February in Irish history, day by day
73 entries across 29 days of February, picked by hand: the turning points, the culture, the sport and the people Ireland remembers, each linked to the full story.
1st February
- 2009Rory McIlroy, aged 19, won his first professional title at the Dubai Desert Classic. Wikipedia
- 1996Martin McDonagh's The Beauty Queen of Leenane had its world premiere at the Town Hall Theatre in Galway, staged by Druid Theatre Company. Wikipedia
- 1814The Belfast Academical Institution, known today as 'Inst', formally opened, with the United Irishman William Drennan giving the opening address. Wikipedia
- 1878Born: Thomas MacDonagh, poet, playwright and one of the seven signatories of the 1916 Proclamation Wikipedia
2nd February
- 1922James Joyce's Ulysses was first published in full in Paris by Sylvia Beach, on the author's 40th birthday. Wikipedia
- 1882Born: James Joyce, author of Dubliners and Ulysses, in Rathgar, Dublin Wikipedia
- 1880Charles Stewart Parnell addressed the United States House of Representatives on the state of Ireland during his tour of America. Wikipedia
- 1972The British Embassy on Merrion Square in Dublin was burned out during mass protests over Bloody Sunday in Derry three days earlier. Wikipedia
3rd February
- 2024Michelle O'Neill of Sinn Féin became First Minister of Northern Ireland, the first nationalist to hold the post, as Stormont's power-sharing Executive was restored. Wikipedia
- 1917Count George Noble Plunkett, father of the executed 1916 leader Joseph Plunkett, won the North Roscommon by-election, often seen as the first electoral breakthrough after the Rising. Wikipedia
- 2018Johnny Sexton's last-minute drop goal beat France 15-13 in Paris, the first step on Ireland's road to the 2018 Grand Slam. Wikipedia
4th February
5th February
- 2013The McAleese report on the Magdalene laundries was published, finding significant State involvement in sending women there; a State apology followed on 19th February. Wikipedia
6th February
- 2023Ireland marked its first St Brigid's Day public holiday, a new bank holiday on the first Monday of February to welcome the spring. Wikipedia
- 2024Died: John Bruton, Fine Gael leader and Taoiseach from 1994 to 1997 Wikipedia
- 1927Died: Sam Maguire, Cork-born republican and Gaelic footballer after whom the All-Ireland football trophy is named Wikipedia
7th February
- 2011The first civil partnership in Ireland, between two men, was registered at the Civil Registration Office in Dublin, four years before the marriage equality referendum. Wikipedia
- 2000The Chester Beatty Library opened in its new home in the grounds of Dublin Castle, later named European Museum of the Year. Wikipedia
8th February
- 1983The champion racehorse Shergar was stolen by an armed gang from the Ballymany Stud in County Kildare. Wikipedia
- 1926Seán O'Casey's The Plough and the Stars, set during the 1916 Rising, was first performed at the Abbey Theatre in Dublin. Wikipedia
- 2020Sinn Féin won the most first-preference votes in the general election, its best result since 1923. Wikipedia
- 2006U2 won five Grammy Awards in Los Angeles, including Album of the Year for How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb. Wikipedia
9th February
- 1923Born: Brendan Behan, Dublin playwright and writer of The Quare Fellow and Borstal Boy Wikipedia
- 1996The IRA ended its 17-month ceasefire with a large bomb at Canary Wharf in London's Docklands, which killed two people. Wikipedia
- 2005Prime Minister Tony Blair apologised to the Guildford Four and Maguire Seven, wrongly jailed for the 1974 IRA pub bombings in Guildford and Woolwich. Wikipedia
- 2020Galway-born Eímear Noone became the first woman to conduct the orchestra at the Oscars. Wikipedia
10th February
- 2018Mary Lou McDonald succeeded Gerry Adams as president of Sinn Féin, confirmed at a special Ard Fheis in Dublin. Wikipedia
11th February
- 2007Croke Park hosted rugby for the first time as Ireland played France in the Six Nations, after the GAA opened the stadium to 'foreign games'. Wikipedia
- 1992Albert Reynolds became Taoiseach after Charles Haughey stepped down. Wikipedia
- 2022The Irish-language film An Cailín Ciúin (The Quiet Girl) premiered at the Berlin Film Festival; it became the first Irish film nominated for the Best International Feature Oscar. Wikipedia
- 1784The Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland was founded by royal charter, later moving to its home on St Stephen's Green in Dublin. Wikipedia
12th February
- 1926Justice Minister Kevin O'Higgins set up the Committee on Evil Literature, the first step towards the censorship of books in the new state. Wikipedia
- 1989Belfast solicitor Pat Finucane was killed at his home by loyalist paramilitaries, a killing later found to have involved collusion by British security services. Wikipedia
- 1911Born: Cearbhall Ó Dálaigh, Chief Justice and President of Ireland from 1974 to 1976 Wikipedia
13th February
14th February
