1896 in Ireland
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Events from the year 1896 in Ireland.
Events
- February â the Broighter Gold hoard of prehistoric objects is discovered near Limavady by Tom Nicholl while ploughing.
- 29 March â the Royal College of St Patrick, Maynooth is granted the status of pontifical university by charter of the Holy See.[1]
- 16 May â the first electric tram runs on the Dublin tramways system.
- May â James Connolly returns from Edinburgh to Ireland as paid organiser for the Dublin Socialist Club. He founds the Irish Republican Socialist Party.
- 28 March â Tom Gallaher incorporates the Gallaher tobacco business and opens the world's largest tobacco factory in Belfast.
- John Dillon assumes the leadership of the anti-Parnellite wing of the Home Rule Party.
- An extension is made to Arthur Balfour's Land Act. 1,500 bankrupt estates are made available for sale to tenants.
- Ireland's first motor vehicle laws are introduced.
- Restoration of the Church of Ireland's Kildare Cathedral is completed.
Arts and literature
- 20 April â first cinema show in Ireland, at Dan Lowry's Star of Erin Variety Theatre in Dublin.[2]
- The lyrics of The Mountains of Mourne are written by Percy French with music adapted by Houston Collisson.[3]
- Charles Villiers Stanford's comic opera Shamus O'Brien is first performed.
Sport
Cricket
- International
- February: Tim O'Brien becomes the first Irish captain of the England cricket team in a match won against South Africa at Port Elizabeth[4]
Football
- International
- 29 February Wales 6â1 Ireland (in Wrexham)[5]
- 7 March Ireland 0-2 England (in Belfast)[5]
- 28 March Ireland 3-3 Scotland (in Belfast)[5]
- Irish League
- Winners: Distillery
- Irish Cup
- Winners: Distillery 3 - 1 Glentoran
Field hockey
- International
- 2 March: The Ireland women's national field hockey team defeat England 2â0 at Alexandra College in the first ever women's international field hockey match.[6][7][8][9][10][11]
Tennis
- The Championships, Wimbledon
- Harold Mahony wins the gentleman's singles Championship
- Olympic Games
- John Pius Boland wins gold medals in the men's singles and doubles at the first modern Summer Olympics in Athens (Greece)
Births
- 15 February â Arthur Shields, actor (died 1970).
- March â Martin Joseph Sheehan, soldier and Royal Air Service Observer in World War I, killed in action (died 1918).
- 4 April â Sir Osmond Esmonde, 12th Baronet, diplomat and politician (died 1936).
- 24 April â F. R. Higgins, poet and theatre director (died 1941).
- 9 May â Austin Clarke, poet, playwright and writer (died 1974).
- 22 May â Cyril Fagan, astrologer (died 1970).
- 28 August â Liam O'Flaherty, novelist and short story writer (died 1984).
- 17 September â Oscar Heron, Irish World War I flying ace (died 1933).
- 10 November â Sophie Catherine Theresa Mary Peirce-Evans, later Mary, Lady Heath, aviator, athlete and writer (died 1939).
- Full date unknown
- Monk Gibbon, poet and author (died 1987).
- Fiona Plunkett, republican (died 1977).
Deaths
- 10 January â Denis Dempsey, soldier, recipient of the Victoria Cross (born 1826).
- 3 February â Jane Wilde, poet ("Esperanza"; born 1821).
- 4 March â Peter Richard Kenrick, first Catholic archbishop west of the Mississippi River (born 1806).
- 4 May â Timothy Anglin, politician in Canada and Speaker of the House of Commons of Canada (born 1822).
- 18 May â Patrick Buckley, soldier, lawyer, statesman, and judge in New Zealand (born 1841).
- 8 August â William Pery, 3rd Earl of Limerick, peer (born 1840).
- 10 August â Jeremiah O'Sullivan, Roman Catholic Bishop of Mobile (born 1842).
- 15 August â Patrick Duggan, Roman Catholic Bishop of Clonfert (born 1813).
- 22 September â Edward Selby Smyth, British General, commanded Militia of Canada from 1874 to 1880 (born 1819).
- 1 November â Jack (Nonpareil) Dempsey, boxer (born 1862).
- 31 December â Leland Hone, cricketer (born 1853).
- Full date unknown
- Canon James Goodman, Irish music collector (born 1828).