June

• June 1, 1679 - Covenanters defeated John Graham of Claverhouse at Drumclog.

• June 1, 1762 - Birth in Callan, Co. Kilkenny of Edmund Ignatius Rice, educator, philanthropist, and the founder of the Irish Christian Brothers Order

• June 1, 1841 - Poet and songwriter Robert Allan (born in Kilbarchan in, 1774) died in New York, six days after sailing there from Scotland to join his son. He had believed that his poetry would be better appreciated in North America.

• June 1, 1843 - Dr Henry Faulds, who established the uniqueness of fingerprints, born in Beith, Ayrshire.

• June 1, 1852 - The Magnetc Telegraph Company links Britain and Ireland via submarine telegraph cable. The company also operates lines from Donaghadee to Portpatrick, and connects major Irish cities, as far as Limerick, Killarney and Cork

• June 1, 1860 - Birth of Hugh Thomson, illustrator, in Coleraine, Co. Derry-Londonderry

• June 1, 1866 - American Fenians led by General John ONeill invade Canada and capture Fort Erie.

• June 1, 1866 - Renegade Irish Fenians invade Ft. Erie Ontario from the US

• June 1, 1878 - First Tay rail bridge opens. It was to collapse, 18 months later in the Tay Bridge Disaster.

• June 1, 1919 - Eamon DeValera begins his tour of the USA to raise money and support for the IRAs war against England

• June 1, 1946 - First TV license issued in Britain, costing £2.

• June 1, 1957 - First Premium Bond prizes were drawn by the computer Ernie (Electronic random number indicator equipment).

• June 1, 1982 - Pope John Paul II in Glasgow.

• June 2, 1398 - Prince Henry St Clair (Sinclair) landed in Nova Scotia, having sailed from Orkney.

• June 2, 1567 - The Ulster chieftain, Shane ONeill, takes refuge with the MacDonnells, and is murdered by them at Cushendun, Co. Antrim. He is succeeded by Turlough Luineach ONeill

• June 2, 1581 - James Douglas, Scottish inventor of the guillotine (the Maiden), guillotined.

• June 2, 1581 - James Douglas,, 4th Earl of Morton, beheaded in Edinburgh Grassmarket, accused of the murder of Lord Darnley.

• June 2, 1705 - The town of Enniskillen, Co. Fermanagh is virtually destroyed by an accidental fire. One hundred and fourteen families and their servants suffer severe losses, and the barracks of her Majesty (Queen Anne) sustains great damage, the total loss being comput

• June 2, 1772 - An Act of Parliament allows Catholics to lease bogland

• June 2, 1774 - An act of the Irish parliament enables Catholics to testify their allegiance to the king

• June 2, 1866 - Renegade Irish Fenians surrender to US forces

• June 2, 1891 - A proposal for the penalty kick is accepted by the Football Association. It is the brainchild of Armaghs William McCrum and is championed by his colleague in the Irish Association, Jack Reid

• June 2, 1920 - Michael OHehir, sports commentator, is born in Dublin

• June 2, 1938 - Robert and Edward Kennedy, youngest sons of the American Ambassador to London, open the children’s zoo in Regent’s Park. Children are charged sixpence to watch chimpanzees have a tea party

• June 2, 1941 - Clothes rationing introduced as a war-time measure. It was not lifted until, 1949.

• June 2, 1953 - Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II. Objectors who said that Scotland had never had a Queen Elizabeth I were told that in future the highest number will be used where there is such a conflict.

• June 2, 1994 - 25 top intelligence officers and the crew of four were killed when a Chinook helicopter in which they were traveling from Northern Ireland crashed into a hillside on the Mull of Kintyre.

• June 3, 1726 - James Hutton, founder of modern geology, born.

• June 3, 1774 - Poet Robert Tannahill born in Paisley.

• June 3, 1798 - Government reinforces Gorey and Bunclody, Co. Wexford. Rebels decide to attack Gorey

• June 3, 1836 - Barry Edward OMeara, surgeon to Napoleon, dies in London

• June 3, 1863 - Writer Neil Munro born Inveraray.

• June 3, 1866 - American Fenians led by General John ONeill defeat English crown forces at Ridgeway, Ontario, British Squarebroken.

• June 3, 1878 - Sinéad de Valera, née Flanagan; teacher and writer, is born in Balbriggan, Co. Dublin

• June 3, 1919 - The Local Government Act provides for proportional representation at local authority elections

• June 3, 1931 - The company formed by John Logie Baird televised the Epsom Derby which was then transmitted by the BBC.

• June 3, 1978 - Peru defeated Scotland, 3-1 in the football World Cup in Argentina.

• June 4, 1487 - Thomas FitzGerald, Kildares brother, accompanies Simnels army of German mercenaries and some Irishmen to England on this date

• June 4, 1651 - Ireton, Oliver Cromwells son-in-law, lays siege to Limerick city. By October, Limerick is in Iretons hands. Ireton dies of the plague shortly afterwards

• June 4, 1694 - The Merchant Maiden Hospital, later known as The Mary Erskine School, was founded by Mary Erskine in the Cowgate, Edinburgh.

• June 4, 1731 - Allegedly, the date when the robbery of the Golden Lyons cargo takes place at Ballyheige Co. Kerry. Owned by the Danish East India Company, the ship had become stranded near Ballyheige, Co. Kerry. Its valuable cargo is moved into a house and guarded by t

• June 4, 1798 - In Co. Wexford, Government troops march south out of Gorey. Rebels from Carrigrew move north, they attack and defeat Government forces at Tubberneering. Government forces withdraw north. Rebels occupy Gorey

• June 4, 1798 - Lord Edward Fitzgerald dies at Newgate prison from wounds sustained in the course of his arrest

• June 4, 1818 - First recorded inter-club golf match between Edinburgh Burgess Golfing Society and Bruntsfield Links Golf Club.

