#OnThisDay 1014 Brian Boru was victorious at the Battle of Clontarf, however Boru, the High-King of Ireland was killed in his tent while praying by a Viking called Brodir. Brodir was captured & had his intestines cut out& wrapped around a tree while still alive.
#OnThisDay 1916 Karl Spindler, Captain of the captured Aud scuttled his ship in Cork harbour to avoid its weapons cargo from falling into British hands. The arming of the Irish Volunteers was not to take place. Spindler’s sub U-20 sank the Lusitania in 1915.
#OnThisDay 1875 Michael “The” O’Rahilly, founding member & Director of Arms of the Irish Volunteers, was born in Kerry. O’Rahilly was opposed to the Rising but said “I’ve helped to wind up the clock, I might as well hear it strike!” He died during the fighting.
#OnThisDay 1916 The first casualties of the Rising occurred. Volunteers aimed to seize a local wireless station to create a naval diversion to allow the Aud to land its guns. The car (pic) took a wrong turn & drove off the pier at Ballykissane killing three.
The three dead men were Cornelius “Con” Keating (of Reenard, near Cahersiveen), Donal Sheehan (of Newcastle West), Charles Monahan (of Belfast).
#OnThisDay 1916 The Aud (SS Libau) carrying 20,000 rifles, 10 machine guns & ammunition for the Rising was surrounded by British warships & made surrender. The ship had no radio so could not contact the Volunteers on shore to organise unloading of the cargo.
The Irish at War 