1896 in Ireland
Events from the year 1896 in Ireland.
Events
- February – the Broighter Gold hoard of prehistoric objects is discovered near Limavady by Tom Nicholl while ploughing.
- 29 March – the Royal College of St Patrick, Maynooth is granted the status of pontifical university by charter of the Holy See.
- 16 May – the first electric tram runs on the Dublin tramways system.
- May – James Connolly returns from Edinburgh to Ireland as paid organiser for the Dublin Socialist Club. He founds the Irish Republican Socialist Party.
- 28 March – Tom Gallaher incorporates the Gallaher tobacco business and opens the world's largest tobacco factory in Belfast.
- John Dillon assumes the leadership of the anti-Parnellite wing of the Home Rule Party.
- An extension is made to Arthur Balfour's Land Act. 1,500 bankrupt estates are made available for sale to tenants.
- Ireland's first motor vehicle laws are introduced.
- Restoration of the Church of Ireland's Kildare Cathedral is completed.
Arts and literature
- 20 April – first cinema show in Ireland, at Dan Lowry's Star of Erin Variety Theatre in Dublin.
- The lyrics of The Mountains of Mourne are written by Percy French with music adapted by Houston Collisson.
- Charles Villiers Stanford's comic opera Shamus O'Brien is first performed.
Sport
Cricket
- ;International
- :February: Tim O'Brien becomes the first Irish captain of the England cricket team in a match won against South Africa at Port Elizabeth
Football
- ;International
- :29 February Wales 6–1 Ireland
- :7 March Ireland 0-2 England
- :28 March Ireland 3-3 Scotland
- ;Irish League
- :Winners: Distillery
- ;Irish Cup
- :Winners: Distillery 3 - 1 Glentoran
Field hockey
- ;International
- :2 March: The Ireland women's national field hockey team defeat England 2–0 at Alexandra College in the first ever women's international field hockey match.
Tennis
- ;The Championships, Wimbledon
- :Harold Mahony wins the gentleman's singles Championship
- ;Olympic Games
- :John Pius Boland wins gold medals in the men's singles and doubles at the first modern Summer Olympics in Athens
Births
- 15 February – Arthur Shields, actor.
- March – Martin Joseph Sheehan, soldier and Royal Air Service Observer in World War I, killed in action.
- 4 April – Sir Osmond Esmonde, 12th Baronet, diplomat and politician.
- 24 April – F. R. Higgins, poet and theatre director.
- 9 May – Austin Clarke, poet, playwright and writer.
- 22 May – Cyril Fagan, astrologer.
- 28 August – Liam O'Flaherty, novelist and short story writer.
- 17 September – Oscar Heron, Irish World War I flying ace.
- 10 November – Sophie Catherine Theresa Mary Peirce-Evans, later Mary, Lady Heath, aviator, athlete and writer.
- 25 December – Sister Philippa Brazill, nurse in Australia.
- ;Full date unknown
- :*Monk Gibbon, poet and author.
- :*Fiona Plunkett, republican.
Deaths
- 10 January – Denis Dempsey, soldier, recipient of the Victoria Cross.
- 3 February – Jane Wilde, poet.
- 4 March – Peter Richard Kenrick, first Catholic archbishop west of the Mississippi River.
- 4 May – Timothy Anglin, politician in Canada and Speaker of the House of Commons of Canada.
- 18 May – Patrick Buckley, soldier, lawyer, statesman, and judge in New Zealand.
- 8 August – William Pery, 3rd Earl of Limerick, peer.
- 10 August – Jeremiah O'Sullivan, Roman Catholic Bishop of Mobile.
- 15 August – Patrick Duggan, Roman Catholic Bishop of Clonfert.
- 22 September – Edward Selby Smyth, British General, commanded Militia of Canada from 1874 to 1880.
- 1 November – Jack (Nonpareil) Dempsey, boxer.
- 31 December – Leland Hone, cricketer.
- ;Full date unknown
- :*Canon James Goodman, Irish music collector.