On this day in 1861, the first official shots of the American Civil War were fired. The short battle, which took place at Union-held Fort Sumter in Charleston, South Carolina, marked the beginning of the war, though it was not the first unofficial battle to occur. The skirmish lasted for 34 hours and resulted in U.S. Major Robert Anderson’s surrender of the fort to Confederate … [Read more...] about April 12, 1861
Today In History
January 7, 1861
Irish-American poet, essayist and editor, Louise Imogen Guiney was born in Roxbury, Massachusetts. She was the daughter of Irish-born Civil War officer Gen. Patrick R. Guiney. … [Read more...] about January 7, 1861
January 17, 1860
Born in Castlerea, Co. Roscommon on this day in 1860, Douglas Hyde would become a champion of the Irish language and the first Irish President. After attending Trinity College Dublin and becoming fluent in French, Latin, German, Greek and Hebrew, Hyde went on to establish the Gaelic League with the hope of saving Irish from extinction. He became a professor of Irish at … [Read more...] about January 17, 1860
March 17, 1858
The Irish Republican Brotherhood (IRB) was founded in Dublin by James Stephens on this day 1858. After the collapse of the 1848 rebellion, James Stephens and John O'Mahony fled to Europe to avoid being arrested. In 1856, he made returned to Ireland. O'Mahony had moved to America in 1853 and begun the Emmet Monument Association. He contacted Stephens, asking him to start a … [Read more...] about March 17, 1858
July 26, 1856
George Bernard Shaw was born in Dublin on this day in 1856. Shaw, Ireland's famous playwright and most well known for his works like "Pygmalion," is amongst the four Irishmen who have received the Nobel Peace Prize for literature. In 1925, he was awarded the prize, just two years after William Butler Yeats won the award. Shaw was also well known for being a Socialist, writing … [Read more...] about July 26, 1856