On This Week: Irish moments from history (9th to 15th February)
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 history from 9th - 15th of February.
This week in Irish news
1981: The Stardust fire
On February 14th 1981, a fire broke out at the Stardust night club in the north Dublin suburb of Artane. 48 people were killed and over 200 injured in the blaze. In an interview from 1981, two of the survivors, Stardust employees Liz and Teresa Marley, shared their stories.
In August 2024, €24 million in compensation was agreed for the families of the 48 people who died in the St Valentine's Day blaze at the Artane nightclub. It followed a 40-year campaign by relatives which culminated in fresh inquests delivering verdicts of unlawful killing in April 2024.
Find out more about the Stardust fire and the lives of the forty-eight people who lost their lives here.
1980: Ireland's first ATM machine
Self-service banking began in Ireland 46 years ago this week, when the first ATM machine was unveiled.
"It won't do away with cashiers, but it will make life a bit easier for the customer", said a representative of Bank of Ireland, which launched the first Pass Machine, in this news item from February 13th 1980.
1926: A riot at the Abbey
A hundred years ago this week, on February 11th 1926, members of Cumman na mBan organised a protest at the Abbey Theatre that turned into a riot. They were objecting to the on-stage presentation of the tricolour in Sean O'Casey's The Plough and Stars. In this 1984 interview, Cumann member Sighle Humphreys explained that the protest was triggered by what they saw as the disrepectful treatment of the flag - and not, as subsequent rumour had it, by the play's inclusion of a sex worker character, Rosie Redmond.
This week in culture and entertainment
1996: Take That split up
When Take That split up in February 1996, so many horrified fans bombarded their their record company offices in Dublin with calls that the staff had o leave a special message on their answering machine confirming the shocking news really was true. Gareth O'Connor went to the north Dublin suburbs to break the news to young fans - some of whom couldn't believe their ears.
1986: A night at the Rocky Horror Picture Show
For over twenty years, the Classic cinema in Harold's Cross, Dublin, screened the Rocky Horror Picture Show every Friday night, with fans dressing up for a truly interactive cinema experience.
On 9th February 1986, the show Davis At Large paid a visit to a screening and met some of the fans who got ready to do the Time Warp again.
This week in sport
1995: Violence at Lansdowne Road
A very different riot broke out in Lansdowne Road on February when violence from English football fans at a friendly match between England and Ireland led to the match being abandoned after just twenty seven minutes. It was the worst
1990: Marie Curtis makes GAA history
Marie Curtis became the first ever woman to qualify as a Gaelic Athletics Association referee. She was the only woman to complete the qualification course alongside 310 men. She talked about her experiences with Pat Kenny on February 10th 1990.
What was Number 1 in Ireland this week?
1976: 'Mamma Mia' by ABBA
The Swedish pop legends dominated the charts in February 1976, with this classic remaining at the top of the charts for five weeks.
1981: 'Woman' by John Lennon
Just a few months after the former Beatle's death, this was second of three singles by Lennon to top the charts at the beginning of 1981.
1996: 'Spaceman' by Babylon Zoo
These one hit wonders spent five weeks at number one at the beginning of 1996.
Famous Irish names celebrating birthdays this week
Ciarán Hinds
The Oscar-nominated actor will be 73 on February 9th.
Lisa Hannigan
The musician and songwriter will be 45 on February 12th
Gordon D'Arcy
The former rugby player will be 46 on February 10th.
