09 June-Jimmy Kennedy

Jimmy Kennedy was a songwriter who was a native of Co Tyrone, Northern Ireland. He wrote over 2,000 songs of which 50 became all-time popular music classics. Though Kennedy usually wrote the lyrics for existing music he also worked with composers during his career.

Jimmy Kennedy was born near Omagh Co Tyrone on July 20th 1902. He was educated locally before attending Trinity College Dublin. Following graduation he worked as a teacher in England but in 1925 he joined the Colonial Service. Interested in writing poems and songs from a young age, Kennedy began writing for a music publisher in London.

During his career Kennedy became famous for songs such as ‘Red Sails in the Sunset’, ‘South of the Border’ and Teddy Bears Picnic’. He was the recipient of several awards, including an honorary degree from the University of Ulster. He was awarded an OBE by Queen Elizabeth II in 1983. In 1997 he was posthumously inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame. Kennedy was patron of the Castlebar Song Contest from 1973 until his death in 1984.

Jimmy Kennedy composer of songs such as ‘Red Sails in the Sunset’, ‘South of the Border’ and Teddy Bears Picnic’ was posthumously inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in the year 1997 On This Day.

Plaque to Jimmy Kennedy

If you go down to the woods today!



25 October-Marquess of Ormonde

Kilkenny Castle is located in Kilkenny City, Ireland. The Castle, part of which dates from the 13th century, is set in picturesque parkland. The Butler family were residents of Kilkenny Castle for over 500 years from 1391 to 1935.

In 1935 the Butler family decided to sell the contents of the Castle and move to London. The auction was held over five days and raised over £6,000. Over 30 years later Kilkenny Castle was sold for £50 to members of the Kilkenny Castle Restoration Committee by James Arthur Butler 6th Marquess of Ormonde.

Shortly after the restoration committee took possession of the Castle it was handed over to the state. The Castle has since been restored and is under the management of the Office of Public Works. It is a major tourist attraction in Kilkenny and is home to part of the National Art Gallery.

The 6th Marquess of Ormonde died in 1971. His cousin James Hubert Butler inherited his title becoming the 7th Marquess of Ormonde. The marquessate became extinct when the 7th Marquess died without a male heir 1997.

James Hubert Butler, 7th Marquess of Ormonde and the last member of the Butler family to inherit the Ormonde titles died in Chicago in the year 1997 On This Day.


Royal visitors in the Picture Gallery, Kilkenny Castle


17 July-Woolworth’s

Woolworth was an international retail company. It was founded by Frank Winfield Woolworth in Utica, New York on February 22nd 1878. During the 20th century it became one of the largest retail chains in the world. Woolworth’s traded successfully for over 100 year before competition in the retail business led to its decline.

Following its foundation the Woolworth Corporation began to expand. By 1904 the corporation was operating stores across the US and Canada. Woolworth’s opened its first store in Great Britain in the city of Liverpool in 1909 and on Grafton Street in Dublin in 1914.

During the following years further Woolworth stores were opened across Ireland. These included stores at 24/25 Tullow Street Carlow and at 91/92 High Street Kilkenny. By the 1980’s the Woolworth business was in decline. All Woolworth stores in Ireland were closed down in 1984 and the company went out of business in 1997.

Woolworth Corporation ceased trading in the year 1997 On This Day.



24 June-Roswell

Roswell is a city located in the southeast of the state of New Mexico in the United States. It has a population of almost 50,000 and is home to the New Mexico Military Institute. During the summer of 1947 a balloon belonging to the United States Air Force crashed near Roswell. The Air Force stated that it a weather balloon.

The debris from the crashed balloon led many people to believe that a spacecraft carrying extra-terrestrial occupants had crash landed and that the military were involved in a cover-up. Conspiracy theories abounded and Roswell became of major interest to UFO enthusiasts. Numerous reports were published and the incident led to the publication of several books.

The balloon however was part of Project Mogul, a top secret surveillance project being carried out by the US Army. The purpose of the project was to detect the sound waves generated by atomic bomb tests in the Soviet Union. The information about Project Mogul was not released by the military for almost 50 years. Even though the information has been released Roswell continues be of interest to UFO enthusiasts.

A report by the US military on what actually happened at Roswell was published in the year 1997 On This Day.



17 April-Chaim Herzog

Chaim Herzog who was a native of Ireland served as the sixth President of Israel. His father, who was a fluent speaker of the Irish language was the chief rabbi of Ireland. Chaim Herzog was childhood friend of Cearbhall Ó Dálaigh, the fifth President of Ireland.

Chaim Herzog was born in Belfast on September 17th 1918. A year after he was born his family moved to Dublin. Herzog grew up in Dublin and was educated at Wesley College. In 1935 at the age of 17 he immigrated to Palestine with his family. He studied law at the University of London and served with the British Army during World War II.

After the war Herzog returned to Palestine. He served with the Israeli Defence Forces rising to the rank of major general. From 1975 to 1978 he served as Israeli ambassador to the United Nations. In 1981 he was elected to the Israeli parliament. Two years later Chaim Herzog was elected President of Israel on March 22nd 1983. He served as President for two terms from 1983 to 1993. He died in Tel Aviv, Israel at the age of 78 on April 17th 1997.

Chaim Herzog died in Tel Aviv, Israel at the age of 78 in the year 1997 On This Day.


Chaim Herzog

By Al Gilbert C.M. – Gilbert Studios, CC BY 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=40260512