1962 in Ireland

Centuries:	18th ; 19th ; 20th ; 21st ;
Decades:	1940s ; 1950s ; 1960s ; 1970s ; 1980s ;
See also:	1962 in Northern Ireland ; Other events of 1962 ; List of years in Ireland

Last updated January 18, 2026

Incumbents

Events

26 February – The Irish Republican Army officially called off its Border Campaign in Northern Ireland.^[1]
13 March – Irish artists left Dublin Airport for the Congo to entertain United Nations troops there.
17 March – President Éamon de Valera and his wife Sinéad had a private audience with Pope John XXIII in Rome.
5 April – A final train ran on the west Cork railway.
8 May – Irish troops left for a peace-keeping mission in the Congo.
6 July – Gay Byrne presented the first edition of The Late Late Show television programme on Telefís Éireann. He went on to present the show for 37 years.
13 July – Secretary General of the United Nations U Thant arrived in Dublin. He paid tribute to Irish soldiers who fought in the Congo.
21 August – Former United States President Dwight Eisenhower arrived in Belfast on a four-day visit to Ireland.
13 November – Aer Lingus air hostesses received new uniforms. The colours were fern-green and St. Patrick's blue.

Arts and literature

30 June – The Theatre Royal, Dublin closed.
4 December – The first Jacob's broadcasting awards ceremony took place in Dublin.
Irish folk music group the Abbey Tavern Singers was formed in Howth.
Irish folk music band The Chieftains was formed by Paddy Moloney in Dublin.
Irish folk music band The Dubliners was formed at O'Donoghue's Pub in Dublin.
Eavan Boland published 23 Poems while an undergraduate at Trinity College Dublin.
Ewart Milne's poetry A Garland for the Green was published.
Eoghan Ó Tuairisc published his Irish language prose epic L'Attaque in Dublin.
Cecil Woodham-Smith published her history The Great Hunger: Ireland: 1845–1849.

Sports

Association football

Shelbourne FC won the League of Ireland championship for the seventh time with a 1–0 play-off victory over Cork Celtic thanks to a Ben Hannigan goal.

Births

1 January – Jamie O'Neill, author.
9 January – Ray Houghton, association football player, in Scotland to an Irish father.
2 March – Marie-Louise Fitzpatrick, children's author and illustrator.
6 April – Anne Cassin, RTE newsreader.
13 April – Harry Kenny, association football player.
7 May – Paul Kimmage, cyclist and sports journalist.
9 June – Bobby Browne, association football player.
15 June – Martin Earley, road bicycle racer.
26 June – Cyprian Brady, Fianna Fáil Teachta Dála (TD) for Dublin Central.
4 July – Martin Hayes, fiddle player.
11 July – Pauline McLynn, actress and writer.
14 July – Eamon Delaney, author and journalist.
19 July – Caitríona Ruane, Sinn Féin party Member of the Legislative Assembly and Minister for Education in Northern Ireland.
14 August
- Dan Boyle, former Green Party TD, senator.
- Peter Eccles, association football player.
1 September – Tony Cascarino, association football player.
11 October
- Anne Enright, Man Booker Prize-winning author.
- Eddie Hobbs, financial adviser and television presenter.
2 December – Kevin Brady, association football player.
Full date unknown – Tom Spillane, Kerry Gaelic footballer.

Deaths

1 February – Thomas Westropp Bennett, Cumann na nGaedheal party member of the Seanad, Cathaoirleach (chairperson) of the Seanad (born 1867).
13 March – Anne Acheson, sculptor (born 1882).
14 March – Eileen Costello, Independent member of the 1922 Seanad.
25 June – Robert Gwynn, cricketer (born 1877).
4 July – William Harman, cricketer (born 1869).
16 July – Frank Gallagher, Irish Volunteer and author (born 1893).
24 July – Margaret Buckley, president of Sinn Féin party from 1937 to 1950 (born 1879).
26 October – Emily Anderson, British Foreign Office cryptanalyst, scholar of German and musicologist, in London (born 1891).

References

↑ The United Irishman March 1962 p. 1.

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[1] The United Irishman March 1962 p. 1.

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