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 – 9th October 1921
Publication date:
October 9, 2021
Reference date:
19211009
Stories Included:
1921: Irish delegates arrive in London for the Peace Conference to a huge welcome, while a Catholic Belfast family reports a frightening encounter with suspected Specials
Latest On This Day Posts
Published: December 5, 2020
On This Day – 5th December 1920
Stories Included:
1920: UVF commander Wilfred Spender details the formation of the Special Constabulary, praising shipyard loyalists and predicting further clashes with Sinn Féin
Published: December 4, 2020
On This Day – 4th December 1970
Stories Included:
1970: Shock as Ireland prepares to introduce internment camps; NI civil service discrimination alleged; Scarman hears of activities of notorious ‘Tynan’ B Specials
Published: December 3, 2020
On This Day – 3rd December 1920
Stories Included:
1920: Countess Markievicz refuses to recognise the court when she appears in Dublin, asking: ‘Is this your English law? Why don’t you stand by your own law?’
Published: December 2, 2020
On This Day – 2nd December 1920
Stories Included:
1920: Last-ditch attempts in the Lords to alter the territory of the new NI state are doomed to failure
Published: December 1, 2020
On This Day – 1st December 1920
Stories Included:
1920: Reports detail the deaths of at least 15 RIC auxiliaries in Co Cork in a Tom Barry-led ambush; Belfast Irish teacher murdered by mystery men in Louth
Published: November 30, 2020
On This Day – 30th November 1920
Stories Included:
1920: Senior Catholic Cardinal Logue launched a blistering attack on both the IRA and Crown forces over Dublin’s Bloody Sunday
Published: November 28, 2020
On This Day – 28th November 1970
Stories Included:
1970: Rift over Fermanagh Rights March; Derry City FC Ordered To Play Windsor Park fixture as communal tensions rise
Published: November 27, 2020
On This Day – 27th November 1920
Stories Included:
1920: nationalist Banbridge station master kidnapped and ordered out; leading Sinn Féin figures Arthur Griffith and Eoin MacNeill (Derry) arrested
Published: November 26, 2020
On This Day – 26th November 1920
Stories Included:
1920: Reports told of Dublin’s day of funerals following Bloody Sunday; Newry mourns murdered Head Constable Kearney
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: September 29, 2020
On This Day – 29th September 1920
Stories Included:
Police shoot Oldpark invaders; Grieving mother forced out carrying baby’s body
Published: September 28, 2020
On This Day – 28th September 1920
Stories Included:
Black and Tan atrocities are ‘ruining Britain’s good name abroad’: Major General
Published: September 26, 2020
On This Day – 26th September 1920
Stories Included:
Terror in Belfast after police killing is followed by bloody reprisals that claim three lives
Published: September 25, 2020
On This Day – 24th September 1970
Stories Included:
1970: Haughey Sought Clearance for ‘Arms for North’, court hears
Published: September 24, 2020
On This Day – 24th September 1920
Stories Included:
Terrible massacre of RIC officers sparks reprisal killings; US senator declares Ireland ‘not America’s problem’
Published: September 23, 2020
On This Day – 23rd September 1920
Stories Included:
Major UK trade union launches strike to try to stop shipyard expulsions; War of Independence reprisal killings spiral
Published: September 22, 2020
On This Day – 22nd September 1920
Stories Included:
Black and Tans rampage through Balbriggan after murder of RIC Inspector
Published: September 21, 2020
On This Day – 21st September 1920
Stories Included:
Court hears details of “dastardly” 1920s Banbridge murder; London media warn over “official recognition of UVF”
Published: September 19, 2020
On This Day – 19th September 1970
Stories Included:
1970: Central Citizens Defence Committee launches 25,000-word attack over Falls Curfew
Published: September 18, 2020
On This Day – 18th September 1920
Stories Included:
Bigotry on the Bann: Reporter tours 1920 mills where Catholics were expelled
Published: September 17, 2020
On This Day – 17th September 1920
Stories Included:
Envoy to ‘Ulster’ denies partition plans; Irish Liberals warn of civil war
Published: September 16, 2020
On This Day – 16th September 1920
Stories Included:
1970: RUC Votes to Stay Unarmed; Gerry Fitt: ‘Action Needed on Discrimination’