Tralee Times
SELECTED IRISH HISTORICAL EVENTS
BY MONTH
DECEMBER
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December 1
1494 - Poynings Law enacted. This forbids the Irish parliament to convene without the
King's prior permission, and all intended legislation has to be approved by him
1848 - The paddle steamer The Londonderry, with immigrants fleeing the famine, takes
shelter in Derry harbour. When the covers are removed from the hold it is discovered that
72 men, women and children have suffocated
1890 - Six days of Irish Parliamentary Party debates begin, only to end in a split, with
the majority opposing Parnell
1901 - Fenian Thomas Clarke Luby dies in New York. Luby was born in Dublin in 1821. He was
the son of a Church of Ireland minister and graduate of Trinity College. His first
political experience was in the Young Ireland movement
1986 - Guinness shares plunge by £300m after the British government orders an inquiry into
the affairs of the company
1998 - President Bill Clinton contacts First Minister, David Trimble, and his deputy,
Seamus Mallon, in a bid to save the stalled Northern Ireland peace process
1999 - The British Prime Minister, Tony Blair hails the transfer of powers to Stormont as
“one giant step forward”
1999 - Plans to develop Pol an Ionain cave, which according to the Guinness Book of
Records contains the largest free hanging stalactite in the world, are given the go ahead
by Clare County Council
2002 - Gusts reaching up to 80 miles per hour and driving rain continue to sweep across
the country; in the west Clare village of Quilty, six fishing boats sink as winds reached
between gale force seven and nine along the Clare coast.
December 2
1811 - The Kildare Place Society is formed to maintain non-denominational schools and to
promote the education of the poor
1924 - William Craig, unionist politician, is born
1998 - Death of Mary McShain at Killarney House, Killarney, Co. Kerry.
In 1960, she and her late husband, John McShain, acquired the Killarney Estate, which had
been owned by the Earls of Kenmare since the 16th century. Most of that property has since
been turned over the State and Killarney House will now be turned over as well
1999 - President Mary McAleese is entertained to lunch by Queen Elizabeth at Buckingham
Palace
2002 - Former Fine Gael deputy leader Jim Mitchell loses his three-year battle with cancer.
December 3
1792 - Beginning on this date and continuing through December 8, a Catholic Convention is
held in Tailors' Hall, Dublin to demand abolition of the remaining penal laws; a petition
is presented to the king in London
1956 - Limerick-born runner Ronnie Delaney wins Olympic Gold in Melbourne
1990 - Inauguration of Mary Robinson as President of Ireland
199 - The country’s first three day International Flower Fair opens in Lismore, Co.
Waterford
2002 - Up to 2000 mourners gather at St Joseph’s Church, Terenure for the removal of Fine
Gael minister and deputy leader, Jim Mitchell
December 4
2000 -Ireland reluctantly agrees to a six months European Union wide ban on the feeding of
meat and bone meal to all farm animals, including pigs and poultry
In the liturgical calendar, today is the feast of St. Nicholas.
December 5
1640 - John Atherton, Bishop of Waterford and Lismore, is executed on a charge of
immorality
1921 - After lengthy negotiations, the British give the Irish a deadline to accept or
reject the Anglo-Irish treaty. In the words of Lloyd George, rejection would mean
"immediate and terrible war"
2001 - Police and custom officers on both sides of the Border smash a multi-million pound
smuggling operation with links to dissident paramilitary groups
2002 - Tesco's Premier Cru Brut NV comes out top in a blind tasting of 24 champagnes and
11 sparkling wines by British consumer magazine Which?
