to protest proposed reforms in the EU Common Agricultural Policy
1999 - EU governments gear up for an epic battle with the European Commission over the Brussels verdict to
end duty free sales
2000 - Minister O’Donoghue unveils a raft of far reaching proposals for a new legislative initiative at a passing
out ceremony at the Garda College in Templemore. He tells the 98 graduating recruits he has
received Government approval to draft and bring a new Criminal Justice Bill before the Oireachtas
2003 - Supermarket giant Tesco sparks a possible price war with the opening of its first petrol filling station in
Killarney, Co Kerry
2003 - The famine replica ship, the Jeanie Johnston, is forced to drop anchor close to the Valentia Island,
20 hours into her 21-day voyage to Tenerife. Strong winds also lead Aer Lingus to cancel all flights to
New York.
February 18
1366 - The Statutes of Kilkenny are passed in an attempt to prevent Norman settlers becoming “more Irish
than the Irish themselves”
1478 - George, Duke of Clarence, is executed for high treason in the Tower of London; according to Shakespeare,
he meets his death by being drowned in a butt of malmsey wine
1948 - A coalition government takes over under Fine Gael's John Aloysius Costello
1982 - General election in the Republic leads to a Fianna Fáil minority government; Haughey succeeds
FitzGerald as Taoiseach
2002 - Hospitals nationwide are forced to cancel admissions, postpone surgery and close outpatient clinics
as the highly-contagious winter vomiting virus spreads, striking patients and staff
February 19
1904 - Birth on the Great Blasket Island of writer Muiris Ó Suilleabhain who is best known for his book,
"Twenty Years A-Growing"
1939 - De Valera states his intention to preserve Irish neutrality in the event of a second world war
1987 - A general election in the Republic returns a Fianna Fáil government with Haughey as Taoiseach
2001 - According to the latest price survey, taxes make price of Irish cars highest in the EU
2001 - A 4ft limestone rock is unveiled at the entrance to Villierstown in west Waterford which is famous
for the heroic exploits and achievements of John Treacy. Weighing a massive eight and a quarter tons,
the stone, which came from the nearby quarry at Cappagh, bears the surnames of all 84 families living
in the village and the immediate surrounding townlands as of January 1, 2000
February 20
1742 - James Gandon, architect and builder of the Customs House, the Four Courts and other Dublin buildings,
is born in London
1874 - Gladstone resigns; a Conservative administration under Disraeli takes over
1882 - Birth of Padraic Ó Conaire, writer and poet, in Galway
1998 - Taoiseach Bertie Ahern agrees to a demand from Sinn Féin Leader Gerry Adams for a crisis meeting
next week, amid mounting fears that IRA 'hawks' will attempt to scupper any chance of Sinn Féin's
return to the talks
2002 - After intense speculation that the Abbey Theatre would move to the southside of the Liffey to a completely
new location in the Dublin Docklands, Arts Minister Síle de Valera informs the board of the theatre that
the government has decided it is to be redeveloped at its present location
2003 - New figures compiled by the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) show that Ireland has the highest
death rate from heart disease in Western Europe. Finland is second and Britain is third
2003 - The European Commission is accused of abusing private citizens’ right by conceding to American pressure
on a data protection controversy. Transatlantic airlines such as Aer Lingus will be forced to provide
US authorities with the names, addresses, phone numbers, itineraries and credit card details of
all passengers flying to the United States.
February 21
1775 - Edward Denny, MP for Tralee, commits suicide
1760 - François Thurot lands French forces at Carrickfergus in Belfast Lough, increasing English anxiety
about an Irish-Catholic alliance with the French.
1922 - The Garda Síochána na h-Eireann - Guardians of the Peace of Ireland - is founded
2000 - A new survey reveals that Dubliners have more disposable income than people living in other parts of Ireland
2001 - The country's multi billion pound livestock industry is on full alert for signs of foot and mouth disease after
the first outbreak in Britain for twenty years is confirmed in pigs
2001 - Desmond O'Connell becomes the first Archbishop of Dublin in over 100 years to be installed as a Cardinal.
