December 22, 2010Ballybane, Galway, IrelandMichael Faherty (76) dies in his home; his death is officially ruled spontaneous combustion Faherty was found in his sitting room, laying on his back with his head near an open fireplace, though the fireplace was determined not to have been the source of the fire. His body was “totally burnt,”…
The death of Saint Patrick
March 17, 461 Saul, Northern Ireland Saint Patrick dies A large boulder was placed in 1900 in Saint Patrick’s honor at Down Cathedral, where he is traditionally thought to be buried. The stone was engraved with the name PATRIC and a cross. Later, in 1985, a second stone and plaque was added which reads: Saint…
Investigation team announces the discovery of a “significant” number of human child remains at non-operational home for unwed mothers
March 3, 2017 Tuam, Ireland The Mother and Baby Homes Commission of Investigation announces a “significant” amount of human remains had been found at the Mother and Baby Home, a closed home for unwed mothers and their children The Catholic-run Mother and Baby Home operated between 1925 and 1961, taking in unwed mothers and their…
The brutal murders of two IRA brothers
November 26, 1920 Shanaglish, Ireland Brothers Pat (29) and Harry Loughnane (22) are beaten, murdered, burned, and hastily buried by Black and Tans (colloquial term for the Royal Irish Constabulary Special Reserve) The Loughnanes were members of the IRA (the Irish Republican Army, an army who used guerrilla warfare tactics against British forces in Ireland)…
FLW: advises executioners to step forward for a better shot
Famous Last Words Erskine Childers Beggars Bush Barracks, Dublin, Ireland November 24, 1922 "Take a step forward, lads. It will be easier that way." Author Robert Erskine Childers was said to have inspired propaganda of the Republican movement in the Irish Civil War. He was arrested for carrying a firearm after the Army Emergency Powers…