1942 in Ireland

Events from the year 1942 in Ireland.

Incumbents

Events

January – Newrath Bridge in County Wicklow collapses.
3 March – due to The Emergency the rationing of gas is introduced.
5 March – it is announced that Ireland is to have a new Central Bank replacing the old Currency Commission.
16 March – Irish Willow is detained by German submarine U-753 but released.
April – attempted shooting of two Garda Síochána detectives during a ceremony at Glasnevin Cemetery in Dublin, for which Brendan Behan is imprisoned.
2 June – speed levels are restricted to prevent wear of tyres on cars, motorcycles and buses.
Summer – Ailtirí na hAiséirghe, a radical nationalist and fascist political party, is founded by Gearóid Ó Cuinneagáin.
7 June – first mass held at the new Roman Catholic Cavan Cathedral.
11 August – Irish Rose rescues seven survivors from the American ship Wawaloam in the Atlantic.
13 August – Irish Pine rescues nineteen survivors from the British ship Richmond Castle in the Atlantic.
26 August – Irish Willow rescues 47 survivors from the British ship Empire Breeze in the Atlantic.
17 September – Irish Larch rescues forty survivors from the Panamanian ship Stone Street in the Atlantic.
2 October – British cruiser collides with the liner Queen Mary off the coast of Donegal and sinks: 338 die.
15 November – Irish Pine torpedoed and sunk by U-608, in the North Atlantic: 33 die.
12 December – Irish Poplar collides with the launch Eileen and the Cork Harbour pilot during a force eight gale: five die.
22 December – there are reports of a split in the Labour Party due to the selection of candidates for the forthcoming general election.
December – Government prohibits direct newspaper advertising in Ireland of jobs in the U.K. During the year £4.5M is remitted to Ireland from Irish workers already in Britain through the Post Office.
Lice-born typhus spreads.

Arts and literature

16 March – Paul Vincent Carroll's wartime drama The Strings Are False premieres at the Olympia Theatre (Dublin).
June – Brendan Behan's "I Become a Borstal Boy" is published in The Bell.
Elizabeth Bowen publishes Bowen's Court.
Ina Boyle's sketch for small orchestra Wildgeese is premiered.
Eric Cross publishes his novel The Tailor and Ansty, which is prohibited in Ireland by the Censorship of Publications Board.
Patrick Kavanagh's poetry The Great Hunger is published by the Cuala Press.
Maura Laverty's novel Never No More is published, having been serialised in The Bell.
Seán Ó Súilleabháin's A Handbook of Irish Folklore is published for the Folklore of Ireland Society in Dublin.

Sport

Football

;League of Ireland
;FAI Cup

Golf

Irish Open is not played due to The Emergency.

Births

12 January
*John Moore, Roman Catholic Bishop of the Diocese of Bauchi, Nigeria.
*Hilary Weston, 26th Lieutenant Governor of Ontario .
16 January – Tony Doyle, actor.
18 January – Eric Barber, soccer player.
1 February – P. J. Mara, political adviser and senator.
12 February – Robert Ellison, Roman Catholic Bishop of the Diocese of Banjul, Gambia.
17 February – Bill Cullen, businessman
22 April – Aengus Fanning, journalist and editor.
15 May – Pádraic McCormack, Fine Gael TD for Galway West.
May – Enda Colleran, Gaelic footballer.
28 July – John Bowman, historian and broadcaster.
1 August – Ned O'Keeffe, Independent TD for Cork East, originally Fianna Fáil.
18 August – Tommy Carroll, soccer player.
25 August – Pat Ingoldsby, television presenter, poet.
30 August – Jonathan Aitken, Conservative Member of Parliament, perjurer and Anglican priest.
17 September – Des Lynam, sportscaster and British television personality.
4 October – Frank Stagg, Provisional Irish Republican Army member.
20 October – Philomena Begley, country music singer.
24 October – Frank Delaney, novelist, journalist and broadcaster.
28 November – Eiléan Ní Chuilleanáin, poet.
24 December – Anthony Clare, psychiatrist and broadcaster.
;Full date unknown
:*Jackie Gilroy, Gaelic footballer.
:*Padraig O'Malley, peacemaker, professor at the University of Massachusetts Boston and writer.
:*Dermot O'Reilly, musician, producer and songwriter in Canada.
:*Ted Tynan, Workers' Party councillor in Cork.
:*Macdara Woods, poet.

Deaths

1 January – John Meredith, Australian Army Brigadier General.
8 January – Thomas Hughes, soldier, recipient of the Victoria Cross for gallantry in 1916 at Guillemont, France.
14 January – James Graham, cricketer.
7 February – Bishop Patrick McKenna, Bishop of Clogher, 1909–1942.
8 April – Philip Meldon, cricketer.
20 April – Thomas Kelly, founding member of Sinn Féin, member of 1st Dáil , later a member of Fianna Fáil.
11 May – George Nicolls, Sinn Féin and Cumann na nGaedheal TD.
29 May – Samuel Jacob Jackson, politician in Canada.
30 June – Robert Pilkington, lawyer and politician who sat in Western Australian Legislative Assembly and British House of Commons.
1 July – Peadar Toner Mac Fhionnlaoich, Irish Language writer
15 July – Paddy Finucane, RAF fighter pilot, youngest Wing Commander in RAF history, killed in action.
10 September – Patrick Stone, Member of the Western Australian Legislative Assembly.
12 September – Patrick R. Chalmers, writer on field sports and poet.
30 September – Jack Finlay, Laois hurler and TD.
6 November – Éamon a Búrc, tailor and seanchaí.
23 November – Peadar Kearney, Irish Republican and songwriter, writer of the lyrics to The Soldier's Song.