The political week in years gone by: A Eucharistic Congress, JFK's visit, Veronica Guerin's murder and a historic handshake

Journalist Veronica Guerin, who was murdered in Dublin. "Witty, intelligent, proud and determined, her commitment to reporting her brief impressed all."

Deputy political editor, Elaine Loughlin, continues her weekly trawl through the archives and highlights some of the major political events which were making the headlines this week in years gone by.

1932

June 22: The Eucharistic Congress began in Dublin and included a Mass in Phoenix Park which was attended by a million people. In an unusual move for the time, the Cork Examiner used the entirety of page 3 to publish photographs of the opening ceremony. Further coverage on page 5 described "scenes of great solemnity and impressive ceremonial". 

It added that the sovereign pontiff had "paid glowing tribute to the services of the Irish people to the faith, their sacrifices, sufferings and world-wide missionary labours". Looking back, Dan Buckley writes that the Congress captivated the country by using the most sophisticated technology of the time.

1939 

June 23: The Government declared the IRA to be an illegal organisation, This was the first order made under the Offences Against the State Act which had been recently passed.

1963 

June 26: President John F. Kennedy began his state visit to Ireland which included an historic address to the Oireachtas. Drinking tea with his cousin Mary Ryan at the family homestead in Duganstown, Co Wexford, the President said: "Let us drink to the health of the Kennedys who stayed and the Kennedys who went away."

1986 

June 26: After a bitter campaign, a referendum to legalise divorce was defeated, 63.1% to 36.3%. The Cork Examiner reported that strong fears about property and succession rights were widely believed to have swayed rural and urban voters against divorce.

1996 

June 26: Journalist Veronica Guerin was murdered in Dublin. "Witty, intelligent, proud and determined, her commitment to reporting her brief impressed all," journalist Ralph Riegel wrote in a tribute piece in the Irish Examiner. Two decades after her death, Cormac O'Keeffe looked at how the Garda crackdown that followed the death of the crusading journalist showed gangsters that they were not untouchable. His piece is well worth a read.

2012 

June 27: In an historic act, the Queen shook hands with Martin McGuinness during her visit to Northern Ireland.

The Queen and the former IRA commander met privately at Belfast's Lyric theatre during an event celebrating the arts in Ireland. Mr McGuinness lightened the mood afterwards when he joked: "I'm still a Republican".

You can read about it here.

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