2019 in Ireland


Events during the year 2019 in Ireland.

Incumbents

January

  • 1 January
  • * Abortion services became available in Ireland for the first time under the provisions of the Health Act 2018.
  • * Technological University Dublin was established by the amalgamation of the Dublin Institute of Technology, the Institute of Technology Tallaght, and the Institute of Technology Blanchardstown.
  • * Two fast-food workers were shot by a raider at Edenmore Shopping Centre in Coolock.
  • * Library fines were abolished to encourage library usage.
  • 2 January – New domestic violence legislation was enacted which included new crimes of coercive control.
  • 3 January – Contingency plans for a no-deal Brexit were discussed at the first Cabinet meeting of 2019.
  • 4 January – Former senator, James Heffernan, was found guilty of assaulting three gardaí after he was arrested outside the Indiependence Music Festival in August 2016.
  • 5 January – Figures from Eurostat showed that the Irish police-to-population ratio was less than the European average with 278 Garda officers per 100,000 of the population.
  • 6 January – Garda sources confirmed that a man named as having been captured in Syria by militias fighting against ISIS was a naturalised Irish citizen.
  • 7 January – A Garda investigation began after skeletal remains were found by a passerby in a ditch in the townland of Ballyandrew, County Wexford.
  • 9 January – The government offered protection to five unaccompanied child migrants who had been seeking refuge in Malta after being rescued from the Mediterranean Sea.
  • 10 January – A fire broke out at the Shannon Key West Hotel in Roosky which had been due to open as an accommodation centre for asylum seekers.
  • 12 January – One of the most senior figures in the Kinahan organised crime gang was arrested at Birmingham Airport in England in a joint operation between the Gardaí and the National Crime Agency.
  • 13 January – The Fianna Fáil party announced plans to reintroduce a bill to the Seanad which aimed to protect and give official recognition to the national anthem.
  • 15 January – The Supermac's fast food chain won its long-running court case against fast food giant McDonald's to have the use of the Big Mac trademark cancelled.
  • 16 January – The minister for finance, Paschal Donohoe, ordered a new economic assessment for the country after a parliamentary defeat for the British government's Brexit withdrawal agreement.
  • 17 January
  • * Aer Lingus unveiled the new brand livery for its aircraft which included a new shamrock logo, a new typeface, and teal as the main colour on the undercarriage, tail, and engines of its planes.
  • * Dáil Éireann was told that a woman carrying a baby diagnosed with a fatal foetal abnormality was not granted a termination at the Coombe Hospital in Dublin.
  • * A 22-year-old man died after being shot in the head and chest in a car park outside a gym in Swords in Dublin.
  • 19 January – Hundreds of young people attended a protest at the parliament building, Leinster House, calling on the Government to do more to tackle climate change.
  • 20 January – A commemoration was held to mark the hundredth anniversary of the Soloheadbeg Ambush, which started the War of Independence.
  • 21 January – The centenary of the First Dáil was commemorated with a joint sitting of the Dáil and Seanad in the round room of the Mansion House in Dublin.
  • 22 January – European Commission spokesman Margaritis Schinas said Ireland would see a new "hard border" if the UK failed to approve a Brexit withdrawal deal.
  • 23 January – Gardaí seized almost €1million worth of cannabis in Drogheda.
  • 24 January – The government published legislation that would underpin Ireland's plan to deal with a no-deal Brexit.
  • 25 January – The taoiseach, Leo Varadkar, warned of the prospect of "a police presence, or an army presence" at the Irish border in a worst-case Brexit.
  • 26 January – Up to 1,500 people attended a protest on the old Dublin Road near Carrickcaron, County Louth to demonstrate against a hard Brexit.
  • 28 January – Former Sinn Féin party teachta dála, Peadar Tóibín, launched a new political party called Aontú.
  • 29 January – The Cabinet agreed to hold a referendum which, if passed, would delete a constitutional clause requiring a mandatory period of separation before divorce.
  • 30 January – Hospital and community care services were severely disrupted by the first 24-hour nurses' strike in 20 years.