• June 4, 1820 - Henry Grattan, the moving force behind the Irish Parliament at College Green before it was dissolved by the Act of Union, dies and is buried - against his wishes - in Westminster Abbey

• June 4, 1832 - Great Reform Bill, which disenfranchised rotten burghs, came into force.

• June 4, 1862 - Bob Fitzsimmons, Cornish boxer, worlds middleweight champion 1891- worlds heavyweight champion 1897- born.

• June 4, 1864 - Neilí Ni Bhriain, Irish Gaelic League activist, is born

• June 4, 1886 - Months of serious rioting begin in Belfast on this date

• June 4, 1909 - Charlotte Grace OBrien, Irish social reformer dies

• June 4, 1909 - Robert Dudley Edwards, historian, is born in Dublin

• June 4, 1940 - Evacuation of Dunkirk (which began on May 27) was completed., 338,226 soldiers were brought back to the UK by the little ships.

• June 4, 1940 - Winston Churchill made his speech to the nation saying - We shall defend our island whatever the cost may be. We shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets. We shall fight in the hill

• June 4, 1977 - Damage estimated to cost £15,000 caused by fans who dug up the pitch at Wembley after Scotland defeated England, 2-1.

• June 5, 1592 - An Act of the Scottish Parliament came into force concerning the Office of Lyoun King of Armes and his brother Heraldis creating the best regulated system of armorial bearings in Europe.

• June 5, 1646 - Eoghan Rua ONeill, a superb military strategist, defeats Robert Munro’s Scottish army at Benburb in Co. Tyrone. The victory is celebrated by Pope Innocent X with a Te Deum in Rome

• June 5, 1686 - Richard Talbot, the Earl of Tyrconnell, appointed Lord Deputy of Ireland, (the first Catholic to hold the position since the Reformation) becomes Commander-in-Chief of the Irish army

• June 5, 1723 - Adam Smith, author of The Wealth of Nations born Kirkcaldy.

• June 5, 1795 - An Act provides for the establishment of a Catholic seminary

• June 5, 1798 - Defeat of the rebels at New Ross, Co. Wexford

• June 5, 1798 - The Reverend William Steel Dickson, a Presbyterian minister and United Irishmen supporter is arrested and imprisoned without trial

• June 5, 1819 - John Couch Adams FRS (5 June 1819 – 21 January 1892) was a British mathematician and astronomer. Cornish discover of the planet Nep

• June 5, 1868 - James Connolly, Irish revolutionary hero, born in Edinburgh - Scotland.

• June 5, 1880 - Birth in Dublin of William Thomas Cosgrave, the first President of the Executive Council of the Irish Free State

• June 5, 1886 - Alasdair Mac Cába, pro-Treaty nationalist, politician, and founder of the Educational Building Society, is born in Ballymote, Co. Sligo

• June 5, 1899 - Margaret Anne Cusack (Sister Mary Francis Clare), the Nun of Kenmare, dies in Leamington, Warwickshire, England

• June 5, 1916 - Death of Listowel man Lord Kitchener

• June 5, 1916 - HMS Hampshire sank off Orkney after striking a mine. Lord Kitchener, conqueror of Sudan, was drowned.

• June 5, 1920 - Cornelius Ryan, war correspondent and author of The Longest Day, The Last Battle and A Bridge Too Far, is born in Dublin

• June 5, 1921 - The first sitting of the Northern Ireland Parliament takes place

• June 5, 1932 - Birth of Christy Brown, paraplegic painter and writer. His book “Down All the Days” and the film “My Left Foot” are based on his life

• June 5, 1975 - Referendum held on British Membership of the European Community. In Scotland the vote was Yes, 1,332,286; No, 948,039. Turnout was, 61%. Only Shetland and Western Isles had majorities against.

• June 6, 1333 - William de Burgh, Earl of Ulster -the Brown Earl-is assassinated by his own knights, John de Logan and two of the de Mandevilles, at Le Ford, Belfast. The background is one of intrigue among Norman-Irish lords

• June 6, 1560 - Treaty of Edinburgh between France and England, recognizing sovereignty of Mary Queen of Scots and her first husband Francis II.

• June 6, 1592 - Red Hugh ODonnell, son of the Earl of Tyrconnell makes a dramatic escape from the Record Tower and returns to Co. Donegal and the leadership of his Clan

• June 6, 1739 - John Scott, Earl of Clonmel; Copper-Faced Jack; Chief Justice, is born in Co. Tipperary

• June 6, 1763 - William Simms, a founder and secretary of the United Irishmen, is born

• June 6, 1790 - Edmund Butler, 11th Viscount Mountgarret and former MP for Co. Kilkenny, fights a duel with a Counsellor Bushe during which Bushe is seriously injured in the stomach

• June 6, 1798 - General Needham reaches Arklow in Co. Wexford and immediately begins digging trenches

• June 6, 1798 - Rebellion breaks out in Ulster - Henry Joy McCracken issues proclamation calling United Irishmen in Ulster to arms

• June 6, 1800 - Ordination of the first priests at St Patricks College, Maynooth. The college was founded in 1795 as the National Seminary for Ireland

• June 6, 1821 - F. an Uhel, Breton writer and ethnologist was born

• June 6, 1871 - Joseph Shanahan, missionary bishop in Africa, is born near Templederry, Co. Tipperary

• June 6, 1880 - Birth of William Thomas Cosgrave , Irish statesman and father of Liam Cosgrave*. A member of Sinn Féin, he fought in the Easter Rebellion and was sentenced to life imprisonment. Freed a year later, he was elected to the British Parliament in 1918 but pro

• June 6, 1882 - In Liverpool, Mayo native-son and hero, Michael Davitt, advocates land nationalization in preference to peasant proprietorship

• June 6, 1898 - Birth of Dame Ninette de Valois, Wicklow, born founder of the Royal Ballet

• June 6, 1913 - Birth in Dublin of Patrick Campbell, author and broadcaster; he wrote sixteen books, including Life in Thin Slices, Rough Husbandry and How to Become a Scratch Golfer (he was one himself)

• June 6, 1940 - Willie John McBride, Ireland and Lions rugby captain, is born in Toomebridge, Co. Antrim

• June 6, 1982 - Caitlin Maude, Irish language activist dies.

