1991 in Ireland
Encyclopedia
Events
- January 1 - Limerick City celebrates 300 years of the Treaty of LimerickTreaty of LimerickThe Treaty of Limerick ended the Williamite war in Ireland between the Jacobites and the supporters of William of Orange. It concluded the Siege of Limerick. The treaty really consisted of two treaties which were signed on 3 October 1691. Reputedly they were signed on the Treaty Stone, an...
. - January 6 - The Irish GovernmentIrish GovernmentThe Government of Ireland is the cabinet that exercises executive authority in Ireland.-Members of the Government:Membership of the Government is regulated fundamentally by the Constitution of Ireland. The Government is headed by a prime minister called the Taoiseach...
and the EC CommissionEuropean CommissionThe European Commission is the executive body of the European Union. The body is responsible for proposing legislation, implementing decisions, upholding the Union's treaties and the general day-to-day running of the Union....
meet in Dublin to officially launch the Irish EC Presidency. - January 17 - There controversy as the government allows US war planes to refuel at Shannon AirportShannon AirportShannon Airport, is one of the Republic of Ireland's three primary airports along with Dublin and Cork. In 2010 around 1,750,000 passengers passed through the airport, making it the third busiest airport in the Republic of Ireland after Dublin and Cork, and the fifth busiest airport on the island...
. - January 24 - The new Government Buildings in the renovated College of Science are officially opened.
- February 7 - The IRAIrish Republican ArmyThe Irish Republican Army was an Irish republican revolutionary military organisation. It was descended from the Irish Volunteers, an organisation established on 25 November 1913 that staged the Easter Rising in April 1916...
fires mortar bombs at 10 Downing Street10 Downing Street10 Downing Street, colloquially known in the United Kingdom as "Number 10", is the headquarters of Her Majesty's Government and the official residence and office of the First Lord of the Treasury, who is now always the Prime Minister....
in London. - March 14 - After being wrongfully jailed for 16 years, the Birmingham SixBirmingham SixThe Birmingham Six were six men—Hugh Callaghan, Patrick Joseph Hill, Gerard Hunter, Richard McIlkenny, William Power and John Walker—sentenced to life imprisonment in 1975 in the United Kingdom for the Birmingham pub bombings. Their convictions were declared unsafe and quashed by the Court of...
are freed. - March 16 - Dublin is officially inaugurated as the European City of Culture.
- June 26 - The wrongful convictions of the Maguire Seven are quashed.
- November 6 - Kildare TDTeachta DálaA Teachta Dála , usually abbreviated as TD in English, is a member of Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Oireachtas . It is the equivalent of terms such as "Member of Parliament" or "deputy" used in other states. The official translation of the term is "Deputy to the Dáil", though a more literal...
Seán Power proposes a no-confidence motion in Charles HaugheyCharles HaugheyCharles James "Charlie" Haughey was Taoiseach of Ireland, serving three terms in office . He was also the fourth leader of Fianna Fáil...
's leadership. - November 7 - The Minister for FinanceMinister for Finance (Ireland)The Minister for Finance is the title held by the Irish government minister responsible for all financial and monetary matters. The office-holder controls the Department of Finance and is considered one of the most important members of the Government of Ireland.The current Minister for Finance is...
, Albert ReynoldsAlbert ReynoldsAlbert Reynolds , served as Taoiseach of Ireland, serving one term in office from 1992 until 1994. He has been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize...
, is sacked from the government over his intention to support the no-confidence motion. - November 13 - Jim McDaidJim McDaidJames "Jim" McDaid is a former Irish Fianna Fáil politician and medical doctor. He served as a Teachta Dála for the Donegal North East constituency from June 1989 until he resigned in November 2010.-Early life:...
, the new Defence MinisterMinister for Defence (Ireland)The Minister for Defence is the senior minister at the Department of Defence in the Government of Ireland. Under new arrangements this department is being merged with the Department of Justice over which Mr. Shatter will also preside....
, resigns following criticism from the opposition over his attendance at an IRAIrish Republican ArmyThe Irish Republican Army was an Irish republican revolutionary military organisation. It was descended from the Irish Volunteers, an organisation established on 25 November 1913 that staged the Easter Rising in April 1916...
funeral.
Football
- The All-Ireland Senior Football ChampionshipAll-Ireland Senior Football ChampionshipThe All-Ireland Senior Football Championship, the premier competition in Gaelic football, is a series of games organised by the Gaelic Athletic Association and played during the summer and early autumn...
final finishes on a score of Down GAADown GAAThe Down County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association or Down GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Down...
1-16 Meath GAAMeath GAAThe Meath County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association or Meath GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Meath, as well as for Meath inter-county teams.- Pre-1960s :...
1-14.
Hurling
- The All-Ireland Senior Hurling ChampionshipAll-Ireland Senior Hurling ChampionshipThe GAA Hurling All-Ireland Senior Championship is an annual hurling competition organised by the Gaelic Athletic Association since 1887 for the top hurling teams in Ireland....
final finishes on a score of Tipperary GAATipperary GAAThe Tipperary County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association or C is one of over 30 regional executive boards throughout the world. These executive boards are known as County Boards even though some no longer correspond to the area under the jurisdiction of the counties from which their names...
