1998 in Ireland
Encyclopedia
Events
- 1 January – The VECsVocational Education CommitteeA Vocational Education Committee is a statutory local education body in the Republic of Ireland that administers some secondary education, most adult education and a very small amount of primary education in the state...
of the towns of BrayBrayBray is a town in north County Wicklow, Ireland. It is a busy urban centre and seaside resort, with a population of 31,901 making it the fourth largest in Ireland as of the 2006 census...
, DroghedaDroghedaDrogheda is an industrial and port town in County Louth on the east coast of Ireland, 56 km north of Dublin. It is the last bridging point on the River Boyne before it enters the Irish Sea....
, SligoSligoSligo is the county town of County Sligo in Ireland. The town is a borough and has a charter and a town mayor. It is sometimes referred to as a city, and sometimes as a town, and is the second largest urban area in Connacht...
, Tralee and WexfordWexfordWexford is the county town of County Wexford, Ireland. It is situated near the southeastern corner of Ireland, close to Rosslare Europort. The town is connected to Dublin via the M11/N11 National Primary Route, and the national rail network...
are abolished. - 14 January – The Planning Tribunal opens in Dublin CastleDublin CastleDublin Castle off Dame Street, Dublin, Ireland, was until 1922 the fortified seat of British rule in Ireland, and is now a major Irish government complex. Most of it dates from the 18th century, though a castle has stood on the site since the days of King John, the first Lord of Ireland...
. - 27 February – Republic of IrelandRepublic of IrelandIreland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
qualifies for entry into the Economic and Monetary Union of the European UnionEconomic and Monetary Union of the European UnionThe Economic and Monetary Union is an umbrella term for the group of policies aimed at converging the economies of members of the European Union in three stages so as to allow them to adopt a single currency, the euro. As such, it is largely synonymous with the eurozone.All member states of the...
. - 15 March – Former 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...
Minister Hugh CoveneyHugh CoveneyHugh P. Coveney was a senior Irish Fine Gael politician, and a noted yachtsman.Hugh Coveney was born into one of Cork's prosperous "merchant prince" families in 1935. He was educated at Christian Brothers College, Cork, Clongowes Wood and the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors...
dies in a fall from a cliff in County CorkCounty CorkCounty Cork is a county in Ireland. It is located in the South-West Region and is also part of the province of Munster. It is named after the city of Cork . Cork County Council is the local authority for the county...
. - 10 April – Good FridayGood FridayGood Friday , is a religious holiday observed primarily by Christians commemorating the crucifixion of Jesus Christ and his death at Calvary. The holiday is observed during Holy Week as part of the Paschal Triduum on the Friday preceding Easter Sunday, and may coincide with the Jewish observance of...
: the British and IrishIrish 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...
governments and all the political parties in the Northern Ireland (except the Democratic Unionist PartyDemocratic Unionist PartyThe Democratic Unionist Party is the larger of the two main unionist political parties in Northern Ireland. Founded by Ian Paisley and currently led by Peter Robinson, it is currently the largest party in the Northern Ireland Assembly and the fourth-largest party in the House of Commons of the...
sign the Belfast AgreementBelfast AgreementThe Good Friday Agreement or Belfast Agreement , sometimes called the Stormont Agreement, was a major political development in the Northern Ireland peace process...
. - 22 May – The Good Friday Agreement is endorsed in a referendum by people northNorthern IrelandNorthern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
and southRepublic of IrelandIreland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
of the border. - 3 July – The boyband WestlifeWestlifeWestlife are an Irish boy band established on 3 July 1998. They are to disband in 2012. The group's line-up was Nicky Byrne, Kian Egan, Mark Feehily, Shane Filan, and Brian McFadden . The group are the only act in British and Irish history to have their first seven singles peak at number one...
are formed. - 15 August – 29 people die in a bomb explosionOmagh bombingThe Omagh bombing was a car bomb attack carried out by the Real Irish Republican Army , a splinter group of former Provisional Irish Republican Army members opposed to the Good Friday Agreement, on Saturday 15 August 1998, in Omagh, County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. Twenty-nine people died as a...
near the centre of OmaghOmaghOmagh is the county town of County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. It is situated where the rivers Drumragh and Camowen meet to form the Strule. The town, which is the largest in the county, had a population of 19,910 at the 2001 Census. Omagh also contains the headquarters of Omagh District Council and...
