1592 – Trinity College Dublin is officially founded.
Established by Queen Elizabeth I, Trinity College Dublin became Ireland’s most prestigious university and remains a significant educational institution to this day.
| 1766 – Four pirates are executed in Dublin for high seas murder and plundering. These executions were part of a wider crackdown on piracy in the Atlantic, as Britain sought to assert greater control over maritime law and order. |  |
1831 – 120 police seize cattle as payment during the ‘Tithe War’ in Graiguenamanagh.
The Tithe War was a period of agrarian unrest in Ireland, where Catholic tenant farmers resisted paying tithes to the Anglican Church of Ireland. Police often enforced payments by seizing livestock.
1894 – William Ewart Gladstone resigns as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.
Gladstone was a strong advocate for Irish Home Rule. His resignation marked the end of a political career in which he had made repeated attempts to grant Ireland greater self-governance.
1894 – Ireland plays England in an international football match in Belfast, resulting in a 2–2 draw.
This was an early fixture in international football, played as part of the British Home Championship, a tournament that ran until 1984.
1935 – In his Lenten pastoral, Thomas O’Doherty, Bishop of Galway, denounces immodest dress and vulgar films.
Reflecting conservative social values of the time, the bishop’s statement was part of a broader campaign by the Catholic Church in Ireland to influence cultural and moral standards.
1942 – Gas rationing is introduced in Ireland.
As World War II continued, Ireland, despite its neutrality, faced severe shortages of fuel and other essential goods, leading to rationing measures.
1954 – Birth of Ollie Campbell, rugby player, in Dublin.
One of Ireland’s most accomplished rugby players, Campbell was instrumental in the team’s successes in the late 1970s and early 1980s, particularly in winning the 1982 Five Nations Championship.
1977 – Birth of Ronan Keating of Boyzone fame.
Ronan Keating became one of Ireland’s most successful pop singers, both as a member of Boyzone and in his solo career, achieving international stardom.
2001 – Plans to require Killarney’s jaunting car horses to wear “equine sanitary apparatus” (nappies) are dropped after local jarveys oppose the proposal.
The measure was proposed to maintain cleanliness in tourist areas, but traditional horse-and-cart drivers (jarveys) strongly resisted, leading to its abandonment.
2003 – Bertie Ahern and Tony Blair conduct talks at Hillsborough Castle to restore devolution in Northern Ireland.
These discussions were part of the ongoing peace process, seeking to re-establish Northern Ireland’s devolved government, which had been suspended multiple times due to political disputes.
2017 – “Significant quantities” of human remains are discovered at the site of the former Bon Secours Mother and Baby Home in Tuam, County Galway.
This discovery confirmed long-held suspicions about unmarked graves at the site, where many children had died in the care of the institution, sparking widespread outrage and calls for justice.