2026 in Ireland

Events during the year 2026 in Ireland.

Incumbents

• President: Catherine Connolly
• Taoiseach: Micheál Martin (Fianna Fáil)
• Tánaiste: Simon Harris (Fine Gael)
• Minister for Finance: Simon Harris (Fine Gael)
• Chief Justice: Donal O'Donnell
• Dáil Éireann: 34th
• Seanad Éireann: 27th

Events

January

• 1 January – Pension auto-enrolment commenced for employees between the ages of 23 and 60, earning over €20,000, and not already in a pension scheme.
• 5 January – The taoiseach, Micheál Martin, met Chinese president Xi Jinping in the Great Hall of the People on Tiananmen Square, Beijing. The taoiseach then received a personal tour of the Forbidden City, which was closed to visitors that day.
• 7 January
• The president, Catherine Connolly, referenced the United Nations Secretary-General as she urged "full respect for international law, including the United Nations Charter" while noting that discussion of the United States attack on Caracas, during which President Maduro and his wife were seized and transported to Manhattan, "often overlook[s]" the "appalling" death toll (100+) the country experienced that night.
• Responding to Donald Trump's remarks about the US assuming control of Greenland, the taoiseach, Micheál Martin, said the European Union was "rock-solid behind Denmark" and described the island as "part of Denmark", while the minister for foreign affairs, Helen McEntee, said Greenland was "not for sale... not for taking".
• 9 January – The Department of Foreign Affairs announced that 12,904 passports issued in late December and early January would be reissued, because a technical error caused them not to be fully compliant with international travel standards.
• 13 January – The accreditation ceremony at Áras an Uachtaráin this morning for the new Iranian ambassador, Eshagh Al Habib, was postponed by the Department of Foreign Affairs because of the continuing upheaval in Iran.
• 24 January - A teenage girl, later identified as Grace Lynch, was knocked down by a scrambler bike and later died in hospital from her injuries.

February

• 4 February – Taoiseach Micheál Martin confirmed government plans for Grace's Law, a planned ban on the use of scrambler bikes in public places, following the death of Grace Lynch.
• 6 February – The buried remains of a further 22 infants have been uncovered at the site of the former Bon Secours Mother and Baby Home in Tuam, County Galway.
• 11 February – Culture Minister Patrick O'Donovan announced the Basic Income for the Arts scheme that will see 2,000 eligible artists paid €325 a week by the Government to support them in their endeavours. Applications will open in May with the payment lasting three years.

March

• 7 March – Former president Mary Robinson said the airstrikes against Iran were "illegal and breach international law" while attending a rally in Belfast for International Women's Day.
• 12 March – £937m of Irish investment in the UK was announced ahead of a UK–Ireland summit.
• 13 March – UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer held a summit with Taoiseach Micheál Martin in Cork, where he said the Iran war had increased the importance of good relations between the UK and Ireland.
• 17 March – During his annual visit to Washington for St Patrick's Day, Taoiseach Micheál Martin met US President Donald Trump in the Oval Office and thanked him for "affirming the tremendous bonds" between Ireland and the US.
• 25 March – Due to the 2026 Iran war which resulted in soaring fuel prices, the Government cut taxes on both diesel and petrol, with excise duty on a litre of diesel reduced by 20 cents, with a 15 cents drop for petrol until the end of May.

Arts and sciences

• 11 January – Irish actress Jessie Buckley won her first Golden Globe award at a ceremony in Beverly Hills, California for her performance in the film Hamnet.

• 15 March – Jessie Buckley became the first Irishwoman to win an Oscar award for best actress at a ceremony in Hollywood, California for her role in the film Hamnet.

Sport

Association football (men)

2026 World Cup qualification

Play-off semi-final

• 26 March – Czech Republic 2–2, 4–3 pso. Ireland.

International friendly matches

• 31 March – Ireland v North Macedonia.

• 28 May – Ireland v Qatar.

• 6 June – Canada v Ireland.

Nations League

Group B3

• 24 September – Kosovo v Ireland.

