Events from History
Canadian Astronaut Chris Hadfield sent the first ever Tweet in the Irish Language from space. With a picture of Dublin from space he wrote: “Tá Eire Fíoralainn”. When he had handed over command of the International Space Station in May 2013 he sang “Space Oddity” by David Bowie.
Chris Hadfield was born In Sarnia Ontario Canada in the year 1959 On This Day
Photo by gnews pics 
The second stage of the Gordon Bennett Rally passed through Carlow on July 2nd 1903. Charles Rolls of Rolls-Royce set a new speed record of 93mph (150km/h) in the Motor Speed trials part of the rally which were held in the Phoenix Park in Dublin. He was was driving an 80 hp Mors Car. Charles Rolls was born in 1877 On This Day
Photo by The National Archives UK
Lord Mountbatten his grandson Nicholas aged 14 and a local boy peter Maxwell aged 15 were killed off coast of Sligo and 18 soldiers were killed in Warrenpoint County Down by terrorist bombs in the year 1979 On This Day
Liberia is the oldest republic in Africa. The American Colonisation Society helped establish the country as a place for freed slaves. The capital city Monrovia is called after President Monroe of the USA who was a strong supporter of the society. Two civil wars have occurred in the country since 1985. The President of Liberia, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf became the first female president in Africa. Today the country is suffering from an outbreak of the ebola virus. Liberia was proclaimed an independent Republic in the year 1847 On This Day.
In the City of Kilkenny the history of St Francis’s Abbey can be traced back to the 13th Century. The Abbey with many interruptions continued until the late 18th century. Today parts of the Abbey survive within the grounds of the Smithwicks Brewery. The abbey which had been dissolved by Henry VIII in 1540 was given by royal grant to Walter Archer chief officer of the Corporation of Kilkenny in 1543 On This Day
