On This Day / December 9, 1970
Go BackReproduced with permission from The Irish News.
19701209
Reference Date
19701209
Publication Date
Listen Along in Éamons Voice
Summary: On This Day – 9th December 1970, a second blast toppled King George IV’s statue in Dun Laoghaire, while debates raged over Irish in the EEC and a Stormont row erupted over a blocked Derry appointment. Edited by Éamon Phoenix
Royal statue blasted | On This Day – 9th December 1970
DUN Laoghaire’s King George IV monument at Carlisle Pier may have to be removed for repair at public expense after a second explosion within three weeks sent it reeling into an angle of about 45 degrees.
At present it is a threat to passers-by. The explosion at 3.20 a.m. wrecked one of the four granite globes supporting the statue and it tilted over. The noise was heard all over Dun Laoghaire and across Dublin Bay.
The statue was erected in 1823 to commemorate the visit of George IV two years earlier.
Future of Irish in Common Market
DR PATRICK Hillery, Irish Minister for External Affairs, has warned that if Ireland joined the EEC, the survival of the language would depend essentially on the Irish people themselves.
It would be less than honest, he said, to suggest that inside or outside the Common Market, the survival of Irish and the ethos it expressed did not depend largely on themselves and the will of the people to remain true to their heritage.
Faulkner flailed over Derry Post
THE Minister for Development, Mr Brian Faulkner was accused at Stormont yesterday by Mr John Hume (SDLP) of refusing by a ‘blatantly political decision’ to approve the appointment of Mr Patrick Doherty (former vice-chairman of the Derry Citizens’ Defence Committee) as maintenance manager by the Derry Development Commission.
Mr Faulkner replied that the Commission had sought approval of Mr Doherty’s appointment to the post but, since he did not have any professional or technical qualifications, the Ministry refused to approve his appointment.
Mr Hume claimed that Mr Doherty had been recommended by an experienced, unbiased panel and the Commission had unanimously accepted their recommendation.
Although not holding a university degree Mr Doherty had an outstanding record of community service in Derry.
Recalling that Mr Doherty was vice-chair of the Derry Citizens’ Defence Committee in 1969, Mr Hume believed that was the reason why the Minister had taken his ‘blatantly political’ decision.
(Eamon Phoenix editor’s note: These three news items reflect the challenges facing Ireland, North and South, as the Troubles gathered momentum.
The Republic was trying to reconcile its republican/Gaelic past with seeking admission – along with the UK – to the European Common Market.
In the polarised north allegations of anti-Catholic discrimination in employment continued – the one area not specifically addressed by the 1968 civil rights reforms.)
On This Day – 9th December 1970
Further Reading on Irish History:
List of other On This Day columns
Other resources: National Library of Ireland Irish News CAIN Archive
19701209
Reference Date
19701209
Publication Date
Listen Along in Éamons Voice
Listen Along in Éamons Voice
Summary: On This Day – 9th December 1970, a second blast toppled King George IV’s statue in Dun Laoghaire, while debates raged over Irish in the EEC and a Stormont row erupted over a blocked Derry appointment. Edited by Éamon Phoenix
Royal statue blasted | On This Day – 9th December 1970
DUN Laoghaire’s King George IV monument at Carlisle Pier may have to be removed for repair at public expense after a second explosion within three weeks sent it reeling into an angle of about 45 degrees.
At present it is a threat to passers-by. The explosion at 3.20 a.m. wrecked one of the four granite globes supporting the statue and it tilted over. The noise was heard all over Dun Laoghaire and across Dublin Bay.
The statue was erected in 1823 to commemorate the visit of George IV two years earlier.
Future of Irish in Common Market
DR PATRICK Hillery, Irish Minister for External Affairs, has warned that if Ireland joined the EEC, the survival of the language would depend essentially on the Irish people themselves.
It would be less than honest, he said, to suggest that inside or outside the Common Market, the survival of Irish and the ethos it expressed did not depend largely on themselves and the will of the people to remain true to their heritage.
Faulkner flailed over Derry Post
THE Minister for Development, Mr Brian Faulkner was accused at Stormont yesterday by Mr John Hume (SDLP) of refusing by a ‘blatantly political decision’ to approve the appointment of Mr Patrick Doherty (former vice-chairman of the Derry Citizens’ Defence Committee) as maintenance manager by the Derry Development Commission.
