#OTD in Irish History | 27 February:

Stair na hÉireann

Feb 27

1495 – Garret Mór Fitzgerald, Eighth Earl of Kildare, is arrested in Dublin by Sir Edward Poynings, Lord Lieutenant of Ireland.

1760 – François Thurot holds the castle and the town of Carrickfergus until this date.

1792 – The Irish House of Commons is partly destroyed by fire.

1841 – William Bruce, Sr., the last surviving member of the Ulster Volunteer convention of 1783, a group that fostered efforts towards reform, dies.

1859 – Francis M'Clintock an explorer, from Dundalk, Co Louth, in the British Royal Navy, who is known for his discoveries in the Canadian Arctic Archipelago, discovered the fate of the Franklin Expedition, found the only written record left by Franklin on the northwest corner of the island. They also found a skeleton with European clothes and a ships boat on runners containing two corpses. They got as far south as Montreal Island (Nunavut) and the mouth of the Back River. He wrote an account of his expedition entitled The Voyage of the 'Fox' in the Arctic Seas: A Narrative of the Fate of Sir John Franklin and His Companions.

1895 – Kilkenny-born Patrick Manogue; founding Roman Catholic Bishop of the Diocese of Sacramento dies on this day, age 63.

1907 – Coslett Quin, clergyman, scholar and linguist, is born in Derriaghy, Co Antrim.

1918 – Ireland's national school teachers are to hold a referendum on the question of a withdrawal from schools throughout the country. The announcement of a vote follows the refusal of the Chief Secretary, Mr Duke, to fix a date for receiving a All-Ireland deputation which was proposed by the Lord Mayor of Dublin six weeks prior.

1920 – DMP officers shot of whom one John Walsh killed.

1923 – National Army troops surprise an Anti-Treaty column in their dug out at Arigna, Co Leitrim. Two Anti-Treaty fighters, James Cull and Patrick Tynan, are killed when their dugout is blown up.

1946 – Death of sportsman, James Cecil Parke. Born in Clones, Co Monaghan, he was a rugby player, tennis player, golfer and Olympic medallist. He played rugby with both Monkstown and Dublin University and between 1901 and 1908 played ten times for Leinster. Between 1903 and 1909, he won twenty Ireland caps.

1973 – Two RUC officers were shot by the IRA near Moira, Co Antrim. One officer died at the scene and the other died from his wounds on 25 March 1973.

1975 – Scotland Yard announces that the man who shot dead a police officer in London on 26 February had been staying in a flat used as a 'bomb factory' by the Provisional IRA.

1977 – Two members of the Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) were killed when a bomb they were planting exploded prematurely in Exchange Street, Belfast.

1977 – A former member of the British army was shot dead by the IRA in Belfast.

1981 – A large van bomb exploded in the centre of Limavady, Co Derry, causing damage to 40 premises. It was believed that the IRA were responsible for the attack.

1983 – Charles Haughey, leader of Fianna Fáil, addressed his party's conference in Dublin and called on the British and Irish governments to organise a constitutional conference to consider options for the future of Northern Ireland.

1985 – The INLA planted a bomb close to Windsor Park in Belfast during a World Cup soccer match between England and Northern Ireland. The bomb was defused and the INLA issued a general death threat against any visiting British sports teams.

1997 – After a contentious court battle contesting the referendum, the new divorce law in the Republic is enacted.

1998 – A recruitment programme to bolster the defence forces with 500 new members officially launched with a commitment made to keep staffing levels at 11,500 by the end of 1998.

1999 – David Trimble, First Minster Designate, warned Republicans that he intended to press for the transfer of powers to a new Executive, even without Sinn Féin participation. The man that Garda Síochána believed had directed the Omagh bombing on 15 August 1998 was reported to have disappeared from his home in the Border area and to have fled the country. Three other people were arrested in the Republic of Ireland in connection with the bombing.

2000 – President Mary McAleese and former Taoiseach Charles Haughey were among the many people to pay tribute at the funeral of North Kerry Fianna Fáil TD and former minister, Tom McEllistrim.

2001 – In an effort to help prevent the spread of hoof and mouth disease, the Six Nations match between Wales and Ireland is cancelled and the Government has asked the Irish racing industry not to participate in the Cheltenham racing festival this year. All horseracing, including point to point events, and all greyhound meets are also cancelled until further notice.

2001 – Blizzard conditions bring parts of Leinster to a standstill; all flights are cancelled at Dublin Airport and many roads are left impassable after heavy falls of snow.

2002 – Ryanair Flight 296 catches fire at London Stansted Airport. Subsequent investigations criticise Ryanair's handling of the evacuation.

2002 – Former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger visits University College Cork where he is confronted by more than 400 angry students protesting his presence.

2002 – Education Minister, Martin McGuinness, launched a draft action plan to address racism within the education system. The plan was drawn up in conjunction with the Equality Commission. McGuinness also launched a leaflet and poster campaign, produced by the Equality Commission and the Irish National Consultative Committee, on racism and inter-culturalism.

2002 – Death of Spike Milligan, a comedian, writer, musician, poet, playwright, soldier, and actor. Milligan's early life was spent in India, where he was born, but the majority of his working life was spent in the United Kingdom. He became an Irish citizen in 1962 after the British government declared him stateless. He was the co-creator, main writer and a principal cast member of 'The Goon Show', performing a range of roles including the popular Eccles.

2002 – Enya was awarded a Grammy for Best New Age Album, 'A Day Without Rain' at the 44th Annual Grammy Awards held at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, CA. U2 won four awards including Record of the Year and Best Rock Album, while opening the show with a performance of "Walk On".

2002 – Ryanair Flight 296 catches fire at London Stansted Airport. Subsequent investigations criticize Ryanair's handling of the evacuation.

2003 – The funeral of former chief justice and government minister Tom O'Higgins takes place at St Patrick's Church in Monkstown, Dublin.

2003 – The European Commission confirms that new cars cost, on average, are 10% more in Ireland than the lowest pre-tax prices recommended by manufacturers in other eurozone markets.

2009 – The largest bank robbery in Ireland's history takes place at the Bank of Ireland, College Green cash centre in Dublin. Criminals engaged in the tiger kidnapping of a junior bank employee, 24-year-old Shane Travers, and force him to remove €7.6 million (US$9 million) in cash from the bank as his girlfriend and two others are held hostage.

Image | St. Canice's Cathedral, Kilkenny | Sandberg Photography

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