May in Irish history, day by day
54 entries across 31 days of May, picked by hand: the turning points, the culture, the sport and the people Ireland remembers, each linked to the full story.
1st May
2nd May
- 1923Born: Patrick Hillery, doctor and politician who served as the sixth President of Ireland Wikipedia
3rd May
4th May
5th May
6th May
- 1882The Chief Secretary for Ireland, Lord Frederick Cavendish, and his under-secretary Thomas Henry Burke were killed in the Phoenix Park by the Invincibles. Wikipedia
7th May
8th May
9th May
10th May
- 1960Born: Bono, singer with U2 and campaigner, born in Dublin Wikipedia
11th May
- 1745The Irish Brigade of the French army made a decisive charge at the Battle of Fontenoy, a victory long remembered in Irish song and story. Wikipedia
12th May
- 1916Died: James Connolly, socialist leader and signatory of the Proclamation, executed at Kilmainham Gaol on the same morning as Seán Mac Diarmada Wikipedia
13th May
- 1954Born: Johnny Logan, singer who won the Eurovision Song Contest three times as performer and writer Wikipedia
14th May
- 1974The Ulster Workers' Council called a general strike against the Sunningdale power-sharing deal, a stoppage that brought down the Northern Ireland executive within a fortnight. Wikipedia
15th May
16th May
- 1953Born: Pierce Brosnan, actor from Drogheda who played James Bond Wikipedia
17th May
- 1974Loyalist paramilitaries set off bombs in Dublin and Monaghan, causing the greatest loss of life on a single day of the Troubles. Wikipedia
- 2011Queen Elizabeth II arrived for the first state visit to Ireland by a British monarch since independence, and laid a wreath at the Garden of Remembrance. Wikipedia
- 1961Born: Enya, singer and composer from Gweedore, County Donegal Wikipedia
18th May
19th May
- 2011Died: Garret FitzGerald, Taoiseach and co-signer of the Anglo-Irish Agreement Wikipedia
20th May
- 1932Amelia Earhart took off from Newfoundland on the first solo transatlantic flight by a woman, landing near Derry the next day. Wikipedia
21st May
22nd May
- 1998Voters north and south approved the Good Friday Agreement in referendums held on the same day. Wikipedia
- 2015Ireland became the first country to approve marriage equality by popular vote, with 62 per cent voting yes. Wikipedia
- 1932Died: Lady Gregory, playwright and co-founder of the Abbey Theatre Wikipedia
- 1946Born: George Best, footballer from Belfast Wikipedia
23rd May
24th May
25th May
- 2018Voters repealed the Eighth Amendment, with 66 per cent voting yes in a referendum that changed the country. Wikipedia
- 1914The House of Commons passed the Home Rule Bill for the third time, though the First World War meant it never came into force. Wikipedia
- 1976Born: Cillian Murphy, Oscar-winning actor from Cork Wikipedia
26th May
- 1798Government forces defeated the rebels at the Hill of Tara in County Meath, ending the rising in the midlands. Wikipedia
27th May
28th May
29th May
- 1798Several hundred rebels who had agreed to surrender were killed by government troops at the Gibbet Rath on the Curragh of Kildare. Wikipedia
30th May
- 1906Died: Michael Davitt, founder of the Land League and leader in the Land War Wikipedia