- 1981A fire at the Stardust nightclub in Artane, Dublin, claimed 48 young lives; in 2024 new inquests found all 48 were unlawfully killed. Wikipedia
- 1895Oscar Wilde's comedy The Importance of Being Earnest opened at the St James's Theatre in London. Wikipedia
- 2024Daniel Wiffen won the 800 metres freestyle at the World Aquatics Championships in Doha, a world title that came months before his Olympic gold in Paris. Wikipedia
15th February
- 1971Ireland and the United Kingdom switched to decimal money on Decimal Day, ending the old pounds, shillings and pence. Wikipedia
- 1875Ireland played its first rugby international, losing to England at the Oval in Kennington, London. Wikipedia
- 1874Born: Ernest Shackleton, Antarctic explorer, at Kilkea in County Kildare Wikipedia
- 1808The foundation stone of Nelson's Pillar was laid on Sackville Street, now O'Connell Street, where the Spire stands today. Wikipedia
16th February
17th February
- 1980A father and son found the Derrynaflan Hoard, an early Christian chalice and church vessels now in the National Museum, at an old monastic site near Killenaule, County Tipperary. Wikipedia
- 1922The Provisional Government issued Ireland's first stamps of its own, British stamps overprinted in Irish with "Rialtas Sealadach na hÉireann 1922". Wikipedia
- 1978An IRA bomb at the La Mon House hotel and restaurant near Comber, County Down, killed 12 people. Wikipedia
18th February
- 1948John A. Costello was elected Taoiseach at the head of the first inter-party government, ending 16 years of Fianna Fáil rule under Éamon de Valera. Wikipedia
- 1882Ireland played its first international football match, losing 13-0 to England in Belfast, the heaviest defeat of the all-Ireland team that played until 1950. Wikipedia
19th February
- 2013Taoiseach Enda Kenny gave a formal State apology to the women of the Magdalene laundries, describing the laundries as "the nation's shame". Wikipedia
- 1901Kerry MP Thomas O'Donnell began a speech in Irish in the House of Commons, the first time the language was used there, and was ruled out of order. Wikipedia
20th February
- 1982Ireland won rugby's Triple Crown for the first time since 1949, beating Scotland 21-12 at Lansdowne Road with every Irish point kicked by Ollie Campbell. Wikipedia
- 1914Nine of the Fethard lifeboat crew in County Wexford were lost going to the aid of a Norwegian schooner on the Keeragh Islands, and the village became Fethard-on-Sea. Wikipedia
21st February
- 1910Edward Carson became leader of the Irish Unionist Party at Westminster, and went on to lead unionist opposition to Home Rule. Wikipedia
- 1941The first RAF flying boats flew the Donegal Corridor, a strip of Irish airspace from Lough Erne to the Atlantic that neutral Ireland quietly let British aircraft use. Wikipedia
22nd February
- 1995The British and Irish governments published the Framework Documents, setting out proposals for north-south bodies and a new elected Assembly for Northern Ireland. Wikipedia
23rd February
- 2013Ireland's women won their first rugby Triple Crown, beating Scotland 30-3, on the way to the Grand Slam that March. Wikipedia
24th February
- 2007Ireland beat England 43-13 in rugby at Croke Park, a match heavy with history, where "God Save the Queen" was sung in peace and applauded by both sets of supporters. Wikipedia
- 1809Drury Lane Theatre in London, owned by Dublin-born playwright Richard Brinsley Sheridan, burned down; he watched with a glass of wine, saying a man may drink one by his own fireside. Wikipedia
25th February
- 2011A general election held during the economic crisis made Fine Gael the largest party for the first time and gave Fianna Fáil its worst result ever. Wikipedia
- 1904J. M. Synge's one-act tragedy Riders to the Sea, set on Inishmaan in the Aran Islands, was first performed at the Molesworth Hall in Dublin. Wikipedia
- 1952Born: Joey Dunlop, motorcycle road racer from County Antrim who won 26 races at the Isle of Man TT Wikipedia
26th February
- 1914Britannic, sister ship of the Titanic and at the time the largest ship ever built in Ireland, was launched at Harland and Wolff in Belfast. Wikipedia
- 1985Desmond O'Malley was expelled from Fianna Fáil after his "I stand by the Republic" speech on contraception law, and that December he founded the Progressive Democrats. Wikipedia
- 1962The IRA's Border Campaign along the border with Northern Ireland, begun in December 1956, came to an end. Wikipedia
27th February
28th February
- 1973Fine Gael and Labour's National Coalition won the general election, ending nearly 16 years of Fianna Fáil government, with Liam Cosgrave as Taoiseach. Wikipedia
- 1961Born: Barry McGuigan, the Clones Cyclone, boxer from County Monaghan who became world featherweight champion in 1985 Wikipedia
- 1985An IRA mortar attack on the RUC station in Newry, County Down, killed nine police officers, the highest death toll the RUC suffered in a single attack. Wikipedia
29th February
- 2020The first case of COVID-19 in the Republic of Ireland was confirmed, in Dublin, the start of the pandemic in the State. Wikipedia