December 6
1679 - St. Oliver Plunkett, Archbishop of Armagh, is accused of instigating the "Irish
Popish" Plot and arrested
1820 - Spanish General Diego O'Reilly is defeated by Peruvian revolutionaries
1921 - Representatives of the Irish government appointed by President Eamon de Valera, and
those negotiating for the Crown sign the Anglo-Irish Treaty, ending the Irish War of
Independence against England. Michael Collins declares: "I have signed my own death
warrant"
1922 - The Irish Free State, Saorstát Éireann, comes into being
1999 - The Abbey Bridge is opened in Limerick. It is intended to relieve chronic traffic
congestion and provide a link to the city’s historic quarter of King’s Island
2002 - The RDS Irish Forestry and Wood Awards introduces a new special category award for
hurley ash plantations and forests. This year's award is won by Theresa Greene, from
Cappamurragh House, Dundrum, Co Tipperary, who has an eight-year-old plantation
specifically geared towards the growing of suitable ash trees for hurley-making
December 7
521 - Birth of St. Columcille, Irish bard and monk honored in all the Celtic lands
1487 - The Earl of Desmond is murdered at the instigation of his brother, John; another
brother, Maurice, is his heir
1688 - Thirteen 'Apprentice Boys' refuse to let a Catholic army into Derry/Londonderry (7
December); Tyrconnell backs down and allows the city to keep its Protestant garrison.
Enniskillen also defies James II
1879 - Birth in Tralee, Co. Kerry of Austin Stack, anti-Treaty nationalist
1922 - The six counties of Northern Ireland opt out of the Free State
1972 - "Special position" of the Catholic Church is removed by referendum from Irish
constitution
2000 - Blackrock Castle in Cork City goes on the auction block with a starting bid of
£850,000. There are no bidders.
December 8
1980 - Haughey and Thatcher meet in Dublin and agree to consider 'the totality of
relationships within these islands'
1999 - The Government implements a 32-year old law banning the sale of turkeys, ducks and
geese at livestock marts
2002 - Gardaí recover €100,000 in coins stolen from the’ Pennies from Heaven ‘ charity
In the liturgical calendar, today is the Feast of the Immaculate Conception. If it falls
on a week day,
Roman Catholic schoolchildren get a holiday and in recent times, it has become the custom
to go Christmas shopping in the city.
December 9
1952 - The Irish Management Institute holds its inaugural meeting
1973 - At Sunningdale, Berkshire, British Prime Minister Edward Heath, Irish premier Liam
Cosgrave, and representatives of the Ulster Unionist Party, the Social Democratic and
Labour Party and the Alliance Party of Northern Ireland, sign an historic agreement to set
up a Council of Ireland
2000 - Irish Prime Minister Bertie Ahern arrives for the third day of the European Summit
in Nice. Leaders of the 15 EU states have convened in this heavily guarded city to tackle
a tough agenda which centers on the future structure of the European Union and the
integration of new member states
2002 - Carlow town wins first place in the inaugural all-Ireland anti-litter league.
Accepting the award, Carlow’s civic leader Mayor Michael Abbey said the town had
enthusiastically embraced the competition which involved 29 towns, including three from
Northern Ireland
2002 - Tourism Ireland and Bord Fáilte unveil plans to increase the number of tourists by
5% in 2003, despite the prospect of higher prices across the sector.
2005 - Nearly 150,000 people take to the streets as the Irish Ferries protest mushroomed
into the largest public demonstration the country has seen for two decades.
2005 - President Mary McAleese and Queen Elizabeth II meet in Northern Ireland. According
to President McAleese, this historic event could clear the way for an unprecedented State
visit. No British monarch has made such a trip since George V visited Dublin in 1911, a
decade before partition.
December 10
1479 - Garret More Fitzgerald of Kildare, the 'Great Earl', holds a parliament in Dublin
from 10 December; it will run, with adjournments, into 1481
1920 - Martial law is imposed in Cork, Kerry, Limerick and Tipperary
1977 - Mairead Corrigan and Betty Williams receive the Nobel Peace Prize
1998 - The Irish and British governments launch a fresh search for a breakthrough in the
Northern Ireland peace process in the wake of the joint award of the Nobel Peace Prize to
Ulster's political leaders David Trimble and John Hume
2000 - Following four days of marathon talks in Nice, Taoiseach Bertie Ahern defeats
European Union efforts to directly influence Ireland’s taxation policy
2002 - The Government postpones the announcement of an expected 43% increase in the cost
of an RTÉ licence fee.
2005 - Elizabeth Yensen, the oldest women in Ireland passes away at 110 years old. Born in
Glasgow on 25 July 1895, Elizabeth spent more than 70 years in Northern Ireland.
