APRIL 16, 2021 ON THIS DAY
FROM THE ARCHIVE APRIL 16, 1970
FIREBRAND preacher Ian Paisley has won a seat in Northern Ireland’s parliament. Dr Paisley won by over 1,000 votes in the Bannside byelection. It was his second attempt to take the seat which, this time, was vacant following Terence O’Neill’s resignation as Northern Ireland’s prime minister. Mr O’Neill’s attempts to reconcile Protestants and Catholics saw him being berated as a traitor by right-wingers such as Dr Paisley. APRIL 16, 1971 TELEVISION viewers were last night treated to a luxury trip across the Atlantic on Ireland’s latest air acquisition – a Boeing 747. Newsbeat’s Cathal O’Shannon took the historic first transatlantic flight by an Aer Lingus jumbo jet from Dublin to New York. The affable reporter chatted to air hostess Patricia Joyce, who – along with her 15 fellow cabin crew members – spoke of the level of service on board flight EI-ASI. Captain Pete Little told of the challenges of flying such a huge plane, which was described as being ‘so damn big that walking down its corridors is almost like a stroll down Grafton Street’. You could say it was a case of Little and large...
HAPPY BIRTHDAY
JIMMY OSMOND, 58. The US singer and actor, right, the youngest member of The Osmonds, began performing at age three. He had his first hit single, the million-selling Long Haired Lover From Liverpool, aged nine and bought his first house at 14.
BORN ON THIS DAY
PETER USTINOV (1921-2004). The actor, writer and regular Late Late Show guest, born Petrus Alexandrus Ustinov in London, won Oscars for his roles in Spartacus and Topkapi. Richard Attenborough said: ‘We regarded his potential to be as great as Chekhov.’ GERRY RAFFERTY (19472011). The Irish-Scottish singer-songwriter, right, from Paisley had hits including Stuck In The Middle With You with his band Stealers Wheel. Once he went solo, he released the anthem Baker Street, which was still earning him an annual €90,000 some 30 years after its release. The former butcher and taxman started off touring with Billy Connolly.
ON APRIL 16 . . .
In 1752, the first regular stage-coach route between Dublin and Belfast begins. In 1782, the Irish parliament declares its independence from Westminster. In 1871, playwright John Millington Synge is born in Dublin In 1939, singer Dusty Springfield (AKA Mary O’Brien) is born to Irish parents in London. In 1999, David Trimble says he accepts it is unlikely the IRA will resume its campaign of violence in the immediate future.
WORD WIZARDRY GUESS THE DEFINITION: DILUVIAL (c1650s)
A) Demented. B) Of the flood. C) Diagonally across from something else.
Answer below.
PHRASE EXPLAINED A right gombeen:
refers to a greedy, corrupt politician or businessman who is always on the make. Originates from the Irish ‘gaimbín’, which refers to interest on a loan. Gombeen men were originally money lenders, and are associated with exploiting the starving during the Famine by selling food on credit at massive interest rates.
QUOTE FOR TODAY
Do what is beyond your strength, even should you fail sometimes.
Charles Stewart Parnell (1846-1891)
JOKE OF THE DAY
WHAT is the best way to console an artist? Give them a shoulder to crayon. Guess The Definition answer: B