1989 in Ireland
Appearance
See also: 1988 in Ireland, other events of 1989, 1990 in Ireland and the list of 'years in Ireland'.
Events
- January 2 - Dundalk, County Louth celebrates its 1200 year heritage.
- February 12 - Belfast solicitor Pat Finucane is shot dead by loyalists, who were aided by the Royal Ulster Constabulary.
- March 21 - Three Irish soldiers on United Nations duty are killed in a landmine explosion in southern Lebanon.
- April 3 - Belfast-born Alex Higgins beats Stephen Hendry to win the British Benson and Hedges snooker championship.
- April 4 - The Windmill Lane Consortium says that if it gets the franchise it will be on the air within 9 to 12 months with its station TV3.
- June 16 - Ray McAnally, one of the country's most versatile actors, dies suddenly.
- June 22 - an order is signed creating the University of Limerick, the first university founded since the foundation of the state, later in the day Dublin City University is created
- June 29 - Charles Haughey resigns as Taoiseach. He remains on in a caretaker capacity.
- August 19 - 10,000 people march from Dublin city centre to the British Embassy calling for British withdrawal from Northern Ireland.
- September 4 - Century Radio goes on the air for the first time.
- October 11 - The Republic of Ireland beat Northern Ireland 3–0 in a World Cup Qualifier at Lansdowne Road.
- October 19 - Three of the Guildford Four are released in London. Paul Hill is immediately re-arrested.
- December 21 - Aer Rianta's 5,000,000th passenger is presented with a holiday to Florida.
- December 26 - Poet, playwright and winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature, Samuel Beckett, dies in Paris.
Arts and literature
Sports
Births
Deaths
- January 31 - Allan McClelland, actor and writer.
- April 7 - Frank Cluskey, former leader of the Labour Party.
- June 15 - Ray McAnally, actor.
- August 3 - Dominic Behan, author and songwriter.
- August 12 - Emyr Estyn Evans, Ireland's first Professor of Geography.
- October 6 - Patricia Cockburn, artist.
- October 31 - Liam Redmond, actor.
- November 4 - Vivian Mercier, critic, scholar and teacher.
- December 14 - Gerry Healy, British Trotskyist leader.
- December 22 - Samuel Beckett, poet, novelist, playwright and winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature.