By Joseph E.A. Connell Jr On 16 May 1926 Éamon de Valera founded the Fianna Fáil (‘Soldiers of Destiny’) Party from opponents of the Anglo-Irish Treaty, which established the Irish Free State. Its expressed main aim was to create a united Irish republic, politically and economically independent of Britain. Originally abstentionist, the following year de … Read more
By Joseph E.A. Connell Jr There were four assassination attempts on Benito Mussolini, the infamous fascist dictator of Italy who inspired Adolf Hitler, though he survived them all. Only one came close to succeeding, when 50-year-old Irish woman Violet Gibson fired on him on 7 April 1926 and almost altered the course of history. The … Read more
By Joseph E.A. Connell Jnr Broadcasting in Ireland began in 1926 with 2RN in Dublin. From that date until June 1960 the broadcasting service operated as a section of the Department of Posts and Telegraphs; those working in it were directly employed by the Irish government and were regarded as civil servants. The radio service … Read more
By Joseph E.A. Connell Jr In 1925 Ireland experienced a period of food shortages and hardship, sometimes referred to as a ‘forgotten famine’. While not on the scale of the Great Famine, the year saw the newly independent Irish Free State grappling with widespread unemployment and economic depression following the War of Independence and the … Read more
By Joseph E.A. O’Connell Jr In 1925 the All-Ireland hurling and football championships were marked by some of the most unusual occurrences in GAA history. Tipperary won the hurling, the 39th in the series, beating Galway 5-6 to 1-5 in the final, but the championships did not get to the final matches without some controversy. … Read more