• June 7, 1329 - Robert the Bruce of Scotland, died.

• June 7, 1420 - A parliament meets at Dublin

• June 7, 1546 - England signs Peace of Andres with Ireland and Scotland

• June 7, 1690 - The Scots Parliament ratified the establishment of a Presbyterian religious system, rejecting Episcopacy.

• June 7, 1705 - Francis Flood, grandfather of Henry Flood, is expelled from the House of Commons for abuses against Agmondisham Cuffe MP, Cuffes tenants and others in Co. Kilkenny

• June 7, 1766 - The Tumultuous Risings Act, against the Whiteboys, is passed

• June 7, 1798 - Father James Coigly is executed by hanging at Pennington Heath. A member of the United Irishmen, he had been arrested in Margate, England as he was about to embark for France. Papers found on his person indicate that his intention is to invite the French

• June 7, 1798 - In Wicklow, the Rebels burn Carnew; in Ulster, they take Larne and the Larne garrison retreats to Carrickfergus. The Rebels take Ballymena and Randalstown and then attack Antrim. They also attack Maghea in Co Derry

• June 7, 1811 - Sir James Young Simpson, pioneer of anesthetics and chloroform, born.

• June 7, 1861 - Death of Patrick Brontë from Ballynaskeagh, Co Down, father of Emily, Charlotte, Anne and Bramwell

• June 7, 1866 - Irish Fenians raid Pigeon Hill, Quebec

• June 7, 1892 - Birth of Irish statesman, Kevin Christopher OHiggins in Stradbally, Co. Laois. He attempted severe repression of the Irish Republican Army in the years of the Irish “Troubles” following the Anglo-Irish treaty of 1921. A man of intellectual power, he is d

• June 7, 1899 - Elizabeth Bowen, born

• June 7, 1899 - Birth in Dublin of Elizabeth Bowen, novelist and short-story writer. Acclaimed for her fictional representations of Anglo-Irish Big House life, she is best known in Ireland for her novel The Last September

• June 7, 1900 - Patricia Lynch, childrens author, is born in Cork

• June 7, 1921 - George V opens the first Northern Ireland Parliament. James Craig becomes Northern Irelands first Prime Minister

• June 7, 1925 - Death of Matt Talbot. With the help of a priest friend, Matt overcomes chronic alcoholism and models his life on that of the monks, who lived in Ireland in the 6th and 7th centuries. It is a tough programme of prayer, fasting and almsgiving. He gives away

• June 7, 1952 - Birth of Liam Neeson (William John Neeson) in Ballymena, Co. Antrim

• June 8, 1333 - King Edward III of England orders seizure of the Isle of Mann from the Scots.

• June 8, 1561 - Shane ONeill rebels and is proclaimed a traitor

• June 8, 1724 - Birth of John Smeaton, civil engineer and lighthouse builder.

• June 8, 1739 - Earl of Clonmell and Chief Justice John Scott, aka Copper-Faced Jack, is born in Co. Tipperary

• June 8, 1772 - Robert Stevenson, engineer, who constructed, 18 lighthouses around Scotland, born Glasgow.

• June 8, 1798 - In Co. Wicklow, the Arklow garrison is reinforced. In Co. Wexford, The rebel southern division moves camp from Carrickbyrne to Slievecoilte. In Ulster, General Nugent offers amnesty to rank and file rebels. Rebel forces in Antrim begin to disintegrate

• June 8, 1847 - Acts setting up soup kitchens and rate-aided outdoor Famine relief come to an end

• June 8, 1886 - Gladstones Home Rule Bill is defeated

• June 8, 1905 - Brian Coffey, poet and scientist, is born in Dún Laoghaire, Co. Dublin

• June 8, 1929 - Birth of Peter Rafferty, diplomat

• June 8, 1985 - Barry McGuigan beats Eusebia Pedrosa to become the World Featherweight Champion

• June 9, 1641 - Patrick Darcy, a prominent constitutional lawyer, argues that the Irish parliament possesses independent authority

• June 9, 1657 - The Settlement Act for the Assuming, Confirming and Settling of Lands and Estates in Ireland is passed

• June 9, 1798 - Rebels attack Arklow. They are defeated with heavy losses; in Co. Down, Rebels take Saintfield and repulse a Government attack. Garrison abandons Newtownards, which is occupied by the rebels; unsuccessful attack on Portaferry

• June 9, 1888 - Basil Stanley Brooke, 1st Viscount Brookeborough; unionist politician and Northern Ireland prime minister from 1943-63, is born in Colebrook, Co. Fermanagh

• June 9, 1942 - First US troops (over, 10,000 men) disembark from Queen Mary on the River Clyde.

• June 9, 1982 - The, 20p coin came into circulation.

• June 9, 597 - Colum Cille, (St Columba) Irish Bard and monk, honored in all Celtic lands, died.

• June 10, 1549 - Prayer Book Rebellion breaks out in Cornwall against the religous edicts of Henry VIII of England, led by Henry Arundell.

