25 April-Danoli

Danoli was a racehorse owned by Dan O’Neill of Myshall near Bagenalstown County Carlow, Ireland. Danoli was trained by Tom Foley at his stables nearby. The thoroughbred which was foaled on May 14th 1988 became one of the most popular racehorses in Ireland during the 1990’s. During his career he was often referred to as ‘the people’s champion’.

Dan O’Neill purchased Danoli in 1991 from Willie Austin of Cloughjordan Co Tipperary. The new owner’s first name and the first three letters of Olivia, his daughter’s name, were combined to give the horse his name.

Danoli began his racing career in National Hunt flat races, winning his first race at Naas in 1991. In 1993 he began racing over hurdles in Ireland. He won his first two races before going to Cheltenham in 1994 where he won the Sun Alliance Novices’ Hurdle. During 1994 he also won the Aintree Hurdle, the Morgiana Hurdle and the Hatton’s Grace Hurdle. In 1995 he won the Aintree Hurdle for the second time. However he was found to have fractured a bone in one of his legs and underwent surgery at Leahurst Veterinary College in the University of Liverpool. He returned to racing and following some failures won the Red Mills Trial Hurdle at Gowran Park, Kilkenny in February 1996.

In 1996 Danoli began his steeplechasing career with a win at Clonmel. In the same year he went on to win the Denny Gold Medal Chase at Leopardstown Racecourse in December. On February 2nd 1997 he won the prestigious Hennessy Gold Cup at Leopardstown. Plagued by injury during his racing career Danoli had his final win at Navan on March 25th 2000. His retirement was announced in August of the same year. In retirement he drew large crowds to visit him at the National Stud in Co Kildare.

Danoli was euthanised following a severe bout of colic in the year 2006 On This Day.

DCP04168

 

 

25 April-Thomas Traynor

On the Dublin Road in Tullow, Co Carlow, Ireland there is a monument to Thomas Traynor. Traynor was a member of the garrison at Boland’s Mills during the Easter rising of 1916. He was imprisoned following the Rising. Following his release from prison Traynor played an active part in the Irish War of Independence.

Thomas Traynor was born in in Cannon’s Quarter, Tullow on May 27th 1881. He was a boot maker by trade. He moved to Dublin from Carlow in 1916. Traynor was interned at Frongoch in Wales for his role in the Easter Rising of 1916. He was later imprisoned at the maximum security Wakefield Prison, West Yorkshire, England. In common with most of those interned and who had not received a prison sentence, Traynor was released in late December 1916 and returned to Dublin.

Following his return to Dublin, Traynor took part in the war of independence. He was captured during a shoot-out with police and auxiliaries while keeping watch outside 144 Brunswick Street (Pearse Street), Dublin, where a meeting of rebels was being held. Two members of the Dublin Metropolitan Police, Constable James O’Farrell and Cadet Bernard Beard together with rebel Leo Hogan died in the fighting.

Thomas Traynor was taken prisoner. He was put on trial, found guilty of murder and was sentenced to be hanged. At the time Traynor was the father of ten children ranging in age from 18 years down to five months. The day after Thomas Traynor was hanged a District Inspector in the Royal Irish Constabulary (RIC) in Tipperary, called Gilbert Potter, was shot in reprisal. In later years it emerged that a son of Thomas Traynor and a son of Gilbert Potter were commanders of destroyers in the same flotilla during World War II in the Far East. The monument to Thomas Traynor in Tullow was unveiled by his eldest son Frank Traynor on August 15th 1965.

Thomas Traynor was hanged in Mountjoy Jail at the age of 39 in the year 1921 On This Day.

24 April-Eamon Casey

Eamon Casey was appointed Roman Catholic bishop of Galway, Ireland in 1976. He had previously served as bishop of Kerry from 1969 until his appointment to the Galway diocese. Bishop Casey was a highly influential member of the Irish catholic hierarchy. He served as bishop of Galway until his resignation in highly controversial circumstances in 1992.

