1960 in Ireland

Incumbents

• President: Éamon de Valera
• Taoiseach: Seán Lemass
• Tánaiste: Seán MacEntee
• Minister for Finance: James Ryan
• Chief Justice: Conor Maguire
• Dáil: 16th
• Seanad: 9th

  Events

January

• 13 January – The Broadcasting Authority Bill proposed to establish a national television service.
• 16 January – The last regular ship on the Cork–Glasgow crossing sailed, ending a 103-year-old service.

  February

• 3 February – Frederick Henry Boland received the support of the United States for the presidency of the General Assembly of the United Nations.
• 17 February – The Television Bill passed its final stage in Seanad Éireann.
• 26 February – Alitalia Flight 618: An airliner flying to New York crashed into a cemetery shortly after takeoff from Shannon Airport, killing 34 of the 52 people on board.

  March

• 8 March – MV Plassy was wrecked off the coast of Inisheer in the Aran Islands.

  April

• 23 April – The first canoe race took place along the River Liffey in Dublin from Grattan Bridge to Butt Bridge.

  May

• 27 May – The last barge on the Grand Canal left Dublin carrying Guinness stout to Limerick, ending a 156-year-old service.

  June

• 1 June – Radio Éireann was transferred from direct control of the Minister for Posts and Telegraphs to a separate public authority.

  November

• 8 November – Nine Irish Army soldiers serving with the United Nations were killed in the Congo.
• 22 November – Funerals took place for the soldiers killed in the Congo.

  Arts and literature

• 5 February – The film, Mise Éire, by George Morrison with music by Seán Ó Riada, had its Dublin première at the Regal Cinema following a 27 January première at Gweedore in County Donegal, the first feature-length Irish language film on general release.
• 13 February–March – Orson Welles appeared for the last time in a stage production, his adaptation Chimes at Midnight with the Gate Theatre Company, opening at the Grand Opera House in Belfast, and transferring to the Gaiety Theatre in Dublin.
• 23 August – Samuel Beckett's play The Old Tune was first broadcast by the BBC.
• Patrick Kavanagh's poetry collection, Come Dance with Kitty Stobling, was published.
• Edna O'Brien's novel The Country Girls was published; it was banned in Ireland by the Censorship of Publications Board.
• Eoghan Ó Tuairisc's novel Murder in Three Moves was published.

  Sports

Association football

• Shelbourne F.C. won the FAI Cup.

  Births

• 6 January – Miriam O'Callaghan, broadcaster.
• 10 January – Brian Cowen, Taoiseach.
• 13 March – Adam Clayton, bass player for U2.
• 13 March – Paul Colton, Church of Ireland Bishop of Cork.
• 1 April – Séamus McElwaine, Provisional Irish Republican Army member.
• 14 April – Liam Buckley, association football player and manager.
• 23 April – Declan Lowney, television and film director.
• 29 April – Seán O'Connor, businessman, member of the Seanad in 1982.
• 10 May – Bono, lead singer with U2.
• 14 May – Ronan Tynan, tenor.
• 23 May – Christy Dignam, lead singer with Aslan.
• 24 May – Packie Bonner, association football goalkeeper for Glasgow Celtic.
• 11 June – Dave Henderson, association football player.
• 28 June – Paul Dean, rugby player.
• 1 July – Trevor Sargent, Teachta Dála representing Dublin North and leader of the Green Party.
• 4 July – Phil Hogan, Fine Gael party TD for Carlow–Kilkenny.
• 23 July – Gabrielle Reidy, actress.
• 1 August – Micheál Martin, Taoiseach.
• 10 August – Alan Campbell, association football player.
• September – Maurice Seezer, musician.
• 14 October – Seán Power, Fianna Fáil TD for Kildare South and Minister of State.
• 17 October – Bernadette Nolan, singer and actress.
• 25 November – Mick Neville, association football player and coach.
• 25 December – Tonie Walsh, gay rights activist, journalist and disc jockey.

Deaths

• 21 January – Matt Moore, film actor.
• 13 February – Seán McLoughlin, nationalist and communist activist.
• 26 February – Amby Power, Clare hurler.
• 12 May – Augustine Kelly, cricketer.
• 13 June – Ken McArthur, winner of the marathon race at the 1912 Summer Olympics for South Africa.
• 7 July – Francis Browne, Jesuit priest and photographer.
• 20 July – Galbraith Lowry-Corry, 7th Earl Belmore, soldier and Deputy Lieutenant for County Fermanagh.
• 27 July – Ethel Lilian Voynich, novelist and musician.
• 23 September – Henry Barniville, member of the Seanad from 1922 to 1960 representing the National University of Ireland.
• 6 October – Hubert de Burgh, cricketer.
• 23 October – Seumas MacManus, writer.
• 25 October – Harry Ferguson, early aviator and developer of the modern agricultural tractor.
• 14 December – Michael J. Stack, U.S. Representative from Pennsylvania.
• Undated – Annie O'Hanlon, last known speaker of the Leinster dialect of the Irish language.