february

February 13, 1689

William and Mary, daughter of James II are proclaimed king and queen jointly

February 16, 1768

The Octennial Act limits Irish parliaments life to eight years

Until 1768 the Irish Parliament existed for the lifetime of the king and general elections were therefore infrequent. A radical campaign in the 1760s demanded a Septennial Act and the institution of habeas corpus. In 1768 the English government gave way and accepted an Octennial Act, though refusing habeas corpus

February 14, 1878

Daniel Corkery, writer, critic and Irish cultural enthusiast, is born in Cork

February 3, 1881

Irish Land League organizer Michael Davitt is arrested again in Dublin

Michael Davitt, a key figure in the Irish Land War of the late 19th century and the founder of the Irish National Land League, was arrested multiple times due to his political activities. One of his notable arrests occurred in February 1881, when he was arrested in Dublin under the Coercion Act, which allowed for imprisonment without trial of those suspected of agrarian agitation.