December 11
1225 - Laurence O'Toole is canonized by Pope Honorius III. It will be 750 years before
another Irish person is canonized
1650 - Ormond leaves for France, leaving Ulick Burke, 1st Marquis of Clanrickard, as Lord
Deputy
1905 - Birth of Erskine Childers, Ireland’s fourth president (1973-1974)
1920 - Martial law is declared in Ireland. Black and Tans and Auxiliaries go on a rampage
of burning and looting in Cork
1931 - Statute of Westminster is passed by British Parliament giving Dominion parliaments,
including the Free State, equal status of the Imperial Parliament at Westminster
1936 - In the wake of the abdication of Edward VIII, the Dáil passes legislation removing
the King from the Irish Constitution and abolishing the position of Governor General
1956 - The Irish Republican Army (IRA) begins what it calls "The Campaign of Resistance to
British Occupation"; it is also known as the 'Border Campaign'. As a result of the
campaign, Internment is introduced in both Northern Ireland and the Republic. The campaign
ends on 26 February 1962 because of lack of support
1979 - Charles Haughey is elected Taoiseach
2001 - Customs and gardaí board a container ship in Dundalk, Co. Louth and seize up to 80
million smuggled cigarettes - the most in State history
2002 - The replica famine ship, the Jeanie Johnston, arrives in Dublin after final
fittings in Cork.
December 12
1920 - Birth of Christy Ring in Cloyne, Co. Cork. His 24-year career record earned him a
reputation as the greatest hurler of all time
1920 - Black & Tans continue their attacks in Cork
1955 - The Cork Opera House is destroyed by fire
1957 - The IRA begins a violent four-year campaign in Northern Ireland
2000 - At a farewell reception in Dundalk, US President Bill Clinton makes an emotional
plea to the people of Ireland: “redouble your efforts for peace”
2001 - Intelligence agent William Stobie is gunned down in Belfast by former associates
2002 - The Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism rules that Fossett's Circus is be
recognised as an art form and is thus entitled to State funding. The recognition makes the
115-year old circus the oldest performing arts institution in the country, 30 years' older
than the Abbey Theatre.
December 13
1779 - British goods are boycotted in Ireland; armed Volunteers parade in College Green,
Dublin in November and demand 'a free trade or else' (i.e. the removal of restrictions on
Irish trade with the colonies). This demand is granted on this date
1867 - An explosion at Clerkenwell gaol in London, intended to aid in the escape of two
Fenians, causes several deaths and injuries
1960 - Aer Lingus’ first jet, the Boeing 707 ‘St. Patrick’ makes its inaugural flight
2000 - Crowds roaring their approval greet Bill and Hillary Clinton on stage at the
Odyssey Arena in Belfast, confirming the first couple’s enduring popularity in Northern
Ireland
2002 - For the eighth year, the only live Christmas crib in Ireland opens in the forecourt
of the Mansion House on Dawson Street in Dublin. This year's nativity scene features two
llamas as well as the usual donkeys, calves, goats and sheep
December 14
1585 - Nicholas Walsh, Bishop of Ossory and a pioneer of printing in Irish type, is
murdered by James Dullard, against whom he had proceeded in his court for adultery
1822 - A 'bottle riot' takes place on this date. Missiles are thrown at the vice-regal box
during a performance in a Dublin theatre as a result of Wellesley banning celebrations in
memory of William III
1831 - A process server and 12 policemen are killed by tithe protesters at Carrickshock,
Co. Kilkenny
1900 - Maud Gonne and Paul Kruger (former president of the Transvaal) are offered the
freedom of Limerick by the city council
1918 - Sinn Féin, pledged to an Irish Republic, wins 73 of 105 Irish MP seats. Winners
include Constance Markievicz who becomes the first woman elected to the Parliament of
England
1921 - Dáil Éireann begins Anglo-Irish treaty debate
1955 - The Republic of Ireland becomes a member of the United Nations
1965 - An Anglo-Irish free trade agreement is signed; the UK and Ireland undertake to
establish a free trade area by the mid-1970s
1982 - FitzGerald succeeds Haughey as Taoiseach
1985 - Jack Charlton quits as Ireland manager
1998 - Farmers are to be banned from feeding antibiotic enhanced animal feed to pigs and
poultry amid fears that drug residues in meat are a health risk for humans
2001 - Euro kits distributed by the Central Bank go on sale in post offices throughout the
country. Demand for the packs, comprising of 19 coins and priced at £5 (€6.35), is brisk,
with nearly all the big towns and cities selling out by evening
2001 - Garda technical experts examine 180 rounds of ammunition found on the outskirts of
Cork city which they believe may be connected to the Real IRA.
