Alice Taylor is a best-selling author who is a native of Co Cork, Ireland. She is best known for her book ‘To School Through the Fields’ which was first published in 1988. The publication of the book brought Taylor to national and international attention. She continues to write and to date is the author of several best-sellers.

Alice Taylor was born in Lisdangan, Newmarket, Co Cork in 1938. Born into a farming family she was educated by the Infant Jesus Sisters at Drishane Convent in Millstreet Co Cork. Having completed her education, Taylor worked as a telephonist in Killarney and Bandon. Following marriage she settled in the village of Innishannon, about 20km west of Cork city. She continues to live in Innishannon and is very involved in the local community.

Alice Taylor was born in the year 1938 On This Day.

Alice Taylo

Photo by Brian Moriarty

Dermot Morgan was an actor and comedian who was a native of Dublin. He became famous for playing the role of Father Ted Crilly in the sitcom ‘Father Ted’.

Dermot Morgan was born in Dublin on March 31st 1952. He was educated at Oatlands College, Stillorgan before going to University College Dublin (UCD) where he studied English and Philosophy. In 1974 he began working as a teacher at St. Michael’s College, Ailesbury Road in Dublin. He left his teaching post two years later to pursue his comedy career.

Between 1979 and 1982 Morgan regularly appeared on ‘Live Mike’ on RTE (Raidió Teilifís Éireann) where he played several comic characters. The most popular character he played was a catholic priest called Father Trendy. He later made appearances on shows such as Kenny Live. However his comedy sketches, which were at times controversial were eventually dropped from the show. His comedy show ‘Scrap Saturday’, which began on RTE radio in 1988, became a big broadcasting success. The show lampooned several aspects of Irish life, especially its politicians. It was cancelled by RTE in 1991 much to the annoyance of Morgan.

Dermot Morgan’s big break came in 1995, when he starred in the show ‘Father Ted’ on Channel 4. ‘Father Ted’ ran for three series with a total of 25 episodes. It was also shown on RTE, Nine Network in Australia and on ABC Television. Morgan died suddenly in 1998 having just completed the final episode in the third series of ‘Father Ted’.

Dermot Morgan, actor and comedian died in London at the age of 45 in the year 1998 On This Day.

Photo by twm1340

Father Ted

John Holland was a native of Kilkenny, Ireland. He was an artist who is known for his abstract painting. He emigrated to America in 1905 and lived there for the rest of his life.

John Holland was born in Kilkenny, Ireland in 1882. He moved to Cork City at the age of 19 to study at what is now the CIT Crawford College Art and Design. Holland emigrated to the United States at the age of twenty four where he joined the army. He served in the United States Marines until his discharge in 1909.

Following discharge Holland travelled widely and worked at various jobs. During his time travelling he undertook further training in art at the San Francisco Art Institute, California from 1911 to 1913. He also did art training in Portland, Oregon and Chicago. He settled in San Francisco in 1929 at the start of the Great Depression.

During the Depression era Holland lived and worked in a building called the Montgomery Block. The Montgomery Block was the first fireproof and earthquake resistant building in San Francisco. The building, which was referred to locally as the ‘Monkey Block’, was home to many artists and writers. (It is now the location of the Transamerica Pyramid). Holland lived there whilst working for the Federal Art Project. The Federal Art Project was the visual arts arm of the Great Depression-era New Deal Works Progress Administration.

Holland was an abstract painter known for such paintings as ‘Bird Fanciers’ which he painted in 1945. A watercolour painting called ‘Trees, Golden Gate Park’ was recently discovered. It is described as having significant historical value and was given a monetary value of $1,200. Holland died of a heart attack in Golden Gate Park, San Francisco at the age of 65 on June 3rd 1947.

John Holland was born in the year 1882 On This Day.

Bird Fanciers, 1945

John Holland

Golden Gate Park 67 by Michael Fraley on 2012-12-29 12:15:52

John Steinbeck was an award winning author who was a native of the United States of America. His novels, which are described as social novels are generally set in the state of California. Steinbeck was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1962.

John Ernst Steinbeck was born in Salinas, California in February 1902. He was of German, English, and Irish descent. He enrolled in Stanford University in 1919 but dropped out to write. While writing he also worked as a manual labourer.

Steinbeck’s most notable works include Of Mice and Men, The Grapes of Wrath and East of Eden. In 1940 he was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for his novel The Grapes of Wrath. It is the story of a dispossessed family’s migration from Oklahoma to California during the Great Depression. Steinbeck died in New York City on December 20^th 1968.

John Steinbeck was born in the year 1902 On This Day.

Photo by Satyricon86

John Steinbeck

Elizabeth Taylor was an actress who became one the most popular Hollywood film stars of the 1950’s and 60’s. Taylor, who began her career as a child actress was noted for her beauty and violet eyes. During her lifetime she became a well-known figure. In her later years began focusing her attention on philanthropy.

Elizabeth Rosemond Taylor was born to American parents near London, England in 1932. Her parents, who were art dealers moved with their family back to the United States shortly after the outbreak of World War II. Taylor was seven years old at the time. She played in her first movie, ‘There’s One Born Every Minute’ in 1942 at the age of ten. She achieved stardom for her part in the movie ‘National Velvet’ in 1944.

During her career Elizabeth Taylor starred in over sixty movies, appeared in several television shows and was the recipient of numerous awards. She was nominated for six Academy Awards, winning on two occasions. She won her first Academy Award for Best Actress in ‘Butterfield 8’ in 1960. She won the award again in 1966, also for Best Actress, in ‘Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf’. It was the film of which she was most proud.

Elizabeth Taylor married her first husband, Conrad Hilton, in 1950. In total she was married seven times to eight men. She was married actor Richard Burton on two occasions. Mike Todd, a film producer, was Taylor’s third husband. He was the only one of her seven husbands whom she did not divorce. He died in a plane crash in 1958. Todd won an Academy Award for his production of the movie Around the World in 80 Days. His son Mike Todd Jr, also a film producer, lived in Borris, County Carlow, Ireland.

Taylor was the recipient of several awards during her lifetime. She received the French Légion d’honneur in 1987 and was made Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE) in 2000. She was awarded the Presidential Citizens Medal for her humanitarian work in 2001. She died at the age of 79 on March 23rd 2011.

Elizabeth Taylor was born in the year 1932 On This Day.

Photo by classic film scans

Elizabeth Taylor