March in Irish history, day by day
45 entries across 31 days of March, picked by hand: the turning points, the culture, the sport and the people Ireland remembers, each linked to the full story.
1st March
- 1981Bobby Sands began a hunger strike in the Maze Prison, the start of the 1981 protest that ended with ten men dead and drew attention around the world. Wikipedia
2nd March
3rd March
- 1592Queen Elizabeth I granted the charter that founded Trinity College Dublin, now Ireland's oldest university. Wikipedia
4th March
5th March
- 1867The Fenian Rising began, with risings in Dublin, Cork, Limerick and elsewhere that were quickly put down but kept the republican cause alive. Wikipedia
6th March
- 1988British soldiers shot dead three IRA members in Gibraltar, an event that led to further violence in Belfast in the days that followed. Wikipedia
7th March
- 1964Arkle beat Mill House to win his first Cheltenham Gold Cup, the start of a run that made him Ireland's most famous racehorse. Wikipedia
8th March
- 1966Nelson's Pillar on O'Connell Street in Dublin was destroyed by a bomb; the Spire now stands on the same spot. Wikipedia
9th March
- 1954Born: Bobby Sands, republican hunger striker elected MP while in prison Wikipedia
10th March
11th March
- 1878Lansdowne Road hosted its first international rugby match, Ireland against England, making it the oldest rugby Test venue in the world. Wikipedia
12th March
- 1689King James II landed at Kinsale with French support, starting the Williamite War that ended at the Boyne and Limerick. Wikipedia
13th March
- 1986Dawn Run won the Cheltenham Gold Cup, the only horse to win both the Champion Hurdle and the Gold Cup. Wikipedia
14th March
- 1996Imperial Call, trained in County Cork by Fergie Sutherland, won the Cheltenham Gold Cup. Wikipedia
15th March
16th March
- 1988Loyalist Michael Stone attacked an IRA funeral at Milltown Cemetery in Belfast with guns and grenades, killing three people and wounding more than sixty. Wikipedia
17th March
- 1762Irish soldiers in the British Army marched through New York on Saint Patrick's Day, the beginning of the city's famous parade. Wikipedia
- 2018Ireland beat England at Twickenham on Saint Patrick's Day to win the Grand Slam. Wikipedia
- 1990Born: Hozier, Wicklow singer and songwriter of Take Me to Church Wikipedia
18th March
- 2023Ireland beat England at the Aviva Stadium to win a Grand Slam in Dublin for the first time. Wikipedia
19th March
- 1921The IRA's West Cork brigade under Tom Barry fought its way out of an encirclement by British forces at Crossbarry, County Cork. Wikipedia
20th March
21st March
- 2009Ireland beat Wales in Cardiff to win the Grand Slam, their first since 1948. Wikipedia
- 1970Dana won the Eurovision Song Contest in Amsterdam with All Kinds of Everything, Ireland's first win. Wikipedia
- 2017Died: Martin McGuinness, republican leader and deputy First Minister of Northern Ireland Wikipedia
- 1978Died: Cearbhall Ó Dálaigh, fifth President of Ireland Wikipedia
22nd March
- 2012The Mahon Tribunal published its final report, the end of fifteen years of inquiry into payments to politicians over planning decisions in Dublin. Wikipedia
23rd March
24th March
25th March
- 1846Born: Michael Davitt, Mayo-born founder of the Land League Wikipedia
26th March
- 2007Ian Paisley and Gerry Adams sat down together for the first time and agreed to share power in a new Northern Ireland Executive. Wikipedia
27th March
- 2004Ireland beat Scotland at Lansdowne Road to win rugby's Triple Crown for the first time since 1985. Wikipedia
28th March
- 1879Born: Terence MacSwiney, Lord Mayor of Cork who died on hunger strike in 1920 Wikipedia
29th March
- 1955Born: Brendan Gleeson, Dublin actor Wikipedia
30th March
- 1880Born: Seán O'Casey, Dublin playwright of Juno and the Paycock Wikipedia
31st March
- 1909Work began on the Titanic at the Harland and Wolff shipyard in Belfast when her keel was laid. Wikipedia
- 2012Titanic Belfast opened beside the slipways where the ship was built, now one of Ireland's busiest visitor attractions. Wikipedia
- 1871Born: Arthur Griffith, founder of Sinn Féin and President of Dáil Éireann Wikipedia