seamus dubhghaill

Promoting Irish Culture and History from Little Rock, Arkansas, USA

Tag Archives: Dublin


by Leave a comment

Anti-Treaty IRA Attacks Free State Troops in Dundalk & Seize Power Station

On September 15, 1922, in the context of the Irish Civil War, the Anti-Treaty Irish Republican Army (IRA) launches coordinated attacks on Free State troops in Dundalk, County Louth. These actions are part of a broader campaign by anti-Treaty forces to resist the newly established Irish Free State government, which has accepted the Anglo-Irish Treaty and is backed by the pro-Treaty National Army.

The Irish Civil War (June 28, 1922 – May 24, 1923) is fought between Pro-Treaty forces (led by Michael Collins and Arthur Griffith) who support the Anglo-Irish Treaty, creating the Irish Free State within the British Empire and  Anti-Treaty IRA (led by Éamon de Valera and Liam Lynch) who reject the Treaty, seeing it as a betrayal of the 1919 Irish Republic.

By mid-1922, the Free State controls only Dublin and parts of the east, while anti-Treaty forces hold much of the south and west, including Cork, Limerick, and Waterford, forming the self-styled “Munster Republic.”

On September 15, 1922, Anti-Treaty IRA units in Dundalk attack Free State troops stationed in the area and seize control of the local power station, cutting off the town’s electricity supply.

This is a typical example of anti-Treaty tactics: using sabotage and localized attacks to disrupt Free State operations, weaken their hold on territory, and maintain control over key infrastructure. Such actions are part of a wider pattern of resistance in areas not yet recaptured by the National Army.

While Dundalk is not a major strategic city, the attack reflects the guerrilla and sabotage phase of the Civil War, which follows the Free State’s July–September 1922 offensive that retakes major towns in Munster and the west. The Free State’s victory in that offensive ends the conventional phase, but anti-Treaty forces continue to resist through hit-and-run raids, sabotage, and control of rural areas.

In summary, the Dundalk incident of September 15, 1922, is a localized but symbolic act of anti-Treaty resistance, illustrating the ongoing struggle to control infrastructure and disrupt Free State operations in the months after the decisive military phase of the Irish Civil War.

(Pictured: Dundalk, County Louth, in the early 20th century)


by Leave a comment

Dáil Éireann Declared Illegal by the British

On September 12, 1919, the British government, acting through the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland Sir John French, declares Dáil Éireann — the revolutionary parliament of the Irish Republic — illegal. The proclamation categorises the Dáil as a “dangerous organisation” and adds it to a list of banned groups, which also includes Sinn Féin, the Irish Volunteers, Cumann na mBan, and the Gaelic League.

The ban comes after just eight months of Dáil Éireann’s existence, which begins on January 21, 1919, when Sinn Féin MPs refuse to take their seats in Westminster and instead convene a separate parliament in Dublin. The British initially underestimate its significance, but events change rapidly.

Sinn Féin’s attempt to raise funds (the Dáil Loan) in August 1919 for the republican cause is seen as a move to legitimise an independent administration, undermining British control. Also, some Irish Volunteers members swear allegiance to Dáil Éireann, which is seen as a political act with potential to inspire wider resistance. The summer of 1919 also sees a surge in attacks, prompting Dublin Castle to respond with suppression measures.

The proclamation takes effect nationwide, including all counties and major boroughs such as Dublin, Belfast, Cork, Limerick, Derry, and Waterford. Within days, police raids and searches target Sinn Féin headquarters and members’ homes. The Harcourt Street headquarters in Dublin is raided, leading to arrests of figures like Patrick O’Keefe and Ernest Blythe. Similar searches occur in Belfast, Derry, Omagh, and Ballycastle, uncovering literature, weapons, and ammunition in some cases.

The ban is a major blow to Sinn Féin’s political prestige, but it also hardens the resolve of many republicans. Historians note that the suppression turned some moderate politicians into “extremists” and increased the likelihood of militarisation. Despite the crackdown, the Dáil continues to operate in secret, meeting in multiple Dublin locations to maintain the Irish Republic’s political legitimacy.

