May 3rd in Irish History

1916 - First Executions

Patrick Pearse, Thomas MacDonagh, and Thomas Clarke were executed by firing squad at Kilmainham Gaol, the first of the Easter Rising leaders to face execution. Their deaths marked the beginning of a series of executions that would transform Irish public opinion. The dignified manner of their deaths and their final letters would become powerful symbols in Irish nationalist tradition.

1933 - De Valera's Reforms

Éamon de Valera's government passed legislation removing the Oath of Allegiance to the British Crown, fulfilling a key republican demand. This significant constitutional change marked another step in dismantling the Anglo-Irish Treaty and asserting Irish sovereignty. The move demonstrated de Valera's determination to reduce Ireland's constitutional links with Britain while maintaining external association with the Commonwealth.

1975 - Internment Review

The British government announced a review of internment policy in Northern Ireland, responding to growing criticism of the practice. The controversial policy of detention without trial had become increasingly counterproductive, alienating the nationalist community while failing to reduce paramilitary activity.