29 December-New Year Honours List

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Daniel O’Donnell is a singer-songwriter and television presenter who is a native of Co Donegal, Ireland. The recipient of numerous awards he was awarded an Honorary MBE by Queen Elizabeth II. The award was made in recognition of his services to the music industry.

John Rocha is a famous fashion designer based in Ireland. Rocha has been the recipient of several awards and was made a CBE (Commander of the Order of the British Empire). The award was made in recognition of his long-standing contribution to the fashion industry.

Daniel O’Donnell was listed for an Honorary MBE and John Rocha was listed for a CBE in the year 2001 On This Day.

Photo by Branson Missouri

Daniel O’Donnell

Photo by kaichanvong

John Rocha

10 December-Lord of the Rings

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The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring’ is a film based on first volume of The Lord of the Rings. The Lord of the Rings is a fantasy novel which was written by J R R Tolkien. It was published in three volumes over a 15 month period from July 1954 to October 1955. The publication of The Fellowship of the Ring in 1954 was followed by The Two Towers and The Return of the King.

When the ‘The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring’ was released in 2001 it was highly acclaimed. In 2002 it was nominated for thirteen Academy Awards and was the winner of four. The film has been a huge financial success, earning to date over $800 million dollars worldwide.

‘The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring’ was premiered at the Odeon Leicester Square in London in the year 2001 On This Day.

Photo by kndynt2099

Lord of the Rings

The Fellowship of the Ring photo

The Lord of the Ring – The Fellowship of the Rings by ~Beekeeper~ on 2011-07-16 16:18:12

15 November-Jacob’s Biscuits

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Jacob’s biscuits were first baked in Waterford, Ireland in 1851. Today, Jacob’s is an iconic brand for several types of biscuits and cream crackers. They are sold in Ireland, Great Britain and around the world.

William Beale Jacob and his brother Robert established a biscuit bakery, W & R Jacob, in Bridge Street, Waterford in 1851. The company moved to Dublin and established a bakery in Peter’s Row. By the 1860’s Jacob’s had become the second largest employer in Dublin after Guinness.

Jacob’s manufactured a range of biscuits for sale in Ireland and Britain. In 1885 the company began to manufacture cream crackers. The cream cracker was invented in Dublin by Joseph Haughton and is one of the most famous of the Jacob’s brand. It was introduced to the market in Great Britain in 1883.

In 1914 Jacob’s opened a factory in Liverpool, England. The company continued to expand in Ireland and in 1970 moved a new premises in Tallaght on the south side of Dublin city. After 156 years of making biscuits in Ireland Jacob’s ceased the manufacture of biscuits at its Dublin plant in 2009.

Jacob’s Bakery, manufacturer of biscuits and cream crackers in Ireland, celebrated the 150^th anniversary of its foundation in the year 2001 On This Day.

Photo by BusyBee-cr

Cream Cracker

Photo by Neil T

04 March-MV Ulysses

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MV Ulysses is a car ferry which operates on the Dublin to Holyhead route on the Irish Sea. It is a Roll-on Roll-off ship which went into service in March 2001. At the time of its launch it was the largest car ferry in the world.

MV (Motor Vessel) Ulysses was built at Aker Finnyards shipyard in Rauma, Finland. The ship was laid down on January 24^th 2000 and was launched on September 1^st of the same year. Ulysses was handed over to her owners, Irish Continental Group and began sailing for Dublin on 28th February 2001 arriving in Dublin Port four day later.

Following a three week period of training, MV Ulysses was blessed and named. The ship made its maiden voyage from Dublin to Holyhead on March 25^th 2001. MV Ulysses can carry 2,166 passengers, 1,342 cars and 240 trucks. It has a speed of 22 knots.

MV Ulysses arrived in Dublin Bay for the first time in the year 2001 On This Day.

Photo by Ryan Lowery

Ulysses

09 January-Inishgort and Inishlyre Islands

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The islands of Inishgort and Inishlyre are two of the 117 islands in the eastern half of Clew Bay off the coast of Mayo on the west coast of Ireland. In common with several of Ireland’s islands they were not connected the national electricity grid until early the 21st century. Inishlyre which has about four residents, is just a ten minute boat journey from the mainland. It was the first location in Mayo to have a Lifeboat Station which was established in 1857. Inishgort, on which a lighthouse stands, is a further ten minutes to the west. In July 2000 the light in the lighthouse was converted to solar power.

The Electricity Supply Board (ESB) was established in Ireland under Electricity Supply Act of 1927. It was one of the first major industrial undertakings of the newly established Irish state. Its purpose was take charge of existing electrical schemes in Ireland and take responsibility for Shannon Hydro-Electric Scheme then under construction. Engineers, Mr Paddy Dowling, Linkardstown, Tinryland County Carlow and Mr William F. Roe, 25 Patrick Street Kilkenny, were among its first eleven employees.

When completed the Shannon Scheme supplied electricity to the cities and larger towns in Ireland. Smaller villages and rural areas were not connected to the grid. The rural electrification scheme, which has been described as ‘the Quiet Revolution’ commenced on November 5th 1946 at Killsallagahan in County Dublin. The scheme was led by William Roe and Paddy Dowling. Electricity was gradually brought to all parts of the country. However it did not reach InishLyre and Inishgort until 2001. Other islands such as Inishturbot and Inishturk off the west coast were connected to the national grid in 2003.

The islands of Inishgort and Inishlyre in Clew Bay Co Mayo were connected to the national electricity grid in the year 2001 On This Day.

Clew Bay photo

Clew Bay from Croagh Patrick, County Mayo, Ireland by chrispd1975 on 2008-04-03 10:36:19