In short, the September 12, 1919 declaration marks a turning point in the Irish War of Independence, shifting the conflict from political negotiation to open confrontation.

(Pictured: Members of the First Dáil Éireann seated and standing outside the Mansion House in Dublin on January 21, 1919)


by Leave a comment

The First Heart Transplant Takes Place in Ireland

On September 10, 1985, the Mater Misericordiae University Hospital in Phibsborough, Dublin, performs Ireland’s first heart transplant, marking a landmark moment in Irish medicine. The pioneering operation is carried out by Dr. Maurice Neligan and Professor Freddie Wood, who recognise the need to bring this life-saving procedure to Ireland at a time when heart transplantation is still in its infancy and available only in a handful of global centres.

The transplant is a bold step, as the long-term survival of such patients is unknown. The Mater’s National Centre for Heart and Lung Transplants has since performed 447 life-saving heart transplants, transforming the lives of nearly 500 patients. The success of the first case lays the foundation for a programme that has endured for four decades and remains Ireland’s national heart transplant centre.

One of the earliest recipients is Andy Kavanagh of Coolock, Dublin, who undergoes his transplant in 1986 at the age of 19 after being diagnosed with cardiomyopathy, a condition that weakens the heart muscle. What began as a flu-like illness rapidly deteriorates, leaving him with little chance of survival. His donor, David Russell, dies in 1986 after being struck by a drunk driver. Today, Kavanagh is one of the longest-surviving heart transplant patients in the world, living a full, active life and raising his grandchildren.

The Mater’s transplant programme has evolved over the years, introducing advanced therapies such as durable left ventricular assist devices (LVADs) in 2009 and specialist care for extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) in severe heart or lung failure. These innovations have expanded treatment options for patients with advanced heart disease.

The 1985 surgery is not just a medical milestone — it is a testament to the courage of organ donors and their families, whose generosity has made modern transplantation possible. As Professor Emer Joyce notes, “For many patients, organ donation is their only hope.”

Today, the Mater continues to celebrate this historic day, honouring the pioneering surgeons and the patients whose lives have been transformed by one of Ireland’s most significant medical achievements.

(Pictured: Freddie Wood (left) with the late Eoin O’Malley and Ita Green help perform the first heart transplant surgery in Ireland on September 10, 1985)


by Leave a comment

U.S. President Bill Clinton Becomes a Freeman of Limerick

On September 5, 1998, United States President Bill Clinton becomes a Freeman of Limerick, following in the footsteps of John F. Kennedy, who had received the honor in 1963. The ceremony marks the last day of Clinton’s official visit to Ireland, which had begun earlier in the month and included stops in Dublin, Adare, Limerick, and Kerry.

Clinton’s 1998 trip is part of a broader “homecoming” for Irish Americans, with both he and First Lady Hillary Clinton visiting Omagh, County Tyrone, just a month after the devastating Omagh car bombing. The visit is widely anticipated and is met with enthusiastic public reception.

On September 5, thousands gather on O’Connell Street to hear Clinton speak to an estimated 40,000 people. His address references the Good Friday Agreement and the peace process, saying: “Because of what you have done in Ireland in 1998, you have made it possible for me to tell every warring, feuding hating group of people trapped in the prison of their past conflicts to look at Ireland and know there can be a better day.”

The speech is broadcast worldwide and is delivered during a period when Clinton is facing political challenges in the United States, but he is still held in high esteem in Ireland for his role in the Northern Ireland peace process.

By being granted the Freedom of the City of Limerick, Clinton joins a distinguished list of U.S. presidents honored by Irish cities, underscoring the strong ties between the United States and Ireland. The visit and ceremony are symbolic of reconciliation, mutual respect, and the shared history of Irish Americans in U.S. politics.

