June 05

Referendum held on British Membership of the European Community.

The United Kingdom European Communities Membership Referendum was held on June 5, 1975, to determine whether the UK should remain a member of the European Economic Community (EEC)—commonly referred to as the “Common Market.” The UK had joined the EEC in 1973, and this referendum was the first nationwide plebiscite in the country’s history.

Birth of Christy Brown, paraplegic painter and writer

Christy Brown, Irish writer, painter, and poet, is born in Dublin on June 5, 1932, with cerebral palsy. Despite severe physical challenges, he learns to write and paint using the toes of his left foot — the only limb over which he had full control. His autobiographical novel Down All the Days (1970) earns widespread acclaim for its raw honesty and literary power. His life story is later immortalized in the Oscar-winning film My Left Foot (1989), where he is portrayed by Daniel Day-Lewis.

The first sitting of the Northern Ireland Parliament takes place

Cornelius Ryan, war correspondent and author of The Longest Day, The Last Battle and A Bridge Too Far, is born in Dublin

Death of Listowel man Lord Kitchener

HMS Hampshire sank off Orkney after striking a mine. Lord Kitchener, conqueror of Sudan, was drowned.

Margaret Anne Cusack (Sister Mary Francis Clare), the Nun of Kenmare, dies in Leamington, Warwickshire, England

Alasdair Mac Cába, pro-Treaty nationalist, is born in Ballymote, Co. Sligo

Alasdair Mac Cába, pro-Treaty nationalist, politician, and founder of the Educational Building Society (EBS), is born in Ballymote, Co. Sligo.

Birth in Dublin of William Thomas Cosgrave, the first President of the Executive Council of the Irish Free State

James Connolly, Irish revolutionary hero, born in Edinburgh - Scotland.

James Connolly (Irish name: Séamas Ó Conghaile or Ó Conghalaigh; June 05, 1868 ? May 12, 1916) was a Scottish-Irish socialist leader. He was born in Edinburgh, Scotland, to Irish immigrant parents. He left school for working life at the age of 11, but despite this he would become one of the leading left-wing theorists of his day. Though proud of his Irish background he also took a role in Scottish politics. In addition, he studied the neutral international language, Esperanto.