• June 10, 1642 - The first regularly constituted presbytery in Ireland constituted by Scottish army chaplains meets at Carrickfergus

• June 10, 1688 - James Francis Stuart born. In honor of the Old Pretender, this is known as White Rose Day in Jacobite circles.

• June 10, 1719 - Battle of Glenshiel, Jacobites with Spanish assistance, and government forces clashed.

• June 10, 1727 - Death of King George I and accession of George II.

• June 10, 1768 - Construction of the Forth and Clyde canal started. It was to take, 22 years to complete.

• June 10, 1798 - Rebels capture Maynooth in Leinster and Bangor in Ulster

• June 10, 1834 - Alfred Webb, writer and traveller, is born in Dublin

• June 10, 1842 - The first number of James MacKnights “Banner of Ulster”, the newspaper of the Presbyterian Church, is published in Ulster

• June 10, 1903 - The floral clock in Princes Street Gardens, Edinburgh, began operation, driven by clockwork and with only an hour hand. But it was the first of its kind in the world.

• June 10, 1904 - James Joyce meets the love of his life, Nora Barnacle

• June 10, 1939 - Sir Jackie Stewart, three-times world motor racing champion, born in Dunbartonshire.

• June 10, 1944 - Death of Limerick man, Frank Ryan. He was the organiser and leader of the 200 Irishmen who went to Spain to fight against Franco and fascism in 1936

• June 11, 1488 - Battle of Sauchieburn during which King James III died attempting to subdue a group of rebel barons.

• June 11, 1534 - Revolt in Ireland of Silken Thomas Fitzgerald

• June 11, 1560 - Marie of Guise, widow of King James V and Queen Regent of Scotland, died.

• June 11, 1690 - William of Orange departs for Ireland

• June 11, 1798 - In Co. Wexford, the Rebel southern division moves camp from Slievecoilte to Lacken Hill. In Co. Down, the Main rebel army moves from Saintfield to Ballynahinch

• June 11, 1862 - Violet Martin (pen-name Martin Ross; writer, sometimes in partnership with her cousin Edith Somerville) is born in Ross House, Co. Galway

• June 11, 1903 - Thomas Sloan and others found the Independent Orange Order in Belfast

• June 11, 1912 - Mary Lavin, generally acknowledged as one of Irelands greatest short story writers, is born in Massachusetts, the only child of Irish parents

• June 11, 1919 - Birth of actor Richard Todd - in Dublin. In 1950, he wins a Golden Globe Award (“Most Promising Newcomer”) for his performance in the film “The Hasty Heart” (1949). The film also earns him an Academy Award Nomination for “Best Actor”

• June 11, 1930 - Empress of Britain launched from Clydebank by the Prince of Wales.

• June 11, 1975 - First oil pumped ashore from British oilfields in the North Sea.

• June 12, 1298 - William Wallace routs English at the Battle of Black Ironside

• June 12, 1731 - The Revenue Commissioners report the robbery of the Golden Lyon’s cargo at Ballyheige. One of the robbers is caught and turns king’s evidence; the Danish Asiatic Company offers a reward of 10 per cent of the value of the cargo for its recovery. (See June

• June 12, 1741 - At the Athy by-election following the death of Sir Walter Dixon Borrowes on 12 June, Lord Ophaly (later 1st Duke of Leinster) is returned. In the course of the election there has been a duel between William Paul Warren and Jack Hardy, which leads to Hardy

• June 12, 1798 - In Wexford, Rebel northern division moves camp to Limerick Hill; Rebels launch attack on Borris, Co Carlow. In Ulster, General Nugent takes Comber and Saintfield. He moves close to main rebel camp at Ballynahinch

• June 12, 1916 - The Ulster Unionist Council agrees to the immediate implementation of Home Rule if six Ulster counties are temporarily excluded

• June 12, 1924 - Kevin OKelly, journalist and broadcaster, is born

• June 13, 1713 - Jonathan Swift becomes Dean of St Patricks Cathedral, Dublin

• June 13, 1748 - Sir Robert King, MP for Boyle, Co. Roscommon, is created Baron Kingsborough

• June 13, 1798 - Battle of Ballynahinch, Ireland. Defeat of United Irish Army in Ulster.

• June 13, 1819 - The Strathnaver Clearances began on the Sutherland estates, families were given, 30 minutes to remove their belongings before their cottages were set on fire.

• June 13, 1831 - Birth of James Clerk Maxwell, first Professor of Experimental Physics at Cambridge University, he created electromagnetic theory of light.

• June 13, 1865 - Birth of W.B. Yeats in Dublin

• June 13, 1884 - Birth of Mary Colum (née Maguire) in Collooney, Co. Sligo, wife of Padraic Colum, Irish literary critic and founder of The Irish Review

• June 13, 1886 - Molly Malone reputedly dies of the fever. The famous song, Sweet Molly Malone is a tribute to the memory of a real person who was a fishwife selling cockles and mussels in the streets of Dublin. A statue of her can be seen at the foot of Grafton Stree

• June 13, 1951 - Eamon de Valera becomes Taoiseach

• June 13, 1975 - Rate of price inflation reached, 25% in the UK.

• June 14, 1645 - The royalists, loyal to Charles I, suffer a key defeat by the English Parliamentarians at Naseby

• June 14, 1690 - William of Orange lands at Carrickfergus

• June 14, 1699 - The second session of the second Irish parliament of William III is dissolved on this date

• June 14, 1789 - Whisky distilled from maize was first produced, by a clergyman, the Rev Elijah Craig. He called the new liquor bourbon because he lived in Bourbon County, Kentucky.

