#co. armagh

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The Legend of Cú Chulainn

There are a number of versions of the story of Cú Chulainn’s birth. In the earliest version of Compert C(h)on Culainn (The Conception of Cú Chulainn), his mother Deichtine is the daughter and charioteer of Conchobar mac Nessa, king of Ulster, and accompanies him as he and the nobles of Ulster hunt a flock of magical birds. Snow falls, and the Ulstermen seek shelter, finding a house where they are…

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#OTD in Irish History | 19 May:

1660 – An Act by the British Parliament forbids the export of Irish wool. 1710 – John Forster is unanimously elected Speaker of the House of Commons, replacing Alan Brodrick. 1769 – Just ten years after Guinness is first brewed in St. James Gate, Dublin, the beautiful magic brew is first exported from Ireland. Six and a half barrels left for England. 1798 – Lord Edward Fitzgerald, a leader of the…

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#OTD in 1641 – Rory O’More, Lord Maguire and Sir Pheilim O’Neill initiate a major revolt in Armagh.

The Irish Uprising of 1641 was a long-term result of the “plantation” policy of Tudor and Stuart monarchs under which Ireland was aggressively colonised by Protestant settlers from England and Scotland. From the mid-16th century, Irish landowners were dispossessed to make way for the settlers and a vicious cycle developed whereby rebellion against the English government was followed by further…

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#OTD in Irish History | 21 September:

1170 – Diarmait Mac Murchada and the Normans march on the Norse kingdom of Dublin, avoiding an Irish force that awaits them to the south of it. Dublin falls to them on this date. Some Norsemen, including the king of Dublin, Ascall mac Ragnaill, flee to the Hebrides or the Isle of Man. 1601 – A Spanish army under Don Juan del Aguila lands at Kinsale. 1703 – The first Irish parliament of Queen Anne…

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#OTD in 1919 – Birth of Máire Drumm in Newry, Co Down.

‘The only people worthy of freedom are those who are prepared to go out and fight for it every day, and die if necessary.’ –Máire Drumm Máire Drumm was the vice president of Sinn Féin and a commander in Cumann na mBan. She was killed by Ulster loyalists while recovering from an eye operation in Belfast’s Mater Hospital. Born in Newry, Co Down to a staunchly Irish republican family. Drumm’s mother…

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#OTD in Irish History | 27 September:

World Tourism Day 1662 – An “act for encouraging Protestant strangers and others to inhabit and plant in the kingdom of Ireland” is passed in the Irish Parliament under Charles II. 1725 – Patrick Darcy, scientist and soldier, is born in Kitulla, Co Galway. 1739 – Birth of Francis Russell, Marquess of Tavistock. He was a politician and the eldest son of the 4th Duke of Bedford. From 1759 to 1761,…

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#OTD in 1932 – Birth of internationally celebrated Irish folk musician, artist, poet and storyteller, Tommy Makem, in Co Armagh.

Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam. Tommy Makem was an internationally celebrated Irish folk musician, artist, poet and storyteller. He was best known as a member of The Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem. He played the long-necked 5-string banjo, guitar, tin whistle, and bagpipes, and sang in a distinctive baritone. He was known as “The Bard of Armagh” (taken from a traditional song of the same name) and…

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#OTD in Irish History | 15 October:

1582 – Pope Gregory reforms the calendar introduced by Julius Caesar in 45BCE: 4 October is followed by 15 October. However, the reform will not be implemented in Britain and Ireland till 1752. 1690 – After taking Cork on 28 September, Marlbourough takes Kinsale for the Williamites, who now control Munster. 1763 – Birth of United Irish leader, Lord Edward Fitzgerald, at Carton House, Co…

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