January 10
Thur 1.05pm Friends of Medieval Dublin, Civic Offices, Wood Quay. The Exile’s Tale, Barry Lewis. Thur 8pm Ards Historical Society, Ards Arts Centre, Newtownards. The life, loves and legacy of Robert Burns, Laura Spence.
Nick Maxwell
January 09
Thur 7.30pm East Belfast Historical Society, Park Avenue Hotel, 158 Hollywood Road. My life in theatre, Wilfie Pyper. Adm. £3. Thur 8pm Kilmacud Stillorgan Local History Society, Glenalbyn Sports Club. Leopardstown racecourse, Fergus D’Arcy. Adm. €3. Thur 8pm Mount Merrion Historical Society, Community Centre, North Avenue. The heritage and history of ancient Syria, Michael Barry. … Read more
January 08
Wed 7.45pm Knocklyon History Society, Pastoral Centre. The defences of Dublin—1000 years, 945–1945, Patrick McCarthy.
January 3
1521 Martin Luther was excommunicated by Pope Leo X in the bull Decet Romanum Pontificem for refusing to recant some 41 sentences from his various writings. 1967 John Hughes, County Tyrone-born first archbishop of the archdiocese of New York from 1850, died. Hughes laid the foundation stone of St Patrick’s Cathedral, New York (1858). 1946 … Read more
Murder before breakfast
In his most shocking claim, David ‘Hibernicus’ Byrne relates how Rochfort was sitting in his hostess’s dressing gown one morning, having his hair powdered by a barber, when he was informed that a new prisoner had just been brought into the village. According to Byrne, ‘so blood thirsty was he that on hearing that a … Read more