• June 14, 1798 - Government reinforcements begin to march from Cork and the midlands; Rebels send small detachment to Mountpleasant, in Co Wicklow. In Ulster, the Rebels disperse

• June 14, 1866 - Charles Wood, composer, is born in Armagh. For most of his adult life, he lives in England, but preserves a lively interest in Ireland; in 1904 he co-founds the Irish Folk Song Society in London. Several of his chamber works and songs use Irish material.

• June 14, 1883 - Death of Edward FitzGerald, poet and translator of The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam

• June 14, 1884 - Birth in Athlone of John McCormack, tenor and papal count

• June 14, 1919 - Capt John Alcock and Lt Arthur Whitten-Brown take off from Newfoundland on the first non-stop transatlantic flight to Galway, in a Vickers Vimy

• June 14, 1940 - Queen Mary, Aquitania, Empress of Canada, and Empress of Britain arrive in the River Clyde with the first contingent of Australian and New Zealand troops.

• June 14, 1946 - John Logie Baird, Scottish Inventor of television, died.

• June 14, 1966 - Walter McGowan wins World Fly-Weight Championship

• June 15, 1555 - After Henry VIII suppresses the Chapter of St Patricks Cathedral it is restored on this date

• June 15, 1567 - Mary Queen of Scots last night in Edinburgh, at the house of Sir Simon Preston, the Lord Provost, on the Royal Mile, prior to her imprisonment at Loch Leven castle two days later.

• June 15, 1698 - Count George de Browne, governor of Livonia, Latvia, and field marshal in the Russian army, is born in Camas, Co. Limerick

• June 15, 1798 - The Rebels main division marches to Mountpleasant

• June 15, 1828 - Birth of Sir Thomas Newenhan Deane, architect, in Dundanion, Co. Cork

• June 15, 1887 - Anti -Tithe riot, Mochdie, Wales.

• June 15, 1919 - Pioneer Atlantic airmen Alcock and Brown land at Clifden, Co. Galway and complete the first non-stop trans-Atlantic flight

• June 15, 1945 - Queen Mary leaves Greenock, taking nearly, 15,000 GIs home to US.

• June 16, 1282 - Invading English Army defeated at Llandeilo, Wales, by Llywelyn II

• June 16, 1338 - Siege of Dunbar Castle by the English was raised.

• June 16, 1586 - Mary, Queen of Scots recognised Philip II of Spain as her heir.

• June 16, 1721 - The following incident is reported in the state papers - during a trial in the court of Kings Bench, Dublin, on this date, a neighbouring chimney took fire, blew the smoke into the court and gave a panick to all the people who crowded to get out. Many we

• June 16, 1798 - British regulars arrive in Dublin; Rebels march to Tinahely. Co. Wicklow

• June 16, 1871 - The Westmeath Act allows detention without trial for agrarian offences

• June 16, 1904 - Today was when James Joyce had his first date with Nora Barnacle; ultimately, it became the date on which everything takes place in his masterpiece, Ulysses

• June 16, 1924 - Friends send Joyce, who is in the hospital, a bouquet of white and blue hydrangeas. He writes in his notebook - Today 16 of June 1924 twenty years after. Will anybody remember this date?

• June 16, 1924 - The first Irish soccer international. A team drawn from the newly formed Football Association of Ireland meets the United States in Dublin

• June 16, 1929 - According to David Norris, a Dublin senator and a leading Joyce scholar, the first official celebration of Bloomsday is held on its twenty-fifth anniversary. That night, Joyce is the guest of honor at a dinner party held at Les Vaux de Cernay, a village n

• June 16, 1971 - Lord Reith, father of the BBC, died.

• June 17, 1056 - Gruffydd ab Llewelyn defeats English army near Hereford

• June 17, 1390 - Wolf of Badenoch burns Elgin Cathedral.

• June 17, 1617 - Articles of religion, introducing Anglican principles into Scottish worship, endorsed by Scottish parliament.

• June 17, 1798 - Rebels capture Tinahely, Co. Wicklow and burn the town

• June 17, 1800 - Birth of William Parsons, 3rd Earl of Rosse; astronomer and telescope constructor, in York

• June 17, 1823 - Charles Macintosh patented the waterproof cloth he was using to make raincoats.

• June 17, 1845 - Author and poet, Emily Lawless, is born in Lyons Castle, Co. Kildare

• June 17, 1867 - Birth of John Gregg, publisher and inventor of the Gregg shorthand system, in Rockcorry, Co. Monaghan

• June 17, 1903 - An elephant named Sita kills her keeper tending her sore foot in Dublin Zoo. She was later put down by members of the Royal Irish Constabulary

• June 17, 1943 - Annie S Swan, novelist, died.

• June 17, 1959 - Eamon de Valera becomes President of Ireland.

• June 18, 1329 - The Bishop of Ossory is charged with fomenting feuds among the magnates; he flees to England and then, when summoned before the king, he flees to Rome. The king (Edward III, aged seventeen) warns the pope against him.

• June 18, 1639 - Pacification of Berwick. Charles I of England forced to withdraw from Scotland and to recognize an independent Scottish Parliament

• June 18, 1746 - Flora MacDonald met Prince Charles Edward Stuart and persuaded him to wear womens clothes as part of the escape plan from the Outer Hebrides to Skye.

• June 18, 1769 - Robert Stewart, Viscount Castlereagh, 2nd Marquess of Londonderry, politician and administrator, is born in Dublin

• June 18, 1798 - In Leinster, the Rebels are defeated at Ovidstown, near Kilcock; in Wexford, Rebels move back to Kilcavan hill. Government offensive begins; Rebels at Kilcavan are in a strong position. Government advance is stalled; Rebels withdraw from Kilcavan. Moore a

• June 18, 1815 - Battle of Waterloo, when British forces, under the command of the Duke of Wellington, a Dubliner, defeat Napoleon’s forces. The Iron Duke wasn’t the only Irish presence on the day — Napoleon’s horse Marengo was reared in Co. Wexford, and the Duke of Welli

• June 18, 1815 - Ensign Ewart captured the French Ensign at the Battle of Waterloo.

