1988 in Ireland

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Decades: 1960s • 1970s • 1980s • 1990s • 2000s Centuries: 18th • 19th • 20th • 21st See also: 1988 in Northern Ireland Other events of 1988 List of years in Ireland

Events

• 11 January - John Hume and Gerry Adams have a surprise meeting in Belfast.
• 6 March - The British SAS kills three unarmed members of the IRA in Gibraltar.
• 7 March - It is agreed that a millennium fountain called the Anna Livia Fountain is to be built on O'Connell Street in Dublin.
• 16 March - Milltown Cemetery attack: Three men are killed and 70 are wounded in a gun and grenade attack on mourners in Milltown Cemetery during the funerals of three IRA members.
• 19 - March5,000 people turn out for an anti-apartheid rally at the GPO in Dublin.
• 22 March - Tributes are paid to Aran Islands poet Máirtín Ó Direáin at his funeral in Dublin.
• 16 April - The Irish National Lottery launches its national live draw.
• 15 June - The IRA kills six British soldiers in a bomb attack in Lisburn.
• 19 June - The Royal Canal officially reopens for leisure purpose between Leixlip and Maynooth.
• 10 July - Dublin celebrates its official 1,000th birthday.
• 18 July - Nelson Mandela, the jailed anti-apartheid leader, is awarded the freedom of Dublin City.
• 11 August - The Department of Health launches an information booklet as the number of AIDS cases increases dramatically.
• 28 August - Leopardstown Racecourse celebrates its 100th birthday.
• 12 September - Archbishop Thomas Morris resigns as Archbishop of Cashel and is replaced by Dermot Clifford.
• 8 October - A tax amnesty brings in over £500 million.
• 17 October - The IRTC is established to regulate radio and television services outside the RTÉ umbrella.
• 26 October - The case of Norris v. Ireland is decided by the European Court of Human Rights, ruling the existence of laws in the Republic of Ireland criminalising consensual gay sex to be illegal.
• 16 November - Minister for Finance Ray MacSharry is appointed Ireland's new EC Commissioner.

Arts and literature

Ireland hosts the Eurovision Song Contest

Sport

Cycling

• 13 March - Sean Kelly wins the Paris–Nice cycle race for the seventh year in a row.
• 15 May - Sean Kelly wins the Vuelta a España cycle race.

Gaelic football

• Meath GAA beat Cork GAA 0–13 to 0–9 in Croke Park to win a second consecutive All-Ireland Senior Football Championship title.

Hurling

• Galway GAA beat Tipperary GAA 1–15 to 0–14 in Croke Park to win a second consecutive All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship title.

Soccer

• The Republic of Ireland plays in the European Championship finals for the first time.
• 12 June - The Republic of Ireland celebrates a win over England 1–0 at Euro 88.

Golf

• Carroll's Irish Open is won by Ian Woosnam (Wales).
• 16 October - Ireland (Eamonn Darcy, Ronan Rafferty, Des Smyth) wins the Dunhill Cup at St Andrew's.

Births

• 7 January - Robert Sheehan, actor.
• 15 January - Padraig Amond, soccer player.
• 23 January - Alan Power, soccer player.
• 29 January - Owen Garvan, soccer player.
• 21 February - Darren Forsyth, soccer player.
• 22 February - Robert Bayly, soccer player.
• 4 March - Timmy Purcell, soccer player.
• 2 May - Stephen Henderson, soccer player.
• 21 May - Adam Rooney, soccer player.
• 25 July - Anthony Stokes, soccer player.
• 14 September - Shane Tracy, soccer player.
• 22 September - Keith Quinn, soccer player.

Full date unknown

• Séamus Hickey, Limerick hurler.

Deaths

January to June

• 1 January - Sister Philippa Brazill, nurse in Australia (b. 1896).
• 1 January - Dan Spring, Gaelic footballer, trade unionist and Irish Labour Party TD (b. 1910).
• 15 January - Seán MacBride, former Clann na Poblachta TD, Cabinet Minister and Nobel Peace Prize Winner (b.1904).
• 2 February - Frederick Blaney, cricketer (b. 1918).
• 6 February - Paschal (PV) Doyle, hotelier and builder, founder Doyle Hotel Group.
• 11 February - Tommy Coleman, Irish volunteer (b. 1899).
• 24 February - Tommy O'Brien, journalist and broadcaster.
• 10 May - Ciaran Bourke, musician, one of the original members of The Dubliners (b. 1936).

July to December

• 17 July - Frank Carter, Fianna Fáil TD, Seanad member.
• 10 October - Sonny Hool, cricketer (b. 1924).
• 27 October - Frank Devlin, badminton player (b. 1900).
• 12 December - Seán Dowling, revolutionary and playwright.
• 7 December - Peter Langan, restaurateur.
• 8 December - John Joe McGirl, chief of staff of the Irish Republican Army (b.1921).
• 21 December - Eithne Dunne, actress.
• 22 December - Jack Bowden, cricketer and hockey player (b. 1916).

Full date unknown

• Tommy Breen, international soccer player (b. 1912).
• Robert Dudley Edwards, historian (b. 1909).
• E. Chambré Hardman, photographer (b. 1898).
• Terry Leahy, Kilkenny hurler (b.1918).
• Máirtín Ó Direáin, poet (b. 1910).
• Nick O'Donnell, Kilkenny and Wexford hurler (b.1925).
• Tommy Potts, fiddle player (b. 1912).
• Ed Reavy, fiddle player and songwriter (b. 1897).