This Day In History..., Celtic events around the world

[Keltic]

July 8, 1965 - Ronald Biggs, one of the Great Train Robbers, scaled the wall of Wandsworth Prison with a rope ladder and landed on a furniture van outside. He had served 15 months of his 30 year sentence.

Ronnie Biggs with the Sex Pistols

[Keltic]

July 10, 1921 - Belfast's "Bloody Sunday" took place just a day before the Truce between the IRA and the British was put into effect. The IRA in the city, alerted by the banging of nationalist dustbin lids on the ground mounted a successful ambush of an RIC armoured car on Raglan Street on July 9. Attacks by orange factions and special constables on Catholics and their properties in Belfast, left 16 dead, sixty-eight seriously injured and 161 homes razed.

[Keltic]

July 11, 1274 - Robert I, King of Scots(Robert the Bruce) was born at Turnberry Castle, Ayrshire

July 11, 1921 - End of the Irish War of Independence or the Anglo-Irish War as a truce is called between the IRA and the British government

[Keltic]

July 12 -The Twelfth (also called The Glorious Twelfth or Orangemen's Day) is an Ulster Protestant celebration held on 12 July. It celebrates the Glorious Revolution (1688) and victory of Protestant king William of Orange over Catholic king James II at the Battle of the Boyne (1690).

Celebrations have often been marred by violence pitting Catholic against Protestant resulting in many deaths. In 1871, one of the worst events where more than 50 died and numerous injured after riots broke out in New York City.

July 12, 1946 - Seán Keane, fiddler for the Chieftains since 1968, was born in Dublin Ireland. Happy Birthday!

July 12, 1961 - Singer Seán Keane, one of the founding members of Arcady, was born in County Galway, Ireland. Happy Birthday!

[Keltic]

July 17, 1938 - Douglas ‘Wrong-way’ Corrigan took off from New York and landed in Dublin, Ireland. Since he didn’t have a flight exit permit to Europe, he claimed that he was actually meaning to head to California. He had been applying for a permit for a number of years but each bid rejected after his plane was deemed not to be safe for a trans-Atlantic flight.

[Keltic]

July 29, 1565 - Mary Queen of Scots married her cousin, Henry Stuart (Stewart), 1st Duke of Albany, Lord Darnley, in the Old Abbey Chapel at the Palace of Holyroodhouse, Edinburgh.

[Keltic]

July 30, 1812 - Miles Macdonell, Lord Selkirk’s agent and appointed Governor of Assiniboia by the Hudsons Bay Company, arrived at the fork of the Assiniboine and Red Rivers with Scottish colonists, where he established Fort Douglas.

[Keltic]

Aug 1, 1938 - Paddy Moloney, one of the founders of the Irish musical group The Chieftains, formed in 1962, was born in Dublin Ireland. He has played on every one of their albums.

Video of the Chieftains reunion

[Keltic]

August 2, 1922 - Alexander Graham Bell died at 75 years of age and was buried on August 4 at his summer estate ‘Beinn Brheagh’ (Gaelic for beautiful mountain) in Baddeck, Nova Scotia. The Bell telephone system stopped service for one minute during the funeral to honour him.

Bell was born in Edinburgh in 1847. The prolific inventor not only developed the telephone but also worked in the aviation and nautical fields. As a young man he emigrated to Canada and later to the US - therefore he is held to be among the "nation's greatest" in all three countries.

[Keltic]

August 3, 1460 - Aug 3, 1460-James II of Scotland died during the siege of Roxburgh Castle when a cannon he was firing exploded

[Keltic]

August 7, 1803 - The first of 800 Scottish settlers arrive at Orwell Bay, Prince Edward Island organized by Thomas Douglas Selkirk aboard the ships Polly, Dykes and Oughton. This was the first establishment of Lord Selkirk in Canada, paving the way for his later settlements in Ontario and Manitoba.

[Keltic]

August 8, 1863 - Angus McAskill, the famed 38 year old Cape Breton giant, died from what was described as brain disease. Scottish born McAskill, who stood at 7’9”, was said to have once shouldered a 2,700 pound anchor on a bet. In 1849, McAskill joined P.T. Barnum's circus, performing next to 35" tall General Tom Thumb.

[Keltic]

August 12, 1847 - The ‘Virginius’ landed at the quarantine area on Gross Isle with 476 Irish immigrants. Cholera had claimed 158 lives during the voyage.

August 12, 1990 - Roy Williamson of the Corries died on this day. A brilliant songwriter, he penned what became Scotland's unofficial national anthem, 'Flower of Scotland'.

Flower of Scotland by the Corries

An amazing version sung at a rugby match in 1990

This post has been edited by Keltic on 12-Aug-2013, 08:23 AM

[Keltic]

August 13, 1682 - The first Welsh settlers established a community near Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

August 13, 1843 - During a visit to Bytown, now known as Ottawa, by Governor General Lord Metcalfe, tension grew between the Protestants and Catholics of Bytown after the Orangeman erected an arch entwined with tiger lilies, a symbol of their cause, over Rideau Street. Magistrates ordered the removal of the arch after a riot occurred when the city's Catholics were forced to walk under the arch on their way to church. Peace was restored only by the presence of soldiers. After the riot, the magistrates were criticized for not having enough appointed special constables.

[Keltic]

August 15, 1057 - Mac Bethad mac Findlaích (Macbeth), King of Scotland died at the Battle of Lumphanan. Although the basis for William Shakespeare's character "Macbeth", the literary character provided a highly inaccurate picture of the real king

August 15, 1771 - Scottish poet and novelist Sir Walter Scott was born in Edinburgh. His most known titles include Ivanhoe, Rob Roy, The Lady of the Lake, Waverley, The Heart of Midlothian and The Bride of Lammermoor.