09 February-Brendan Behan

— Share your story

Brendan Behan was a native of Dublin, Ireland. He was an author of poems, short stories, novels and plays. He was also involved in republican activities for which he served time in prison. His writing is noted for its satire and political commentary.

Brendan Behan was born Brendan Francis Aidan Behan at Holles Street Hospital, Dublin in 1923. His family was staunchly republican. At the age of 13 Behan left school to work as painter with his father. By then he was drinking alcohol which led to him being an alcoholic all his life.

During his lifetime Behan was imprisoned in England for his republican activities. Shortly after his return to Ireland in 1942 he was convicted of the attempted murder of a policeman. He was sentenced to 14 years in prison, during which time he studied the Irish language. He left the republican movement in 1947.

In 1948 Behan moved to Paris to concentrate on his writing. During his career he produced a large volume of work. His most famous works include ‘The Quare Fellow’, ‘The Hostage’ and ‘Borstal Boy’. His plays were staged in Dublin, London and New York.

Brendan Behan, author of poems, short stories, novels and plays, was born in Dublin in the year 1923 On This Day.

Photo by jbraine

Brendan Behan

27 December-Gustave Eiffel

— Share your story

The Eiffel Tower is the most visited paid monument in the world. It was built by Gustave Eiffel (1832-1923). Eiffel was a French engineer, whose early work focussed chiefly on bridges. Eiffel also built the metallic skeleton which supports the copper exterior of the Statue of Liberty on Liberty Island in New York Harbour. The statue was delivered to New York as a gift to the United States from the people of France. It was officially received in 1885 by the Mayor of New York William Russell Grace, who was a native of Ballylinan Co Laois, Ireland.

Alexandre Gustave Eiffel was born in Dijon, France on December 15^th 1832. He was educated locally and later at the École Centrale des Arts et Manufactures, in Paris. Following graduation in 1855 he specialised in building bridges in France and abroad. Eiffel built the Maria Pia Bridge over the river Douro in Portugal. The bridge was completed in 1877.

Eiffel began building the Eiffel Tower in 1887 on the Champ-de-Mars in central Paris. It was the entrance arch for the 1889 Exposition Universelle (World’s Fair). The Exposition was held to mark the 100th anniversary of the French Revolution. The tower which is 324 metres tall was the tallest building in the world when it was completed.

Many people initially criticised the Eiffel Tower and felt it was an eyesore. Some people would dine in the restaurant at the base in order to avoid seeing the tower. It is today one of the best known structures in the world and attracts an estimated seven million visitors every year.

Gustave Eiffel, builder of the the most visited paid monument in the world, the Eiffel Tower, died aged 92 in the year 1923 On This Day.

Gustave Eiffel

http://www.gettyimages.co.uk/detail/news-photo/portrait-of-the-french-engineer-gustave-eiffel-1890s-news-photo/141551141

Photo by Nicolas Vollmer

Tour Eiffel

15 December-Uzi Submachine Gun

— Share your story

Uziel Gal was a native of Germany. Known as Uzi Gal he was the designer of the Uzi submachine gun. The gun became one of the most famous and best-selling weapons of the 20^th century. Used by up to 20 armies around the world, it is widely used both as a police and special-forces firearm.

Uzi Gal was born Gotthard Glas in Weimar, Germany in 1923. In 1933 he moved with his family to England following the rise to power of the Nazis. Three years later the family moved to Yagur a Kibbutz in northern Israel. His submachine gun design was the winner of a competition in 1951 and was adopted for use by the Israeli Defence Forces.

Uziel Gal, designer of the Uzi submachine gun, was born in the year 1923 On This Day.

Uzi Gal

Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike

04 October-Charlton Heston

— Share your story

Charlton Heston was an actor and Hollywood star who was a native of the United States. The recipient of several awards he appeared in over 100 films during his career. He is best known for his roles in films such as ‘Ben Hur’ and ‘Planet of the Apes’.

Charlton Heston was born John Charles Carter in 1923. By the time he was aged six his name appeared on census record for Roscommon County, Michigan as Charlton John Carter. He appeared in his first film as Charlton Heston in 1941. He went on to appear in films such as The Ten Commandments (1956), Ben-Hur (1959), and Planet of the Apes (1968).

For his role in Ben Hur, Heston won the Academy Award for Best Actor. He was a supporter of Dr Martin Luther King and was present at the Civil Rights March on Washington in 1963. Charlton Heston died at the age of 84 on April 5^th 2008. He was commemorated on a United States postage stamp which was issued on April 11^th 2014.

Charlton Heston, award winning American actor, was born in the year 1923 On This Day.

Photo by Howdy, I’m H. Michael Karshis

21 January-Peter Murphy

— Share your story

Peter Murphy from Clonegal, Co Carlow, Ireland was a radio and television broadcaster. He was best known as the host of the weekly RTE programme Cross Country Quiz during the 1970’s. Through his involvement with farmers’ organisations he became well known throughout Ireland. He was often referred to as ‘the voice of rural Ireland’.

Peter David Murphy was born in Huntington, Clonegal Co Carlow in January 1923. He was educated locally and at Carnew Vocational School, Carnew Co Wexford. Having completed second level education he went on to graduate from Warrenstown Agricultural College in Drumree Co Meath. An active sportsman Murphy played handball and cricket. He also played Gaelic Football at all levels for County Carlow.

After graduation from Warrenstown Murphy became involved with Macra na Feirme, a voluntary rural youth organisation. He was appointed National Organiser of Macra na Feirme in 1953. He later played a leading role in the establishment of the National Farmers’ Association (now Irish Farmers Association) which was founded in Dublin on January 6th 1955.

Peter Murphy’s distinctive speaking voice made him a popular choice as presenter of many sponsored radio programmes between 1961 and 1979. Some of the companies for which he presented sponsored radio programmes, included the Irish Farmers Journal, ACC (Agricultural Credit Corporation) and Bank of Ireland.

However, it was through television that Murphy was to become most widely recognised. His big break came as a presenter on the 1960s agricultural series Landmark on RTE. This led to the roles of question-master and question-setter from 1969 to 1973 on the Cross Country Quiz TV programme. He compiled 14 quiz books based on the series between 1973 and 1988. Though Murphy retired in 1992 he still continued for many years to act as quizmaster at venues all over Ireland. He died at the age of 88 on June 3rd 2011.

Peter Murphy was born in Huntington, Clonegal Co Carlow in the year 1923 On This Day.

Photo by IrishFireside

Huntington Castle

Photo by The Labour Party

Clonegal