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1968 in Ireland
Last updated
April 11, 2025
Contents
Incumbents
Events
Arts and literature
Sports
Births
Deaths
See also
References
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←
1967
1966
1965
1964
1963
1968
in
Ireland
→
1969
1970
1971
1972
1973
Centuries:
18th
19th
20th
21st
Decades:
1940s
1950s
1960s
1970s
1980s
See also:
1968 in Northern Ireland
Other events of 1968
List of years in Ireland
Events in the year
1968 in Ireland
.
Incumbents
President
:
Éamon de Valera
Taoiseach
:
Jack Lynch
(
FF
)
Tánaiste
:
Frank Aiken
(
FF
)
Minister for Finance
:
Charles Haughey
(
FF
)
Chief Justice
:
Cearbhall Ó Dálaigh
Dáil
:
18th
Seanad
:
11th
Events
8 January –
Taoiseach
Jack Lynch
and
Northern Ireland Prime Minister
Terence O'Neill
met for talks in
Dublin
.
[
1
]
10 March –
Minister for Education
Donogh O'Malley
died while campaigning in
County Clare
.
17 March – A seat to commemorate the poet
Patrick Kavanagh
was unveiled beside the
Grand Canal
in Dublin.
24 March – The
Aer Lingus
aircraft,
St Phelim
, plunged into the
Irish Sea
near the
Tuskar Rock lighthouse
killing all 57 passengers.
14 May –
King Baudouin
and
Queen Fabiola
of Belgium began a
state visit
to Ireland.
[
2
]
A
state dinner
was held in their honour at
Áras an Uachtaráin
this evening.
[
3
]
15 May – The King and Queen of Belgium visited
Trinity College Dublin
,
[
4
]
University College Dublin
,
[
5
]
and the
National Museum
.
[
6
]
They also visited the
Lord Mayor of Dublin
,
Frank Cluskey
, at the
Mansion House
,
[
7
]
and attended a state banquet at
Dublin Castle
in the evening.
[
8
]
16 May – The King and Queen of Belgium attended a party at the
Abbey Theatre
in Dublin.
[
9
]
17 May – The King and Queen of Belgium paid a second visit to Áras an Uachtaráin where Baudouin played
hurling
with
President
Éamon de Valera
and
Taoiseach
Jack Lynch
.
[
10
]
[
11
]
[
12
]
The royal couple each planted a tree in the garden of the residence.
[
13
]
[
14
]
The President, the Taoiseach, and
Minister for External Affairs
,
Frank Aiken
later accompanied the king and queen to a farewell ceremony at
Dublin Airport
.
[
15
]
[
16
]
29 May – President de Valera opened the
John F. Kennedy Arboretum
and Memorial Park in
New Ross
, County Wexford.
6 June – Ireland mourned the loss of assassinated
United States Senator
Robert F. Kennedy
.
Dáil Éireann
paid tribute and a book of condolence was opened.
5 October – Police in
Derry
baton-charged
a Northern Ireland civil rights march.
8 October – Twenty new traffic wardens were introduced on Dublin's streets.
16 October – The
1968 Irish constitutional referendum
was held proposing changes to the electoral system. The proposals were rejected.
25 October – The
New University of Ulster
opened in
Coleraine
, County Londonderry.
27 October – The
Standard Time Act 1968
[
17
]
stipulated that
Irish Standard Time
is
UTC+1
(
Central European Time
) and clocks were not to be turned back one hour during winter.
13 December – According to the
Economic and Social Research Institute
60 percent of undergraduates in Ireland would emigrate upon graduation.
County Hall, Cork
was opened; at the time it was the
tallest storeyed building in Ireland
.
Arts and literature
28 February – The first English-language production of
Samuel Beckett
's
Come and Go
was performed at the
Peacock Theatre
in Dublin.
[
18
]
Tom Murphy
's plays
Famine
(21 March) and
The Orphans
(7 October) were first produced in Dublin (at the
Abbey
and
Gate Theatres
respectively).
[
18
]
The record label
Dolphin Records
was established in Dublin.
[
19
]
Sports
29 May –
Tony Dunne
and
George Best
became the first Irish footballers to collect
European Cup
winner's medals as
Manchester United F.C.
defeated
Benfica
in the final at
Wembley Stadium
.
1 September –
Wexford
beat
Tipperary
5–8 to 3–12 in the
All Ireland Senior Hurling Final
at
Croke Park
, Dublin.
18 September – George Best was the star attraction as Manchester United beat Waterford City 3–1 at the
Lansdowne Road
stadium in Dublin.
22 September –
Down
defeated
Kerry
2–12 to 1–13 in the
All Ireland Senior Football Final
.
Births
12 January –
Michael Moynihan
,
Fianna Fáil
Teachta Dála
(TD) for
Cork North-West
.
15 January –
Tom Murphy
, actor (died 2007).
19 January –
Fiona O'Malley
,
Progressive Democrats
TD,
Senator
.
20 January -
Charlie Swan
, jockey and trainer.
23 January –
Simon Cumbers
, journalist (murdered 2004 in
Saudi Arabia
).
21 February –
Michael Duignan
,
Offaly
hurler and Gaelic footballer, manager.
24 March –
Conor Hoey
, cricketer.
26 March –
Nick Sweeney
, discus thrower.