    February

  • 1 February – Skeletal remains and a ring fort, believed to date back to the Bronze Age, were discovered on land where former Taoiseach Liam Cosgrave lived in Dublin.
  • 2 February – The chairman of the National Children's Hospital Development board Tom Costello resigned following the controversy over the spiralling costs of the project.
  • 4 February – The Central Bank announced that €674m was paid by banks in redress, compensation and costs to customers caught up in the tracker mortgage controversy.
  • 5 February – Nearly 40,000 nurses and midwives undertook a second day of strike action in an ongoing dispute over pay and retention issues.
  • 6 February – European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker said Ireland will not be left alone and the EU is ready to assist Ireland in the event of a no-deal Brexit.
  • 7 February – More than 35,000 nurses took to the picket line for the third time in nine days causing widespread chaos in hospitals and in the community.
  • 8 February
  • *A 39-year-old man died after being shot a number of times after leaving his home for work in Darndale.
  • *The Taoiseach met each of the five main Stormont parties in Belfast before hosting discussions with British Prime Minister Theresa May at Farmleigh.
  • 9 February
  • *Jón Jónsson disappeared shortly after arriving in Dublin from Iceland.
  • *Tens of thousands of people took part in a rally in support of nurses and midwives who are involved in a dispute over pay and staffing levels.
  • *The SDLP voted by more than two to one to back a new partnership with Fianna Fáil.
  • 10 February
  • *The Health Minister Simon Harris and his family were trapped in their home in Greystones where up to 20 people arrived outside, claiming to be "against austerity".
  • *It was later announced that Harris will apologise to the Dáil over information he provided on the cost of the new National Children's Hospital.
  • 11 February
  • *President Higgins began a three-day visit to England, during which he is expected to call for ties between Ireland and the UK to remain strong after Brexit.
  • *After discussions at the Labour Court, the INMO and the Psychiatric Nurses Association suspended their proposed three days of industrial action.
  • 12 February – Health Minister Simon Harris apologised to the Dáil for not answering questions on the cost of the National Children's Hospital "more fully" last September.
  • 13 February
  • *Former Taoiseach Bertie Ahern gave evidence to the Committee for Exiting the European Union in Westminster.
  • *The Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation recommended acceptance of the Labour Court recommendations aimed at resolving their dispute over pay and conditions.
  • 14 February – A woman in her early 70s died following a collision with a Luas tram in Tallaght.
  • 15 February – The fifth plenary session of the All-Island Civic Dialogue on Brexit took place at Dublin Castle.
  • 16 February – A controlled explosion was carried out on a hand grenade believed to date from the War of Independence in Lahinch, County Clare.
  • 17 February – Ten members of the 'Fingal Battalion' group protested outside the home of Richard Bruton, the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment.
  • 18 February – An investigation got under way after a medical centre on the outskirts of Longford town was daubed with anti-abortion graffiti overnight.
  • 19 February – An Irish ticket holder won the EuroMillions jackpot worth €175,475,380.
  • 20 February – A Sinn Féin-tabled no confidence motion in Health Minister Simon Harris was defeated in a Dáil vote by 58 votes to 53 with 40 abstentions.
  • 21 February – All operations at Dublin Airport were suspended for 30 minutes after a pilot spotted a drone over the airfield.
  • 22 February – Tánaiste Simon Coveney launched emergency measures to protect Ireland in the event of a "lose, lose, lose" no-deal Brexit.
  • 23 February – At the 79th Fianna Fáil Ardfheis, party leader Micheál Martin said that the national interest demanded a general election be avoided because of Brexit.
  • 24 February – The Taoisaech attended the inaugural EU-Arab League summit in Sharm El Sheikh.
  • 25 February – A search began for the missing head of an 800-year-old Crusader after vandals broke into St. Michan's Church and decapitated his mummified remains.
  • 26 February – The Government announced that was to make up to €428 million available to prepare the country for Brexit this year.
  • 27 February – Newly released figures revealed that a record number of 9,987 people were homeless in January, including 3,624 children.
  • 28 February
  • *A 30-year-old Italian man was jailed for years for the assault of Liverpool fan Seán Cox outside Anfield last April.
  • *A security alert was sparked at the Leinster House complex when Fine Gael TD Noel Rock was followed inside and confronted by a protester.

