January in Irish history, day by day
75 entries across 31 days of January, picked by hand: the turning points, the culture, the sport and the people Ireland remembers, each linked to the full story.
1st January
- 1973Ireland joined the European Economic Community, now the European Union, on the same day as the United Kingdom and Denmark. Wikipedia
- 1801The Act of Union came into force, joining Ireland and Great Britain as the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, governed from Westminster. Wikipedia
- 1892Annie Moore, a teenager from County Cork, became the first immigrant to pass through the new Ellis Island station in New York. Wikipedia
- 19262RN, the first radio station in the Irish Free State and the forerunner of RTÉ Radio, began broadcasting from Dublin. Wikipedia
- 2002Euro notes and coins went into circulation in Ireland, and the Irish pound, the punt, began to be withdrawn. Wikipedia
2nd January
- 1979The temperature at Lullymore, County Kildare, fell to minus 18.8°C, the lowest reading recorded in Ireland in the twentieth century. Wikipedia
3rd January
4th January
- 1986Died: Phil Lynott, singer, bassist and songwriter who co-founded Thin Lizzy Wikipedia
- 1969A People's Democracy civil rights march from Belfast to Derry was attacked by loyalists at Burntollet Bridge, an early flashpoint of the Troubles. Wikipedia
- 2025Bono of U2 was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian honour in the United States, by President Joe Biden. Wikipedia
5th January
- 1922Died: Ernest Shackleton, Antarctic explorer born in Kilkea, County Kildare, who led three British expeditions to the Antarctic Wikipedia
- 1973The Fifth Amendment was signed into law, removing the Constitution's reference to the special position of the Catholic Church and other named churches. Wikipedia
- 1976Ten Protestant workmen were killed by republican gunmen at Kingsmill in south County Armagh, one of the deadliest attacks of the Troubles. Wikipedia
- 1976Died: John A. Costello, Taoiseach whose government took Ireland out of the Commonwealth as a republic Wikipedia
6th January
- 1839The Night of the Big Wind, a powerful windstorm, swept across Ireland and damaged or destroyed up to a quarter of the houses in north Dublin. Wikipedia
- 1818The General Post Office opened for business on Sackville Street, now O'Connell Street, in Dublin; it later served as headquarters of the 1916 Rising. Wikipedia
7th January
8th January
- 1979The French oil tanker Betelgeuse exploded at the Whiddy Island oil terminal in Bantry Bay, County Cork, killing 50 people. Wikipedia
- 1910Éamon de Valera married Sinéad Flanagan, who had taught him Irish at the Gaelic League in Dublin. Wikipedia
- 1968Taoiseach Jack Lynch and Northern Ireland Prime Minister Terence O'Neill met in Dublin, continuing the thaw in North-South relations. Wikipedia
9th January
10th January
- 1922Arthur Griffith, founder of Sinn Féin and leader of the Treaty delegation, was elected President of Dáil Éireann in place of Éamon de Valera. Wikipedia
11th January
- 1970Sinn Féin split in two at its ard fheis in Dublin over taking seats in parliament, giving rise to Provisional and Official Sinn Féin. Wikipedia
12th January
13th January
- 1941Died: James Joyce, novelist and author of Ulysses and Dubliners, in Zurich Wikipedia
- 1910Deirdre of the Sorrows, J. M. Synge's last play, completed after his death by W. B. Yeats and Molly Allgood, was first staged at the Abbey Theatre. Wikipedia
- 1847Young Ireland members who had left Daniel O'Connell's Repeal Association founded the Irish Confederation at the Rotunda in Dublin. Wikipedia
14th January
- 1965Taoiseach Seán Lemass travelled to Belfast in secret to meet Northern Ireland Prime Minister Terence O'Neill at Stormont, a landmark thaw between North and South. Wikipedia
- 1922Members elected for Southern Ireland met at the Mansion House in Dublin, ratified the Treaty and chose a Provisional Government led by Michael Collins. Wikipedia