1-16 Kilkenny GAAKilkenny GAAThe Kilkenny County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland and is responsible for Gaelic Games in County Kilkenny. The county board has its head office and main grounds at Nowlan Park and is also responsible for Kilkenny inter-county teams...
0-15.
Motor racing
- Eddie JordanEddie JordanEdmund "Eddie" Jordan also known as "EJ" founded and owned Jordan Grand Prix, a Formula One constructor which operated from 1991 to 2005...
enters his Jordan team in the World Formula One Championship, becoming the first Irish owned constructor in Formula OneFormula OneFormula One, also known as Formula 1 or F1 and referred to officially as the FIA Formula One World Championship, is the highest class of single seater auto racing sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile . The "formula" designation in the name refers to a set of rules with which...
.
January to June
- 5 January - Hubert ButlerHubert ButlerHubert Marshal Butler was an Irish essayist who wrote on a wide-range of topics, from local history and archaeology to the political and religious affairs of eastern Europe before and during World War II.-Early life:...
, writer and historian (b.19001900 in Ireland-Events:*January 16 — Three lion cubs reared by an Irish red setter go on view at Dublin Zoo.*January 17 — The different sections of the Nationalist Party meet in the Dublin Mansion House's Oak Room to promote national unity....
) - 29 January - Joe StynesJoe StynesJoseph Andrew Stynes was an Irish Republican and a sportsman, excelling in particular at Gaelic football and soccer.-In Dublin:...
, Irish RepublicanIrish RepublicanismIrish republicanism is an ideology based on the belief that all of Ireland should be an independent republic.In 1801, under the Act of Union, the Kingdom of Great Britain and the Kingdom of Ireland merged to form the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland...
and sportsman (b.19031903 in Ireland-Events:*3 January - The Norwegian ship, Remittant, is towed into quarantine in Queenstown . The entire crew are suffering from beriberi.*3 February - The proposed canonisation of Oliver Plunkett is discussed in Rome....
). - 19 February - Thekla BeereThekla BeereThekla Beere was an Irish civil servant who chaired the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women in 1970 and was secretary of Ireland Department of Transport & Power....
, civil servant (b.19021902 in Ireland-Events:*7 January - Waterford Corporation passes a motion to confer the freedom of the city on John Redmond.*8 January - The Great National Convention takes place in the Round Room of the Rotunda in Dublin...
). - 20 April - Sean O'Faolain, short story writer (b.19001900 in Ireland-Events:*January 16 — Three lion cubs reared by an Irish red setter go on view at Dublin Zoo.*January 17 — The different sections of the Nationalist Party meet in the Dublin Mansion House's Oak Room to promote national unity....
). - 22 May - Valentin IremongerValentin IremongerValentin Iremonger was an Irish diplomat and poet.He was born in Dublin and joined the diplomatic service. He served as Irish Ambassador to Sweden, Norway, Finland, India and Luxembourg....
, poet and diplomat (b.19181918 in Ireland-Events:*January 18 - Count Plunkett, Seán T. O'Kelly and others protest at the forcible feeding of Sinn Féin prisoners in Mountjoy Prison.*March 2 - In Skibbereen, County Cork Ernest Blythe is arrested for non-compliance with a military rule directing him to reside in Ulster.*March 6 - In the...
). - 25 May - John M. FeehanJohn M. FeehanJohn M. Feehan was an Irish author and publisher. The eldest son of a schoolmaster, Feehan was born on 8 September 1916 in Dualla, County Tipperary.-Early life and career:...
, author and publisher (b.19161916 in Ireland-Events:*January 14 - Michael Collins quits his job in London and returns to Ireland.*February 14 - John Redmond is re-elected Chairman of the Irish Parliamentary Party in Dublin.*February 29 - The week long Derry Feis opens in the city....
). - 25 May - Eddie FullertonEddie FullertonEdward "Eddie" Fullerton was a Sinn Féin councillor from County Donegal, Ireland. He was assassinated at his Buncrana home in May 1991 by members of the Ulster Defence Association....
, Sinn FéinSinn FéinSinn Féin is a left wing, Irish republican political party in Ireland. The name is Irish for "ourselves" or "we ourselves", although it is frequently mistranslated as "ourselves alone". Originating in the Sinn Féin organisation founded in 1905 by Arthur Griffith, it took its current form in 1970...
councillor, killed by the Ulster Defence AssociationUlster Defence AssociationThe Ulster Defence Association is the largest although not the deadliest loyalist paramilitary and vigilante group in Northern Ireland. It was formed in September 1971 and undertook a campaign of almost twenty-four years during "The Troubles"...
