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 – 16th October 1921
Publication date:
October 16, 2021
Reference date:
19211016
Stories Included:
1921: Catholic schoolchildren face violent sectarian attacks in Belfast, while a Labour delegation prepares to highlight the expulsion of workers at a Trafalgar Square demonstration
Latest On This Day Posts
Published: February 17, 2021
On This Day – 17th February 1921
Stories Included:
1921: eight civilians were killed in a train ambush at Upton, Co. Cork; Lloyd George suppressed the Cork city burning report, a political prisoner escaped Derry jail, and Mass-goers were searched in Antrim
Published: February 16, 2021
On This Day – 16th February 1971
Stories Included:
1971: Cardinal Conway defended the Catholic Church’s record in condemning violence, while a Westminster debate on Northern Ireland revealed sharp disagreements but little consensus on how to restore order.
Published: February 15, 2021
On This Day – 15th February 1921
Stories Included:
1921: Derry courts heard compensation claims from civilians shot during the 1920 disturbances, including evidence of organised sectarian attacks and severe lifelong injuries inflicted during the city’s ‘civil war’.
Published: February 13, 2021
On This Day – 13th February 1971
Stories Included:
1971: five BBC workers die in horror Tyrone booby-trap blast, a Belfast girl crushed to death by a military scout car was buried, and a Commons CS gas attack reached trial.
Published: February 12, 2021
On This Day – 12th February 1921
Stories Included:
1921: Crown forces searched for an airman suspected kidnapped in Limerick, a Belfast widow received compensation for her husband’s shooting in Derry, and Fermanagh Unionists protested boundary changes affecting their political control
Published: February 11, 2021
On This Day – 11th February 1921
Stories Included:
1921: A Times of London commentator warned Partition would leave Nationalists excluded, questioned Joe Devlin’s leadership, and argued Catholic participation depended on genuine guarantees of equality and minority rights
Published: February 10, 2021
On This Day – 10th February 1921
Stories Included:
1921: A court ruled the Ballykinlar camp prisoner shootings justifiable, compensation claims revisited the Lisburn burnings, and Mrs Parnell was buried quietly following her death earlier in the month.
Published: February 9, 2021
On This Day – 9th February 1921
Stories Included:
1921: A Special Constable was killed in a Warrenpoint attack, Bishop MacRory condemned silence over Belfast expulsions, and the death of Charles Stewart Parnell’s widow ‘Kitty O’Shea’ was reported
Published: February 8, 2021
On This Day – 8th February 1921
Stories Included:
1921:
On This Day – 8th February 1921
Published: February 6, 2021
On This Day – 6th February 1971
Stories Included:
1971: Three civilians and a soldier, Gunner Robert Curtis, were shot dead during widespread rioting and gun attacks in Belfast. Gunner Curtis was officially the first soldier to die in the modern Troubles.
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: December 21, 2020
On This Day – 21st December 1920
Stories Included:
1920: Peace hopes faded after sharp exchanges between Lloyd George and Sinn Féin, as provocative behaviour by Specials alarmed Enniskillen nationalists
Published: December 22, 2020
On This Day – 22nd December 1920
Stories Included:
1920: Bishop Cohalan condemned IRA violence, as stark testimony detailed an Auxiliary’s killing of a Cork priest, and a Black and Tan was jailed for sexually-motivated assault
Published: December 19, 2020
On This Day – 19th December 1970
Stories Included:
1970: the Scarman Tribunal examines the conduct of the Tynan B Specials, revealing panic, lack of firearms guidance and a cover-up after John Gallagher’s death
Published: December 17, 2020
On This Day – 17th December 1920
Stories Included:
1920: an Auxiliary policeman killed Canon Magner in West Cork, as the trial began of four men accused of the Gilford, Co Down robbery-murder
Published: December 16, 2020
On This Day – 16th December 1920
Stories Included:
1920: As the Lords passed the Government of Ireland Bill, the Irish News said most of Ireland had already rejected partition “with scorn”, while unionists pushed to secure their new state.
Published: December 15, 2020
On This Day – 15th December 1970
Stories Included:
1970: Paddy ‘Bogside’ Doherty denounced a campaign against his Derry appointment, Paddy Devlin clashed at the Old Bailey, saying: “I will not be sneered at”.
Published: December 14, 2020
On This Day – 12th December 1920
Stories Included:
1920: Hundreds of IRA volunteers attacked Camlough barracks and ambushed reinforcements at the Egyptian Arch, sparking heavy fighting and widespread fires
Published: December 18, 2020
On This Day – 18th December 1920
Stories Included:
1920: Lloyd George rejects efforts of nationalist MPs Joe Devlin and TP O’Connor to extract Nationalist safeguards from the government ahead of Partition
Published: December 12, 2020
On This Day – 12th December 1920
Stories Included:
1920: Bishop MacRory denounced Belfast’s sectarian expulsions, while Auxiliaries burned Cork’s city centre in revenge for an IRA ambush
Published: December 11, 2020
On This Day – 11th December 1920
Stories Included:
1920: Archbishop Clune’s talks with Lloyd George raise hopes of a truce, even as martial law is imposed across four Irish counties
Published: December 10, 2020
On This Day – 10th December 1920
Stories Included:
1920: Labour’s Arthur Henderson decried reprisals as “Cromwellian”, more prisoners were shipped to Ballykinlar Internment Camp
Published: December 9, 2020
On This Day – 9th December 1970
Stories Included:
1970: Dun Laoghaire’s King George IV statue was blasted again, Hillery warned about Irish in the EEC, and Stormont clashed over a blocked Derry appointment