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1820 350 Irish people were on board the two ships East Indian and Fanny, as set sail for Cape Colony from Cork on this day in 1820. The British government encouraged poorer people to emigrate and settle in their South African territory. They were given farms and land as incentives to go and help grow the English speaking community and defend the territory from the neighbouring Xhosa tribes.
This statue was erected in Grahamstown in 1974.
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1923 James Chichester-Clark was born in Northern Ireland on this day in 1923. He was elected as Prime Minister of Northern Ireland in 1969, where he served for two years before resigning after a disagreement with British Prime Minister Edward Heath over the measures needed to stop IRA attacks.
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1973 Happy birthday to Jack L, born in Athy County Kildare on this day in 1973. Jack is a musician and songwriter who has performed in numerous languages including Irish, French, German and Maori. He has shared the stage with global icons such as Bono, Jimmy Page and Elvis Costello.
Jack Lukeman on the Late, Late Show performing “The Great Wall of China”
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1976 On this day in 1976, in the town of Birr in County Offaly, Edmund Enright was born. Mundy, as he is now more commonly known, is one of the top musicians in Ireland at the moment, with his most famous hit so far being the catchy Galway Girl.
Click here to read more about Mundy
Mundy with Sharon Shannon performing Galway Girl.
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1976 Frank Stagg died in Wakefield prison on this day in 1976. He was a member of the IRA and was serving a ten year sentence for planning a terrorist attack in Coventry. Stagg went on hunger strike when the British government refused to repatriate him to Ireland during the IRA/British truce. He also objected to body searches on his wife and sisters when they visited him, and refused to do any prison work.
He died on this day after a 62 day long hunger strike. It was his wish that he be buried in a republican plot in Ballina. However, his widow and the British government wanted to bury him in the family plot in the same cemetery. His grave was filled with concrete to prevent the body being retrieved, but was still dug up in 1976, and re-buried in the republican plot.
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2007 Happy birthday to Lisa Hannigan, born on this day in Kilcloon, County Meath in 1981. Hannigan began her music career as part of Damian Rice’s band, before leaving to pursue a solo career in 2007.
2012 David Kelly died on this day in Dublin in 2012. He was an actor most famous for his role of O’Reilly the hapless builder in Fawlty Towers. Kelly made appearances in several films including Ulysses, The Italian Job and more recently in Stardust, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and Agent Cody Banks 2: Destination London.
The Irish Film & Television Academy presented the Lifetime Achievement Award – see some of the great roles he’s played in this video, with tributes from many stars includingJohnny Depp.
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