Events for April 03

April 3, 1846

Death of Michael Moran, aka Zozimus, balladeer and storyteller

Michael J. Moran (c. 1794 – 3 April 1846), popularly known as Zozimus /ˈzɒzɪməs/, was an Irish street rhymer. He was a resident of Dublin and also known as the “Blind Bard of the Liberties” and the “Last of the Gleemen”.

April 3, 1603

Banning of the Clan MacGregor by act of James IV of Scotland

The Clan Gregor is a Highland Scottish clan. Of all the clans of Rannoch, the MacGregors were the fiercest and the most feared. The Macgregors were known to be a powerful clan, holding lands in Perthshire and Argyllshire, namely Glenstrae, Glenlochy, Glenlyon and Glengyle. Outlawed for nearly two hundred years after losing their lands in a long power struggle with the Clan Campbell, the Clan Gregor extravagantly claims descent from Kenneth MacAlpin, the first King of Scotland, a descent which is proclaimed in the motto, S Rioghal Mo Dhream, translated as Royal is my Race. Although the MacGregors insist that they take their name from Gregor, a son of the Scottish king Kenneth MacAlplin, there is no evidence to support this claim.

April 3, 1900

Queen Victoria arrives at Kingstown for a three-day visit to Ireland

Victoria visited mainland Europe regularly for holidays. In 1889, during a stay in Biarritz, she became the first reigning monarch from Britain to set foot in Spain when she crossed the border for a brief visit.

April 3, 1798

John Banim, writer, is born in Kilkenny

John Banim (3 April 1798 – 30 August 1842), was an Irish novelist, short story writer, dramatist, poet and essayist, sometimes called the “Scott of Ireland.” He also studied art, working as a painter of miniatures and portraits, and as a drawing teacher, before dedicating himself to literature.