Eamon Casey was born in Firies, County Kerry, Ireland in 1927. Having studied at St Patrick’s College, Maynooth he was ordained a priest in 1951. He served as a priest in Limerick until he was appointed bishop of Kerry in 1969. He was appointed bishop of Galway on the retirement of Bishop Michael Browne in 1976.

In 1992 it was revealed that Bishop Casey had a relationship with Annie Murphy who was a native of America. They had a son Peter, who was born in 1974. Following the revelation Bishop Casey resigned. He moved to South America where he served as a missionary priest in Ecuador. Bishop Casey returned to Ireland in 2006. He died at the age of 89 on March 13th 2017.

Eamon Casey was born in the year 1927 On This Day.

Bishop Eamon Casey launching Trócaire’s campaign to boycott South African goods

Bishop Eamon Casey speaking to media after the assassination of Archbishop Romero

 

 

24 April-Enda Kenny

Taoiseach Enda Kenny was born near the village of Islandeady, Castelbar County Mayo, Ireland. Following primary school he was educated at St Geralds College, Castlebar. Having completed second level education he went to St Patrick’s Teacher Training College in Dublin. He qualified as a primary school teacher in 1972 and returned to teach at a national school in his native Mayo.

Henry Kenny, Enda’s father was a popular and highly regarded Mayo TD (Teachta Dála) in Dáil Eireann. A winner of an All-Ireland senior football medal with Mayo in 1936 Henry Kenny had been elected as TD for Mayo in 1954. In 1975 while serving as Government Junior Minister he died after a short illness. Enda was elected in the subsequent by-election to serve as TD for Mayo. Since then he has been elected to serve in Dáil Eireann by the people of Mayo in every general election held during the last forty years.

During his time in Dáil Eireann, Kenny has served as frontbench spokesman in several areas and as chief whip of Fine Gael. He was appointed as a Government Junior Minister in 1986 and as Minister for Tourism and Trade in 1994. As Minister for Tourism and Trade, Kenny led several initiatives which saw the number of tourists visiting Ireland rise dramatically.

Following the resignation of Michael Noonan as leader of Fine Gael in 2002, Enda Kenny was elected as party leader. He set about rebuilding the party which had suffered a major setback in the General Election of 2002. In the 2007 General Election Fine Gael increased its representation by 20 seats. Kenny saw off a challenge to his leadership of Fine Gael in 2010. Following the General Election of 2011 he was elected Taoiseach of Ireland by Dáil Eireann on March 9th 2011.

On election as Taoiseach, Enda Kenny was faced with an unprecedented financial crisis. Well known for his resilience and tenacity he set about restoring Ireland’s fiscal sovereignty. Despite several setbacks he did this with energy and determination. Ireland successfully exited the bailout programme it entered into in 2010 and today has the fastest growing economy in Europe. A General Election was held in February 2016. Though Fine Gael was returned as the largest party in Dáil Éireann it did not obtain an overall majority. Following negotiations with other parties and independents Enda Kenny was re-elected Taoiseach on May 16th 2016.

A keen sportsman Enda Kenny has played football with his club Islandeady. He has also coached for his club at several levels. He has climbed Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania and is reported to have climbed Croagh Patrick in County Mayo over 100 times.

Taoiseach Enda Kenny was born in the year 1951 On This Day.

Enda Kenny

 

23 April-Cervantes

Cervantes was a writer who was a native of Spain. He was the author of several works, the most famous of which is the novel Don Quixote (El Ingenioso Hidalgo Don Quijote de la Mancha). Don Quixote is regarded as one of the greatest works of fiction ever published. It is a classic of modern literature and has been listed as the ‘best literary work ever written’.

Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra was born in Alcalá de Henares near Madrid, Spain in 1547. His family were impoverished and in 1551 moved to Valladolid in the hope of finding a better life. Ten years later the Cervantes’ family moved back to Madrid, hoping to find a position in the Court. Moving in this way affected the education of Cervantes. However he was said to have attended the University of Alcalá de Henares and Salamanca, as university life is described in his texts.