In short, September 5, 1998, is both a personal milestone for Clinton and a moment of national and international significance, blending political diplomacy with public celebration.


by Leave a comment

Van Morrison Inducted Into Hot Press Irish Music Hall of Fame

Rock legend Van Morrison becomes the first inductee into the Hot Press Irish Music Hall of Fame in Dublin on September 1, 1999. The honour is presented at a special ceremony hosted by poet Brendan Kennelly, with countryman Bob Geldof delivering the tribute. Morrison, 54 at the time, performs at the event, showcasing his signature blend of soul, jazz, and rock.

The Hot Press Irish Music Hall of Fame is created to celebrate and preserve the best of Irish musical talent over decades, from traditional acts like Christy Moore and The Dubliners to modern icons such as U2, Boyzone, and Ash. It is based around a new multimedia exhibition in Dublin city centre, highlighting the history and development of Irish rock and pop.

Morrison, born in Belfast, Northern Ireland, is widely regarded as Ireland’s greatest living legend. Hall of Fame director Niall Stokes, the editor of Hot Press, praises him as a “multi-talented creative force” with an “astonishing body of work of great depth and beauty.” Geldof calls him “the only genius in Irish music.”

This induction marks Morrison’s first major honour in Ireland, though he has already been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, Ohio, in 1993. The Hot Press Irish Music Hall of Fame is distinct from the U.S. Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, which has been operating since 1983.

The 1999 induction cements Morrison’s status not only as a global rock icon but also as a defining figure in Irish music history. It is a milestone moment for the Hall of Fame, setting the stage for future inductees chosen by a panel of industry experts.


by Leave a comment

Birth of Professional Golfer Pádraig Harrington

Pádraig Peter Harrington, one of the most accomplished professional golfers in history, is born in Dublin on August 31, 1971.

Raised in Rathfarnham, a suburb of Dublin, Harrington grows up in a sports‑oriented family — his father, Patrick Harrington, is a Gaelic footballer, boxer, and amateur golfer with a five‑handicap. He attends Coláiste Éanna secondary school and studies accountancy, balancing academics with a passion for golf.

Harrington begins playing golf with his family at age five and develops his skills at nearby Stackstown Golf Club. As an amateur, he represents Great Britain and Ireland in the Walker Cup three times (1991, 1993, 1995), winning the 1995 edition. He turns professional in 1995 at the age of 24, quickly winning the Peugeot Spanish Open in 1996.

Harrington has won 43 professional tournaments across the PGA European Tour, PGA Tour, Japan Golf Tour, Asian Tour, and PGA Tour Champions. His career highlights include: three major championships (the 2007 and 2008 Open Championship and the 2008 PGA Championship). He is the winner of the European Tour Order of Merit in 2006 and PGA Tour Player of the Year in 2008. He is a member of six consecutive Ryder Cup teams (1999–2010), winning four (2002, 2004, 2006, 2010). He reaches his career‑high world ranking of No. 3 in July 2008. In October 2024, he wins the inaugural Simmons Bank Championship at Pleasant Valley Country Club in the author’s hometown of Little Rock, Arkansas.

In 2024, Harrington is inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame, cementing his status as one of golf’s legends. Known for his meticulous play and consistency, he remains a respected figure in the sport, with a net worth estimated at around $40 million.

In summary, born on August 31, 1971, in Dublin, Pádraig Harrington’s career spans over three decades, marked by major wins, Ryder Cup success, and Hall of Fame recognition, making him a defining name in modern golf.


by Leave a comment

Google Announces Construction of Second Data Centre in West Dublin

On August 21, 2015, Google announces a major investment of €150 million to build a new two‑story data centre alongside its existing facility at Profile Park, Grangecastle, West Dublin. This marks Google’s second major data centre investment in Ireland and is part of its ongoing expansion of cloud computing infrastructure.

The new facility is designed to support Google’s global fleet of cloud computing facilities, with a focus on building the world’s most energy‑efficient computing network. The expansion is completed in phases, with the groundbreaking in 2018 for the €150 million project, which takes about 16 months to build.

