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April in Irish history, day by day

45 entries across 30 days of April, picked by hand: the turning points, the culture, the sport and the people Ireland remembers, each linked to the full story.

1st April

1919Éamon de Valera was elected President of Dáil Éireann, leading the revolutionary government during the War of Independence. Wikipedia

2nd April

1912The Titanic, built at Harland and Wolff, left Belfast for her sea trials on Belfast Lough before sailing to Southampton. Wikipedia
1987Born: Shane Lowry, Offaly golfer who won the Open Championship at Royal Portrush in 2019 Wikipedia

3rd April

2025Died: Mick O'Dwyer, Waterville footballer and manager who led Kerry to eight All-Ireland titles Wikipedia

4th April

1774Died: Oliver Goldsmith, Longford-born writer of She Stoops to Conquer and The Vicar of Wakefield Wikipedia

5th April

1975L'Escargot, trained in Ireland by Dan Moore, won the Grand National at Aintree, beating Red Rum. Wikipedia
2003Monty's Pass, trained in County Cork by Jimmy Mangan, won the Grand National at Aintree. Wikipedia

6th April

1926Born: Ian Paisley, founder of the Democratic Unionist Party and later First Minister of Northern Ireland Wikipedia

7th April

1926Violet Gibson, a Dublin-born woman, shot and wounded the Italian dictator Benito Mussolini in Rome. Wikipedia

8th April

1886Prime Minister William Gladstone introduced the first Home Rule Bill at Westminster, proposing a parliament in Dublin. It was defeated in June. Wikipedia

9th April

1981Bobby Sands, on hunger strike in the Maze Prison, was elected MP for Fermanagh and South Tyrone in a by-election. Wikipedia

10th April

1998The Good Friday Agreement was signed in Belfast, setting up power sharing in Northern Ireland. Voters North and South backed it in May. Wikipedia
1912The Belfast-built Titanic set sail from Southampton on her maiden voyage to New York. Wikipedia

11th April

1912The Titanic made her last call at Queenstown, now Cobh, taking on 123 passengers, most of them Irish emigrants. Wikipedia

12th April

2008Died: Patrick Hillery, sixth President of Ireland, who signed the country's entry to the EEC Wikipedia
1994Born: Saoirse Ronan, actor raised in Carlow and four times Oscar-nominated Wikipedia

13th April

1742Handel's Messiah was performed for the first time, at the Great Music Hall on Fishamble Street in Dublin. Wikipedia
1906Born: Samuel Beckett, Dublin-born writer of Waiting for Godot and Nobel laureate in 1969 Wikipedia

14th April

1912The Titanic struck an iceberg in the North Atlantic shortly before midnight. Wikipedia

15th April

1912The Titanic sank in the early hours with the loss of more than 1,500 lives, including many Irish emigrants who boarded at Queenstown. Wikipedia
1941German bombers attacked Belfast in the heaviest raid of the Belfast Blitz. Fire crews from Dublin and other towns in the South crossed the border to help. Wikipedia

16th April

1871Born: J. M. Synge, Dublin-born playwright of The Playboy of the Western World Wikipedia

17th April

1876The American whaler Catalpa carried six Fenian prisoners to freedom from Fremantle in Western Australia. Wikipedia
1969Bernadette Devlin, aged 21, won the Mid Ulster by-election and became the youngest woman elected to Westminster. Wikipedia

18th April

1949The Republic of Ireland Act came into force on Easter Monday, and Ireland left the Commonwealth as a republic. Wikipedia
1941Born: Michael D. Higgins, Galway poet and politician, ninth President of Ireland Wikipedia

19th April

1980Johnny Logan won the Eurovision Song Contest in The Hague with What's Another Year, Ireland's second win. Wikipedia
1608Sir Cahir O'Doherty began his rebellion by attacking and burning Derry. Wikipedia

20th April

1912Died: Bram Stoker, Clontarf-born author of Dracula Wikipedia

21st April

1916Roger Casement landed from a German submarine at Banna Strand in Kerry and was arrested within hours. Wikipedia

22nd April

1916Eoin MacNeill issued an order cancelling the Volunteers' manoeuvres for Easter Sunday, which delayed the Rising by a day. Wikipedia
1916The arms ship Aud was scuttled off Cork Harbour by her German crew after being stopped by the Royal Navy. Wikipedia

23rd April

1014Brian Boru's army defeated a Norse and Leinster force at the Battle of Clontarf, but the High King was killed. Wikipedia

24th April

1916The Easter Rising began in Dublin. Patrick Pearse read the Proclamation of the Irish Republic outside the GPO. Wikipedia
1916The Proclamation, signed by seven leaders, promised equal rights and opportunities to all citizens. Wikipedia

25th April

1938Ireland and Britain signed the Anglo-Irish Trade Agreement, ending the Economic War and agreeing to hand the Treaty Ports back to Irish control. Wikipedia
1915The Royal Dublin Fusiliers and Royal Munster Fusiliers suffered heavy losses landing at V Beach on the first day of the Gallipoli campaign. Wikipedia

26th April

1916A small group of Volunteers held up British reinforcements at Mount Street Bridge, one of the hardest fights of the Rising. Wikipedia

27th April

1880The Royal University of Ireland was founded by charter, opening degrees to Catholic students and leading in time to University College Dublin. Wikipedia
1953Died: Maud Gonne, revolutionary, actress and the woman who inspired many of W. B. Yeats's poems Wikipedia

28th April

1992Died: Francis Bacon, Dublin-born painter whose studio was rebuilt in the Hugh Lane Gallery Wikipedia
1859The emigrant ship Pomona was wrecked off the Wexford coast on her way from Liverpool to New York. Wikipedia

29th April

1916Patrick Pearse surrendered unconditionally to end the Easter Rising after six days of fighting in Dublin. Wikipedia

30th April

1994Riverdance was first seen as the interval act of the Eurovision Song Contest at the Point Theatre in Dublin. Wikipedia
1994Paul Harrington and Charlie McGettigan won the Eurovision with Rock 'n' Roll Kids, Ireland's third win in a row. Wikipedia