1944 in Ireland
Events from the year 1944 in Ireland.
Incumbents
- President: Douglas Hyde
- Taoiseach: Éamon de Valera
- Tánaiste: Seán T. O'Kelly
- Minister for Finance: Seán T. O'Kelly
- Chief Justice: Timothy Sullivan
- Dáil:
- * 11th
- * 12th
- Seanad:
- * 4th
- * 5th
Events
January
- 26 January – W. T. Cosgrave officially resigned as leader of the Fine Gael party.
March
- 10 March – The United States alleged that Ireland's neutrality was operating in favour of the Axis powers during World WarII.
- 13 March – Winston Churchill banned travel and communication between Britain and Ireland, north and south.
- 22 March – The Cymric was lost between Ardrossan and Lisbon: 11 dead.
- 30 March – The first Dunnes Stores opened.
June
- 1 June – General election: The ruling Fianna Fáil party under Éamon de Valera gained a majority of 14 seats over all other parties. The 12th Dáil assembled on 9June.
- 3 June – Maureen Flavin recorded weather conditions at Blacksod Lighthouse, County Mayo indicating an approaching storm, which led to the 24-hour postponement of the Allied D-Day landings from 5June to 6June. The United States House of Representatives honoured Sweeney in 2021 with a medal and proclamation for her vital role in World War II.
- 7 June – The Minister for Supplies, Seán Lemass, announced further rationing of electricity.
July
- 21 July – The Irish Fir reported a 'near miss' torpedo attack in the North Atlantic.
August
- 22 August – Men from counties Tyrone and Fermanagh formed an Anti-Partition League in Dublin.
November
- 29 November – The Chief Genealogical Officer issued County Dublin with a coat of arms, the first county to receive such a distinction.
Undated
- Dr. John Dignan, Roman Catholic Bishop of Clonfert, published Social Security: Outlines of a Scheme of National Health Insurance.
- Dr. James Deeny was appointed chief medical officer.
Arts and literature
- January – The White Stag group staged an exhibition of Subjective Art in Dublin.
- 28 August – Joseph Tomelty's play The End House premièred at the Abbey Theatre, Dublin.
- John M. Feehan founded the Cork-based publishing house Mercier Press.
- John Lynch's De praesulibus Hiberniae was first published, in Dublin.
- Frank O'Connor's short story collection Crab Apple Jelly was published.
Sport
Association football
;League of Ireland;FAI Cup
Gaelic football
;All Ireland FinalGolf
- The Irish Open was not played due to The Emergency.
Births
- 2 January – Martin Drennan, bishop of the Diocese of Galway and Kilmacduagh.
- 5 January
- * Ivan Cooper, co-founder of the Social Democratic and Labour Party .
- * Edward Haughey, Baron Ballyedmond, businessman and senator.
- * Louis Stewart, jazz guitarist
- 7 January – Joe McGowan, historian, folklorist and author.
- 8 February – Brian Farrell, bishop in the Roman Curia.
- 22 February – Richard Higgins, Roman Catholic Titular Bishop of the Casae Calanae and an Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA.
- 10 April – Leo O'Reilly, Bishop of Kilmore.
- 8 May – Paddy O'Hanlon, barrister and SDLP politician.
- 21 May
- * Gerry Murphy, association football coach.
- * Mary Robinson, first female President of Ireland, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights.
- 24 May
- * Ruth Dudley Edwards, historian.
- * Raymond Field, Roman Catholic auxiliary bishop in the Archdiocese of Dublin.
- 25 May – Tom Munnelly, folk-song collector.
- 27 May – Hugh Lambert, journalist and editor.
- 30 May – Liam Naughten, Fine Gael party politician, Cathaoirleach of Seanad Éireann from 1995 until his death in 1996.
- 1 June
- * Paul Coghlan, Fine Gael Senator.
- * Seymour Crawford, Fine Gael Teachta Dála for Cavan–Monaghan.
- 5 June – Colm Wilkinson, singer and actor.
- 6 June – Paul Connaughton Snr, Fine Gael TD for Galway East.
- 29 June – Seán Doherty, Fianna Fáil party TD and cabinet minister.
- 3 July – Tim O'Malley, Progressive Democrats party TD.
- 17 July – Vincent Browne, journalist, broadcaster.
- 31 July – David Norris, member of the Seanad representing Dublin University, founder of Campaign for Homosexual Law Reform.
- 3 August – Pearse Lyons, biochemist and businessman.
- 7 August – Brendan McWilliams, meteorologist and science writer.
- 9 August – Seán Barrett, Fine Gael TD, cabinet minister and Ceann Comhairle of Dáil Éireann.
- 17 August – Peter Kelly, Fianna Fáil TD for Longford–Roscommon, later Longford–Westmeath.
- 1 September
- * Pat Upton, Labour Party TD.
- * Eamonn Walsh, Auxiliary Bishop of Dublin.
- 9 September – Bernard Allen, Fine Gael TD for Cork North-Central.
- 24 September – Eavan Boland, poet.
- 1 October – Emmet Stagg, Labour Party TD for Kildare North.
- 16 October – Paul Durcan, poet.
- 19 October – Liam Lawlor, Fianna Fáil politician, resigned following a finding that he had failed to co-operate with a planning irregularities investigation.
- 30 November – John Boland, senior Fine Gael politician.
- 22 December – Patrick Nee, mobster and author in the United States.
- 23 December – Christina Noble, children's rights campaigner
- 28 December – Noel Ahern, Fianna Fáil TD for Dublin North-West and Minister of State at the Department of Finance with special responsibility for the Office of Public Works.
- ;Full date unknown
Deaths
- 16 February – Mainie Jellett, abstract painter.
- 19 February – J. J. "Ginger" O'Connell, officer in the Irish Volunteers and Irish Defence Forces.
- 15 March – Thomas Byrne, recipient of the Victoria Cross for gallantry in 1898 at the Battle of Omdurman, Sudan.
- 25 April – Tony Mullane, Major League Baseball player.
- 12 May – Edel Quinn, lay missionary.
- 10 June – Frank Ryan, member of the Irish Republican Army, editor of An Phoblacht, leftist activist and leader of Irish volunteers on the Republican side in the Spanish Civil War.
- August – Noble Huston, Presbyterian minister and dog breeder.
- 19 September – David Lord, Royal Air Force pilot, posthumous recipient of the Victoria Cross for gallantry at Arnhem.
- 6 November – Walter Guinness, 1st Baron Moyne, British politician and businessman, assassinated in Cairo by the Zionist group Lehi .
- 28 November – William Moore, Unionist member of parliament and Lord Chief Justice of Northern Ireland 1925–1937.
- 30 November – Eoin O'Duffy, leader in the Irish Republican Army, Garda Commissioner, first leader of Fine Gael and the Blueshirts, leader of the volunteer Francoist Irish Brigade and sports administrator.
- 1 December – Charlie Kerins, Chief of Staff of the IRA, convicted of murder of Garda Síochána officer and hanged.