, County TyroneCounty TyroneHistorically Tyrone stretched as far north as Lough Foyle, and comprised part of modern day County Londonderry east of the River Foyle. The majority of County Londonderry was carved out of Tyrone between 1610-1620 when that land went to the Guilds of London to set up profit making schemes based on...
, caused by the Real IRA. - 4 September – USA President Bill ClintonBill ClintonWilliam Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
begins his second official visit to the Island of Ireland, his first was in 1995. - 20 September – TV3TV3 IrelandTV3 is a free-to-air commercial television network in the Republic of Ireland. Launched on 20 September 1998 it was Ireland's first commercial broadcaster. The channel is owned by TV3 Group a subsidiary of Doughty Hanson & Co.-The TV3 Group:...
goes on the air. - 26 November – Tony BlairTony BlairAnthony Charles Lynton Blair is a former British Labour Party politician who served as the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2 May 1997 to 27 June 2007. He was the Member of Parliament for Sedgefield from 1983 to 2007 and Leader of the Labour Party from 1994 to 2007...
becomes the first Prime Minister of the United KingdomPrime Minister of the United KingdomThe Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the Head of Her Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom. The Prime Minister and Cabinet are collectively accountable for their policies and actions to the Sovereign, to Parliament, to their political party and...
to address the OireachtasOireachtasThe Oireachtas , sometimes referred to as Oireachtas Éireann, is the "national parliament" or legislature of Ireland. The Oireachtas consists of:*The President of Ireland*The two Houses of the Oireachtas :**Dáil Éireann...
. - 30 November – Unemployment falls by 20% with the number of people in work rising by 100,000.
- 12 December – Members of the Labour Party and Democratic LeftDemocratic Left (Ireland)Democratic Left was a democratic socialist political party active in Ireland between 1992 and 1999. It came into being after a split in the Workers' Party and, after just seven years in existence, it merged into the Irish Labour Party.-Origins:...
agree to merge. - 26 December – Great Boxing Day StormBoxing Day StormThe Boxing Day Storm was an Atlantic windstorm that made landfall in northwest Ireland....
('Hurricane Stephen'): Severe gale force windsGaleA gale is a very strong wind. There are conflicting definitions of how strong a wind must be to be considered a gale. The U.S. government's National Weather Service defines a gale as 34–47 knots of sustained surface winds. Forecasters typically issue gale warnings when winds of this strength are...
hit north west Ireland causing widespread disruption to services.http://www.spiritus-temporis.com/december-1998/ - 31 December – The PuntIrish poundThe Irish pound was the currency of Ireland until 2002. Its ISO 4217 code was IEP, and the usual notation was the prefix £...
is traded for the last time as the EuroEuroThe euro is the official currency of the eurozone: 17 of the 27 member states of the European Union. It is also the currency used by the Institutions of the European Union. The eurozone consists of Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg,...
currency is launched.
Arts and literature
- 28 February – Actor and comedian Dermot MorganDermot MorganDermot John Morgan was an Irish comedian, actor and former schoolteacher, who achieved international renown for his roles as Father Ted Crilly in the Channel 4 sitcom Father Ted and a strip club MC in Taffin....
dies suddenly in LondonLondonLondon is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. - 24 December – Gay ByrneGay ByrneGabriel Mary "Gay" Byrne is a veteran Irish presenter of radio and television. His most notable role was first host of The Late Late Show over a 37-year period spanning 1962 until 1999...
broadcasts his final radio show, from St Stephen's Green.
Gaelic footballGaelic footballGaelic football , commonly referred to as "football" or "Gaelic", or "Gah" is a form of football played mainly in Ireland...
- Galway GAAGalway GAAThe Galway County Boards of the Gaelic Athletic Association or Galway GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Galway. The county boards are also responsible for the Galway inter-county teams.Unlike all other counties in Ireland,...
win 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...
, beating Kildare GAAKildare GAAFor more information see Kildare Senior Club Football Championship or Kildare Senior Club Hurling Championship.The Kildare County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association , or Kildare GAA, is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Kildare...
in the final.
