1965 in Ireland

← 1964 1963 1962 1961 1960 1965 in Ireland → 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970
Centuries:	18th 19th 20th 21st
Decades:	1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s
See also:	1965 in Northern Ireland Other events of 1965 List of years in Ireland

Events from the year 1965 in Ireland.

Incumbents

• President: Éamon de Valera
• Taoiseach: Seán Lemass (FF)

Events

• 14 January - Taoiseach Seán Lemass travels to Belfast for an historic meeting with the Prime Minister of Northern Ireland Terence O'Neill.
• 21 January - Nationalist leader Eddie McAteer visits Taoiseach Seán Lemass in Dublin.
• 28 February - Roger Casement (hanged in Pentonville Prison in 1916) is honoured with a state funeral and reburial in Glasnevin Cemetery in Dublin.
• 7 March - Changes to the Liturgy of the Mass are introduced throughout the country today. Mass is said in the vernacular for the first time.
• 18 March - The Northern Minister for Agriculture, Harry West attends a meeting with his Southern counterpart, Charles Haughey, in Dublin.
• 7 April - Irish general election, 1965: The ruling Fianna Fáil party under Seán Lemass gains a majority. This is the first Irish general election to be covered on television by state broadcaster RTÉ. Clann na Talmhan does not contest the election and is wound up. Members of the 18th Dáil assemble on 21 April.
• 18 April - The Gaelic Athletic Association Congress in Dublin decides that the ban on foreign games is to stay in place.
• 21 April - James Dillon resigns as leader of Fine Gael following his election defeat. Liam Cosgrave is the new leader.
• 24 May - The first drive-on car ferry service between Rosslare Harbour (County Wexford) and Fishguard (Wales) officially opens.
• 13 June - Huge crowds turn out at Drumcliffe Churchyard, County Sligo to honour the poet W.B. Yeats on the centenary of his birth.
• 8 July - Taoiseach Seán Lemass is conferred with an honorary Doctorate of Law at Trinity College Dublin.
• 26 July - Craigavon designated a New Town under the New Towns Act (Northern Ireland).
• 15 August - Galway Cathedral dedicated.
• 17 November - The remains of W. T. Cosgrave, first President of the Executive Council are removed to a church in Rathfarnham, Dublin.

Arts and literature

• 20 March - Ireland enters the Eurovision Song Contest for the first time, represented by Butch Moore.
• Dominic Behan's biography My Brother Brendan is published.
• John McGahern's novel The Dark is published.
• Iris Murdoch's novel The Red and the Green, with an Easter Rising setting, is published.
• Dervla Murphy's first travel book, Full Tilt: Ireland to India With a Bicycle, is published.

Science and technology

• The Young Scientist Exhibition is first held.

Births

January to June

• 22 January - Denis Walsh, Cork Gaelic footballer and hurler.
• 11 February - Tom Bolger, teacher.
• 22 February - Kieren Fallon, champion flat racing jockey.
• 28 February - Colum McCann, fiction writer.
• 10 March - Damien Hancock, soccer referee.
• 17 March - Joe Cooney, Galway hurler.
• 26 March - John McDonnell, soccer player and manager.
• 30 April - Eddie McGoldrick, soccer player born in England of Irish descent.
• 14 May - Eoin Colfer, author.
• 28 May - Mary Coughlan, former Tánaiste and Fianna Fáil Teachta Dála for Donegal South-West.
• 22 June - Enda McCallion, film director.
• June - Jim Cashman, Cork hurler.

July to December

• 30 July - Declan Carr, Tipperary hurler.
• 2 October - Keith Ridgway, writer.
• 8 October - Ardal O'Hanlon, comedian, actor and writer.
• 31 October - Denis Irwin, soccer player.
• 10 November - Sean Hughes, comedian.
• 20 November - Diarmuid Wilson, Fianna Fáil Senator.
• 25 November - David Kelly, footballer born in England of Irish descent

Full date unknown

• Mike McCormack, novelist.

Deaths

January to June

• 7 January - Jimmy O'Dea, comedian (born 1899).
• 6 February - Tom Jameson, cricketer (born 1892).
• 15 February - Sam Thompson, playwright (born 1916).
• 13 March - Patrick Giles, Fine Gael TD (born 1899).
• 10 April - James Duhig, Archbishop of Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Brisbane (born 1873).
• 12 June - Arthur Cox, solicitor, priest, nominated to 8th Seanad by Taoiseach in 1954.
• 22 June - Piaras Béaslaí, member of the Irish Republican Brotherhood, member of Dáil Éireann, author, playwright, biographer and translator (born 1881).

July to December

• 17 July - Frank Ryan, tenor (born 1900).
• 28 August - Richard Wyndham-Quin, 6th Earl of Dunraven, peer (born 1887).
• 11 September - Bethel Solomons, obstetrician and rugby player (born 1885).
• 26 September - James Fitzmaurice, pilot and aviation pioneer (born 1898).
• 12 November - Charles McCausland, cricketer (born 1898).
• 16 November - W. T. Cosgrave, first President of the Executive Council of the Irish Free State (born 1880).
• 27 November - Francis MacManus, novelist (born 1909).
• 30 December - Henry George Farmer, musicologist (born 1882).

Full date unknown

• Jim Hurley, veteran of the Irish War of Independence, Cork Gaelic footballer and hurler (born 1902).