#OnThisDay 1960 The first Irish UN Peacekeeping troops left Ireland for the Congo. During the ONUC mission the Irish lost 9 men at Niemba but fought gallantly at Jadotville, 155 of the Irishmen holding out for five days against thousands of enemy.
#OnThisDay 1938 Tom Crean, passed away. He joined the Royal Navy at 15 & volunteered for his first Antarctic exploration in 1901. Crean raced with Scott to reach the South Pole & was on Shackleton’s ship which sank & saw him sail 800 miles to organise a rescue.
Jane ‘Jinny’ Shanahan (back row, 3rd from left) joined the Irish Citizen Army in 1913 & aided workers during the Lockout. Stationed in City Hall during the Rising, she fooled some British soldiers by telling them there were hundreds of rebels on the building’s roof.
Emily O’Keefe (Josie’s sister) also joined Cumann na mBan & fought at Marrowbone Lane during the Rising. The O’Keefe’s house in Dublin 8 was used as an arms dump during the WoI & Civil War. Emily helped carry weapons on the IRA plan to destroy all bridges to Dublin.
Josie O’Keefe (pic) a member of Cumann na mBan, fought at Marrowbone Lane during the Easter Rising & was imprisoned. O’Keefe organised IRA jail breaks & she was taken hostage by Auxies at a football match but not before she alerted IRA in the crowd.
