my-server
← Wiki

2014 in Ireland

This is a list of events that occurred during the year 2014 in Ireland.

Incumbents

Events

January

  • 3 January – During storm Anne The River Liffey in Dublin rose to its highest tide on record. It burst its banks near the Guinness Storehouse and Heuston Station. Some city quays were closed for an hour while pumping was performed. The East Link Bridge and Strand Road in Sandymount were also closed.
  • 4 January – A very large Irish trade and diplomatic mission travelled to the Persian Gulf region. Over 80 firms sending 100 people on a five-day Enterprise Ireland mission to Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Dubai and Abu Dhabi were led by the Taoiseach, Enda Kenny, accompanied by the Minister for Enterprise, Jobs and Innovation, Richard Bruton.
  • 6 January – Nollaig na mBan was celebrated on the last day of Christmas.
  • 6–7 January – The most prolonged and destructive Irish storm in almost two decades, Superstorm Christine, struck Ireland and did considerable damage, particularly in western and southern coastal parts of the country, on the 175th anniversary of the Night of the Big Wind. The initial assessment of the value of destruction was up to €300m.
  • 24 January – Mount Carmel Hospital in Dublin applied suddenly to the High Court to go into liquidation when National Asset Management Agency financial support was withdrawn. Over 300 jobs were to be lost as a result.
  • 25–29 January – A large fire broke out after 3am on 25 January in the recycling plant at the Merrywell Industrial Estate in Ballymount, Dublin. Fifteen units of the Dublin Fire Brigade and 75 firefighters responded. The blaze was visible in Blessington, 23 kilometres away. Smoke reduced visibility and affected traffic, while residents of surrounding suburbs were advised to shut their doors and windows because of poisons released into the air. The occurrence of a second fire at the same time in a nearby carpet centre raised the question of arson being the cause. The fire was finally extinguished after five days. Three investigations were conducted by the Environmental Protection Agency, by the Gardaí, and by the Fire Service.
  • 30 January – An Coimisiún le Rincí Gaelacha, the Irish Dancing Commission, announced a ban effective from 1 March on the use of make-up, false eyelashes, and fake tan on the faces of Irish dancers aged under 10. Artificial carriage aids used to enforce a rigid posture were also banned for safety reasons. Wigs and the use of fake tan on legs were not prohibited.
  • 31 January–1 February – Storm Brigid blew winds reaching 120 km/h and caused flooding along the west coast including in Tralee, Limerick, and Galway. Power supplies to thousands of homes were severed, flights from Dublin Airport were cancelled, as were ferry sailings from Rosslare.

February

  • 1 February – A man in Ringsend was found dead after responding to a neck nomination drinking dare.
  • 11 February – Billionaire American property developer Donald Trump bought the five-star Doonbeg golf and hotel complex in County Clare, restyling it the Trump International Golf Links, Ireland.
  • 12 February – Storm Darwin blew down between 5,000 and 7,000 hectares of forest, including as many as 7.5 million trees, according to the Department of Agriculture. This represents less than one per cent of Ireland's forest volume. Just over ten percent of Ireland is covered by forest.
  • 12 February – A vehicle belonging to the Police Service of Northern Ireland drove across the border into County Donegal.

March

April

  • 7 April – President Higgins departed from Áras an Uachtaráin with full military honours as he and his wife left for London in preparation for his state visit to Britain.
  • 8–11 April – Michael D. Higgins paid the first state visit by an Irish President to the United Kingdom.
  • 8 April – Queen Elizabeth welcomed President Higgins to Windsor Castle as her guest. Later, Higgins in Westminster. In the evening, he was the guest of honour at a state banquet in Windsor Castle.
  • 9 April – President Higgins viewed the Colours of the disbanded Irish Regiments at Windsor Castle with Prince Andrew, the Duke of York, visited University College London Hospital, and was the guest of Prime Minister David Cameron for lunch at 10 Downing Street.
  • 21 April – Easter Monday (public holiday).
  • 24 April – President Higgins received the Freedom of Cork in the City Hall from Lord Mayor Catherine Clancy.
  • Late April – The Molly Malone statue was removed from its original location at the base of Grafton Street to make way for the new Luas tracks which skirt around Trinity College. It was relocated in July.

May

June

  • 2 June – June public holiday.
  • 3 June – The counties of North Tipperary and South Tipperary were amalgamated into one County Tipperary.
  • 7 June – British viewers were amazed, confused and impressed when Sky Sports broadcast a hurling match for the first time.
  • 13 June – The Public Health (Standardised Packaging of Tobacco) Bill 2014 was published, making Ireland the first European Union (EU) country to introduce plain cigarette packaging legislation. Stiff tobacco industry resistance to the law is expected and United States business and political lobbies have approached the Taoiseach to warn that its enactment would affect foreign investment in Ireland. Some EU countries are also expected to fight the legislation.
  • 15 June – Father's Day.