• June 18, 1831 - In the tithe war, yeomen kill up to 14 people at Newtownbarry, Co. Wexford

• June 18, 1859 - Birth of artist, Walter Osborne in Dublin. His superb images of young girls at play are still cherished by the National Gallery of Ireland - The Dolls School, The House Builders, and other examples of his work are also housed there.

• June 18, 1864 - Death of William Smith O’Brien, leading member of the literary-political Young Ireland movement

• June 18, 1901 - Playwright, Denis Johnston is born in Dublin. His plays include The Old Lady Says No; The Moon in the Yellow River; The Bride for the Unicorn and Strange Occurrence on Irelands Eye. He also published a biography, In Search of Swift, and two autobiograp

• June 18, 1936 - Fianna Fáil maintains links with the IRA until 1934 and then, on this date, declares them to be an illegal organisation.

• June 19, 1306 - Army of Robert the Bruce routed at Methven.

• June 19, 1566 - Mary Queen of Scots gives birth to the future King James VI of Scotland and I of England.

• June 19, 1633 - Coronation of King Charles I at Holyrood.

• June 19, 1647 - James, Duke of Ormond, agrees to surrender Dublin to English Parliament

• June 19, 1660 - Day of Public Thanksgiving on Restoration of Charles II as king.

• June 19, 1820 - The Dublin Society for Improving Husbandry, which was originally founded on June 25 in 1731, becomes the Royal Dublin Society on this date

• June 19, 1841 - Birth in Roscommon of Sir George Arthur French (a relation of Percy French, the songwriter) who organised the Royal Canadian Mounted Police

• June 19, 1861 - Earl Haig, Commander in Chief of British forces, 1915-18, founder of British Legion, born.

• June 19, 1917 - Parliament voted by a majority of, 330 to give votes to women over, 30 for the first time.

• June 19, 1936 - Birth in Dingle, Co. Kerry of Sister Stanislaus Kennedy, née Treasa Kennedy; campaigner against poverty and homelessness

• June 19, 1936 - Mary Holland, noted journalist of the 1970s and 1980s in Northern Ireland and Scoop of the year award winner in 1994 (British Press Awards), is born in London

• June 19, 1937 - Sir J M Barrie, author of Peter Pan died.

• June 20, 1210 - King John lands at Waterford. He campaigns in Leinster - many of the de Lacys followers go over to his side; he then captures Carrickfergus, where the de Lacys have made a stand, after a short siege. On 28 July, he captures William de Braose and confisca

• June 20, 1715 - There is a general election. The first session of the Irish parliament of George I commences on 12 November, and will continue till 20 June 1716. There will be six sessions of this parliament

• June 20, 1723 - Adam Ferguson, philosopher, historian, Father of Sociology born Logierait, Perthshire.

• June 20, 1764 - Theobald Wolfe Tone born

• June 20, 1798 - In Wexford, the Rebels retreat to Vinegar Hill. Generals Loftus, Needham and Johnston close in on Vinegar Hill. General Moore defeats Rebels at Goffs Bridge

• June 20, 1810 - Parliament passes Unlawful Acts Bill, extending powers against secret societies

• June 20, 1849 - James Clarence Mangan, poet, dies

• June 20, 1867 - Clan Na Gael, Irish revolutionary organization and the counterpart of the Irish Republican Brotherhood, is formed by John Devoy, Daniel Cohalan and Joseph McGarrity in the USA. The objectives of the organization are to secure an independent Ireland

• June 20, 1887 - New Tay rail bridge opened, the longest in Britain.

• June 20, 1891 - Birth of John Aloysius Costello, Ireland’s third Taoiseach

• June 21 - Alban Heruin (Welsh Bardic name for summer solstice)

• June 21, 1098 - Priory at Coldingham founded.

• June 21, 1650 - Cromwells New Model Army is victorious at Scarrifhollis, Co. Donegal

• June 21, 1691 - Godert de Ginkel, the commanding general of the William of Orange army, begins a ten-day siege of Athlone

• June 21, 1782 - The Declaratory Act, which had given Britain the right to legislate for Ireland and had denied the appellate jurisdiction of the Irish House of Lords, is repealed

• June 21, 1791 - Robert Napier, regarded as the father of Clyde shipbuilding was born. He died on, 23 June, 1876.

• June 21, 1796 - Scottish explorer Mungo Park reached the source of the river Niger in Africa.

• June 21, 1798 - The Rebels are defeated at Vinegar Hill; however, two Rebel columns escape; the Southern column camps at Sleedagh Demense; the Northern column camps at Peppards Castle. Government forces re-take Wexford town

• June 21, 1826 - Frederick Blackwood, 1st Marquess of Dufferin and Ava, diplomat and holder of estates at Clandeboye, Co. Down, is born in Florence

• June 21, 1854 - Charles Davis Lucas from Drumagole, Co Armagh, age 20 and a mate in the Royal Navy, hurls a Russian shell (its fuse still burning) from the deck of his ship during the Crimean War. For this action, he will become the first recipient of the Victoria Cross

• June 21, 1877 - On a day that will long be remembered as Black Thursday, four members of the Molly Maguires, Alexander Campbell, John Donohue, Michael Doyle and Edward Kelly, shackled with chains, walk to the gallows specially constructed to accommodate four people; thei

• June 21, 1897 - James Connolly is arrested during a demonstration commemorating 1798; Maud Gonne pays the fine for his release

• June 21, 1919 - German fleet scuttled in Scapa Flow.