(b.19351935 in Ireland-Events:*January 3 - An Anglo-Irish Coal-Cattle Pact is signed between the governments of Britain and the Irish Free State.*January 20 - 40 men from the Connemara Gaeltacht travel to County Meath to inspect the area which is to be settled by residents of the Gaeltacht.*January 27 - Relics and...
).
July to December
- 18 August - Patrick Joseph KellyPatrick Joseph Kelly (Bishop)Patrick Joseph Kelly, Bishop of Benin City, 31 August 1894 - 18 August 1991.A native of Barnacragh, Ballinasloe. His grandparents lived on Seymour estate, Clontuskert....
, Bishop of Benin CityBenin CityBenin City, is a city and the capital of Edo State in southern Nigeria. It is a city approximately twenty-five miles north of the Benin River. It is situated 200 miles by road east of Lagos...
(b.18941894 in Ireland-Events:* The former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom William Ewart Gladstone retires from politics. In his career he introduced land reform to Ireland and also attempted to grant Home Rule.* The first meeting of the Irish Trade Union Congress takes place....
). - 17 October - J. G. Devlin, actor (b.19071907 in Ireland-Events:*2 January - A new system of rail cars running from Amien Street in Dublin to Howth is introduced.*5 January - The first motor show, under the auspices of the Irish Automobile Club, opens in the RDS Dublin....
). - 13 November - Francis Blackwood, 10th Baron Dufferin and ClaneboyeFrancis Blackwood, 10th Baron Dufferin and ClaneboyeFrancis George Blackwood, 10th Baron Dufferin and Claneboye , known as Sir Francis Blackwood, 7th Baronet from 1979 until 1988, was a British baronet and a peer in the Peerage of Ireland....
(b.19161916 in Ireland-Events:*January 14 - Michael Collins quits his job in London and returns to Ireland.*February 14 - John Redmond is re-elected Chairman of the Irish Parliamentary Party in Dublin.*February 29 - The week long Derry Feis opens in the city....
). - 12 November - Billy BehanBilly BehanWilliam "Billy" Behan was an Irish footballer who played as a goalkeeper for Shelbourne, Shamrock Rovers and Manchester United during the 1930s....
, soccer player and scout (b.19111911 in Ireland-Events:*5 January - Protestant church leaders condemn the Ne Temere Papal decree on mixed marriages.*2 April - The national census is taken.*27 May - The first issue of the Irish Worker is published...
). - 15 November - George Otto SimmsGeorge Otto SimmsHis Grace the Most Rev. Dr. George Otto Simms , D.D., was an archbishop in the Church of Ireland.-Early life and education:...
, Church of Ireland Archbishop of DublinArchbishop of Dublin (Church of Ireland)The Archbishop of Dublin is the title of the senior cleric who presides over the United Dioceses of Dublin and Glendalough in the Church of Ireland...
and Archbishop of ArmaghArchbishop of Armagh (Church of Ireland)The Anglican Archbishop of Armagh is the ecclesiastical head of the Church of Ireland, the metropolitan of the Province of Armagh and the diocesan bishop of the Diocese of Armagh....
(b.19101910 in Ireland-Events:*8 January - Sinéad Flanagan marries Éamon de Valera in Dublin.*21 February - Irish Unionist members of the Westminster Parliament elect Sir Edward Carson as party leader, replacing Walter Long....
). - 19 November - Michael LyonsMichael Lyons (Irish politician)Michael Dalgan Lyons was an Irish Fine Gael party politician from Ballyhaunis, County Mayo.A farmer and former employee of the Irish Sugar Company, he stood unsuccessfully as a Fine Gael candidate for Dáil Éireann in the Mayo South constituency at three successive general elections before finally...
, Fine GaelFine GaelFine Gael is a centre-right to centrist political party in the Republic of Ireland. It is the single largest party in Ireland in the Oireachtas, in local government, and in terms of Members of the European Parliament. The party has a membership of over 35,000...
TDTeachta DálaA Teachta Dála , usually abbreviated as TD in English, is a member of Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Oireachtas . It is the equivalent of terms such as "Member of Parliament" or "deputy" used in other states. The official translation of the term is "Deputy to the Dáil", though a more literal...
and Senator (b.19101910 in Ireland-Events:*8 January - Sinéad Flanagan marries Éamon de Valera in Dublin.*21 February - Irish Unionist members of the Westminster Parliament elect Sir Edward Carson as party leader, replacing Walter Long....
). - 1 December - Pat O'CallaghanPat O'CallaghanDr. Patrick O'Callaghan , was an Irish athlete and Olympic gold medallist. He was the first person from an independent Ireland to win an Olympic medal and is regarded as one of Ireland's greatest-ever athletes.-Early & private life:Pat O'Callaghan was born in knockanroe just outside Kanturk,...
, athlete and Olympic gold-medallist (b.19051905 in Ireland-Events:*9 January - The Lillebonne, the largest vessel ever constructed in Dublin, is successfully launched in the North Wall Yard.*6 March - The obligation of the Post Office in regard to letters addressed in Irish is raised in the British House of Commons...
).