July

August

  • 4 August – August public holiday.
  • 5 August – A state of emergency was declared at Letterkenny General Hospital as torrential rain caused flooding for the second consecutive year.
  • 21 August – The post-mortem room of Letterkenny General Hospital was sealed off when the body of a man with suspected Ebola virus disease, who had been working in Sierra Leone, was brought there.

October

November

  • 22 November
  • Revised Irish Water charges were announced. The cap on charges will now be €60 for a one-adult household and €160 for all other households.
  • The five-metre cross on the summit of Ireland's highest mountain, Carrauntoohil, was found by climbers to have been cut down with an angle grinder. The steel cross, erected by 100 people in 1976, replaced an older wooden one erected during the 1950s. The cross was re-erected by a large party a week later, on the 29th, against the objections of environmentalists and members of Atheist Ireland. The anonymous fellers of the cross sent video of their action to TheJournal.ie news provider on 2 December indicating that the incident was a protest against the number of Irish primary schools being run by the Catholic Church.
  • 25 November – Nóirín O'Sullivan was appointed as the 20th Commissioner of the Garda Síochána.

December

  • 2 December – 350,000 second-level students were out of school as teachers placed pickets in the row over reform of the Junior Cert.
  • 7 December – President Higgins began a nine-day state visit to China where he was scheduled to have meetings with the President, Xi Jinping, the Prime Minister, Li Keqiang, and the Chairman of the National People's Congress, Zhang Dejiang.
  • 10 December – Between 30,000 and 100,000 people marched in Dublin to protest against water charges being introduced.
  • 25 December – Christmas Day (public holiday).
  • 26 December – Saint Stephen's Day (public holiday).

Arts

  • April – Tramp Press launched in Dublin by Lisa Coen and Sarah Davis-Goff as an independent publisher specialising in Irish fiction with the publication of Oona Frawley's debut novel Flight.
  • Emmet Kirwan's play Dublin Oldschool was produced.
  • Niall Williams' novel History of the Rain was published.

Sports

Association football

International friendly matches
UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying Group D

Cycling

Gaelic games

2014 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship Final
  • 7 September – Kilkenny 3–22 – 1–28 Tipperary
2014 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship Final Replay
  • 27 September – Kilkenny 2–17 – 2–14 Tipperary
2014 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Final
  • 21 September – Donegal 0–12 – 2–9 Kerry

Horse racing

Irish Grand National steeplechase

Rugby union

2014 Six Nations Championship
  • 2 February – Ireland 28–6 Scotland.
  • 8 February – Ireland 26–3 Wales.
  • 22 February – England 13–10 Ireland.
  • 8 March – Ireland 46–7 Italy.
  • 15 March – France 20–22 Ireland.
2014 Summer Internationals
  • 7 June – Argentina 17–29 Ireland.
  • 14 June – Argentina 17–23 Ireland.
2014 Autumn Internationals
  • 8 November – Ireland 29–15 South Africa.
  • 16 November – Ireland 49–7 Georgia.
  • 22 November – Ireland 26–23 Australia.

Deaths

January

February

March

April

May

June

  • 4 June – Martin Treacy, 78, retired hurler (Kilkenny).
  • 15 June – Ambrose O'Gorman, 102, oldest priest in Ireland.
  • 25 June – The Very Reverend Cyril Haran, 83, priest and Gaelic football manager (Sligo).
  • 27 June – Flor Hayes, 70: Gaelic footballer (Cork), short illness.
  • 28 June – Joe Dooley, hurler (Offaly).
  • 29 June – Dermot Healy, 66, novelist, playwright and poet.

July

August

September

October

  • 13 October – Gabrielle Reidy, 54, actress, cancer.
  • 19 October – Gerard Parkes, 90, actor.
  • 22 October – Barry McSweeney, Irish scientist, Chief Science Advisor (2004–2005).

November

December

  • 5 December – Jackie Healy-Rae, 83, former Independent TD, long illness.
  • 6 December – Mick Barry, 95, road bowler regarded as the greatest of all time, long illness.
  • 16 December – Andy Kettle, 68, chairman of the Dublin County Board, pneumonia.
  • 26 December – Timothy Dowd, 99, detective who led Son of Sam manhunt.
  • 27 December – Pat Gillen, 89, one of the last surviving Irish D Day veterans.
  • 30 December – Desmond Fisher, 94, journalist, broadcaster and former head of current affairs with RTÉ.

See also

References