On This Week: Irish Moments from History (16th - 22nd June)
Welcome to On This Week, where we delve into the standout stories from the years gone by, featuring standout news stories, major sporting events, and pop culture highlights that helped shape Irish life.
Here's your dose of Irish nostalgia from 16th - 22nd June.
This Week In Irish News
1983: The first ever solar energy station set up in Ireland
Fota Island in Cork Harbour became the home of Ireland's first solar energy station.
'The Fotaovoltaic Project' was built for £750,000 and is the biggest station in Britain or Ireland. The station supplies power for the calving unit, dairy, and other systems for the 250-cow dairy farm run by University College Cork on Fota Island.
It marked the country’s first major experiment in solar energy research, and it was one of fifteen experimental stations located throughout Europe by the EEC Solar Energy Research Development Programme.
1987: RTÉ Aertel launches in Ireland
RTÉ launched its teletext service this week, showcasing information on news, sport, farming and the weather.
The analogue text service was launched by then-Director General Vincent Finn, who described it as an 'electronic newspaper’ available to all who had Teletext-enabled televisions.
The service was free-of-charge and offered foreign, national, and regional news, as well as sport, finance, agriculture, weather forecasts and television and radio listings.
This Week In Irish Sports
2003: Special Olympics is hosted in Ireland
Croke Park welcomed athletes from 168 countries for the opening ceremony of the 2003 Special Olympics.
The 11th Edition of the games marked the first time the event was held outside the US.
The opening ceremony, attended by prolific figures such as Arnold Schwarzenegger, Nelson Mandela, and Muhammad Ali, kicked off what is one of the biggest sporting or cultural events ever in Ireland.
2016: Robbie Brady heads Ireland into the last 16 in Euros
Robbie Brady headed Ireland into the last 16 of Euro 2016 to beat Italy 1-0 at Stade Pierre Mauroy in Lille.
With six minutes left on the clock, Wes Hoolahan crossed the ball, which Brady headed into the goal.
The win set Ireland up for a last-16 showdown against France.
This Week In Irish Entertainment
2008: Jim Norton wins Tony Award in New York
Jim Norton picked up the Best Performance by a Featured Actor at the Tony Awards.
The actor, best known for playing Bishop Len Brennan in Father Ted, won the award for his part in The Seafarer. The awards are Broadway’s highest honour.
Dublin-born Conor McPherson's play was also nominated for three other awards, including best play and best director.
2011: Dubliner breaks guitar world record
Dublin guitarist Dave Browne broke the Guinness World Record for playing guitar continuously.
Browne played for 114 hours and 20 minutes, beating the previous record of 113 hours.
Under the rules, he was allowed a 30-second break between songs and a 40-minute break every eight hours.
There was a bit of a shock as Brown discovered the record was 113 hours and not 100 as previously thought, but he played on to enter the record books.
This Week In Irish Culture
1962: James Joyce Museum opens at the Martello Tower in Sandycove
Sylvia Beach, the woman who first published Ulysses in 1922, opened the James Joyce Museum on Bloomsday.
The museum is located at the Martello Tower in Sandycove, Dublin. At the ceremony, Beach hoisted the Milesian banner, three crowns on a blue background, commemorating an episode in Ulysses and signalling the official opening of the museum.
2017: Choctaw Native Americans honoured in Cork for famine aid
A commemorative sculpture was unveiled in Midleton, Cork to honour the Choctaw Nation of Native Americans who helped the Irish during the famine.
The sculpture, entitled Kindred Spirits, shows nine stainless steel eagle feathers reaching towards the sky, representing a bowl of food for the hungry.
At the height of the famine in Ireland, in 1847, the Choctaw Nation of Native Americans gathered what they could and sent it across the Atlantic to help those in Ireland. Those from the Choctaw tribe, including their chief, were among those in Midleton for the ceremony.
What was Number 1 in Ireland This Week?
1982: ‘House of Fun’ by Madness
The ska/pop group had two number ones in Ireland, the second song being ‘Wings of A Dove’ in 1983
1994: 'Riverdance' by Bill Whelan
Riverdance stayed in the number one spot for 18 weeks, and is the country’s second best selling single of all time.
2019: ‘Señorita’ by Shawn Mendes and Camila Cabello
The song topped the charts in over 40 countries worldwide, including reaching number one in the US Billboard Hot 100.
Irish Celebrities Celebrating Birthdays This Week
Tommy Tiernan (56)
Comedian and best known for hosting The Tommy Tiernan Show.
Louise Quinn (35)
Former Irish international footballer who currently plays for Birmingham City.
Aidan Turner (42)
Actor best known for Poldark and Rivals.
Other Irish Trivia From This Week
1986: Chinese Pandas make their debut at Dublin Zoo
Two giant panda bears made the long journey to Dublin Zoo where the public greeted them.
Ping Ping and Ming Ming were on a one-hundred-day visit to Dublin. They travelled from China to London Heathrow Airport and boarded a flight to Dublin, where they stayed at Dublin Zoo.
They were accompanied by a team of experts, including a vet and dietitian, who cared for them during their visit.
Looking Ahead
Each Monday, On This Week will bring you a mix of stories from the last 75 years, to celebrate Volkswagen's 75 year anniversary, featuring the big news stories, sporting highlights and major pop culture moments. Volkswagen has been part of those unforgettable moments - driving families to milestones, memories, and moments that matter. Join us every week as we look back at the moments of yesteryear.
For more information visit 75 Years In Ireland | Celebrate our Birthday | VW Ireland