December 15
1899 - Irish units of the Boer army face the Dublin Fusiliers, Connaught Rangers and the
Inniskillings in the battle of Colenso
1971 - Death of General Richard Mulcahy, Irish Volunteer and TD
1993 - Albert Reynolds and John Major sign the Downing Street Declaration: if the IRA
stops its campaign for three months, Sinn Féin will be allowed to join all-party talks.
December 16
1653 - Oliver Cromwell becomes Lord Protector of Ireland
1922 - Arthur Griffith and his ministers assume seat of government at Dublin Castle
2002 - The 15 European Union Agriculture Ministers begin talks on the future of EU fish
quotas amid calls for the toughest cutbacks ever.
December 17
1165 - John, the son of Henry II, returns to England after touring parts of southern
Ireland. John de Courcy is appointed justiciar
1885 - The results of newspaper reports of Gladstone's conversion to Home Rule, following
the general election, gives Parnellites the balance of power
1999 - The State announces the purchase of the 550 acre Battle of the Boyne site for about
£9 million. The seller is an unidentified businessman.
December 18
1781 - Barry Yelverton introduces the bill that will become Yelverton's Act; the bill is
an amendment of Poyning's Act and states that only bills passed by both Irish houses of
Parliament would be forwarded to England for assent (see entry for July 27, 1782)
1871 - The first ever rugby international is held in Ireland. The North are defeated by
the West of Scotland
1999 - A limestone sundial built on a hilltop at the Dursey Sound in West Cork is set to
capture Europe’s last daylight of the second Christian millennium
2002 - The first section of the Dublin spire is lifted into place
2002 - According to the latest census figures, the prospect of a Catholic majority in
Northern Ireland is fast becoming a reality
2002 - A study reveals that Ireland is the third worst country in Europe for traffic
gridlock
In the liturgical calendar, today is the feast day of St. Flannan, first Bishop of Clare.
December 19
11751 - The Irish Parliament authorizes application of a revenue surplus to the reduction
of the national debt which causes a dispute between the House of Commons and the Government
1877 - Land League organizer, Michael Davitt, is released from Dartmoor Prison
1973 - The Supreme Court in Dublin decides by a majority of four to one that a ban on
contraceptives is unconstitutional
1974 - Cearbhall Ó Dálaigh is inaugurated as the fifth president of the Irish Republic
following the death of Erskine Childers
2001 - Experts at the National Museum of Ireland confirm that two pieces of gold jewellery
discovered on a beach in Co. Mayo are priceless ribbon torcs which may be up to 3,200
years old
2002 - In Limerick, hundreds take part part in a candlelit peace march to express their
sympathy and support for families who have lost loved ones through violence
2002 - Armed raiders get away with an estimated quarter of a million Euro after a raid on
the Ulster Bank in Palmerstown in west Dublin.
