#OnThisDay 1805 The Battle of Trafalgar raged between the Royal Navy & those of France & Spain. Aboard Nelson’s flagship were 94 Irishmen, one of whom was ship surgeon Sir William Beatty from Derry. Russell treated 140 men and amputated 9 arms and several legs (all without anaesthetic) that day & was at Nelson’s side when he died. In the second picture of Nelson’s death bed, the man in the red waistcoat was William Burke who acted as the ship purser. H/T to Sharon Slater for that second tip.
#OnThisDay 1803 Thomas Russell, one of the founders of the United Irishmen was hanged, then beheaded in Downpatrick Gaol for his part in the Emmet Rebellion. Russell, who was imprisoned for years before and after the 1798 Rebellion, had upon his freedom, tried to organise a rebellion in Ulster to link with Emmet in Dublin but it failed. #Ireland #History
#OnThisDay 1920 Kevin Barry’s court-martial began. Barry, the 18 year old medical student, refused to recognise the court. Despite carrying a .38 Mauser & a .45 bullet removed from one deceased soldier, the court-martial found 18 y/o Barry guilty of his death. His sentence was death by hanging.
#OnThisDay 1914 The 2nd Batt Royal Irish Regiment were destroyed at the battle of Le Pilly in France. On the 19th October, they had 901 men, but two days later, they’d 136 men left. 177 were killed, 300 taken prisoner &hundreds wounded.
#OnThisDay 1892 Eoin O’Duffy was born in Monaghan. O’Duffy joined the IRA in 1917 &was made Chief of Staff in 1922. In the 1930s O’Duffy then lead the fascist Blueshirts for some time. He then organised a force to fight for Franco in the Spanish Civil War. #Ireland #History
The Irish at War 