November in Irish history, day by day
45 entries across 30 days of November, picked by hand: the turning points, the culture, the sport and the people Ireland remembers, each linked to the full story.
1st November
- 1884The Gaelic Athletic Association was founded at Hayes' Hotel in Thurles, County Tipperary, to organise hurling, Gaelic football and other Irish sports. Wikipedia
- 1920Died: Kevin Barry, an 18-year-old medical student and IRA volunteer, executed in Mountjoy Prison; his death became a rallying point during the War of Independence. Wikipedia
- 1625Born: Oliver Plunkett, Archbishop of Armagh, later the first Irish saint canonised in nearly 700 years Wikipedia
2nd November
- 1950Died: George Bernard Shaw, Dublin-born playwright of Pygmalion and winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature Wikipedia
3rd November
- 1932Born: Albert Reynolds, Taoiseach who signed the Downing Street Declaration and helped bring about the 1994 IRA ceasefire Wikipedia
4th November
- 2019Died: Gay Byrne, broadcaster who presented The Late Late Show for 37 years and helped open up conversation in Ireland Wikipedia
5th November
- 2016Ireland beat New Zealand 40 to 29 at Soldier Field in Chicago, their first win over the All Blacks in 111 years of trying. Wikipedia
6th November
- 1940Born: Johnny Giles, Dublin footballer who starred for Leeds United and managed the Republic of Ireland Wikipedia
7th November
- 1990Mary Robinson was elected the first woman President of Ireland, a result widely seen as a sign of a changing country. Wikipedia
8th November
9th November
- 1791The Dublin Society of United Irishmen was founded, joining Catholics, Protestants and Dissenters in a push for reform that led to the 1798 Rebellion. Wikipedia
10th November
- 1879Born: Patrick Pearse, teacher and poet who read the Proclamation outside the GPO at Easter 1916 Wikipedia
11th November
12th November
13th November
- 2012Colm Tóibín's short novel The Testament of Mary was published; it was later shortlisted for the Booker Prize. Wikipedia
14th November
- 1984The government placed the state-owned company Irish Shipping Ltd into liquidation. Wikipedia
15th November
- 1985Margaret Thatcher and Garret FitzGerald signed the Anglo-Irish Agreement at Hillsborough, giving the Irish government a formal voice in Northern Ireland affairs. Wikipedia
16th November
- 2015The Republic of Ireland beat Bosnia and Herzegovina 2 to 0 at the Aviva Stadium to qualify for Euro 2016 in France. Wikipedia
17th November
18th November
- 2009Thierry Henry's handball set up the goal that put France through to the World Cup at the Republic of Ireland's expense in Paris. Wikipedia
19th November
- 1798Died: Wolfe Tone, founder of the United Irishmen, died in custody in Dublin a week after his trial for his part in the 1798 Rebellion Wikipedia
20th November
- 2016Died: William Trevor, Mitchelstown-born master of the short story Wikipedia
21st November
22nd November
- 1963US President John F. Kennedy, who had visited Ireland five months earlier, was assassinated in Dallas, Texas. Wikipedia
23rd November
24th November
- 1995Voters narrowly approved the referendum that removed the ban on divorce from the Constitution. Wikipedia
25th November
26th November
- 1998Tony Blair became the first British Prime Minister to address the Oireachtas, months after the Good Friday Agreement. Wikipedia
27th November
- 2014Died: Jack Kyle, Belfast rugby player who led Ireland's first Grand Slam in 1948 and later worked as a surgeon in Africa Wikipedia
28th November
- 1905Arthur Griffith founded Sinn Féin as a political movement calling for Irish self-government. Wikipedia
- 1920The IRA's West Cork Flying Column, led by Tom Barry, ambushed a patrol of Auxiliaries at Kilmichael, one of the war's best-known engagements. Wikipedia
- 1969Born: Sonia O'Sullivan, Cobh athlete who won 5,000m world gold in 1995 and Olympic silver in 2000 Wikipedia
29th November
- 1898Born: C. S. Lewis, Belfast-born author of The Chronicles of Narnia Wikipedia
30th November
- 1995Bill Clinton became the first serving US President to visit Northern Ireland, speaking to crowds in Belfast and Derry in support of the peace process. Wikipedia
- 1900Died: Oscar Wilde, Dublin-born playwright of The Importance of Being Earnest, died in Paris Wikipedia
- 1667Born: Jonathan Swift, Dean of St Patrick's Cathedral and author of Gulliver's Travels Wikipedia
- 2023Died: Shane MacGowan, singer and songwriter with the Pogues, who wrote Fairytale of New York Wikipedia
- 1967Died: Patrick Kavanagh, Monaghan poet of The Great Hunger and On Raglan Road Wikipedia