08 October-Paul Hogan

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Paul Hogan, actor and comedian, is a native of Australia. He is best known for his role as Michael “Crocodile” Dundee in the Crocodile Dundee films. His performance as an outback adventurer in the first Crocodile Dundee film in 1986 won him the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor. Hogan was also nominated for an Oscar for best original screenplay in the same film.

Paul Hogan was born in Lightning Ridge, New South Wales, Australia in 1939. He began his career with his own comedy program ‘The Paul Hogan Show’. The show, which Hogan wrote and produced was very popular in Australia and abroad. The show ran from 1973 to 1984.

Hogan became internationally famous with the successful film Crocodile Dundee in 1986. The film’s sequels included Crocodile Dundee II and Crocodile Dundee in Los Angeles. Hogan also starred in other films including Almost an Angel and Lightning Jack and Charlie & Boots.

Through advertisements for the Australian Tourist Board, Hogan has helped promote his native country. Hogan has also appeared in other advertisements, many of which became famous, including advertisements for Foster’s Lager in Britain. In one such advertisement Hogan is asked at a train station by a Japanese tourist: Do you know the way to Cockfosters? In his reply Hogan tells the tourist: Drink it warm mate.

Paul Hogan was born in the year 1939 On This Day.

Photo by robinmcnicoll

Paul Hogan by robinmcnicoll on 2009-04-27 12:44:20

19 September-Borris Vocational School County Carlow

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Borris Vocational School is located in the historic and picturesque town of Borris in South Carlow, Ireland. The school has a long and proud tradition of providing an excellent education service to the people of Borris and the surrounding area. Today it is a modern 21st century establishment meeting the educational needs for over 500 second level students from the town of Borris and from the wide hinterland of the River Barrow Valley.

The town of Borris which has a population of around 1,100 is located at the foot of Carlow’s iconic mountain, Mount Leinster. It has one of the oldest golf courses in Ireland. Borris is the location of the ancestral home of McMorrough Kavanaghs, High Kings of Leinster. The Kavanagh family who still live in Borris House can trace their family history right back to the 12th century. Diarmuid McMorrough Kavanagh invited the Normans to Ireland in 1169 to help him regain the Kingdom of Leinster from Rory O Connor the High King of Ireland. The Borris House of today dates from the 15th century.

The Vocational School in Borris has its origins the Technical Instruction Act of 1899 which established the Vocational Education system, as we know it today, on a formal basis. Under the Act a ‘Committee of Agriculture and Technical Instruction’ was established in Carlow. It provided classes in Agriculture Science and Technical Instruction in various locations in Carlow town and county, including Borris.

Under the Vocational Education Act of 1930 the education service in Carlow was expanded and permanent schools were established in various towns in County Carlow. Borris Vocational school was established in 1939. It was staffed by a Principal and three teachers. The school had three classrooms and an initial enrolment of 25 students. During the following 75 years it has grown to be the modern successful school it is today which educates students who work in Ireland and abroad in every capacity imaginable.

Borris Vocational School in Co Carlow, was officially opened in the year 1939 On This Day.

Photo by The Labour Party

Borris Vocational School

03 September-1939 All Ireland Hurling Final

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Kilkenny won the 1939 Senior All-Ireland Hurling Championship Final. The game which is also referred to as the Thunder and Lightning final was played in Croke Park, Dublin in September during a thunderstorm. Two days before the game Nazi Germany invaded Poland. On the day of the game Britain declared war on Germany signalling the start of World War II.

The first President of Ireland at the time of the final was Dr Douglas Hyde. He did not attend the game. He was for many years a patron of the GAA. He was removed as patron for attending an International soccer match between Ireland and Poland in 1938.

What became known as the Thunder and Lightning All Ireland Hurling Final was played at Croke Park in Dublin between Cork and Kilkenny in the year 1939 On This Day.

Photo by Paolo Trabattoni

Croke park #1 ts by Paolo Trabattoni on 2011-08-07 17:20:00

Photo by National Library of Ireland on The Commons

First President by National Library of Ireland on The Commons on 1938-06-25 09:53:33

18 May-Shannon Airport

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Shannon Airport is located in Co Clare on the north bank of the Shannon Estuary on the west coast of Ireland. It is approximately 24km west of Limerick City and is the most western of all European airports. Shannon Airport, which is one of the three primary airports in Ireland, catered for over 1.7 million passengers in 2015.

Transatlantic aviation in the Shannon Estuary first commenced on July 5^th 1937 with the first flight from a seaplane base at Foynes on the south side of the estuary. During World War II Foynes became one of the busiest civilian airports in Europe. The Irish Government began a survey in 1935 to search for a site which could cater for both seaplanes and landplanes. The survey concluded that Rineanna, where Shannon Airport is now located was the most suitable site. However developments in aviation meant that landplanes would be the future of aviation. As a result Rineanna was developed as an airport for landplanes only.

Following completion of the airport the first aircraft, an Irish Air Corps plane, landed at Rineanna in May 1939. This was followed by the first passenger flight, a Belgian airliner, on July 11^th 1939. The passengers and crew were transferred to Foynes for their flight to America. The airport was named Shannon Airport in 1942. Though the development of Shannon Airport was hindered by World War II the first scheduled commercial flight passed through the airport on October 24^th 1945.

Shannon Airport became the gateway between Europe and America. In 1947 Shannon became the first duty-free airport in the world. As aviation technology developed aircraft could bypass Shannon. This combined with other difficulties meant passenger traffic at Shannon was adversely affected. Through various initiatives Shannon began to rebound and passenger numbers increased to over 3.6 million in 2005. A decline in passenger numbers began the following year and did not begin to recover until 2013.

The first aircraft, an Irish Air Corps Aero Anson A43, landed at Shannon Airport (Rineanna) in the year 1939 On This Day.