December 20
1865 - Birth in Dublin of Maud Gonne McBride, revolutionary and patriot, who dedicates her
life to the attainment of an independent Irish nation
1902 - The Dunraven land conference, representing landlords and tenants, opens at the
Mansion House, Dublin
1909 - Ireland’s first cinematographic theatre, the Volta, opens in Dublin, under the
managership of James Joyce
1950 - The Industrial Development Authority is founded in the Republic
1999 - Another attempt to prevent Wicklow County Council building a controversial dual
carriageway through the Glen of the Downs is rejected in the Supreme Court
2000 - The Guinness Book of World Records confirms that an eight-inch egg laid by "Queen
Maeve", a Belclare duck owned by the Costello family of Galway, is the world’s largest
December 21
1796 - A French fleet under General Hoche with Wolfe Tone, 43 vessels and 14,500 men sails
from Brest in December and is scattered by storms; 36 ships arrive at Bantry Bay but do
not attempt a landing and return to France, thus preventing what might have been an
Irish/French victory over the English
1919 - Dáil Éireann meets for the first time and elects Eamon de Valera as President of
Ireland
1934 - An Anglo-Irish 'cattle and coal' pact is signed
1948 - Republic of Ireland Act passed by Dáil
1985 - Progressive Democrats founded by Dan O'Malley, Mary Harney, and other former
members of Fianna Fáil, following split within party
1998 - Clear skies over Co. Meath guarantee one of the best winter solstice displays ever
witnessed at the Newgrange burial tomb
2001 - The pedestrian Ha'penny Bridge across Dublin's River Liffey is reopened after a
multimillion pound restoration
In the Celtic Calendar, today is the Winter Solstice - the shortest day of the year. In
Dublin, on this date, the sun will rise at 8:39 am and set at 4:09pm, giving just seven
hours and 30 minutes of daylight. In Belfast, the day is even shorter. The sun will rise
at 8:43 and set at 3:59.
December 22
1691 - Patrick Sarsfield and The Wild Geese sail out of Cork harbour for France
1919 - "The Better Government of Ireland Bill" proposes two home rule parliaments, for the
six north-eastern counties and the remaining 26, to come into effect in May 1920
1943 - The government announces that henceforth bus-queuing is compulsory throughout
Ireland if more than five people are waiting at a bus-stop
1965 - The Succession Act secures to widows a third of the estate (half if they have no
children) and empowers the court to make provisions for children
1989 - Death of Samuel Beckett
1998 - Legislation to ensure the compilation of a full record of the country's important
buildings and monuments which should be protected is circulated by the Minister for Arts,
Heritage, Gaeltacht and the Islands, Síle de Valera
2002 - The Minister for the Marine, Dermot Ahern, warns about the possibility of a "war on
the seas" as a result of the failure by the European Union to agree on a policy relating
to the Irish Box fishing area.
December 23
1688 - James II is deposed and flees to France
1770 - The Steelboys or Hearts of Steel, a Protestant agrarian protest movement, is
involved in conflict in Ulster - 500 Steelboys release a prisoner in Belfast on 23 December
1920 - The Government of Ireland Act enforces the secession of the six Northern Irish
counties from the rest of Ireland
1950 - A bank strike that will last eight weeks begins on this date
2002 - The second 55ft section of the Spire of Dublin — better known as The Spike — is
hauled into place.
December 24
1601 - The Battle of Kinsale. Hugh O'Neill and Red Hugh O'Donnell are heavily defeated by
Mountjoy
1713 - The second Irish parliament of Queen Anne sits from 25 November to this date. The
Whig Alan Brodrick is elected Speaker for the second time (having served 21 September 1703
to 19 May 1710), in place of John Forster, after a stormy contest with the government's
Tory nominee, Sir Richard Levinge
1889 - Captain William O'Shea files for divorce, citing Parnell as his wife Kitty's lover,
thus causing moral outrage and the subsequent loss of Parnell's political power
1895 - The 15-man crew of a Dun Laoghaire lifeboat crew is lost in a gale while attempting
a rescue from a stricken vessel off Blackrock
1997 - In one of the worst storms in living memory, seven people die and many others are
injured as hurricane-force winds wreak havoc across the country
2002 - President Mary McAleese breaks her ankle in a skiing accident in Austria
December 25
1185 - Around Christmas, a crown that Henry had sought from the papacy for John's use as
king of Ireland is delivered, but will never be used
1715 - Joshua Dawson sells the Mansion House with its gardens and park to Dublin
Corporation for £3,500 plus 40 shillings per annum and a 'loaf of double refined sugar of
six pounds weight' which is to be paid to the Dawsons every Christmas
1824 - William Lawless, United Irishmen and officer in Napoleon's Irish Legion, dies in
Paris
1916 - Irish prisoners interned at Frongoch are released
1999 - While most parts of the country experience heavy rain and winds, the snow capped
Knockmealdown and Comeragh mountains in Co Waterford are picturesque on Christmas Day,
particularly for punters who had a flutter on a White Christmas. The presence of snow in
many areas costs bookmaker Paddy Power £50,000
2000 - Swimmers around the country brave icy seas and teeth chattering winds as the annual
Christmas fund raising swims get off to a chilly start. Temperatures in coastal areas
range from zero to four degrees
2002 - Ireland experiences its mildest Christmas in over a decade.
