2026 in Ireland

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See also:	2026 in Northern Ireland Other events of 2026 List of years in Ireland

Events during the year 2026 in Ireland.

For Northern Ireland, see 2026 in Northern 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. ^[1]
• 5 January – The taoiseach, Micheál Martin, met Chinese president Xi Jinping in the Great Hall of the People on Tiananmen Square, Beijing. ^[2] The taoiseach then received a personal tour of the Forbidden City, which was closed to visitors that day. ^[3]
• 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. ^[4]
  • 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". ^[5]
• 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. ^[6]
• 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. ^[7]
• 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. ^[8]

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. ^[9]
• 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. ^[10]
• 11 February – Culture Minister Patrick O'Donovan announced the Basic Income for the Arts scheme that will see 2,000 eligible artists paid €325 (£283) a week by the Irish Government to support them in their endeavours. Applications will open in May with the payment lasting three years. ^[11]

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 . ^[12]

Sport

Association football (men)

2026 World Cup qualification

Play-off semi-final

• 26 March – Czech Republic v Ireland. ^[13]

Play-off final

• 31 March – Czech Republic or Ireland v Denmark or North Macedonia. ^[13]

International friendly matches

• 28 May – Ireland v Qatar. ^[14]

• 6 June – Canada v Ireland. ^[14]

Association football (women)

2027 World Cup Qualification

• 3 March – Ireland v France. ^[15]

• 7 March – Netherlands v Ireland. ^[16]

• 14 April – Poland v Ireland. ^[17]

• 18 April – Ireland v Poland. ^[18]

• 5 June – Ireland v Netherlands. ^[19]

• 9 June – France v Ireland. ^[20]

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. ^[21]

• 14 February – Ireland 20–13 Italy. ^[22]

• 20 February – England v Ireland.

• 6 March – Ireland v Wales.

• 14 March – Ireland v Scotland.

Annual events

See also: Public holidays in the Republic of Ireland

(H) = public holiday

January

• 1 January – New Year's Day. (H) ^[23]

• 6 January – Nollaig na mBan . ^[24]

February

• 1 February – Imbolc . ^[23]

• 2 February – Saint Brigid's holiday. (H) ^[23]

• 19 February–March 1 – Dublin International Film Festival ^[25]

March

• 17 March – Saint Patrick's Day. (H) ^[23]

• 20 March – Spring equinox. ^[23]

April

• 6 April – Easter Monday. (H) ^[23]

May

• 1 May – Bealtaine . ^[26]

• 4 May – May holiday. (H) ^[23]

June

• June – Pride Month. ^[27]

• 1 June – June holiday. (H) ^[23]

• 16 June – Bloomsday. ^[25]

• 21 June – Summer solstice. ^[23]

August

• 1 August – Lúnasa . ^[28]

• 3 August – August holiday. (H) ^[23]

September

• 23 September – Autumn equinox. ^[23]

October

• 25 October – October holiday. (H) ^[23]

• 31 October – Hallowe'en. ^[23]

November

• 1 November – Samhain . ^[29]

December

• 21 December – Winter solstice. ^[23]

• 25 December – Christmas Day. (H) ^[23]

• 26 December – Saint Stephen's Day, also Lá an Dreoilín . (H) ^[23]

Deaths

January

Brian Crowley

• 3 January – Pa O'Dwyer, 40, strongman. ^[30]
• 4 January – Mary White, 81, politician, senator (2002–2016). ^[31]
• 13 January – Seán Ó Sé, 89, singer, educator and raconteur. ^[32]
• 23 January – Brian Crowley, 61, politician, senator (1993–1994) and MEP (1994–2019). ^[33]
• 28 January – Brian O'Shea, 81, politician, senator (1987–1989), TD (1989–2011) and Minister of State (1993–1994 and 1994–1997). ^[34]
• 30 January
  • Geraldine Barniville, 83, squash and tennis player. ^[35]
  • John Heneghan, 79, Gaelic footballer (Ballymahon, Naomh Mhuire, Longford senior team, Leinster). ^[36]
• 31 January – Joe Mulholland, 85, manging director of RTÉ Television. ^[37]

February

• 6 February – Damien Byrne, 71, footballer (Drogheda, Shamrock Rovers, St Patrick's Athletic). ^[38]
• 11 February – Eddie Harty, 88, Olympic equestrian (1960) and National Hunt jockey. ^[39]
• 16 February – Jim Lane, 87, Irish Republican and socialist. ^[40]