A large Irish contingent from Church and State, along with family and friends of the Cardinal attend
the installation which for the first time takes place at the front of the entrance to St Peter’s Basilica
2003 - A rare political letter written by Michael Collins fetches a record price of €28,000 at an auction in James
Adam showrooms on Dublin’s Stephen’s Green. Despite fierce bidding by the National Library,
the letter is purchased by singer Enya’s manager Mickey Ryan who says he wants the letter to remain
in Ireland.
February 22
1797 -The last invasion of England: Small French force commanded by Irishman William Tate lands in Wales
1832 - The first burial takes place at Glasnevin Cemetery
1886 - At Ulster Hall in Belfast, Lord Randolph Churchill gives his destructive speech which includes the
incendiary comment, "Ulster will fight and Ulster will be right." The speech instills fear of rule by
Roman Catholics in Dublin and incites militant loyalists
1998 - Cross-border cooperation between the Irish Marine Emergency Services and the Northern Ireland
Coastguard is put to the test as emergency teams from the Ambulance Service, the RUC, Irish
Marine Emergency Service, the Coastal Rescue Teams and others join forces for a spectacular
drill on Carlingford Lough
2001 - Authorities begin placing a massive security cordon on sea and airports and along the 300-mile border
with Northern Ireland in a determined bid to prevent animals infected with foot and mouth disease
from entering the country
February 23
1317 - Bruce's army marches south and reaches Castleknock, within sight of Dublin. The mayor of Dublin
has imprisoned the Earl of Ulster, who is suspected of being sympathetic to Bruce. The citizens
of Dublin destroy some of the northern and western suburbs, to prevent Bruce from using them
as a base - to the later inconvenience of the administration, as many of the buildings it uses as
law courts etc. are obliterated
1649 - Giovanni Battista Rinuccini returns to Rome. Originally from Rome, he takes his doctorate in law at the
University of Pisa. During the next decade he wins distinction at the ecclesiastical courts in Rome
and is made Archbishop of Fermo in 1625. In 1645, Pope Innocent X sends him to Kilkenny - then the
capital of Ireland - to support the Catholics with arms, money and diplomacy. His determined support
of the militant anti-English faction is doomed to failure, but gains him fame and infamy in Anglo-Irish history
1944 - Children's allowances are introduced in the Free State
1965 - Roger Casement's body is returned from England to be re-interred at Glasnevin Cemetery in Dublin
2000 - According to a report released by the National Roads Authority, nearly half of Irish motorists never
wear a seatbelt. Men are the worst offenders, with two-thirds admitting they do not strap themselves in
2001 - Measures to prevent livestock with foot and mouth disease entering Ireland are tightened as Britain halts
all internal livestock movements amid fears that the outbreak there is spreading
2002 - It is announced that Guinness is testing a new system that will slash the waiting time for a pint of the black
stuff to 30 seconds. In an effort to combat declining sales in recent years, Guinness is hoping to appeal
to people not prepared to wait the 1 minute 59 seconds for the traditional pint to be poured
February 24
1582 - Pope Gregory XIII announces the new Gregorian calendar, replacing the Julian calendar
1692 - The Treaty of Limerick is ratified by William of Orange
1780 - A British Act opens colonial trade to Irish goods
1850 - Paul Cullen is consecrated Catholic archbishop of Armagh and Primate of Ireland
1920 - Dublin Metropolitan District is placed under a curfew from midnight to 5 a.m.
