1994 in Ireland

Events from the year 1994 in Ireland.

Incumbents

Events

January – The Phoenix magazine revealed that priest and media personality Michael Cleary fathered at least one child with his long-term partner.
14 April – The Central Bank issued a new £5 note featuring Catherine McAuley.
30 April – Ireland won the Eurovision Song Contest with the song Rock 'n' Roll Kids. The stepdance show Riverdance performed its world premiere during the interval.
20 May – The fourth People In Need Telethon was held.
26 May – Jack Charlton, manager of the Irish football team since 1986, was awarded the freedom of Dublin City.
6 June – Irish D-Day Normandy landings veterans joined Allied leaders at a 50th commemorative ceremony on Omaha Beach.
18 June – Ireland's football World Cup campaign began with a 1–0 win over Italy, one of the favourites to win the tournament. Ray Houghton scored the winning goal.
24 June – Ireland's chances of progressing to the last 16 of the World Cup were left hanging in the balance when they lost 2–1 to Mexico, with John Aldridge scoring the consolation goal.
28 June – Ireland qualified for the next stage of the World Cup with a goalless draw against Norway.
4 July – Ireland were knocked out of the World Cup by the Netherlands when they lost 2–0 in Orlando.
26 July – The Minister for Education, Niamh Bhreathnach, pledged the introduction of free third-level education for everyone over the next three years.
31 August – The Provisional Irish Republican Army announced a complete cessation of military operations.
1 September – Transition Year was introduced mainstream to secondary schools.
6 September – Taoiseach Albert Reynolds, John Hume and Gerry Adams held a historic meeting at Government Buildings in Dublin and pledged their commitment to the democratic idea.
30 September – Taoiseach Albert Reynolds and members of the Government waited at Shannon Airport to greet Russian president Boris Yeltsin. He failed to leave the aircraft to meet them and created a diplomatic incident.
13 October – Loyalist paramilitary groups announced a ceasefire six weeks after the PIRA.
2 October – Ulster Television screened a Counterpoint programme, Suffer the Little Children, beginning the exposure of Catholic Church sex abuse cases, initially those of Brendan Smyth involving children.
28 October – The inaugural session of the Forum for Peace and Reconciliation took place in St. Patricks Hall, Dublin Castle.
16 November – The Fianna Fáil-Labour government coalition collapsed.
17 November – Albert Reynolds resigned as Taoiseach. However, the Dáil was not dissolved.
19 November – Bertie Ahern was elected leader of the Fianna Fáil party.
15 December – John Bruton, leader of the Fine Gael party, became Taoiseach of the so-called "Rainbow" government in coalition with the Labour and Democratic Left parties.

Arts and literature

3 January – One of Warner Bros.'s famous animated series Animaniacs made its debut on Network 2.
22 October – The Boyzone debut music album, Said and Done, was released in Ireland.
Maeve Binchy's novel The Glass Lake was published.
Emma Donoghue's first novel Stir Fry was published.
Paddy Breathnach's film Ailsa was released.
Colum McCann's short-story collection Fishing the Sloe-Black River was published.

Sport

Association football

In the World Cup Finals in the United States, Ireland reached the last 16 before losing 2–0 to the Netherlands, but on the way picked up their first World Cup finals win inside 90 minutes with a 1–0 victory over Italy.

Athletics

Eamonn Coghlan became the first person in the world over 40 years of age to run a sub-four minute mile.
10 December – Catherina McKiernan won Senior Women's gold in the 1994 European Cross Country Championships, the inaugural event of the series.

Gaelic football

18 September – Down beat Dublin 1–12 to 0–13 in the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship final. It was Down's fifth All-Ireland senior title, and their second in four years.

Golf

Murphy's Irish Open was won by Bernhard Langer.

Hurling

Offaly beat Limerick 3–16 to 2–13 to win the All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship final for the first time since 1985.

Births

20 January – Seán Kavanagh, footballer.
12 April – Saoirse Ronan, screen actress.

Deaths

January to June

1 January – Raymond Crotty, economist.
19 February – Micho Russell, tin whistle player and collector of traditional music and folklore.
23 February – Jackie Power, Limerick hurler and Gaelic footballer.
7 May – Andy McEvoy, soccer player.
12 May – Alfred Lane Beit, British politician, art collector and philanthropist, honorary Irish citizen.
13 May – Duncan Hamilton, motor racing driver.
21 May – Martin Doherty, member of Provisional Irish Republican Army, shot and killed
27 May – M. J. Molloy, playwright.
17 June – Terence de Vere White, lawyer, novelist and biographer.
27 June – William Conolly-Carew, 6th Baron Carew.

July to December

19 July – Éilis Dillon, author.
5 August – Gerry O'Sullivan, Labour Party (Ireland) TD, Minister of State and Lord Mayor of Cork.
18 August – Martin Cahill, Dublin criminal, shot and killed.
23 September – James Brophy, cricketer.
6 December – Máire de Paor, archaeologist.
20 December – Stephen Coughlan, Labour Party TD and Mayor of Limerick.