In the liturgical calendar, today celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ.
December 26
1997 - St. Stephen's Day fox hunts are marked by major animal welfare protests with Gardaí
forced to separate hunt supporters and animal welfare activists
1998 - Thousands of homes and businesses in the northern half of the country are without
electricity as hurricane-force gales and gusts of over 100 miles per hour send poles
crashing to the ground and entangle wires in fallen trees. Galway, Mayo, Sligo and Donegal
are the worst affected counties
1999 - Hundreds of people walk through the Glen of the Downs in a show of solidarity with
eco warriors, despite a Government order closing off the nature reserve to the public
In the liturgical calendar, today is the feast of St. Stephen.
December 27
1601 - Red Hugh O'Donnell leaves Ireland for Spain; Hugh O'Neill withdraws to Ulster
1849 - James Fintan Lalor, Young Irelander, dies
1969 - Dan Breen, IRA leader during War of Independence dies
1999 - After a five-year delay, the construction of the £204 million Dublin Port tunnel is
finally approved
2000 - A White Christmas arrives late in many parts of the country. The post Christmas
whiteout leaves the west and north west blanketed in snow with even offshore islands,
where snow rarely lies, covered to a depth of several inches
December 28
1880 - The trial of Parnell and others for conspiracy begins on this date
2000 - Heavy snow and freezing temperatures are reported throughout the country. The
heaviest snowfall in 18 years brings chaos to the North.
In the liturgical calendar, today is the feast of the Holy Innocents and, in Irish
folklore, it was very unlucky to start something new. It was also believed that whichever
day of the week the feast fell, that day would be unlucky throughout the following year.
December 29
1864 - The National Association of Ireland is founded in Dublin, backed by the Catholic
hierarchy and intended to foster cooperation with English radicals to promote
disestablishment of the Church of Ireland
1876 - The Society for the Preservation of the Irish Language is formed in Dublin
1998 - Battered by gale-force winds and torrential rain, The Isle of Man ferry runs
aground in Dublin Bay
1998 - More than 12,000 families across the country face their fifth day of candle-light
and cold meals as the painstaking process of repairing storm-damaged electricity lines
drags on
2000 - One of the coldest spells to grip the country in decades continues
December 30
1691 - Robert Boyle, pioneer chemist and physicist dies
1997 - Key files from the Department of Defence, the Department of Justice and the Office
of the Attorney General relating to the Arms Crisis of 1970 are discovered to be missing
from the State archives
2002 - To mark the 400th anniversary of the exodus of the O’Sullivan Beare clan from West
Cork to Leitrim, a group of 40 people begins walking the entire 260-mile route which will
take them through 11 counties and about two weeks to complete.
December 31
1602 - The O’Sullivan Beara’s are driven out of West Cork by the English who had defeated
the combined Spanish and Irish forces at the Battle of Kinsale. Dónal Cam O’Sullivan,
chieftain of the clan, begins the long march to Leitrim on this date, where he hopes to
gain sanctuary with the O’Rourke’s of Breffni. Accompanying him are 1,000 men, women and
children representing the first large-scale exodus of people from the Castletownbere region
1961 - Radio Éireann's television service begins transmission on this date
1975 - The Anti-Discrimination (Pay) Act establishes the right to equal pay for equal or
like work and provides a system whereby this right may be attained and enforced
1999 - Thousands of people gather at celebrations in towns and cities throughout Ireland
to ring in the new millennium.