On This Day
One of the many things Dr Éamon was renowned for was his On This Day column in the Irish News.
Expertly chosen, the column chose a day in history and brought it in its significance to the modern reader.
The column was usually placed down the right-hand side of a news or features page, and the page number varied from edition to edition.
But wherever it was placed, the mix was variously enlightening, eclectic, sometimes sad, but always interesting.
Éamon loved doing the column, from the 1980s right up to late 2022. On This Day continues in the Irish News to this day under a new author.
These items are an invaluable historical record – old reports curated by an expert and brought to life again in modern media.
Over time we plan to greatly add to this collection of Éamon’s On This Day contributions. We are very thankful to Ireland’s Department of Foreign Affairs and the Magill Trust for funding this project.
Please note:
The Foundation has worked hard to recreate Eamon’s distinctive voice through AI. Since this is an emerging technology, occasional imperfections may be audible.
On This Day – 18th October 1921
Publication date:
October 18, 2021
Reference date:
19211018
Stories Included:
1921: James Craig vows to resist changes to the six counties, Fermanagh and Tyrone become central to negotiations and plans emerge to reorganise the Ulster Volunteer Force
Latest On This Day Posts
Published: March 1, 2021
On This Day – 1st March 1921
Stories Included:
1921: Six young men were executed by firing squad at Victoria Barracks, Cork, despite appeals from bishops and cardinals, marking a grim escalation of martial law
Published: February 27, 2021
On This Day – 27th February 1971
Stories Included:
1971: Two RUC officers were shot dead in Belfast, Cardinal Conway met Chichester-Clark at Stormont, and the RUC faced accusations of partisan arrests outside Belfast Police Court
Published: February 26, 2021
On This Day – 26th February 1971
Stories Included:
1971: Jack Lynch consolidates control of Fianna Fáil after stormy scenes in Dublin, Belfast women march in combat jackets, and Stormont debates revisit the Brougher Mountain BBC mast bombing massacre
Published: February 25, 2021
On This Day – 25th February 1921
Stories Included:
1921: The High Court in Dublin voided Unionist co-options in Dungannon, restoring Nationalist control of the Rural Council and Board of Guardians after a disputed casting vote
Published: February 24, 2021
On This Day – 24th February 1921
Stories Included:
1921: the burning of Roslea was blamed on the UVF, reprisals struck Donegal after an ambush, and General Crozier resigned over Auxiliary looting and indiscipline.
Published: February 23, 2021
On This Day – 23rd February 1921
Stories Included:
1921: Roslea in Fermanagh was burned after the shooting of a Unionist merchant, and the Archbishop of Canterbury condemned reprisals carried out by inadequately disciplined Crown forces
Published: February 22, 2021
On This Day – 22nd February 1921
Stories Included:
1921: MPs Joseph Devlin and Captain Wedgwood Benn attacked Government reprisals in Ireland, accusing Lloyd George’s administration of terrorising civilians and obstructing an agreed political settlement
Published: February 20, 2021
On This Day – 20th February 1921
Stories Included:
1921: Navan postmaster Thomas Hodgett vanished after armed men seized him, Cork man George Tilson was found dead near London, and Archbishop Clune condemned British conduct in Ireland
Published: February 19, 2021
On This Day – 19th February 1921
Stories Included:
1921: Alex Carlisle attacked British repression in a letter to The Times, while Presbyterian minister Rev Dr James Irwin was arrested in Antrim for Republican advocacy
Published: February 18, 2021
On This Day – 18th February 1921
Stories Included:
1921: wealthy widow Mrs J W Lindsay was kidnapped in Cork, three prisoners escaped Kilmainham Gaol, Belfast rioted in Corporation Street, and arrests followed the Carnlough coastguard station raid.
On This Day Posts by Year
Please select a year to see the series of articles written by Éamon.
Latest On This Day Posts
(384 Posts)
Published: January 7, 2021
On This Day – 7th January 1921
Stories Included:
1921: Critics denounced the Government of Ireland Act as the “worst form of partition”, warning it entrenched permanent division and minority rule in the North
Published: January 6, 2021
On This Day – 6th January 1921
Stories Included:
1921: Specials carried out widespread raids in Tyrone, a constable was charged over a Kerry killing, and reports confirmed de Valera’s return from the US.
Published: January 5, 2021
On This Day – 5th January 1921
Stories Included:
1921: Military bosses in Cork justified the burning of civilian homes after an ambush, whilst Eithne MacSwiney warned bishops that excommunicating IRA members risked alienating ordinary Catholics
Published: January 4, 2021
On This Day – 4th January 1971
Stories Included:
1971: British Cabinet Papers revived debate over Churchill’s 1940 offer of Irish unity in return for Ireland joining the Allies – an offer Éamon de Valera firmly rejected, doubting it was ever a real guarantee
Published: January 2, 2021
On This Day – 2nd January 1971
Stories Included:
1971: MP Tom Gormley condemned conditions in Crumlin Road Gaol, while General Franco reprieved six Basque militants after worldwide protests.
Published: January 1, 2021
On This Day – 1st January 1971
Stories Included:
1971: the Catholic Church appoints its first chaplain to the Northern Ireland Parliament. Belfast businessman Andrew Jardin of Blackmountain quarries is shot dead during a robbery
Published: December 31, 2020
On This Day – 31st December 1920
Stories Included:
1920: a Sinn Féin councillor accused the military of planting evidence at a Derry court-martial, while Belfast unveiled advanced new tramcars
Published: December 30, 2020
On This Day – 30th December 1920
Stories Included:
1920: MPs confronted ministers over civilian deaths and Crown force tactics, as disturbing accounts surfaced of Black and Tan raids in Monaghan
Published: December 29, 2020
On This Day – 29th December 1920
Stories Included:
1920: In Enniskillen, Unionist leaders complained of apathy towards the new Specials after sectarian violence, while Crown force raids in Galway and Tipperary left civilians dead and wounded
Published: December 28, 2020
On This Day – 28th December 1920
Stories Included:
1920: As Belfast endured a “black Christmastime”, around 30,000 textile workers were forced into a five-week shutdown, plunging thousands of families into hardship at the end of 1920
Published: December 24, 2020
On This Day – 24th December 1920
Stories Included:
1920: MPs questioned raids and gunfire by Ulster Specials in Newry, while West Belfast mill girls sent an Irish ham to Westminster to an MP supporting Joe Devlin after a Commons attack
Published: December 23, 2020
On This Day – 23rd December 1920
Stories Included:
1920: the Gilford, Co. Down murder trial ended without a verdict after jurors failed to agree, stalling one of the last capital cases under the all-Ireland courts system