• June 22, 1402 - Owain Glyn Dwr routs English forces at the Battle of Bryn

• June 22, 1679 - Duke of Monmouth subdued Covenanters at Bothwell Bridge.

• June 22, 1725 - Malt Riots, Glasgow, against higher taxes imposed on Scottish malt.

• June 22, 1770 - James Smyth, MP for Dundalk, is killed in a riding accident

• June 22, 1798 - Rebel southern column marches through Sculloge Gap, into Co. Carlow. Rebel northern column marches to camp at Croghan

• June 22, 1798 - Execution of John Kelly, also known as Kelly of Killane

• June 22, 1866 - Archbishop Cullen becomes the first Irishman elevated to Cardinal

• June 22, 1921 - First Ulster parliament, led by Sir James Craig, is formally opened by King George V, who appeals for peace

• June 22, 1922 - Longford, born Field Marshal Sir Henry Wilson is shot and killed by the IRA on the steps of his home in London (link to Wild Geese)

• June 23, 1650 - Charles II sailed into the estuary of the river Spey and signed the Covenant before going ashore.

• June 23, 1704 - The Registration Act comes into force requiring all Catholic priests in Ireland to register in court, to furnish two £50 bonds for good behaviour, and not to leave the county in which they are registered

• June 23, 1725 - Malt Riots, Glasgow

• June 23, 1777 - William Brown, founder of the Argentine navy, is born in Foxford, Co. Mayo

• June 23, 1798 - Rebel southern column captures Goresbridge, Co. Kilkenny and camps at Bunreagh; Rebel northern column moves into Wicklow Mountains and camps at Ballymanus

• June 23, 1802 - Daniel OConnell secretly marries his cousin, Mary OConnell

• June 23, 1823 - George and Robert Stephenson open their locomotive foundry in Newcastle upon Tyne.

• June 23, 1825 - Annie French Hector, novelist who wrote under the pseudonym Mrs. Alexander, is born in Dublin. Highly successful novelist with 40 books including the Wooing of O’t (1873), and Blind Fate (1891); A Choice of Evils (1895), and Kitty Costello, semi-autobiogr

• June 23, 1838 - Sir James Gildea, philanthropist and co-founder of St. John Ambulance Association, is born in Kilmaine, Co. Mayo

• June 23, 1927 - Singer Kenneth McKellar born.

• June 23, 1939 - Dáil Éireann introduces internment

• June 23, 1952 - Salvador Dalis painting Christ of St John of the Cross went on display in Glasgows Kelvingrove Art Gallery. There was a public outcry when Dr Tom Honeyman, the then director of Glasgows museums and art galleries, spent the citys entire annual purcha

• June 23, 1971 - Mass protest in West of Scotland against closure of John Browns shipyard.

• June 24, 1314 - Robert the Bruce defeated Edward II at Battle of Bannockburn.

• June 24, 1754 - Death of Robin Downes. Thomas Waite writes - ‘Yesterday morning Robin Downes, member for Kildare, was found in his parlour in his house in Dawson Street with a sword run through his body. There are hopes of his recovery. He himself says ... that he receive

• June 24, 1798 - Rebel southern column captures Castlecomber, Co Kilkenny and camp at Slatt, in Co Laois

• June 24, 1850 - Horatio Kitchener, 1st Earl Kitchener of Khartoum; soldier and statesman, is born in Ballylongford, Co. Kerry

• June 24, 1874 - Birth of Úna Ní Fhaircheallaigh, Irish author, feminist and language activist

• June 24, 1876 - Birth of Forrest Reid in Belfast. He was a novelist, critic, and autobiographer. He became a distinguished book and print collector, eventually writing a definitive work on the book of illustrators of the 1860s

• June 24, 1886 - Crofters Holding Act passed providing limited security of tenure.

• June 25, 1731 - The Dublin Society for Improving Husbandry, (later to become the Royal Dublin Society on June 19, 1820), is founded on this date

• June 25, 1783 - The Bank of Ireland is established in Dublin, by Royal charter. It issues its first notes, and opens to the public on this date; the Irish pound is worth £12-13 sterling

• June 25, 1798 - Northern column fails to take Hacketstown, Co. Carlow and returns to camp at Croghan. Southern column marches from Slatt, to camp at Kilcumney Hill, Co. Carlow

• June 25, 1799 - David Douglas, explorer and botanist, born at Scone, Perthshire. In addition to the Douglas Fir, he brought back to Europe lupins, phlox, penstemmon, sunflowers, clarkia, Californian poppy, mimulus, flowering currant, rose of sharon and mahonia.

• June 25, 1804 - Kadoudal - Breton patriot, beheaded in Paris.

• June 25, 1870 - Erskine Childers, novelist, member of the Royal Navy, and later an Irish nationalist, is born in London. He is famous for the classic spy yarn The Riddle Of The Sands. For more on his life, please click The Wild Geese

• June 25, 1876 - Seven Scots, including John Stuart Forbes, were in the US, 7th Cavalry with General Custer at the Battle of the Little Big Horn.

• June 25, 1887 - Wallace statue unveiled at the Wallace National Monument, Stirling.

• June 25, 1891 - Charles Stewart Parnell married Katherine OShea in England

• June 25, 1891 - The first Sherlock Holmes story by Edinburgh born author Arthur Conan Doyle was published in the Strand magazine.

• June 25, 1938 - Dr. Douglas Hyde inaugurated as first President of Ireland; Seán T OCeallaigh, Eamon de Valera and Erskine Childers were all installed on the same day in 1945, 1959 and 1973 respectively

• June 25, 1971 - Lord Boyd Orr, biologist and Nobel Prize Winner, died.

