1954 in Ireland
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See also: | 1954 in Northern Ireland Other events of 1954 List of years in Ireland |
Events from the year 1954 in Ireland.
Incumbents[]
- President: Seán T. O'Kelly
- Taoiseach:
- Éamon de Valera (FF) (until 2 June 1954)
- John A. Costello (FG) (from 2 June 1954)
- Tánaiste:
- Seán Lemass (FF) (until 2 June 1954)
- William Norton (Lab) (from 2 June 1954)
- Minister for Finance:
- Seán MacEntee (FF) (until 2 June 1954)
- Gerard Sweetman (FG) (from 2 June 1954)
- Chief Justice: Conor Maguire
- Dáil:
- Seanad:
Events[]
- 1 January – 1954 is the first Marian year. There are many events and devotions to Our Lady and shrines and statues are erected in public places.
- 11 January – the Irish Council of the European Movement is formed in Dublin.
- 19 January – the government announces that the new Cork Airport will be built at Ballygarvan, four miles south of the city.
- 19 February – Captain Henry Harrison, the last surviving member of the party led by Charles Stewart Parnell, dies aged 87.
- 20 April – murderer Michael Manning, aged 25, is executed in Mountjoy Prison. He is the last person to be judicially executed in the state.
- 5 May – at its headquarters in Kingsbridge, CIÉ signs a £4.75 million contract to replace its steam locomotives with diesels.
- 16 May – 30,000 march through Dublin in a huge Marian year procession, the city's greatest display of Catholic faith since the International Eucharistic Congress of 1932.
- 18 May – 1954 Irish general election: Fianna Fáil lose four seats. The second inter-party government under John A. Costello comes to power when the members of the 15th Dáil assemble on 2 June.
- 12 June – an Irish Republican Army unit carries out a successful arms raid on Gough Barracks in Armagh signalling the renewal of IRA activity following a long hiatus.
- 28 June – Alfie Byrne is elected Lord Mayor of Dublin for the tenth time.
- 5 July – Dublin Corporation decides that Nelson's Pillar on O'Connell Street will not be removed.
- 5 September – 27 people die when KLM Flight 633 crashes two minutes after leaving Shannon Airport.
- 8 September – Marian College (Dublin) opened for the first time.
- Undated
- Entrepreneur Joe "Spud" Murphy (1923–2001) sets up Tayto to manufacture crisps.[1]
- The Evening Press newspaper is launched in Dublin.
Arts and literature[]
- 16 June – the first public celebration of "Bloomsday" takes place in Dublin. Writers Flann O'Brien, Patrick Kavanagh and Anthony Cronin travel in a horse-drawn coach stopping at numerous pubs to retrace the steps of the characters from James Joyce's novel Ulysses.
- 16 October – a marble plaque is unveiled at Westland Row, Dublin, to mark the centenary of the birth of Oscar Wilde.
- 19 November – Brendan Behan's first play, The Quare Fellow, premières at the Pike Theatre, Dublin, to great reviews.
- First Cork International Choral and Folk Dance Festival.[2]
- English-born painter Derek Hill settles at St Columb's Rectory, near Churchill, County Donegal.
- Publication of Christy Brown's autobiography My Left Foot.
- Publication of Iris Murdoch's first novel, Under the Net.
Sport[]
Football[]
- League of Ireland
- Winners: Shamrock Rovers
- FAI Cup
- Winners: Drumcondra 1–0 St Patrick's Athletic.
Births[]
- 3 January – Fintan Cullen, art historian and writer.
- 10 January – Bairbre de Brún, Sinn Féin MEP and first Sinn Féin politician to represent Northern Ireland in the European Parliament.
- 22 January – Ger Fennelly, Kilkenny hurler.
- 26 January – Sean O'Callaghan, Provisional Irish Republican Army member and Garda Síochána informer (died 2017).
- 8 March – Dermot Keely, soccer player and manager.
- 12 March – Francis Martin O'Donnell, United Nations official.
- 6 April – Billy Fitzpatrick, Kilkenny hurler.
- 11 April – Michael Lyster, RTÉ sports broadcaster.
- 15 April – Michael Willis, only official IRA member to escape from Crumlin Road prison.
- 25 April – Róisín Shortall, Labour Party TD for Dublin North-West.
- 29 April – Gavan O'Herlihy, actor.
- 30 April – Gerry Daly, soccer player.
- 5 May – Ger Henderson, Kilkenny hurler.
- 13 May – Johnny Logan, born Seán Patrick Michael Sherrard, singer and songwriter (born in Australia).
- 25 May – Daragh O'Malley, actor.
- 6 June – Tim O'Reilly, computer software promoter.
- 6 July – Tim Kennelly, Gaelic footballer with Kerry (died 2005).
- 11 July – , priest and teacher.
- 23 July – Arthur Morgan, Provisional Irish Republican Army prisoner, Sinn Féin TD for Louth.
- 27 July – Pat Delaney, Offaly hurler.
- 28 July – Mikey Sheehy, Gaelic footballer (Kerry).
- 3 August – George Birmingham, Fine Gael politician.
- 5 August – Paddy Glackin, fiddle player.
- 12 August – Brian Cody, Kilkenny hurler, manager.
- 22 August – Jimmy Barry-Murphy, hurler and Gaelic footballer (St. Finbarr's, Cork, Munster).
- 8 September – Áine Brady, Fianna Fáil TD for Kildare North.
- 3 October – Mick Holden, Gaelic footballer and hurler (died in 2007).
- 8 October – Tony Ward, international rugby player and sports journalist.
- 16 October
- Bertie Óg Murphy, Cork hurler and manager.
- Noel Slevin, journalist.
- 2 November – Martin Cullen, Fianna Fáil Teachta Dála representing Waterford and Cabinet Minister.
- 11 December – Noel Lane, Galway hurler and manager.
- 17 December – Síle de Valera, Fianna Fáil TD representing Clare, Minister and MEP.
- Full date unknown
- Ballymoss, racehorse (died 1979).
- Catherine Dunne, novelist.
- Harry O'Donoghue, musician and songwriter.
- Eugene Sheehy, Group Chief Executive of Allied Irish Bank Plc.
Deaths[]
- 2 February – Áine Ceannt, revolutionary activist and humanitarian (born 1880).
- 20 April – Michael Manning, carter, convicted of murder and hanged, last person executed in the Republic of Ireland (born 1929).
- 1 May – James Macmahon, civil servant and businessman, Under-Secretary for Ireland from 1918 to 1922 (born 1865).
- 2 May – Elinor Darwin, engraver and portrait painter (born 1871).
- 20 May – Roger Sweetman, barrister-at-law, member of 1st Dáil representing North Wexford (born 1874).
- 8 July – George Gardiner, boxer (born 1877).
- 11 September – R. M. Smyllie, editor of The Irish Times (born 1894 in Scotland).
- 16 September – James G. Douglas, member of the 1922 Seanad (born 1887).
- 21 October – T. V. Honan, merchant, Fianna Fáil member of the Seanad (born 1878).
References[]
- ^ "Joe 'Spud' Murphy". The Daily Telegraph. 5 November 2001. Archived from the original on 28 December 2007. Retrieved 3 October 2010.
- ^ Fleischmann, Ruth, ed. (2004). Cork International Choral Festival 1954–2004: A Celebration. Cork.
Categories:
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- Years of the 20th century in Ireland
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