1981 Donal Foley (59), deputy editor of the Irish Times, best known for his satirical column ‘Man Bites Dog’, died.
1980 Detective Garda John Morley (37) and Garda Henry Byrne (29) were killed in a shoot-out with three raiders who had stolen £35,000 from a bank in Ballaghadereen, Co. Roscommon.
1816 Richard Brinsley Sheridan, theatre manager and playwright, notably of The rivals (1775) and The school for scandal (1777), died.
1922 Cathal Brugha was killed in Dublin, fighting on the Republican side in the Civil War.
1972 Secretary of State William Whitelaw met the IRA leadership, including Seán Mac Stiofáin, Martin McGuinness and Gerry Adams, for talks in London.
1973 General Seán MacEoin (79), IRA commander during the War of Independence, chief-of-staff of the National Army (1923–9) and Cumann na nGaedheal/Fine Gael politician, died.