18 April 1690: Over 5,000 Irish soldiers organised in five Regiments sailed from Ireland for France at the request of Louis XIV. He sent some 6,000 French regulars in exchange for these men. The Irish troops formed the nucleus of the famous ‘Irish Brigade’ that was to continue in French service for over 100 years until just after the Revolution.
18 April 1792: Catholic Relief Act (32 George III, c.21 allowed Catholics to practise as lawyers.
18 April 1887 – The Times of London published a letter that seemed to indicate that Charles Stewart Parnell had supported the ‘Invincibles’ in particular the ‘Phoenix Park murders’. This was letter was later shown to be a forgery.
18 April 1894: Horace Plunkett founded the Irish Agricultural Organisation Society on this day.
18 April 1918: The Mansion House Conference. Called by the Lord Mayor of Dublin, Laurence O’Neill it brought together the leaders of the various strands of nationalist opinion in Ireland in opposition to the threat of Conscription being imposed on the Country.
18 April 1949: The Irish Free State left the Commonwealth to become the Republic of Ireland. The seed of this decision was the perceived snub administered by the Governor General Of Canada Earl Alexander on the then Taoiseach John Aloysius Costello at a Commonwealth Conference in Canada. In high umbrage at the affront he believed had been given Costello decided to announce there and then that the Irish Free State would become a Republic!
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