1969

1969 is a year I mostly associate with American 'happenings' - I think of Woodstock, of men walking on the moon, of 'Hippies'. Though, 1969 was a time of great political upheaval in Ireland with 'The Troubles' starting to really kick off, it's a year in Irish history I've never given much thought to.

Yes, there were riots in Belfast and Derry, but on the other hand it was a good year for literature - Samuel Beckett won the Nobel Prize and school children were presented with this:

The Circus

A lively tale of the circus coming to town, excited children and a clown giving cigarettes to a monkey!

Roughly translated, this page reads:
The clown came in.
He had a tall hat on his head.
The monkey was there too.
The clown gave him a cigarette.
The monkey put the cigarette in his mouth, look.

So, um, yeah... 1969...