1974 in Ireland

← 1973 1972 1971 1970 1969 1974 in Ireland → 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979
Centuries:	18th 19th 20th 21st
Decades:	1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s
See also:	1974 in Northern Ireland Other events of 1974 List of years in Ireland

Events from the year 1974 in Ireland.

Incumbents

• President: Erskine H. Childers (until November 17, 1974); Cearbhall Ó Dálaigh (starting December 19, 1974)
• Taoiseach: Liam Cosgrave (FG)

Events

• 2 January – The Northern Ireland Executive had its first day in office.
• 15 February – A 600-pound bomb exploded in Dungannon.
• 24 April – The Electricity Supply Board announced that Carnsore Point on the Wexford coast would be the site of its planned nuclear power station (which, ultimately, was not built).
• 26 April – Nineteen Old Master paintings from the Beit collection were stolen from Russborough House by a Provisional Irish Republican Army gang that included English heiress Rose Dugdale.
• 8 May – The great hall of University College Dublin was to become a 900-seat concert hall and home of the RTÉ Symphony Orchestra.
• 14 May – Northern Ireland ground to a halt as the Ulster Workers' Council called a strike following the defeat of an anti-Sunningdale Agreement motion.
• 17 May – Dublin and Monaghan bombings: Thirty-three civilians were killed and almost 300 wounded in four car-bomb explosions in Dublin and Monaghan by the Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF), the highest number of casualties in any one day during The Troubles. The UVF was widely suspected of receiving technical assistance from British security forces.
• 21 May – In Northern Ireland, the Ulster Workers' Council Strike came to an end.
• 28 May – The five-month-old Northern Ireland Executive collapsed.
• Late May – President Erskine Childers paid the first state visit by an Irish head of state to Europe when he visited Belgium with his wife, Rita.^[1] This followed the three-day state visit to Ireland by King Baudouin and Queen Fabiola of Belgium in May 1968.
• 14 June – Anatoli Kaplin, the first Soviet Ambassador to Ireland, visited President Childers at Áras an Uachtaráin.
• 17 July – The National Coalition's Contraceptive Bill was defeated in a vote in Dáil Éireann. The Taoiseach, Liam Cosgrave, was one of seven Fine Gael Teachtaí Dála who voted against their own bill.
• 20 July – About ten women, styled as the "Dublin City Women's Invasion Force", including journalist Nell McCafferty, politician and activist Nuala Fennell, and poet Mary D'Arcy, entered the Forty Foot bathing place in Sandycove in Dublin, historically a men-only nude bathing area. The women were claiming their right to swim there. From that time forward, women swam at the Forty Foot.^[2]
• 1 September – Transition Year was introduced on a pilot basis in three schools.
• 21 September – Leader of the Opposition Jack Lynch said that the Fianna Fáil party would not support any proposal to repeal Articles 2 and 3 of the Constitution.
• 4 November – Powerscourt House in Enniskerry was destroyed by fire.
• 17 November – President Erskine Childers died suddenly, aged 69. He had served less than 17 months of his seven-year term.
• 10 December – Seán MacBride was presented with the Nobel Prize for Peace.
• 19 December – Cearbhall Ó Dálaigh was sworn in as the fifth President of Ireland.

Arts and literature

• 25 August – The first Kilkenny Arts Festival opens.
• 19 December – Tom Murphy's adaptation of The Vicar of Wakefield opens at the Abbey Theatre, Dublin.^[3]
• Jennifer Johnston's novel How Many Miles to Babylon? was published.

Births

• 1 January – Eva Birthistle, actress.
• 12 January – Thomas FitzGerald, Earl of Offaly (died 1997).
• 29 January – Niall Blaney, Teachta Dála (TD) representing Donegal North-East.
• 31 March – Victoria Smurfit, actress.
• 4 April – Kieran Collins, "The Golden Drifter", Gaelic footballer.
• 23 May – Maria McCool, singer.
• 28 May – Ryan Tubridy, RTÉ radio and television broadcaster.
• 17 May – Brídín Brennan, singer.
• 17 May – Andrea Corr, lead vocalist with The Corrs.
• 1 July
  • John Davy, cricketer.
  • Peter Davy, cricketer.
  • Olwyn Enright, Fine Gael TD representing Laois–Offaly.
• 9 July – Gary Kelly, international soccer player.
• 10 July - Imelda May, musician.
• 19 July – Malcolm O'Kelly, international rugby player.
• 10 August – Gus Joyce, cricketer.
• 11 September – Karl Gannon, soccer player.
• September – Liam Donoghue, Galway hurler.
• 1 October – Keith Duffy, singer and actor.
• 15 October – Barry McCrea, novelist.
• 21 October – Tony Sheridan, soccer player.
• 5 November – Gráinne Seoige, television broadcaster.
• 12 November – T. J. Ryan, Limerick hurler.
• 18 November – Graham Coughlan, soccer player.
• 22 November – Finian Maynard, four time speed windsurfing world champion, winner of a world speed record for sailing.
• 24 November – Peter Barry, Kilkenny hurler.
• 27 November – Roy O'Brien, soccer player.
• 3 December – Andrew Maxwell, comedian.
• 4 December – Jason Molins, cricketer.
• 7 December – Brendan Kennedy, soccer player.
• 8 December – Ian Malone, member of British Army's Irish Guards (shot dead in Iraq 2003).
• 30 December – Camille O'Sullivan, singer.

Full date unknown

• Philly Larkin, Kilkenny hurler.
• Fergal McCormack, Cork hurler.

Deaths

• 4 January – Phelim Calleary, Fianna Fáil TD (born 1895).
• 15 February – Conel Hugh O'Donel Alexander, cryptanalyst, chess player, and chess writer (born 1909).
• 9 March – Daniel O'Neill, artist (born 1920).
• 19 March – Austin Clarke, poet, playwright and writer (born 1896).
• 10 April – Patricia Collinge, actress and writer (born 1892).
• 28 May – Richard Belton, medical doctor, member of the 12th Seanad.
• 3 June – Michael Gaughan, Provisional Irish Republican Army hunger striker who died in Parkhurst Prison (born 1950).
• 30 June – Frank McKelvey RHA, artist.
• 5 July – James Young, comedian (born 1918).
• 13 August – Kate O'Brien, novelist (born 1897).
• 17 November – Erskine Childers, Fianna Fáil TD, cabinet minister, and fourth Irish President (born 1905).
• 23 November – Cornelius Ryan, journalist and author (born 1920).
• 1 December – Dick Grace, 84, Kilkenny hurler.
• 24 December – Michael F. Kitt, Fianna Fáil TD (born 1914).
• 25 December – Harry Kernoff, artist (born 1900).
• 27 December – Denis Farrelly, Fine Gael TD and senator (born 1912).

Full date unknown

• Liam Deasy, Irish Republican Army officer in the Irish War of Independence and the Irish Civil War (born 1898).
• Padraic Fallon, poet (born 1905).
• Bob Fullam, soccer player (born 1897).

References

1. President Childers State Visit Irish Film & TV Research Online – Trinity College Dublin, May 1974.
2. Fortieth anniversary of women’s ‘invasion’ of Forty Foot The Irish Times, 2014-07-19.
3. "Playography Ireland". Dublin: Irish Theatre Institute. Retrieved 2015-04-08.