24 April –
Aidan Gillen
, born Murphy, actor.
May –
Linda Doyle
, electrical engineer, provost of Trinity College Dublin.
22 May –
Graham Linehan
, television writer and director.
31 May –
John Connolly
, novelist.
7 June –
Robbie Horgan
, association football player.
28 July –
Eoin Collins
, tennis player.
11 August –
Alan Kelly, Jr.
, English-born Irish international footballer.
24 August –
Keelin Shanley
, television news presenter (died 2020).
10 September –
Mark Little
, journalist and television presenter.
15 September –
James O'Higgins Norman
, academic and author.
23 October –
Eddie Gormley
, association football player and manager.
24 October –
Tom McEllistrim
, Fianna Fáil party TD for
Kerry North
.
12 November –
Sharon Shannon
, accordion player and musician.
20 December –
Paul Gogarty
,
Green Party
TD.
16 November –
Panti
(Rory O'Neill),
drag queen
.
27 November –
Cecilia Keaveney
, Fianna Fáil party TD,
Senator
.
Full date unknown
Patrick Chapman
, poet and screenwriter.
Fergus Feehily
, artist.
Justin Quinn
, poet and literary critic.
Colin Teevan
, playwright, radio dramatist, translator and academic.
Deaths
1 January –
Donagh MacDonagh
, writer and judge (born 1912).
19 January – Sir
Alfred Chester Beatty
, mining magnate and benefactor (born 1875).
February –
Joan de Sales La Terriere
, socialite, equestrienne and divorcée (born 1889).
8 February –
Louise McIlroy
, Professor of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at the London School of Medicine for Women (born 1874).
10 March –
Donogh O'Malley
, Fianna Fáil TD and Cabinet minister (born 1921).
24 March –
Gladys Wynne
, artist (born 1876).
16 July –
William John Leech
, painter (born 1881).
11 September –
Denis McCullough
, member of the
Irish Volunteers
elected to the
fourth Dáil
(born 1883).
31 October –
William O'Brien
, politician and trade unionist (born 1881).
2 November
Don Davern
, Fianna Fáil TD for
Tipperary South
from 1965 until his death (born 1935).
Estella Solomons
, painter (born 1882).
7 November –
Margaret Mary Pearse
, Fianna Fáil TD and
Seanad Éireann
member, sister of
Patrick Pearse
(born 1878).
24 December –
Eamon Bulfin
, Irish republican (born 1892).
Full date unknown
William Conor
, artist (born 1881).
Harry Duggan
, soccer player (born 1903).
See also
1968 in Irish television
References
↑
"A Chronology of the Conflict – 1968"
.
Conflict Archive on the Internet (CAIN)
. Retrieved
11 July
2009
.
↑
"King Badouin and Queen Fabiola arrived at Dublin Airport"
.
Irish Photo Archive
. 14 May 1968.
↑
"Belgian Royals at Áras"
.
Irish Photo Archive
. 14 May 1968.
↑
"King Baudouin and Queen Fabiola at Trinity College Dublin"
.
Irish Photo Archive
. 15 May 1968.
↑
"King Baudouin and Queen Fabiola of Belgium visit University College Dublin"
.
Irish Photo Archive
. 15 May 1968.
↑
"King Baudouin and Queen Fabiola of Belgium visit the National Museum"
.
Irish Photo Archive
. 15 May 1968.
↑
"Belgian Royals King Baudouin and Queen Fabiola visit the Lord Mayor of Dublin, Frank Cluskey"
.
Irish Photo Archive
. 15 May 1968.
↑
"Jack Lynch welcomes King Baudouin and Queen Fabiola of Belgium to Dublin Castle for a State Banquet"
.
Irish Photo Archive
. 15 May 1968.
↑
"King Baudouin and Queen Fabiola attend a party at the Abbey Theatre"
.
Irish Photo Archive
. 16 May 1968.
↑
"King of Belgium Plays Hurling"
.
RTÉ Archives
. 17 May 1968.
↑
"King Baudouin takes a puck at the sliotar in the grounds of the Aras"
.
Irish Photo Archive
. 17 May 1968.
↑
"Having had a few lessons from All-Ireland winner Jack Lynch, King Baudouin takes a puck at the sliotar in the grounds of the Aras"
.
Irish Photo Archive
. 17 May 1968.
↑
"King Baudouin plants a tree in the grounds of Aras an Uachtarain"
.
Irish Photo Archive
. 17 May 1968.
↑
"Queen Fabiola plants a tree in the grounds of Aras an Uachtarain"
.
Irish Photo Archive
. 17 May 1968.
↑
"King Baudouin and Queen Fabiola depart from Dublin Airport after their three-day state visit to Ireland"
.
Irish Photo Archive
. 17 May 1968.
↑
"King Baudouin and Queen Fabiola depart from Dublin Airport"
.
Irish Photo Archive
. 17 May 1968.
↑
"Irish Standard Time Act, 1968"
.
1
2
"Playography Ireland"
. Dublin: Irish Theatre Institute
. Retrieved
8 April
2015
.
↑
Smith, Andrea (20 August 2018).
"How the best man won this woman's heart"
.
Irish Independent
. Retrieved
5 March
2025
.
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1885
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1888
1889
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1894
1895
1896
1897
1898
1899
1900
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v
t
e
1968 in Europe
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