April 24

1558

Mary, Queen of Scots, married French Dauphin, Francis Valois (he was aged 14) at Notre Dame in Paris.

Scotland

Mary, Queen of Scots (1542–1587) married Francis, Dauphin of France (1544–1560), at Notre-Dame de Paris on 24 April 1558. The festivities included pageants, some designed by …

1567

First printed book ever published in Gaelic.

Scotland

It was Forms of Prayer and Administration of the Sacraments and Catechism of the Christian Faith, translated from English by Bishop John Carsewell of the Isles. The Book of Common …

1596

Pacificatie of Ireland drawn

Ireland

The “Pacification of Ireland,” which occurred during the late 16th and early 17th centuries. During this period, England sought to establish control over Ireland, which …

1633

Warrant issued by the Privy Council to Sir John Hepburn to raise a regiment of 1,200 men to fight in the French service.

Scotland

In April 1633, Sir John Hepburn was granted a warrant by Charles I to recruit 1200 Scots for service with the French army in the 1618–1648 Thirty Years War. The nucleus came from …

1718

Nathaniel Hone, portrait painter, is born in Dublin

Ireland

Nathaniel Hone RA (24 April 1718 – 14 August 1784) was an Irish-born portrait and miniature painter, and one of the founder members of the Royal Academy in 1768. The son of a …

1764

Thomas Emmet, nationalist and brother of Robert Emmet, is born in Dublin

Ireland

Thomas Addis Emmet (24 April 1764 – 14 November 1827) was an Irish and American lawyer and politician. In Ireland, in the 1790s, he was a senior member of the Society of United …

1825

Novelist R.M. Ballantyne, who wrote 90 books, the best known of which was The Coral Island, was born in Edinburgh.

Scotland

Robert Michael Ballantyne (24 April 1825 – 8 February 1894) was a Scottish author of juvenile fiction, who wrote more than a hundred books. He was also an accomplished artist: he …

1906

William Joyce aka Lord Haw-Haw; born in Brooklyn, New York

Ireland

William Brooke Joyce (24 April 1906 – 3 January 1946), nicknamed Lord Haw-Haw, was an American-born fascist and Nazi propaganda broadcaster during the Second World War. After …

1912

Irish novelist, historian and politician, Justin McCarthy, dies

Ireland

Justin McCarthy (22 November 1830 – 24 April 1912) was an Irish nationalist, journalist, historian, novelist and politician. He was a Member of Parliament (MP) from 1879 to 1900, …

1913

Large supply of guns from Germany are landed at Larne for the Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF)

Ireland

The Larne gun-running was a major gun smuggling operation organised in April 1914 in Ireland by Major Frederick H. Crawford and Captain Wilfrid Spender for the Ulster Unionist …

1916

Irish Volunteers and Citizen Army seize the General Post Office (GPO) in Dublin

Ireland

The Easter Rising (Irish: Éirí Amach na Cásca) was a rebellion staged in Ireland against British rule on Easter Monday in April 1916. Despite its military failure, it can be judged …