Golf
- Murphy's Irish OpenIrish Open (golf)The Irish Open is a professional golf tournament on the European Tour, currently played at the end of July or early August each year. The event has been played in many locations on the island; its current home is the Killarney Golf & Fishing Club in County Kerry in southwestern Ireland...
is won by David CarterDavid Carter (golfer)David Malcolm Carter is an English golfer.Carter was born in Johannesburg, South Africa, and represented his country of birth at junior level. He later moved to England and turned professional in 1989. After several visits to qualifying school he had his rookie season on the European Tour in 1995...
(EnglandEnglandEngland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
).
Hurling
- Offaly GAAOffaly GAAThe Offaly County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association or Offaly GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Offaly...
win 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....
for the second time in five years.
Olympics
- 6 August – Olympic gold medalist Michelle SmithMichelle SmithMichelle Smith is a retired Irish swimmer and practising Irish barrister. She was a triple gold medallist at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, for the 400 m individual medley, 400 m freestyle and 200 m individual medley...
is banned from competition for four years for tampering with a drug test.
Soccer
- St Patrick's Athletic won the League of IrelandLeague of IrelandThe League of Ireland is the national association football league of the Republic of Ireland. Founded in 1921, as a league of eight clubs, it has expanded over time into a two-tiered league of 22 clubs. It is currently split into the League of Ireland Premier Division and the League of Ireland...
- Cork City FC won the FAI CupFAI CupThe Football Association of Ireland Challenge Cup, known as the FAI Ford Cup for sponsorship reasons, is a knock-out association football competition contested annually by teams from the Republic of Ireland...
- ShelbourneShelbourne F.C.Shelbourne Football Club is an Irish professional football club based in the Drumcondra area of Dublin, currently playing in the League of Ireland Premier Division....
's home UEFA CupUEFA CupThe UEFA Europa League is an annual association football cup competition organised by UEFA since 1971 for eligible European football clubs. It is the second most prestigious European club football contest after the UEFA Champions League...
tie against RangersRangers F.C.Rangers Football Club are an association football club based in Glasgow, Scotland, who play in the Scottish Premier League. The club are nicknamed the Gers, Teddy Bears and the Light Blues, and the fans are known to each other as bluenoses...
is moved to England due to fears of sectarian trouble. Despite taking a 3–0 lead, Shels lose 3–5. - 7 May – The Irish under-16 team wins the European Championship.
Deaths
- 28 February – Dermot MorganDermot MorganDermot John Morgan was an Irish comedian, actor and former schoolteacher, who achieved international renown for his roles as Father Ted Crilly in the Channel 4 sitcom Father Ted and a strip club MC in Taffin....
, actor and comedian (b.19521952 in Ireland-Events:*January 9 - Peig Sayers travels to Dublin for the first time in 81 years.*January 10 - An Aer Lingus aircraft crashes in Wales killing twenty passengers and the crew...
). - 15 March – Hugh CoveneyHugh CoveneyHugh P. Coveney was a senior Irish Fine Gael politician, and a noted yachtsman.Hugh Coveney was born into one of Cork's prosperous "merchant prince" families in 1935. He was educated at Christian Brothers College, Cork, Clongowes Wood and the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors...
, 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 Cabinet Minister, yachtsman (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...
). - 23 June – Maureen O'SullivanMaureen O'SullivanMaureen Paula O’Sullivan was an Irish actress.-Early life:O'Sullivan was born in Boyle, County Roscommon, Ireland, the daughter of Roman Catholic parents Mary Lovatt and Charles Joseph O'Sullivan, an officer in The Connaught Rangers who served in The Great War...
, actress (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...
). - 6 May – Sybil ConnollySybil ConnollySybil Connolly was an Irish fashion designer for Brunschwig & Fils, Schumacher, Tiffany & Co., etc...
, fashion designer (b.19211921 in Ireland-Events:*February 5 - In Brighton, England, the widow of Charles Stewart Parnell, Katherine Parnell, dies aged 76.*March 5 - Irish War of Independence: Clonbanin Ambush: Irish Republican Army kills Brigadier General Cumming....
). - 22 May – Jim PowerJim Power (hurler)Jim Power was an Irish sportsperson. He played hurling with his local club Tynagh and with the Galway senior inter-county team in the 1920s.-Biography:...