• June 26, 1488 - James IV crowned king at the age of, 15 at Scone. He reigned until, 1513 when he fell with the flower of Scotlands nobility at the Battle of Flodden Field.

• June 26, 1657 - Act for Convicting, Discovering and Repressing of Popish Recusants is passed

• June 26, 1695 - Scottish East India Company organized.

• June 26, 1695 - Darien Company formed to set up a Scottish colony in Panama.

• June 26, 1782 - The Relief Act gives Catholics rights concerning their education

• June 26, 1798 - Southern column is surprised by Government forces on Kilcumney Hill. They are defeated and decide to disperse. Many men return home but some decide to try and rejoin northern column at Croghan. Northern column remains in camp at Croghan.

• June 26, 1824 - Physicist and mathematician, Sir William Thomson, first Baron Kelvin of Largs, is born in College Square East, Belfast

• June 26, 1830 - King George IV died, aged, 67 (and William IV ascended the throne). George IV is reckoned to be Britains fattest king. His favourite breakfast was two roast pigeons, three beefsteaks, a bottle of white wine, a glass of champagne, two of port and one bran

• June 26, 1846 - England repeals the Corn Laws. The Corn Law Act had been passed in 1815 as a measure to protect the interests of landowners who looked as if they were about to lose out when highly inflated prices for corn ceased with the ending of the Napoleonic Wars. Th

• June 26, 1887 - 92 degrees Fahrenheit (33 Celsius), the highest temperature in Ireland since records began, was recorded at Kilkenny Castle

• June 26, 1891 - Wedding of Charles Stewart Parnell to Kitty O’Shea

• June 27, 1488 - Sir Richard Edgecombe is sent to Ireland with power to grant pardons; he lands at Kinsale on this date

• June 27, 1583 - James VI (aged, 8) escaped from Castle Ruthven.

• June 27, 1782 - The Relief Act gives Catholics rights concerning their education

• June 27, 1798 - Northern column remains in camp at Croghan

• June 27, 1846 - Irish statesman, Charles Stewart Parnell, is born

• June 27, 1864 - Charles Joly, astronomer, is born in Tullamore, Co. Offaly

• June 27, 1870 - Eibhlín Bean Uí Choisdeailbh, Irish language folk-song collector is born

• June 28, 1746 - Charles Edward Stuart and Flora MacDonald escape over the sea to Skye

• June 28, 1798 - General Hunter, who replaced Lake as Commander in Wexford, becomes aware rebellion is not over and begins to re-deploy his troops. He orders General Duff to Bunclody and General Needham to Gorey

• June 28, 1838 - Queen Victoria crowned at Westminster Abbey.

• June 28, 1853 - The introduction of income tax in Ireland is proposed for the first time

• June 28, 1861 - Explorer Robert Burke, from Co. Galway, dies in Australia

• June 28, 1920 - On hearing of British atrocities in Ireland, soldiers of the Connaught Rangers mutiny in protest; three are shot dead; a fourth - Private James Daly - is court-martialled and executed by firing squad. He is the last member of the British army to be execut

• June 28, 1922 - The Provisional Government of the Irish Free State bombards the Four Courts in Dublin, and the Civil War begins

• June 28, 1922 - The Irish Civil War starts in Ireland on June 28, 1922

• June 28, 1922 - Battle of Dublin

• June 29, 1771 - Birth of Edward Newell, United Irishman and informer, in Downpatrick, Co. Down

• June 29, 1810 - Robert Williams, Celtic scholar from Wales, author of Dictionary of the Ancient Celtic Language of Cornwall - born

• June 29, 1820 - The Dublin Society becomes the Royal Dublin Society

• June 29, 1820 - Robert Jocelyn, 2nd Earl Roden, former MP for Dundalk and a leader of the Orange Order, is alleged to have led an attack on Catholic homes in Dundalk. He is struck off the Commission of the Peace and ordered to be brought to trial, but flees to Edinburgh,

• June 29, 1848 - A gunfight takes place between Young Ireland Rebels and police at Widow McCormacks house in Ballingarry, Tipperary

• June 29, 1915 - Jeremiah ODonovan Rossna, Fenian leader, dies in the U.S.

• June 29, 1916 - Roger Casement is convicted of treason and sentenced to death

• June 29, 1920 - In response to Anglo-Irish anxiety concerning their role in a future Ireland, the Dáil Éireann issues a resolution endeavoring to stem land-grabbing and to shift focus to clearing out the foreign invader

• June 29, 1924 - Joss Lynam, mountaineer, is born in London

• June 29, 2005 - John Davie Burgess, King of the Highland Pipers, died at age 71.

• June 30, 1691 - The fall of Athlone. Despite the bravery of legendary Sergeant Custume and others, severely outnumbered, the Connacht side of the town fell. The remainder of the Irish garrison retreats to Limerick

• June 30, 1790 - Birth in Knockfin, Co. Laois of Arthur Jacob - noted oculist and Professor of Anatomy in the Royal College of Surgeons, Dublin

• June 30, 1798 - Rebels break camp, Needham sends Cavalry to pursue them. The rebels ambush cavalry at Ballyellis and inflict heavy defeat on them. By evening rebels are camped at Kilcavan

• June 30, 1835 - Sir Samuel McCaughey, who is destined to become a sheep tycoon in Australia, is born near Ballymena, Co. Antrim

• June 30, 1857 - Start of trial for murder of Madeleine Smith who was eventually found Not Proven

• June 30, 1922 - Irish Civil War begins

• June 30, 1922 - The Four Courts, Dublin, are abandoned by Anti-Treaty forces after a two-day bombardment

• June 30, 1932 - De Valera abolishes the oath of allegiance and withholds land annuities from the British Government