1981 in Ireland
Events from the year 1981 in Ireland .
Incumbents
Events
6 February – Attacks on shipping in Lough Foyle (1981–82) : Liverpool -registered coal ship Nellie M was bombed and sunk by a Provisional Irish Republican Army unit using a hijacked pilot boat in Lough Foyle .
14 February – Stardust fire : A fire at the Stardust nightclub in Artane, Dublin , in the early hours killed 48 young people and injured 214.[ 1] unlawful killings .[ 2]
1 March – Bobby Sands began a hunger strike in the Maze Prison (Long Kesh) near Lisburn (Northern Ireland ).
5 March – The petrol strike ended when 800 tanker drivers resumed work.
10 April – Hunger striker Bobby Sands was elected Member of Parliament (MP) for Fermanagh and South Tyrone in the Parliament of the United Kingdom .
2 May – Aer Lingus Flight 164 , a Boeing 737 en route from Dublin to London was hijacked and ordered to fly to Tehran . The flight was diverted to Paris and the hijacker, Laurence Downey, was arrested.
5 May – Bobby Sands died on the 66th day of his hunger strike in the Maze Prison.
12 May – Francis Hughes , previously the most wanted man in Northern Ireland , died on the 59th day of his hunger strike in the Maze Prison.
21 May – Raymond McCreesh and Patsy O'Hara both died on the 61st day of their hunger strike in the Maze Prison.
11 June – 1981 Irish general election . Fianna Fáil lost seats and a Fine Gael –Labour Party coalition government was formed. Kieran Doherty , on hunger strike in the Maze Prison, was elected Teachta Dála (TD) for Cavan–Monaghan .
30 June – Fine Gael leader Garret FitzGerald was elected Taoiseach as the 22nd Dáil Éireann assembled.
8 July – Provisional Irish Republican Army member Joe McDonnell died on the 61st day of his hunger strike.
25 July – During a fire at Portlaoise Prison , Irish Army Pte Thomas Metcalfe scaled a forty-foot (12 m) high drainpipe in darkness and rescued a comrade trapped on a blazing rooftop. He later received the Military Medal for Gallantry .
1 August – Irish National Liberation Army member Kevin Lynch died on the 71st day of his hunger strike in the Maze Prison.
2 August – Kieran Doherty , TD , died on the 73rd day of his hunger strike in Long Kesh.
11 September – The Irish Sugar Company announced that it was to close its factory in Tuam , County Galway .
19 December – Penlee lifeboat disaster : The Arklow-bound, Dublin-registered Union Star was lost on its maiden voyage off Cornwall . Sixteen lives were lost, eight from the Union Star and eight from RNLB Solomon Browne (ON 954) who died while attempting rescue.
27 December – Supporters of the Society for the Protection of Unborn Children marched in Dublin to demand a referendum for an anti-abortion amendment to the Constitution.
Undated
Arts and literature
4 April – Ireland hosted the Eurovision Song Contest , presented by Doireann Ní Bhriain and aired on RTÉ Television .
16 August – The first Slane Concert was held at Slane Castle featuring performers Thin Lizzy , Hazel O'Connor , The Bureau , Megahype, Rose Tattoo , Sweet Savage , and U2 .[ 3]
14 September – Artist and writer Christy Brown was buried in Glasnevin Cemetery , Dublin .
An association of artists, Aosdána , was established.
Molly Keane 's novel Good Behaviour Rita Kelly 's poetry Dialann sa Díseart was published.Neil Jordan was awarded the Rooney Prize for Irish Literature .[ 4] English-born painter Derek Hill donated St. Columb's Rectory, near Churchill, County Donegal (his home since 1954), along with a considerable collection including work by Pablo Picasso , Edgar Degas , Georges Braque , Graham Sutherland and Jack Butler Yeats , to the Irish State .
A proposed design for a new Áras an Uachtaráin (presidential mansion) was created by Rem Koolhaas , but was never built.
Sport
Golf
Hurling
Births
1 January – Jonas Armstrong , actor.
26 January – Glen Fitzpatrick , soccer player.
26 January – Colin O'Donoghue , Actor
31 January – Dan Connor , soccer player.
12 February – Lisa Hannigan , singer and musician.
13 February – Liam Miller , soccer player (died 2018 ).
24 February – Brian O'Callaghan , soccer player.
26 February – Ronan Curran , Cork hurler.
3 March – Ger Spillane , Cork Gaelic footballer.
22 March – Brendan McGill , soccer player.
23 March – Colin Cryan , soccer player.
10 April – Des Byrne , soccer player.
18 April – John O'Hara , soccer player.
24 April – Maeve Higgins , comedian.
25 April – Thomas Butler , soccer player.
10 May – Barry Cahill , Dublin Gaelic footballer.
14 June – Dominick Joyce , cricketer.
1 July – Tadhg Kennelly , Gaelic footballer , Australian rules football player.
16 July – Tom Kenny , Cork hurler.
25 July – Fergal Devitt , professional wrestler.
1 August – Stephen Hunt , soccer player.
14 August – Brian Hogan , Kilkenny hurler.
1 September – Niall McCarthy , Cork hurler.
12 September – Philip Hughes , soccer player.
14 September – Glenn Cronin , soccer player.
24 September – Richie Byrne , soccer player.
30 September – Cecelia Ahern , author, daughter of Bertie Ahern .
4 October – Alan Bennett , soccer player.
6 October – Graham Barrett , soccer player.
10 October – Una Healy , singer-songwriter.
12 October – John Thompson , soccer player.
17 October – Steven Gray , soccer player.
24 October – David McGill , soccer player.
8 November – Niall O'Brien , cricketer.
15 November – Kevin Grogan , soccer player.
15 November – Brian Shelley , soccer player.
17 November – Sean Godley , poet.
22 November – Jonathan Douglas , soccer player.
8 December – Aidan Price , soccer player.
29 December – Paul Heffernan , soccer player.
Full date unknown
Deaths
1 January – Sir Anthony Esmonde, 15th Baronet , Fine Gael TD and MEP (born 1899).
21 January – Norman Stronge , Ulster Unionist Party politician and Speaker of the Northern Ireland House of Commons for 23 years (born 1894).
8 April – Gretta Bowen , artist (born 1880).
2 May – Tommy Moroney , soccer and rugby player (born 1923).
17 June – Nora Connolly O'Brien , political activist, daughter of James Connolly (born 1892).
2 July – Billy Gillespie , soccer player (born 1891).
7 July – Donal Foley , Irish Times
21 August – Eddie Byrne , actor (born 1911).
24 August – Jackie Vernon , soccer player (born 1918).
7 September – Christy Brown , author, painter and poet (born 1932).
13 October – Oisín Kelly , sculptor (born 1915).
15 October – James Auchmuty , historian (born 1909).
17 November – Nano Reid , painter (born 1905).
December – Fred Kiernan , soccer player (born 1919).
Full date unknown
See also
References
