April 13, 1742

The date when Handel’s “Messiah” was first performed in public. It occurred in the old Musik Hall in Dublin.

A large crowd was expected, so broadsides were circulated, asking that women not wear hoops in their skirts and that gentlemen please refrain from wearing swords - all so more guests could attend.

I had no idea about any of this until I saw a bronze medallion mounted outside an old building in Dublin while cycling in the hilly area near the River Liffey in an old part of the city in 1971.