Google’s economic and employment impact includes over €750 million in capital assets in Ireland since 2003, with the new centre adding to that total. At peak construction, the project creates around 400 jobs; by completion, Google’s Irish operations employ 6,000 people (direct and contracted). A 2018 Copenhagen Economics report estimates the Irish data centre operations supports 4,900 jobs and contributes €400 million to Ireland’s gross domestic product (GDP) between 2011 and 2017.

Taoiseach Enda Kenny describes the opening as “a new chapter” in Google’s story in Ireland, noting the company’s role as a leader in the country’s digital community. Minister Mary Mitchell O’Connor welcomes the investment as proof of Ireland’s competitive advantage for high‑tech companies and its skilled workforce. Ministers Heather Humphreys and Pat Breen call it a “vote of confidence” in Ireland’s business environment and a testament to the country’s technical expertise and infrastructure.

The Grange Castle site becomes a key hub for Google’s EMEA (Europe, the Middle East and Africa) operations, with engineering teams in Dublin central to the company’s global efficiency goals. The investment reinforces Ireland’s position as a major European data centre location, benefiting not only Google but also the broader Irish tech and business ecosystem.

In summary, the August 2015 announcement is the start of a significant infrastructure and employment boost for Ireland, with the completed €150 million expansion solidifying Google’s long‑term commitment to the country’s digital economy.


by Leave a comment

Birth of Kathleen Goodfellow, Writer, Poet & Translator

Kathleen Goodfellow, Irish writer, poet, and translator known for her literary works, nationalist sympathies, and patronage of the arts, is born in Dublin on August 20, 1891.

Born to George and Susan Goodfellow (née Nicholson), Goodfellow is raised in a Quaker family. Her father and uncle are builders who construct a row of houses on Morehampton Road, Donnybrook, where she lives for the rest of her life. She is educated at Alexandra College and graduates with an Arts degree from Trinity College Dublin (TCD).

Goodfellow joins the Rathmines branch of Cumann na mBan, a women’s republican organization, where she learns first aid, drilling, and signaling. There, she meets artist Estella Solomons, with whom she forms a lifelong friendship. Solomons’ studio later becomes a safe house for republicans during the Irish War of Independence.

Under the pseudonym Michael Scot, Goodfellow publishes Three Tales of the Times in 1921, a work about life in Ireland under the Black and Tans. She also writes poetry and translates French poetry, notably the works of 15th-century poet François Villon, publishing these translations in The Dublin Magazine between 1924 and 1928.

Goodfellow is independently wealthy, inheriting property in Ireland and England after her mother’s death in 1932. She is a generous patron of the arts, supporting The Dublin Magazine, a literary journal owned by her friend Seumas O’Sullivan, to which she contributes articles, poems, and reviews. She also supports children’s charities and serves on the Board of Governors of the Royal Hospital in Donnybrook.

Her philanthropy extends to securing funding for The Dublin Magazine (1926–1958) and gifting a bird sanctuary, The Grove, in Donnybrook to An Taisce. Despite her influence, she remains modest and private about her contributions, and her own photographic collection is destroyed after her death.

In 1939, Goodfellow falls while getting off a tram and breaks her leg badly, which leaves her with a limp. She dies at the aged of 89 on May 20, 1980, and is buried with her parents in Mount Jerome Cemetery in Dublin.

A plaque is erected in memory of Goodfellow’s donation at The Grove, a woodland area at the corner of Morehampton Road and Wellington Place, on October 19, 2022. A plaque commemorating Estella Solomons is placed on the opposite gatepost. Goodfellow’s diaries, poems and literary manuscripts are held in the Trinity College Dublin archives.

Goodfellow’s work and life reflect the intersection of Irish literary culture, nationalist history, and cultural patronage in early-to-mid 20th-century Ireland.


by Leave a comment

Death of Johnny Lyons, 98FM Sports Presenter & Editor

Johnny Lyons, the long-time sports presenter and editor at 98FM, is found dead at his Dublin home on the evening of August 19, 2015. The 49‑year‑old broadcaster had been away from work for several weeks recovering from a broken ankle and was expected to return to the air the following week.

