1942 in Ireland

Events from the year 1942 in Ireland.

Incumbents

• President: Douglas Hyde
• Taoiseach: Éamon de Valera (FF)
• Tánaiste: Seán T. O'Kelly (FF)
• Minister for Finance: Seán T. O'Kelly (FF)
• Chief Justice: Timothy Sullivan
• Dáil: 10th
• Seanad: 3rd

Events

• January – Newrath Bridge in County Wicklow collapses.
• 3 March – due to The Emergency the rationing of gas is introduced.
• 5 March – it is announced that Ireland is to have a new Central Bank replacing the old Currency Commission.
• 16 March – Irish Willow is detained by German submarine U-753 but released.
• April – attempted shooting of two Garda Síochána detectives during a ceremony at Glasnevin Cemetery in Dublin, for which Brendan Behan is imprisoned.
• 2 June – speed levels are restricted to prevent wear of tyres on cars, motorcycles and buses.
• Summer – Ailtirí na hAiséirghe, a radical nationalist and fascist political party, is founded by Gearóid Ó Cuinneagáin.
• 7 June – first mass held at the new Roman Catholic Cavan Cathedral (dedication 27 September).
• 11 August – Irish Rose rescues seven survivors from the American ship Wawaloam in the Atlantic.
• 13 August – Irish Pine rescues nineteen survivors from the British ship Richmond Castle in the Atlantic.
• 26 August – Irish Willow rescues 47 survivors from the British ship Empire Breeze in the Atlantic.
• 17 September – Irish Larch rescues forty survivors from the Panamanian ship Stone Street in the Atlantic.
• 2 October – British cruiser collides with the liner Queen Mary (serving as a troopship) off the coast of Donegal and sinks: 338 die.
• 15 November – Irish Pine torpedoed and sunk by U-608, in the North Atlantic: 33 die.
• 12 December – Irish Poplar collides with the launch Eileen and the Cork Harbour pilot during a force eight gale: five die.
• 22 December – there are reports of a split in the Labour Party due to the selection of candidates for the forthcoming general election.
• December – Government prohibits direct newspaper advertising in Ireland of jobs in the U.K. During the year £4.5M is remitted to Ireland from Irish workers already in Britain through the Post Office.
• Lice-born typhus spreads.

Arts and literature

• 16 March – Paul Vincent Carroll's wartime drama The Strings Are False premieres at the Olympia Theatre (Dublin).
• June – Brendan Behan's "I Become a Borstal Boy" is published in The Bell.
• Elizabeth Bowen publishes Bowen's Court.
• Ina Boyle's sketch for small orchestra Wildgeese is premiered.
• Eric Cross publishes his novel The Tailor and Ansty, which is prohibited in Ireland by the Censorship of Publications Board.
• Patrick Kavanagh's poetry The Great Hunger is published by the Cuala Press.
• Maura Laverty's novel Never No More is published, having been serialised in The Bell.
• Seán Ó Súilleabháin's A Handbook of Irish Folklore is published for the Folklore of Ireland Society in Dublin.

Sport

Football

League of Ireland

Winners: Cork United

FAI Cup

Winners: Dundalk 2 – 2, 3 – 1 Cork United.

Golf

• Irish Open is not played due to The Emergency.

Births

• 12 January
• John Moore, Roman Catholic Bishop of the Diocese of Bauchi, Nigeria (died 2010).
• Hilary Weston, 26th Lieutenant Governor of Ontario (from 1997 to 2002) (died 2025).
• 16 January – Tony Doyle, actor (died 2000).
• 18 January – Eric Barber, soccer player.
• 1 February – P. J. Mara, political adviser and senator (died 2016).
• 12 February – Robert Ellison, Roman Catholic Bishop of the Diocese of Banjul, Gambia.
• 17 February – Bill Cullen, businessman
• 22 April – Aengus Fanning, journalist and editor (died 2012).
• 15 May – Pádraic McCormack, Fine Gael TD for Galway West.
• May – Enda Colleran, Gaelic footballer (died 2004).
• 28 July – John Bowman, historian and broadcaster.
• 1 August – Ned O'Keeffe, Independent TD for Cork East, originally Fianna Fáil.
• 18 August – Tommy Carroll, soccer player.
• 25 August – Pat Ingoldsby, television presenter, poet.
• 30 August – Jonathan Aitken, Conservative Member of Parliament (UK), perjurer and Anglican priest.
• 17 September – Des Lynam, sportscaster and British television personality.
• 4 October – Frank Stagg, Provisional Irish Republican Army member (died of hunger strike 1976 in Wakefield Prison).
• 20 October – Philomena Begley, country music singer.
• 24 October – Frank Delaney, novelist, journalist and broadcaster (died 2017).
• 28 November – Eiléan Ní Chuilleanáin, poet.
• 24 December – Anthony Clare, psychiatrist and broadcaster (died 2007).
• ;Full date unknown
• :*Jackie Gilroy, Gaelic footballer (died 2007).
• :*Padraig O'Malley, peacemaker, professor at the University of Massachusetts Boston and writer.
• :*Dermot O'Reilly, musician, producer and songwriter in Canada (died 2007).
• :*Ted Tynan, Workers' Party councillor in Cork.
• :*Macdara Woods, poet (died 2018).

Deaths

• 1 January – John Meredith, Australian Army Brigadier General (born 1864).
• 8 January – Thomas Hughes, soldier, recipient of the Victoria Cross for gallantry in 1916 at Guillemont, France (born 1885).
• 14 January – James Graham, cricketer (born 1906).
• 7 February – Bishop Patrick McKenna, Bishop of Clogher, 1909–1942 (born 1868).
• 8 April – Philip Meldon, cricketer (died 1874).
• 20 April – Thomas Kelly, founding member of Sinn Féin, member of 1st Dáil (Pro Treaty), later a member of Fianna Fáil.
• 11 May – George Nicolls, Sinn Féin and Cumann na nGaedheal TD.
• 29 May – Samuel Jacob Jackson, politician in Canada (born 1848).
• 30 June – Robert Pilkington, lawyer and politician who sat in Western Australian Legislative Assembly and British House of Commons (born 1870).
• 1 July – Peadar Toner Mac Fhionnlaoich, Irish Language writer (born 1857)
• 15 July – Paddy Finucane, RAF fighter pilot, youngest Wing Commander in RAF history, killed in action (born 1920).
• 10 September – Patrick Stone, Member of the Western Australian Legislative Assembly (born 1857).
• 12 September – Patrick R. Chalmers, writer on field sports and poet (born 1872).
• 30 September – Jack Finlay, Laois hurler and TD (born 1889).
• 6 November – Éamon a Búrc, tailor and seanchaí (born 1866).
• 23 November – Peadar Kearney, Irish Republican and songwriter, writer of the lyrics to The Soldier's Song (born 1883).

References

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