1988 in Ireland

Events

*January 1 - Dublin City begins its millennium celebrations.
*January 11 - John Hume and Gerry Adams have a surprise meeting in Belfast.
*January 15 - Former Nobel Prize-winner Seán MacBride dies aged 83.
*March 6 - The SAS kills three unarmed members of the IRA in Gibraltar.
*March 7 - It is agreed that a millennium fountain called the Anna Livia Fountain is to be built on O'Connell Street.
*March 16 - Three men are killed and 70 are wounded in a gun and grenade attack on mourners in Milltown Cemetery during the funerals of three IRA members.
*March 19 - 5,000 people turn out for an anti-apartheid rally at the GPO in Dublin.
*March 22 - Tributes are paid to Aran Islands poet Máirtín Ó Direáin at his funeral in Dublin.
*April 16 - The Irish National Lottery launches its national live draw, "the Lotto".
*June 15 - The IRA kills six British soldiers in a bomb attack in Lisburn.
*July 10 - Dublin celebrates its official 1,000th birthday.
*July 18 - Nelson Mandela, the jailed anti-apartheid leader, is awarded the freedom of Dublin City.
*August 11 - The Department of Health launches an information booklet as the number of AIDS cases increases dramatically.
*August 28 - Leopardstown Racecourse celebrates its 100th birthday.
*September 12 - Archbishop Thomas Morris resigns as Archbishop of Cashel
*September 12 - Dermot Clifford appointed Archbishop of Cashel
*October 8 - A tax amnesty brings in over £500 million.
*October 17 - The IRTC is established to regulate radio and television services outside the RTE umbrella.
*November 16 - Minister for Finance Ray MacSharry is appointed Ireland's new EC Commissioner.

Arts and literature

Ireland hosts the Eurovision Song Contest

port

Cycling

*13 March - Seán Kelly wins the Paris-Nice cycle race for the seventh year in a row.
*15 May - Seán Kelly wins the tour of Spain cycle race.

Gaelic football

*Meath GAA beat Cork GAA 0-13 to 0-9 in Croke Park to win a second consecutive All-Ireland Senior Football Championship title.

Hurling

*Galway GAA beat Tipperary GAA 1-15 to 0-14 in Croke Park to win a second consecutive All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship title.

occer

*The Republic of Ireland plays in the European Championship finals for the first time.
*12 June - The Republic of Ireland celebrates a win over England 1-0 at Euro 88.

Golf

*Carroll's Irish Open is won by Ian Woosnam (Wales).
*16 October - Ireland (Eamonn Darcy, Ronan Rafferty, Des Smyth) wins the Dunhill Cup at St Andrew's.

Births

*15 January - Padraig Amond, soccer player.
*23 January - Alan Power, soccer player.
*29 January - Owen Garvan, soccer player.
*21 February - Darren Forsyth, soccer player.
*22 February - Robert Bayly, soccer player.
*4 March - Timmy Purcell, soccer player.
*2 May - Stephen Henderson, soccer player.
*21 May - Adam Rooney, soccer player.
*25 July - Anthony Stokes, soccer player.
*14 September - Shane Tracy, soccer player.
*22 September - Keith Quinn, soccer player.

Full date unknown

*Séamus Hickey, Limerick hurler.

Deaths

January to June

*1 January - Sister Philippa Brazill, nurse in Australia (b.1896).
*1 January - Dan Spring, Gaelic footballer, trade unionist and Irish Labour Party TD (b.1910).
*15 January - Seán MacBride, former Clann na Poblachta TD, Cabinet Minister and Nobel Peace Prize Winner (b.1904).
*2 February - Frederick Blaney, cricketer (b.1918).
*6 February - Paschal (PV) Doyle, hotelier and builder, founder Doyle Hotel Group.
*24 February - Tommy O'Brien, journalist and broadcaster.
*10 May - Ciaran Bourke, musician, one of the original members of the The Dubliners (b.1936).

July to December

*17 July - Frank Carter, Fianna Fáil TD,Seanad member.
*10 October - Sonny Hool, cricketer (b.1924).
*27 October - Frank Devlin, badminton player (b.1900).
*12 December - Seán Dowling, revolutionary and playwright.
*7 December - Peter Langan, restaurateur.
*8 December - John Joe McGirl, chief of staff of the Irish Republican Army (b.1921).
*21 December - Eithne Dunne, actress.
*22 December - Jack Bowden, cricketer and hockey player (d.1916).

Full date unknown

*Tommy Breen, international soccer player (b.1912).
*Robert Dudley Edwards, historian (b.1909).
*E. Chambré Hardman, photographer (b.1898).
*Terry Leahy, Kilkenny hurler (b.1918).
*Máirtín Ó Direáin, poet (b.1910).
*Nick O'Donnell, Kilkenny and Wexford hurler (b.1925).
*Tommy Potts, fiddle player (b.1912).
*Ed Reavy, fiddle player and songwriter (b.1897).