Happy
100th Birthday, Eddie Bhell Gallagher
Happy
100th Birthday to Eddie "Bhell" Gallagher who
is 100 today (11 November). Eddie was born on this day in 1905, a very
long time ago. Eddie is in good health and of very sound mind and tells
me that "100 years sounds like a long time if you are looking at it from
the start, but looking back over it it seems very short." Many happy returns!
1898 First
iron Gweebarra Bridge constructed
1901 Arranmore's
population is 1308
1901 Typhus outbreak
1901 Arranmore's
doctor Dr. William Smyth dies from typhus aged 42
1902 Arranmore
sold to Land Commission
1902 RNLB "La
Totitam" arrives
1903 Burtonport railway
station opens (Cost £300,000)
1905
Eddie Bhell Gallagher born
1907 Islands
first nurse, Nurse Kavanagh arrives
1908 Leabgarrow
School built
1909 Tuarthai
Shore - 1 man lost
1910 1
woman lost
1911 Mary O'Donnell
brings the "O'Donnell Pearls" to London
1911 Arranmore's
population is 1533
1914 Cotton
Ship sinks at Inishkeeragh
1914 World
War I begins
1915 Chicago River
- "Eastland" Disaster
1915 Aphort
School built
1916 Easter
Rising
1917 St. Crones
Church extended
1917 "Boniface" torpedoed
7 miles N of Arranmore
1918 Worldwide
Influenza pandemic. 50 Million people die.
1918 World
War I ends
1920 Glen
Hotel Opens
1921 War
of Independence
1922 Foundation of
Free State. Irish Civil War
1925 Train
derailed in Owencarrow Viaduct Disaster. 2 islanders killed.
1926 Eleftherios
M Tricoglu (The Greek) sinks at Leabgarrow
1926 Arranmore's
population is 1461
1929 Penicillin
discovered
1929 RNLB "Albert
Edward" arrives
1930 Hugh
McGill lost at Aphort Pier while on lifeboat service
1932 Tráigh
an Chaisil - 2 men lost
1932 RNLB "William & Laura" arrives
1933 "SS Mango" sinks
at Cladaghlahan Bay
1933 Graveyard
extended
1935 Arranmore
Disaster at Eileen - 15 men & 4 women lost
1935 RNLB "K.T.J.S." arrives
1935 Calf
Island - 1 boy lost
1936 Arranmore's
population is 1480
1939 Arranmore
Pipe Band formed
1939 World War II
("The Emergency") begins
1940 Dutch steamer "Stolwijk" lost
on Inisdoey Arranmore lifeboat crew awarded Gold, Silver & Bronze medals
for rescue
1940 Last
train leaves Burtonport Station
1943 Ballymanus
Mine Disaster - 19 people killed
1943 1
man lost
1944 RNLB "B.A.S.P." arrives
1945 World War II
("The Emergency") ends
1945 RNLB "K.T.J.S." arrives
1946 Arranmore's
population is 1408
1948 Republic
of Ireland declared
1950 Korean
War
1950 RNLB "Tilson" arrives
1951 Arranmore's
population is 1304
1952 Eileen
- 3 men lost
1955 Inishkeeragh
Island evacuated
1955 Electricity
comes to Arranmore
1955 Aran
Hibs beat Letterkenny Rovers to win the Donegal League
1956 Arranmore's
population is 1131
1962 Gola
Island evacuated
1963 John
F. Kennedy assassinated in Dallas
1966 Arranmore's
population is 847
1967 RNLI
Silver Medal awarded to Phil Byrne
1969 RNLB "Mabel
Marion Thompson" arrives
1969 First
man on the moon
1971 Arranmore's
population is 773
1973 Ireland
joins the E.E.C.
1974 Clothes
Factory opens
1975 Fishing boat's "Carraig
Una" & "Evelyn Marie" lost
1977 RNLB "Southern
Africa" arrives
1978 Comharchumann Árainn Mhór founded
1978 RNLB "T.G.B." arrives
1979 Arranmore's
population is 825
1981 Fishing boat "Skifjord" lost
at Bullignamirra
1981 Arranmore's
population is 803
1982 Salmon
Wars decimates fishing industry
1982 Lighthouse
automated
1983 Wayne Dickenson
crosses Atlantic in "Gods Tear" in World record attempt
1984 Ferryboat "Misneach" begins
service
1986 RNLI Tyne Class
Lifeboat "William Luckin" arrives
1986 Arranmore's
population is 735
1989 1
man lost
1989 Leabgarrow
- 3 men & 1 woman lost
1990 Gairmscoil
McDiarmada (Secondary School) built
1991 Arranmore's
population is 596
1992 New
Graveyard built
1996 Arranmore's
population is 602
1997 First
full time Garda (policeman) arrives
1997 The
Good Friday Agreement signed
1998 Ireland
joins single European Currency
1998 The Arranmore Website founded
1998 First
full time Garda (policeman) arrives
1999 Street
lighting erected throughout the island
1999 Mary
McElese is first President to visit Arranmore
2000 RNLB Severn Class
lifeboat "Myrtle Maud" arrives
2000 Arranmore
twinned with Beaver Island, MI, USA
2002 Arranmore's
population is 543
2005 Eddie Bhell's 100th Birthday
