1944 in Ireland

Events from the year 1944 in Ireland.

Incumbents

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 Final

Golf

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 (Spanish Civil War) and sports administrator.
1 December – Charlie Kerins, Chief of Staff of the IRA, convicted of murder of Garda Síochána officer and hanged.