2000 - A portrait of Queen Elizabeth II stolen from Edinburgh University by three inebriated Trinity College is returned
February 25
1570 - Elizabeth I is excommunicated by Pope Pius V
1934 - Ireland’s first ever World Cup match takes place in Dublin. The Irish draw with Belgium 4-4
1937 - The Imperial Airways flying boat Cambria is delivered to Shannon to begin the first trans Atlantic air service
1947 - The worst snow blizzard in living memory hits Ireland
2001 - British supermarket chains draw up contingency plans to source supplies of fresh meat in Ireland if the
ban on livestock transport is not lifted
2001 - It is announced that the birthplace of Daniel O’Connell, the Liberator, is for sale. The historic property
at Carhan just outside Caherciveen, where O’Connell was born on August 6, 1775, is being put on
the market by his descendants, a local family of O’Connells
February 26
1797 - The Bank of Ireland suspends gold payments
1854 - William Smith O'Brien, leader of the 1848 rebellion, is pardoned
1962 - Due to "lack of support", the Irish Republican Army ends what it calls "The Campaign of Resistance
to British Occupation"; which is also known as the 'Border Campaign'
1998 - An army recruitment programme to bolster the defence forces with 500 new members is officially
launched with a commitment made to keep staffing levels at 11,500 by the end of 1998
2001 - The Government imposes a temporary ban on the country’s 120 livestock marts as the devastating foot
and mouth disease spreads in Britain. Strict procedures are also implemented in airports around Ireland
to keep the disease out of the country
2001 - Blizzards, gale force winds and driving hail sweep the country, leaving many householders without electricity
or heat.
February 27
1495 - Garret More Fitzgerald, Eighth Earl of Kildare, is arrested in Dublin by Sir Edward Poynings, Lord Lieutenant
of Ireland
1760 - François Thurot holds the castle and the town of Carrickfergus until this date
1792 - The Irish House of Commons is partly destroyed by fire
1841 - William Bruce, Sr., the last surviving member of the Ulster Volunteer convention of 1783, a group that
fostered efforts towards reform, dies
1997 - After a contentious court battle contesting the referendum, the new divorce law in the Republic is enacted
2000 - President Mary McAleese and former Taoiseach Charles Haughey are among the many people to pay
tribute at the funeral of North Kerry Fianna Fáil TD and former minister, Tom McEllistrim
2001 - In an effort to help prevent the spread of hoof and mouth disease, the Six Nations match between Wales
and Ireland is cancelled and the Government has asked the Irish racing industry not to participate in
the Cheltenham racing festival this year. All horseracing, including point to point events, and all
greyhound meets are also cancelled until further notice
2001 - Blizzard conditions bring parts of Leinster to a standstill; all flights are cancelled at Dublin Airport and
many roads are left impassable after heavy falls of snow
2002 - Former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger visits University College Cork where he is confronted
by more than 400 angry students protesting his presence
2003 - The funeral of former chief justice and government minister Tom O’Higgins takes place at St Patrick’s
Church in Monkstown, Dublin
2003 - The European Commission confirms that new cars cost, on average, are 10% more in Ireland than the
lowest pre-tax prices recommended by manufacturers in other Eurozone markets.
February 28
1713 - Henry Pyne, MP for Dungarvan, aged about 24 and the father of three children, is killed in a duel
with Theophilus Biddulph at Chelsea Fields, London; Biddulph will later be convicted of manslaughter
1790 - The Northern Whig Club is founded in Belfast
1799 - William Dargan, railway engineer and philanthropist, is born in Carlow
1884 - Seán MacDiarmada, revolutionary, is born in Kiltycolgher, Co. Leitrim
1973 - General election in the Republic leads to a Fine Gael-Labour coalition government;
Liam Cosgrave becomes Taoiseach
1998 - Death of one of TV's best-loved comedy stars, Dermot Morgan, who played Father Ted in the hit Channel 4 show
2001 - Economic disaster is threatened after the first case of foot and mouth disease for 60 years is confirmed in
Meigh, South Armagh
2001 - Dublin Zoo and Fota Island in Cork are closed as a preventive measure designed to protect any animals
that may be susceptible to foot and mouth disease
2003 - Soldiers add razor wire to Shannon Airport’s perimeter fences as the army and gardaí brace for trouble
at anti-war protest
February 29
2000 - Hospital waiting lists soar to their highest level in more than a year
2000 - After weeks of controversy over the level of troop cuts and the lack of consultation with military chiefs,
the White Paper on Defence gains Cabinet approval
2000 - The plan to allow solicitors be appointed as judges in the High and Supreme courts is broadly
welcomed by the Law Society