Mr Faulkner replied that the Commission had sought approval of Mr Doherty’s appointment to the post but, since he did not have any professional or technical qualifications, the Ministry refused to approve his appointment.
Mr Hume claimed that Mr Doherty had been recommended by an experienced, unbiased panel and the Commission had unanimously accepted their recommendation.
Although not holding a university degree Mr Doherty had an outstanding record of community service in Derry.
Recalling that Mr Doherty was vice-chair of the Derry Citizens’ Defence Committee in 1969, Mr Hume believed that was the reason why the Minister had taken his ‘blatantly political’ decision.
(Eamon Phoenix editor’s note: These three news items reflect the challenges facing Ireland, North and South, as the Troubles gathered momentum.
The Republic was trying to reconcile its republican/Gaelic past with seeking admission – along with the UK – to the European Common Market.
In the polarised north allegations of anti-Catholic discrimination in employment continued – the one area not specifically addressed by the 1968 civil rights reforms.)
On This Day – 9th December 1970
Further Reading on Irish History:
List of other On This Day columns
Other resources: National Library of Ireland Irish News CAIN Archive
19701209
Reference Date
December 9, 2020
Publication Date
Listen Along in Éamons Voice *
Summary: On This Day – 9th December 1970, a second blast toppled King George IV’s statue in Dun Laoghaire, while debates raged over Irish in the EEC and a Stormont row erupted over a blocked Derry appointment. Edited by Éamon Phoenix
Royal statue blasted | On This Day – 9th December 1970
DUN Laoghaire’s King George IV monument at Carlisle Pier may have to be removed for repair at public expense after a second explosion within three weeks sent it reeling into an angle of about 45 degrees.
At present it is a threat to passers-by. The explosion at 3.20 a.m. wrecked one of the four granite globes supporting the statue and it tilted over. The noise was heard all over Dun Laoghaire and across Dublin Bay.
The statue was erected in 1823 to commemorate the visit of George IV two years earlier.
Future of Irish in Common Market
DR PATRICK Hillery, Irish Minister for External Affairs, has warned that if Ireland joined the EEC, the survival of the language would depend essentially on the Irish people themselves.
It would be less than honest, he said, to suggest that inside or outside the Common Market, the survival of Irish and the ethos it expressed did not depend largely on themselves and the will of the people to remain true to their heritage.
Faulkner flailed over Derry Post
THE Minister for Development, Mr Brian Faulkner was accused at Stormont yesterday by Mr John Hume (SDLP) of refusing by a ‘blatantly political decision’ to approve the appointment of Mr Patrick Doherty (former vice-chairman of the Derry Citizens’ Defence Committee) as maintenance manager by the Derry Development Commission.
Mr Faulkner replied that the Commission had sought approval of Mr Doherty’s appointment to the post but, since he did not have any professional or technical qualifications, the Ministry refused to approve his appointment.
Mr Hume claimed that Mr Doherty had been recommended by an experienced, unbiased panel and the Commission had unanimously accepted their recommendation.
Although not holding a university degree Mr Doherty had an outstanding record of community service in Derry.
Recalling that Mr Doherty was vice-chair of the Derry Citizens’ Defence Committee in 1969, Mr Hume believed that was the reason why the Minister had taken his ‘blatantly political’ decision.
(Eamon Phoenix editor’s note: These three news items reflect the challenges facing Ireland, North and South, as the Troubles gathered momentum.
The Republic was trying to reconcile its republican/Gaelic past with seeking admission – along with the UK – to the European Common Market.
In the polarised north allegations of anti-Catholic discrimination in employment continued – the one area not specifically addressed by the 1968 civil rights reforms.)
On This Day – 9th December 1970
Further Reading on Irish History:
List of other On This Day columns
Other resources: National Library of Ireland Irish News CAIN Archive
On This Day is a daily column in the Irish News looking back either 50 or 100 years. The column was compiled by Dr Éamon Phoenix from the mid 1980s until autumn, 2022. The Foundation is very grateful to the Irish News for giving permission to reproduce Eamon’s columns. Funding gratefully received from Ireland’s Department of Foreign Affairs and the Magill Trust.
* The Foundation has worked hard to recreate Eamon’s distinctive voice through AI. Since this is an emerging technology, occasional imperfections may be audible.