• 27 September – Israel v Ireland.

• 1 October – Ireland v Austria.

• 4 October – Ireland v Israel.

• 14 November – Austria v Ireland.

• 17 November – Ireland v Kosovo.

Association football (women)

2027 World Cup Qualification

• 3 March – Ireland 1–2 France.

• 7 March – Netherlands 2–1 Ireland.

• 14 April – Poland v Ireland.

• 18 April – Ireland v Poland.

• 5 June – Ireland v Netherlands.

• 9 June – France v Ireland.

Gaelic football

• 26 July – 2026 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship.

Hurling

• 19 July – 2026 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship.

Rugby (men)

Six Nations Championship

• 5 February – France 36–14 Ireland.

• 14 February – Ireland 20–13 Italy.

• 21 February – England 21–42 Ireland.

• 6 March – Ireland 27–17 Wales.

• 14 March – Ireland 43–21 Scotland. This was Ireland's 15th Triple Crown win, having defeated England, Scotland, and Wales.

Rugby (women)

Six Nations Champtionship

• 11 April – England v Ireland.

• 18 April – Ireland v Italy.

• 25 April – France v Ireland.

• 9 May – Ireland v Wales.

• 17 May – Ireland v Scotland.

Annual events

(H) = public holiday

January

• 1 January – New Year's Day. (H)

• 6 January – .

February

• 1 February – .

• 2 February – Saint Brigid's holiday. (H)

• 19 February–March 1 – Dublin International Film Festival

March

• 17 March – Saint Patrick's Day. (H)

• 20 March – Spring equinox.

April

• 6 April – Easter Monday. (H)

May

• 1 May – .

• 4 May – May holiday. (H)

June

• June – Pride Month.

• 1 June – June holiday. (H)

• 16 June – Bloomsday.

• 21 June – Summer solstice.

August

• 1 August – .

• 3 August – August holiday. (H)

September

• 23 September – Autumn equinox.

October

• 25 October – October holiday. (H)

• 31 October – Hallowe'en.

November

• 1 November – .

December

• 21 December – Winter solstice.

• 25 December – Christmas Day. (H)

• 26 December – Saint Stephen's Day, also . (H)

Deaths

January

• 3 January – Pa O'Dwyer, 40, strongman.
• 4 January – Mary White, 81, politician, senator (2002–2016).
• 13 January – Seán Ó Sé, 89, singer, educator and raconteur.
• 23 January – Brian Crowley, 61, politician, senator (1993–1994) and MEP (1994–2019).
• 28 January – Brian O'Shea, 81, politician, senator (1987–1989), TD (1989–2011) and Minister of State (1993–1994 and 1994–1997).
• 30 January
• Geraldine Barniville, 83, squash and tennis player.
• John Heneghan, 79, Gaelic footballer (Ballymahon, Naomh Mhuire, Longford senior team, Leinster).
• 31 January – Joe Mulholland, 85, manging director of RTÉ Television.

February

• 6 February – Damien Byrne, 71, footballer (Drogheda, Shamrock Rovers, St Patrick's Athletic).
• 11 February – Eddie Harty, 88, Olympic equestrian (1960) and National Hunt jockey.
• 16 February – Jim Lane, 87, Irish republican and socialist.

March

• 11 March – Ronnie Delany, 91, runner, Olympic champion (1956).
• 12 March – Kevin Kiely, 64, politician, councillor (1985–1991 and 2004–2014) and Mayor of Limerick (2009–2010).
• 16 March – Dolores Keane, 72, folk singer (De Dannan).
• 20 March – Ben Keaton, 69, actor (Emmerdale, Casualty, Father Ted).
• 22 March – Michael Lyster, 71, broadcaster (The Sunday Game).
• 30 March – Christopher Haskins, 88, businessman and life peer, member of the House of Lords (1998–2020).
• 31 March – Rory O'Hanlon, 92, politician, TD (1977–2011), Minister for Health (1987–1991) and Ceann Comhairle (2007–2011).

References