Hunt the Gowk, Scottish equivalent of April Fools Day (gowk is a cuckoo)

April 1st

Hunt the Gowk, 1st April

In Scotland, April Fools’ Day was originally called “Huntigowk Day”. The name is a corruption of “hunt the gowk”, gowk being Scots for a cuckoo or a foolish person; alternative terms in Gaelic would be Là na Gocaireachd, “gowking day”, or Là Ruith na Cuthaige, “the day of running the cuckoo”.

Francis Arthur Fahy who wrote the ballad Galway Bay, died

April 01, 1935

Francis Arthur Fahy (29 September 1854 – 1935) was an Irish nationalist, songwriter and poet. He is probably best remembered as the composer of the evergreen “The Ould Plaid Shawl”. He collaborated with various composers, including Alicia Adélaide Needham, an associate of the Royal Academy of Music.

DeValera is elected president of the first Dáil Éireann

April 01, 1919

Éamon de Valera; first registered as George de Valero; changed some time before 1901 to Edward de Valera; 14 October 1882 – 29 August 1975) was an Irish statesman and political leader. He served several terms as head of government and head of state and had a leading role in introducing the 1937 Constitution of Ireland.

St. Clair Mulholland, Union Civil War General and Medal of Honor winner, is born in Lisburn, Co. Antrim

April 01, 1839

St. Clair Augustine Mulholland (April 1, 1839 – February 17, 1910) was a colonel in the Union Army in the American Civil War who later received the brevets of brigadier general of volunteers and major general of volunteers and the Medal of Honor for gallantry in action at the Battle of Chancellorsville.

Irish-born Edward Hand is appointed a Brigadier General in the Continental Army

April 01, 1776

Edward Hand (31 December 1744 – 3 September 1802) was an Irish soldier, physician, and politician who served in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War, rising to the rank of general, and later was a member of several Pennsylvania governmental bodies.

Samuel Boyse, MP for Bannow, dies as a result of a duel at the age of 33

April 01, 1730

Samuel Boyse (1696-1730) was an Irish politician.

The first Doggett Coat and Badge sculling race takes place on the Thames

April 01, 1716

Doggett’s Coat and Badge is the prize and name for the oldest continuous rowing race in the world. Up to six apprentice watermen of the River Thames in England compete for this prestigious honour, which has been held every year since 1715. The 4 mile 5 furlongs (7.44 km) race is rowed on the River Thames upstream from London Bridge to Cadogan Pier, Chelsea, passing under a total of eleven bridges. Originally, it was raced every 1 August against the outgoing (falling or ebb) tide, in the boats used by watermen to ferry passengers across the Thames.

Dumbarton Castle, under siege since January 1570, captured by Captain Thomas Crawford

April 01, 1571

Dumbarton Castle has the longest recorded history of any stronghold in Scotland. It sits on a volcanic plug of basalt known as Dumbarton Rock which is 240 feet (73 m) high and overlooks the Scottish town of Dumbarton.

Conway Castle taken by Welsh rebels under William and Rhys ap Tudor

April 01, 1401

Conwy Castle is a fortification in Conwy, located in North Wales. It was built by Edward I, during his conquest of Wales, between 1283 and 1287. Constructed as part of a wider project to create the walled town of Conwy, the combined defences cost around £15,000, a massive sum for the period. Over the next few centuries, the castle played an important part in several wars. It withstood the siege of Madog ap Llywelyn in the winter of 1294–95, acted as a temporary haven for Richard II in 1399 and was held for several months by forces loyal to Owain Glyndŵr in 1401.

Risings by the native Irish in various parts of Munster and Leinster, continuing into 1330

April 01, 1329

The year 1329 marked the beginning of a tumultuous period in Ireland’s medieval history, characterized by a series of uprisings by the native Irish across Munster and Leinster. These uprisings were responses to the expanding influence and control of the Anglo-Norman settlers, who had been in Ireland since their invasion in 1169. The native Irish, comprising various Gaelic clans and families, were resisting the encroachments on their lands, the imposition of foreign laws, and the attempt to undermine their social and political structures.