In 1569 Cervantes left Spain, probably because of debts, and moved to Rome. As a member Don Diego de Urbina’s military company he took part in the Battle of Lepanto in 1571. He suffered a serious injury in his left hand. As a result he became known as the Lepanto one-armed man (El manco de Lepanto). On his way back to Spain in 1575, his boat was attacked and captured by Tunicians and he was sold as a slave together with his brother Rodrigo in Argel. Cervantes wasn’t released until 1580, when his family could pay the ransom for him and his brother.

Back in Spain, after 11 years abroad Cervantes worked at several government posts. The first part of Don Quixote was published in 1605 and it was a big success. However, it did not make him wealthy. In 1615, few months before his death, he sent the second part of Don Quixote to the printing house. This concluded his masterpiece making Cervantes one of the best witters in history and regarded as the founder of the modern novel.

Cervantes died in the year 1616 On This Day.

Cervante

 

Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra nació en Alcalá de Henares (Madrid, España) en 1547 en el seno de una familia humilde. Su infancia se vio marcada por los problemas económicos y toda la familia se mudó a Valladolid, sede de la Corte, en 1551 con la esperanza de un futuro mejor. Diez años después, la Corte se trasladó de nuevo a Madrid al igual que la familia de Cervantes, que aún aspiraba a algún puesto en ella. Los problemas económicos del padre de Cervantes afectaron a su educación aunque es posible que frecuentara las universidades de Alcalá de Henares y de Salamanca, ya que en sus obras se detalla la vida estudiantil. En 1569 salió de España, probablemente debido a deudas, y se instaló en Roma. Se unió a la milicia y sirvió en la compañía de Don Diego de Urbina, con quien participó en la Batalla de Lepanto (1561). Sufrió graves heridas en su mano izquierda por lo que se le apodó “El manco de Lepanto”. Durante su regreso a España en 1575, su barco fue asaltado por los turcos y fue vendido como esclavo junto a su hermano Rodrigo. No fue hasta 1580 cuando su familia pudo pagar su rescate. De vuelta en España, tras una ausencia de 11 años) su situación económica era desesperada y aceptaba encargos de la Corte. En 1584 contrajo matrimonio con Catalina Salazar de Palacios. Al año siguiente se publicó su obra “Galatea”. En 1587 aceptó un puesto como comisario rural de abastos con lo que entró en contacto con la vida rural, la cual se vio luego reflejada en su obra maestra “El Ingenioso Hidalgo Don Quijote de la Mancha”. La primera parte de “El Quijote” se publicó en 1605 y fue un gran éxito. Sin embargo, esto no le ayudó a salir de la miseria. Se mudó de nuevo a Valladolid con la Corte. Mientras que el resto de escritores del Siglo de Oro, Francisco de Quevedo, Luis de Góngora and Lope de Vega, podrían vivir de sus éxitos, Cervantes sólo pudo publicar algunas obras que tenía ya escritas (“Novelas Ejemplares”, “El Viaje de Parnaso” y “Comedias y Entremeses”). En 1615, unos meses antes de su muerte, envió la segunda parte de “El Quijote” a la imprenta. Con esto quedaba concluida su obra maestra, situándolo como uno de los mejores escritores de la historia y como el fundador de la novela moderna. A través de la sátira de las novelas de caballería, el libro nos muestra el sentido tragicómico de la vida, profundizando en el alma de dos personajes arquetípicos y opuestos, el hidalgo Alonso Quijano y Sancho Panza, su escudero. Ambos personajes desarrollan una mayor complejidad en la segunda parte de la obra. Esta segunda parte es también más compleja y sofisticada, dejando a un lado lo grotesco a la hora de conseguir el efecto cómico.

En 1616, murió Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra, tal día como hoy.