Friends become concerned when they cannot reach him, prompting a search of his apartment in Dublin city centre, where his body is discovered. The cause of death is not immediately known, but 98FM confirms he died suddenly and peacefully.

Lyons joins 98FM in 1996 and serves as the station’s Sports Editor for nearly two decades. He is best known for hosting the popular Sunday morning show Now That’s What I Call Sport (9 a.m.–10 a.m.) and also presents Premier League Live on Today FM. His distinctive voice, passion for soccer, and larger‑than‑life personality make him a familiar and beloved figure in Irish sports broadcasting.

The news of Lyons death shocks colleagues and fans across the media and sporting worlds. 98FM’s management describes him as “the backbone of our sports team” and “a great friend.” The Football Association of Ireland (FAI) praises him as “a great football man who really understood the game” and plans to pay tribute at Dublin’s Aviva Stadium during the following month’s match against Georgia. Tributes pour in from fellow broadcasters, politicians, and sports figures, with some calling him “the unmistakable voice of sport in Dublin.”

Lyons’s funeral is held at the Church of St. Therese, Mount Merrion, Dublin, followed by burial at Shanganagh Cemetery in Shankill, County Dublin. The station and FAI both announce on‑air tributes in his memory. His sudden passing leaves a significant gap in Irish sports radio, and his legacy as a passionate, knowledgeable, and charismatic sports voice will be remembered by many.


by Leave a comment

Oliver Cromwell Sets Sail for Ireland

Oliver Cromwell, English statesman, farmer and soldier, sets sail from Milford Haven, Pembrokeshire, Wales, on August 13, 1649, with a fleet of about 35 ships, accompanied by a second and third flotilla that arrives days later. The invasion marks the beginning of the Cromwellian conquest of Ireland, a brutal four-year campaign (1649–1653) that reshapes the island’s political and demographic landscape.

By 1649, England is in the midst of the English Civil War. The execution of King Charles I in January leaves the Commonwealth of England under Cromwell’s leadership. Ireland, already embroiled in the Irish Confederate Wars, has become a battleground between Irish Catholic Confederates allied with the exiled Charles II, Royalist forces under James Butler, Earl of Ormonde, and  Parliamentarian forces led by Cromwell and his son-in-law Henry Ireton.

Cromwell’s landing at Dublin is swift but not without hardship—seasickness plagues him during the voyage. He lands with around 9,000–20,000 troops, stores, and £20,000 in cash. His early actions include the Siege of Drogheda (September 10, 1649) where, following a prolonged cannonade, his forces breach the town’s defenses. On September 11, the entire garrison—about 8,000 men, including English troops, Irish soldiers, and civilians—is massacred, including commander Sir Arthur Aston. Early actions also include the Sack of Wexford (October 1649). Despite Cromwell’s public justification for the slaughter, Wexford’s garrison and civilians are killed in a similar manner.

Over the next four years, Cromwell’s forces defeat the Irish Confederacy by late 1650, engage in widespread plunder, executions, and displacement of Catholic populations, confiscate large tracts of Catholic land for Protestant settlers under the Cromwellian Plantation, and introduce the Act for the Settlement of Ireland 1652, barring Catholics from most public offices and redistributing land.

Modern estimates suggest 15–40% of Ireland’s pre-1641 population perishes due to warfare, famine, and disease. The campaign entrenches Protestant dominance in Ireland and leaves deep scars in Irish memory.

Cromwell’s invasion is remembered in Ireland as a symbol of English conquest and sectarian violence. While some historians argue his actions are within contemporary military norms, many see them as part of a broader pattern of colonial subjugation. The detailed land surveys he orders—mapping every parish and barony—become a tool for land redistribution, shaping Ireland’s political and economic structure for centuries.

In short, August 13, 1649, is the start of a campaign that not only ends Irish Catholic political power but also alters the island’s demographic and cultural fabric for generations.