References

1. "Pension auto-enrolment: global mobility considerations". Grant Thornton Ireland. Retrieved 12 December 2025.
2. Staunton, Denis (5 January 2026). "Xi Jinping says Irish novel The Gadfly sustained him during traumatic teenage years: Chinese president and Micheál Martin discover shared interest in revolutionary novel by Ethel Voynich". The Irish Times.
3. Staunton, Denis (5 January 2026). "Micheál Martin spoke after a meeting with Chinese president Xi Jinping in Beijing". The Irish Times.
4. Ní Aodha, Gráinne; Sherlock, Cillian (5 January 2026). "President says recent lives lost in Venezuela 'appalling' and 'overlooked'". BreakingNews.ie– via Press Association.
5. Cox, Aengus (7 January 2026). "Not 'realistic' for US to buy Greenland – Taoiseach". RTÉ News.
6. "Irish passports: Thousands of new passports to be re-issued". BBC News. BBC. 9 January 2026. Retrieved 9 January 2026.
7. Ó Cionnaith, Fiachra; Manning, Harry; Lehane, Mícheál (13 January 2026). "Ceremony to accredit Iran's ambassador to Ireland postponed". RTÉ News.
8. "Teenage girl dies in Dublin after being struck by scrambler". BBC News. BBC. 26 January 2026. Retrieved 11 February 2026.
9. Gataveckaite, Gabija (4 February 2026). "Scramblers: Irish government to ban scrambler bikes in public places". BBC News. BBC. Retrieved 11 February 2026.
10. "Tuam: Further 22 infant human remains recovered from site". BBC News. BBC. 6 February 2026. Retrieved 6 February 2026.
11. Harron, Angus (11 February 2026). "Ireland announces scheme to provide basic income for artists". BBC News. BBC. Retrieved 11 February 2026.
12. "'This is a real honour' - Jessie Buckley wins Golden Globe award". RTE News. 11 January 2026. Retrieved 19 January 2026.
13. "Republic of Ireland to face Czech Republic with home final against Denmark or North Macedonia possible". RTÉ Sport. 20 November 2025.
14. "Republic of Ireland to face Qatar and Canada in friendly matches before World Cup". RTÉ Sport. 10 February 2026.
15. "Republic of Ireland v France". UEFA. Retrieved 5 December 2025.
16. "Netherlands v Republic of Ireland". UEFA. Retrieved 5 December 2025.
17. "Poland v Republic of Ireland". UEFA. Retrieved 5 December 2025.
18. "Republic of Ireland v Poland". UEFA. Retrieved 5 December 2025.
19. "Republic of Ireland v Netherlands". UEFA. Retrieved 5 December 2025.
20. "France v Republic of Ireland". UEFA. Retrieved 5 December 2025.
21. Treacy, Neil (5 February 2026). "Ireland suffer Paris pummelling in Six Nations opener". RTÉ Sport.
22. Glennon, Michael (14 February 2026). "Bench boost sees Ireland secure nervy win over Italy". RTÉ Sport.
23. "Holidays and Observances in Ireland in 2026". Time and Date. Retrieved 25 November 2025.
24. McGarry, Marion (4 January 2025). "The roots and traditions of Nollaig na mBan". RTÉ Brainstorm.
25. O'Hara, Keith (25 November 2025). "Festivals Ireland 2025: 128 Unmissable Events". The Irish Road Trip. Retrieved 25 November 2025.
26. "Origins of Bealtaine festival". The Kerryman. 23 April 2013. Archived from the original on 30 April 2019.
27. Fetherston, Sinann (12 June 2025). "Pride celebrations taking place across Ireland this June". RTÉ News.
28. Starhawk (1989) [1979]. The Spiral Dance: A Rebirth of the Ancient Religion of the Great Goddess (Revised ed.). Harper and Row. pp.  191–2. ISBN   0-06-250814-8.
29. Dáithí Ó hÓgáin (1991). Myth Legend and Romance: An Encyclopaedia of the Irish Folk Tradition. Prentice Hall Press. p. 402. The basic Irish division of the year was into two parts, the summer half beginning at Bealtaine (May 1st) and the winter half at Samhain (November 1st) ... The festivals properly began at sunset on the day before the actual date, evincing the Celtic tendency to regard the night as preceding the day.
30. Coussins, Jordan (4 January 2026). "Strongman turned hilarious Instagram star dies aged 40". Birmingham Live. Retrieved 4 January 2026.
31. "'She was a force of nature' – Mary White, former senator and founder of Lir Chocolates, dies aged 81". Irish Independent. 5 January 2026. Retrieved 5 January 2026.
32. O'Keeffe, Donal (13 January 2026). "Renowned Cork singer Seán Ó Sé dies aged 89". Irish Examienr. Retrieved 13 January 2025.
33. McNally, Tadgh (23 January 2026). "Tributes paid after death of former Fianna Fáil MEP Brian Crowley, aged 61". Irish Examienr. Retrieved 23 January 2025.
34. "Tributes paid after death of former Waterford TD Brian O'Shea". Irish Independent. 29 January 2026. Retrieved 31 January 2025.
35. Watterson, Johnny (3 February 2026). "Dual tennis and squash international Geraldine Barniville dies". Irish Times. Retrieved 4 February 2025.
36. "Death of legendary Longford goalkeeper John Heneghan". Hogan Stand. 3 February 2026. Retrieved 4 February 2025.
37. Collins, Liam (8 February 2026). "Obituary: Joe Mulholland, senior figure in RTÉ who modernised its current affairs and news output and founded the MacGill Summer School". Irish Independent. Retrieved 8 February 2026.
38. "St Pat's pay tribute to title winner Damien Byrne, who has died at 71". Irish Examiner. 7 February 2026. Retrieved 7 February 2025.
39. "Esteemed Grand National-winning jockey, former trainer and Olympian dies a week after his wife". Irish Independent. 12 February 2026. Retrieved 13 February 2025.
40. "Death Notice of JIM LANE (Cork City, Cork) | rip.ie". rip.ie. Retrieved 17 February 2026.