Brothers, March is just about over, a lot of us still be thinking of St. Patrick and his contributions to the Irish worldwide and I do encourage that as well. Not only is he the Patron Saint of Ireland, but of our Order as well. Other possible themes you might want to consider is;
March 1, 1981, Bobby Sands begins his start of a 66 day Hunger Strike, for return of Political Status for Political Prisoners of War in Long Kesh Prison. Click on the links to learn more about him; http://bobby-sands.com/ and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bobby_Sands
March 3, 1957, Mairéad Farrell, is born this day; http://www.dublinnorthcentral.com/campaign/2121
March 4, 1778, Robert Emmett, Irish Republican is born; http://www.ireland-information.com/articles/robertemmet.htm
March 4, 1888, Grace Gifford, future wife of Joseph Plunkett is born; http://randombios.blogspot.com/2009/07/grace-gifford-plunkett-18881955.html
March 5, 1942, Irish Republican George Plant is executed by Irish Free State; http://fethard.com/reports/george_plant.html
March 6, 1831, Civil War General Philip Sheridan, is born; http://militaryhistory.about.com/od/1800sarmybiographies/p/sheridan.htm
March 8, 1966, Pillar of Lord Nelson is blown up by IRA; http://irishdancedresscanada.homestead.com/ImagesofNelsonsPillar.html
March 11, 1926, Eamonn DeValera resigns as President of Sinn Fein, forms new party, Fianna Fail; http://www.clarelibrary.ie/eolas/coclare/people/eamon.htm
March 14, 1981, Francis Hughes starts Hunger Strike; http://www.irishhungerstrike.com/francishughes.html
March 15, 1920, Tomás Mac Curtain, Sinn Fein Lord Mayor of Cork, shot by British forces, you can read more on this by clicking on the link; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom%C3%A1s_Mac_Curtain
March 15, 1767, Irish-American President Andrew Jackson, is born; http://www.answers.com/topic/andrew-jackson
March 16, 1766, Fr. Nicholas Sheehy, is hanged for protesting tithes and taxation; http://www.libraryireland.com/HistoryIreland/Father-Nicholas-Sheehy.php
March 17, 461, St. Patrick dies, many different reports as to the actual date exist; http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/11554a.htm
March 21, 1886, Irish Republican Oscar Traynor is born; http://www.belfastceltic.org/oscartraynor.html
March 22, 1981, Patsy O’Hara and Ray McCreesh begin their Hunger Strike; http://www.irishfreedomcommittee.net/HISTORY/bios/Patsy%20O’Hara.doc
March 31, 1871, Arthur Griffith, founder of Sinn Fein, first leader of Dáil Éireann, is born; http://www.absoluteastronomy.com/topics/Arthur_Griffith
Irish-American William Donovan, was America’s first spymaster, during WWI; http://www.theithacajournal.com/article/20110225/NEWS01/102250333/Buffalo-spymaster-s-exploits-subject-new-biography?odyssey=tab|topnews|text|FRONTPAGE
In the Penal Days of Ireland, Priests and going to Mass was considered a crime, so Priests were on the run and said Mass in fields, they used large rocks as the altar, thus the term “Mass Rock” was formed,
http://www.lmi.utvinternet.com/massrock.htm
WWII Super Spy in Ireland; http://www.irishemigrant.com/ie/go.asp?p=story&storyID=8406
Is féidir ár stair, ár dtodhchaí a thógáil
(May our history, build our future)
Dan Callaghan
NC AOH Historian