, former GalwayGalway GAAThe Galway County Boards of the Gaelic Athletic Association or Galway GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Galway. The county boards are also responsible for the Galway inter-county teams.Unlike all other counties in Ireland,...
hurlerHurlingHurling is an outdoor team game of ancient Gaelic origin, administered by the Gaelic Athletic Association, and played with sticks called hurleys and a ball called a sliotar. Hurling is the national game of Ireland. The game has prehistoric origins, has been played for at least 3,000 years, and...
(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....
). - 26 May – Kate Cruise O'BrienKate Cruise O'BrienKate Cruise O'Brien was an Irish writer.The third and youngest child of the politician and diplomat Conor Cruise O'Brien, she was born in Dublin, and grew up in Howth. She went to school in Dublin and studied English in Trinity College Dublin...
, writer (b.19481948 in Ireland-Events:*8 January - The Council of State meets for the first time when President Douglas Hyde test the constitutionality of the Offences Against the State Bill.*15 January - Gas rationing ends in Dublin for the first time since 1942....
). - 13 August – Liam de Paor, historian, archaeologist, (b.1926, in Dublin, Ireland).
- 20 September – Robert Malachy BurkeRobert Malachy BurkeRobert Malachy Burke was a noted Christian Socialist and philanthropist. He was born into a landed Church of Ireland family at Ballydugan, Loughrea, County Galway....
, Christian Socialist and philanthropist (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....
). - 11 November – Paddy ClancyPatrick ClancyPatrick Clancy , usually called "Paddy" or "Pat" Clancy, was an Irish folk singer best known as a member of The Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem....
, folk singer (b.19221922 in Ireland-Events:*January 2 - The first edition of the newspaper Poblacht na hÉireann is published. It is established by republican opponents to the Anglo-Irish Treaty who declare their fealty to the Irish Republic....
). - 13 November – Valerie HobsonValerie HobsonValerie Hobson was a British actress who appeared in a number of British films during the 1940s and 1950s...
, actress (b.19171917 in Ireland-Events:*3 February - Count George Noble Plunkett, father of Joseph Mary Plunkett, wins Roscommon North on abstentionist Sinn Féin platform.*7 March - David Lloyd-George announces that Britain is ready to confer self-government to the parts of Ireland that wants it. The north-eastern part will not...
). - 21 November – John David GwynnJohn David GwynnJohn David Gwynn ) was an Irish cricketer.Gwynn was born in County Dublin, Ireland. A right-handed batsman, he played one first-class match for Dublin University against Northamptonshire in July 1926, a match that also featured the Irish playwright Samuel Beckett.-Family:Gwynn came from a...
, cricketer (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....
). - 26 December – Cathal GouldingCathal GouldingCathal Goulding was Chief of Staff of the Irish Republican Army and the Official IRA.One of seven children born into a republican family in East Arran Street in the north inner city of Dublin, Goulding was involved as teenager in Fianna Éireann, the IRA youth wing which he joined with his...
, Chief of Staff of the Irish Republican Army and the Official IRAOfficial IRAThe Official Irish Republican Army or Official IRA is an Irish republican paramilitary group whose goal was to create a "32-county workers' republic" in Ireland. It emerged from a split in the Irish Republican Army in December 1969, shortly after the beginning of "The Troubles"...
(b.19231923 in Ireland-Events:*January 13 - Beechpark, the residence of President W. T. Cosgrave in Dublin, is set on fire.*January 10 - An order is signed creating the Revenue Commissioners....
).
Full date unknown
- Paul O'DwyerPaul O'DwyerPaul O'Dwyer was an American politician and lawyer, brother of Mayor William O'Dwyer and father to New York City lawyer Brian O'Dwyer .-Life:...
, lawyer and politician in the United StatesUnited StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
(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....
). - Tommy QuaidTommy QuaidTommy Quaid was an Irish sportsperson. He played hurling at various times with his local clubs Feohanagh-Castlemahon and Effin and was the goalkeeper on the Limerick senior inter-county team from 1976 until 1993...
, LimerickLimerick GAAThe Limerick County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association or Limerick GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Limerick...
hurler (b.19571957 in Ireland-Events:*January 1 - Seán South and Fergal O'Hanlon are killed in an IRA attack on an RUC barracks in Brookeborough, County Fermanagh. The two men become part of republican folklore.*January 24 - Sir Alfred Chester Beatty becomes the first honorary Irish citizen....
).