1921 Tadhg Barry (c. 41), Sinn Féin councillor, branch secretary to the ITGWU in his native Cork and an internee in Ballykinlar Camp, Co. Down, was shot dead by a sentry. 1991 George Otto Simms, archbishop of Dublin (1956–69), archbishop of Armagh (1969–80) and scholar who was a leading authority on the Book of Kells, died. … Read more
1981 Revd Robert Bradford (40), Ulster Unionist Party MP for South Belfast, was shot dead by IRA gunmen in a community centre in Finaghy, Belfast. An attendant at the centre was also killed. 1920 Fr Michael Griffin from Barna, Co. Galway, was abducted from his home by Auxiliaries. His body, with a single gunshot wound … Read more
1952 The body of Patricia Curran (19), daughter of former Unionist MP for Carrickfergus and high court judge Lancelot Curran, was found in the grounds of the family home in Whiteabbey, overlooking Belfast Lough. She had been stabbed 37 times in a frenzied attack. The investigation and prosecution of ‘the judge’s daughter’ case was irregular, … Read more
1952 The body of Patricia Curran (19), daughter of Mr Justice L. Curran, was discovered in the grounds of the family home in Whiteabbey, Belfast. She had been stabbed 37 times. Iain Hay Gordon (21), a Scottish-born RAF technician, was later found guilty of her murder but insane. The Northern Ireland court of appeal squashed … Read more
1970 General Charles de Gaulle (79), president of France (1958–69) and great-grandson of Marie Angelique McCartan from County Down, died. 1990 Mary Robinson (46), the Labour Party nominee, was installed as the seventh president of Ireland. 1990 Mary Robinson was elected the first woman president of Ireland, with 39.9% of the vote. 1938 Kristallnacht—‘the night … Read more