15th January
16th January
17th January
- 1775The Rivals, the first play by Dublin-born Richard Brinsley Sheridan, opened at Covent Garden in London and introduced the world to Mrs Malaprop. Wikipedia
- 1860Born: Douglas Hyde, Irish language scholar and the first President of Ireland Wikipedia
- 1649The Second Ormonde Peace joined Irish Royalists and Confederates in one alliance, months before Cromwell's army landed in Ireland. Wikipedia
18th January
- 1978The European Court of Human Rights ruled in Ireland v United Kingdom that the treatment of internees in Northern Ireland was inhuman and degrading. Wikipedia
- 1937Born: John Hume, Derry-born leader of the SDLP and Nobel Peace Prize winner Wikipedia
- 2015Minister for Health Leo Varadkar spoke publicly about being gay for the first time, in an RTÉ Radio interview on his 36th birthday. Wikipedia
19th January
- 1785Richard Crosbie became the first Irishman to fly, travelling by balloon from Ranelagh to Clontarf in Dublin. Wikipedia
20th January
21st January
- 1919The First Dáil met in the Mansion House in Dublin and declared Ireland's independence. Wikipedia
- 1919Irish Volunteers ambushed a Royal Irish Constabulary escort at Soloheadbeg in County Tipperary, often seen as the start of the War of Independence. Wikipedia
- 2003The eight stainless steel sections of the Spire were raised into place on O'Connell Street in Dublin. Wikipedia
- 1981DeLorean announced the first production model of its gull-winged sports car, built at Dunmurry near Belfast and later famous in Back to the Future. Wikipedia
- 1979Born: Brian O'Driscoll, Leinster centre and Ireland rugby captain from 2003 to 2012 Wikipedia
22nd January
23rd January
24th January
- 2025Storm Éowyn, the most severe storm to hit Ireland since 1961, brought a national record wind gust of 183 km/h at Mace Head in Connemara. Wikipedia
25th January
26th January
- 1907The first night of J. M. Synge's The Playboy of the Western World at the Abbey Theatre in Dublin led to riots and protests. Wikipedia
- 1942The first American division sent to Europe in the Second World War arrived at Belfast. Wikipedia
- 1904Born: Seán MacBride, Minister for External Affairs and winner of the 1974 Nobel Peace Prize Wikipedia
27th January
- 1982Garret FitzGerald's coalition government fell when the Dáil rejected John Bruton's budget, leading to a general election. Wikipedia
- 1988Ireland's internet country code, .ie, was registered. Wikipedia
- 1944Born: Mairead Maguire, Belfast peace campaigner and joint winner of the 1976 Nobel Peace Prize Wikipedia
28th January
- 1939Died: W. B. Yeats, poet, playwright and Nobel laureate, who died in the south of France Wikipedia
- 1866The railway reached Westport in County Mayo, with the opening of Westport Town station. Wikipedia
- 2007The Dublin Port Tunnel opened to all traffic, after a month carrying only heavy goods vehicles. Wikipedia
29th January
- 1932The Dáil was dissolved for the 1932 general election, which brought the first change of government in the Free State and Fianna Fáil to power. Wikipedia
30th January
- 1972On Bloody Sunday, British soldiers shot 26 unarmed civilians at a civil rights march in the Bogside in Derry, and 14 of them died. Wikipedia
- 1820Cork-born naval officer Edward Bransfield sighted the Trinity Peninsula, the northernmost point of the Antarctic mainland. Wikipedia
- 1984Died: Luke Kelly, Dublin folk singer with The Dubliners Wikipedia
- 1947Died: James Larkin, trade union leader who led Dublin workers through the 1913 Lockout Wikipedia
31st January
- 1953The ferry MV Princess Victoria sank in a storm in the North Channel on its way from Stranraer to Larne, with the loss of 135 lives. Wikipedia
- 2016Died: Terry Wogan, Limerick-born broadcaster and one of the best-known voices on the BBC Wikipedia
- 1922Iris Oifigiúil, the official gazette of the new Irish state, replaced The Dublin Gazette. Wikipedia