1963 in Ireland

Events in the year 1963 in Ireland.

Incumbents

Events

24 January – The Minister for Justice, Charles Haughey, announced that the government proposed to abolish the death penalty.
29 January – A new control tower opened at Shannon Airport.
4 March – The Labour Court met to try to break the deadlock in a strike by 30 Radio Éireann and Telefís Éireann journalists which arose from a claim for increased salaries and improved conditions by the journalists.
25 March – The Lord Mayor of Dublin, Jim "J.J." O'Keeffe, inaugurated Ireland's first escalator, in Roches Stores, a department store on Henry Street in Dublin. The first working escalator was built in New York City in 1896.
20 May – The Minister for Education, Patrick Hillery, announced plans for comprehensive schools and regional technical colleges.
3 June – The national television channel, Telefís Éireann, closed down immediately after its 9pm news bulletin as a mark of respect following the death of Pope John XXIII.

Visit by John F Kennedy

4 October – Speaking on the Partial [Nuclear Test Ban Treaty|nuclear test ban treaty] at the United Nations in New York, the Minister for External Affairs, Frank Aiken, called for an end to all nuclear weapons.
16 October – Taoiseach Seán Lemass was greeted by US president John Kennedy at the White House where he inspected a guard of honour.
1 November – Domhnall Ua Buachalla, the last Governor-General of the Irish Free State, was buried in Dublin.
7 November – The Beatles arrived in Dublin for two concerts in the Adelphi Cinema, the only time they performed in Ireland. Gardaí struggled to maintain control in Abbey Street and O'Connell Street when unruly crowds created disorder.

Arts and literature

2 June – Benjamin Britten's A Hymn of St Columba premièred at Gartan in County Donegal.
Cork Opera House reopened after being fully rebuilt.
John McGahern's semi-autobiographical first novel, The Barracks, was published.
Seamus Heaney's poem Mid Term Break was published in ''Kilkenny Magazine''

Sport

Association football

Shelbourne won the FAI Cup.

Horse racing

Paddy Prendergast became the first Irish-based horse trainer to be British flat racing Champion Trainer; he retained the title for two more years.

Births

7 January – Tony O'Sullivan, Cork hurler.
February – Theresa Lowe, television presenter.
3 March – Conor Lenihan, Fianna Fáil party Teachta Dála for Dublin South-West and Minister of State.
19 March – Mark Dearey, businessman and Green Party councillor in Dundalk.
25 March – Kevin O'Rourke, economic historian, born in Switzerland.
26 March – Paul Doolin, association football player.
29 March – Pat Gallagher, Labour Party politician.
3 April – Ciarán Cuffe, Green Party TD for Dún Laoghaire.
4 April – Graham Norton, actor, comedian and television presenter.
1 June – Michael Creed, Fine Gael party TD for Cork North-West.
3 June – Lucy Grealy, poet and memoirist.
13 June – Larry Tompkins, Kildare and Cork Gaelic footballer.
21 June – Carlos O'Connell, decathlete.
25 June – Liam Walsh, Kilkenny hurler.
26 June – Tomás Mulcahy, Cork hurler.
23 July – Andy Townsend, association football player.
28 July – Eamon Ryan, Green Party TD for Dublin South and Dublin Bay South, Green Party leader, and Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications.
22 August – Terry McHugh, javelin thrower.
31 August – Todd Carty, actor.
10 September – Marian Keyes, novelist.
24 September – Margaret Cox, Fianna Fáil senator.
25 September – Niall Cahalane, Cork Gaelic footballer.
9 November – Kieran O'Regan, association football player.
13 November – Joe Dooley, Offaly hurler, manager.
1 December – Paul Bradford, Fine Gael senator.
5 December – Tony Keady, Galway hurler.

Full date unknown

Pat Boran, poet.
Orla Kiely, fashion and textile designer.
Bryan Smyth, singer, actor and television presenter.

Deaths

17 January – Thomas Johnson, first parliamentary leader of the Labour Party, aged 91.
1 February – John Cardinal D'Alton, Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of All Ireland from 1946 to 1963.
4 February – Brinsley MacNamara, novelist and playwright.
22 February – Padraig O'Keeffe, fiddle player.
3 March – Brian O'Higgins, Sinn Féin party member of parliament and party president.
19 March – Joseph Brennan, civil servant and Governor of the Central Bank of Ireland.
16 May – Patrick Little, Fianna Fáil TD and Cabinet minister.
31 May – Seán O'Hegarty, Irish Republican Army member during the Irish War of Independence.
12 June – Andrew Cunningham, 1st Viscount Cunningham of Hyndhope, British admiral of the Second World War and First Sea Lord.
23 June – George C. Bennett, Cumann na nGaedheal party TD, later joined Fine Gael and Seanad Éireann member.
11 October – John Galvin, Fianna Fáil TD.
30 October – Hugh O'Flaherty, Catholic priest, saved about 4,000 Allied soldiers and Jews in the Vatican during World War II.
30 October – Domhnall Ua Buachalla, member of the First Dáil, Fianna Fáil TD, last Governor-General of the Irish Free State.
2 November – Daniel Mannix, Catholic clergyman, Archbishop of Melbourne for 46 years.
22 November – C. S. Lewis, novelist.
November – Patrick MacGill, journalist, poet, and novelist.
4 December – William Norton, Labour Party leader, TD, and Cabinet minister.
15 December – Oscar Traynor, Fianna Fáil politician.
December – Andy Kennedy, association footballer.

Full date unknown

Charles Campbell, 2nd Baron Glenavy, peer.