    March

  • 1 March – Businessman Denis O'Brien lost his High Court action alleging he was defamed in articles published in the Sunday Business Post.
  • 2 March – A protest took place outside Dublin's GPO following a rise in the number of assaults and cases of racial abuse on foreign nationals.
  • 3 March – Ulster Council delegate Jarlath Burns said the GAA should not remain neutral if there is to be a referendum on Irish unity after Brexit.
  • 4 March – The Department of Health was evacuated after a package containing white powder, later revealed to be baking soda, was sent to Health Minister Simon Harris.
  • 5 March – Gardaí began helping an investigation by London Metropolitan Police after three explosive devices, posted in Dublin, were sent to key transport hubs in London.
  • 6 March – Transport Minister Shane Ross apologised after referring to Sinn Féin's transport spokeswoman Imelda Munster as a "donkey".
  • 7 March – Aer Lingus confirmed that its female cabin crew will no longer be required to wear make-up or skirts as part of new uniform rules.
  • 8 March – A former female member of the Irish Defence Forces was detained in Syria over alleged membership of ISIS.
  • 9 March – Controlled drugs with an estimated street value of €865,000 were seized by Gardaí in County Meath.
  • 10 March – 39-year-old Micheál Ryan was among the 157 people who were on board an Ethiopian Airlines flight which crashed while en route from Addis Ababa to Nairobi.
  • 11 March – MMA fighter Conor McGregor was arrested and charged with robbery and criminal damage in Miami after allegedly smashing a fan's phone.
  • 12 March – The Irish Aviation Authority suspended the operation of all Boeing 737 MAX aircraft into and out of Irish airspace after two recent accidents involving the aircraft elsewhere in the world.
  • 13 March – New research revealed that Dublin entered the top five most expensive locations in Europe for rental accommodation for the first time.
  • 14 March
  • *Northern Ireland's Public Prosecution Service decided that one former British Army soldier is to be charged with the murder of civilians on Bloody Sunday in January 1972.
  • *The Taoiseach met with the US President Donald Trump at the White House where Mr Trump said he was planning to visit Ireland in the year.
  • 15 March – Thousands of students took part in school strikes and demonstrations around the country in protest at what they said was Government inaction on climate change.
  • 16 March – At least eight people were taken to hospital following a collision between a Luas tram and a double-decker bus at Queen Street in Smithfield, Dublin.
  • 17 March
  • *Hundreds of thousands of people attended more than 100 parades and festivities in cities, towns and villages across the country to mark St. Patrick's Day.
  • *Three teenagers are crushed to death at a St Patrick's Day disco party in a hotel in Cookstown, County Tyrone.
  • 18 March – The FAI reiterated that the €100,000 bridging loan they received from chief executive John Delaney "was made in the best interests" of the association.
  • 19 March
  • *The Taoiseach met with EU Council President Donald Tusk in Dublin ahead of Thursday's EU Council summit regarding the Brexit negotiations.
  • *It was announced that Joe Murphy, a hunger striker who died in 1920, was to receive a posthumous service medal in recognition of his role in the fight for independence.
  • 20 March – The Cabinet approved a number of issues regarding the introduction of directly elected mayors in Cork, Limerick and Waterford.
  • 21 March – The Department of Justice confirmed that a plan to provide an accommodation centre for asylum seekers at a disused hotel in Rooskey will not now go ahead.
  • 22 March – The Army's Bomb Squad made safe the viable improvised explosive device recovered from a Limerick An Post office.
  • 23 March – Eric Eoin Marques was extradited to the United States over allegations that he conspired to distribute and advertise child abuse images on the dark web.
  • 25 March – A young mother died after a freak accident at Cork University Maternity Hospital. Her newborn baby died from injuries almost 36 hours later.
  • 26 March – Average noise levels at Dublin Airport are to be kept below 45 decibels after TDs voted in favour of the restrictions.
  • 27 March – The Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government announced that the number of homeless people in emergency accommodation exceeded 10,000 for the first time.
  • 28 March – The Eurosceptic Irish Freedom Party launched a nationwide billboard campaign calling for the country to leave the European Union.
  • 29 March – A father who slapped his two-year-old daughter in a Cork supermarket, causing concerned witnesses to report him to Gardaí, was convicted and fined €700.
  • 30 March – Border Communities Against Brexit organised a number of mass demonstrations on the border to mark the day after Brexit had been due to take place.
  • 31 March – Minister of State Finian McGrath was criticised for suggesting Gardaí were involved in political policing and had an agenda implementing drink-driving laws.