Events from History
Brian Keenan paid his first visit to Carlow in 2001 to talk at St Patricks College about his books. Brian was born in Belfast in 1950. He took up a post teaching literature at the American University in Beirut in 1985. In 1986 he was taken hostage by Islamic Jihad and was to spend the next four and half years in captivity. Brian Kennan was released by his captors in 1990 On This Day
Michael Collins was born near Clonakilty County Cork. Following the Rising of 1916 Collins played a leading role in the War of Independence. He was one of the plenipotentiaries who negotiated the Anglo-Irish Treaty. The treaty was signed in London in December 1921. It’s by Dail Eireann in January 1922 caused a split leading to civil war. Michael Collins was assassinated during the Civil War at Béal na Bláth in 1922 On This Day
Photo by National Library of Ireland on The Commons
Ms Frances Jackson of Graigue Carlow in her will in 1859 left “in trust for the public” what became known as the Jackson Collection. The collection contained records and material relating to Carlow dating back to 1670. It was initially stored in the lecture room of the Mechanics Institute on Burrin Street. Much of the material has been lost but an article in the Nationalist by P Ó Snodaigh reported that “a sub-committee of the Carlow Mechanics’ Institute was set up to arrange and classify the contents but beyond a partly completed catalogue of printed books and pamphlets little was done to properly classify the collection.” The article appeared in 1971 On This Day
On the island of Montserrat in the Caribbean a previously dormant volcano erupted in 1995 and caused widespread destruction. Saint Patricks Day is widely celebrated around the world. However it is public holiday only in Ireland, Newfoundland and Labrador and Montserrat. Large parts of Montserrat, including the capital Plymouth were destroyed in a volcanic eruption in 1995 On This Day
