1945 in Ireland

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← 1944 1943 1942 1941 1940 1945 in Ireland → 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950
Centuries:	18th 19th 20th 21st
Decades:	1920s 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s
See also:	1945 in Northern Ireland Other events of 1945 List of years in Ireland

Events from the year 1945 in Ireland.

Incumbents[edit]

• President:
  • Douglas Hyde (until 24 June 1945)
  • Seán T. O'Kelly (from 25 June 1945)
• Taoiseach: Éamon de Valera (FF)
• Tánaiste:
  • Seán T. O'Kelly (FF) (until 14 June 1945)
  • Seán Lemass (FF) (from 14 June 1945)
• Minister for Finance:
  • Seán T. O'Kelly (FF) (until 14 June 1945)
  • Frank Aiken (FF) (from 19 June 1945)
• Chief Justice: Timothy Sullivan
• Dáil: 12th
• Seanad: 5th

Events[edit]

• 1 January – Most public transport came under the control of Córas Iompair Éireann.
• 12 January – The people of Ireland donated £1,000,000 to the starving people of Italy.
• 13 April – Dáil Éireann sat for 20 minutes to express sympathy and pay tribute to US President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, who died the previous day. The House was then adjourned.
• 27 April – The Fine Gael party nominated Seán Mac Eoin as their presidential election candidate in opposition to the Fianna Fáil Minister for Finance Seán T. O'Kelly.
• 2 May
  • In one of the most controversial episodes of his premiership, Taoiseach Éamon de Valera called to the German Ambassador to express his sympathy following the death of Adolf Hitler.
  • In the last Irish shipping loss due to World War II, motor fishing trawler Naom Garvan caught a naval mine in her trawl off Helvick Head, Dungarvan; all three crew were lost.
• 7 May – Reports of a German surrender brought students of Trinity College Dublin onto the roof of the university singing the English and French national anthems. A riot ensued following the burning of the Irish tricolour.
• 11 May – Government wartime censorship of the media was lifted.^[1]
• 16 May – Éamon de Valera replied in a radio broadcast to British prime minister Winston Churchill's criticism of Irish neutrality.
• 18 May – Éamon de Valera announced £12 million food and clothing aid programmed for Europe.
• 22 May – The Irish Legal Terms Act was signed into law, providing support for greater use of Irish in the legal system.^[2]
• 14 June – Seán T. O'Kelly was elected President, defeating his opponents Seán Mac Eoin and Patrick McCartan.
• 25 June – Seán T. O'Kelly was inaugurated as the second President of Ireland.
• July – Rannóg an Aistriúcháin, the Oireachtas translation service, published Litriú na Gaeilge: Lámhleabhar an Chaighdeáin Oifigiúil ("Irish orthography: a handbook of the official standard").
• 24 July – Following visits to England, France, and Germany, future American president John F. Kennedy arrived in Dublin for a two-day visit as a cub reporter for the Hearst newspaper group.^[3][4]
• 25 July – John Kennedy interviewed the Taoiseach, Éamon de Valera, on the subject of Irish Partition. He filed a story for the New York Journal-American on 29 July entitled, "Eamon de Valera Seeks to Unite All Ireland: Eire Premier Answers Dillon on Constitutional Rights".^[3][4][5]
• 21 August – Two nationalist MPs took the Oath of Allegiance and entered the Parliament of the United Kingdom at Westminster.
• 3 December – Oranges went on sale in Ireland for the first time since the end of World War II.
• 14 December – The Nuremberg Trials heard the story of German plans to create a revolution in Ireland during the War.
• 25 December – In his presidential address President Seán T. O'Kelly asked the youth of Ireland to make a particular effort to restore the Irish language.
• A "popular edition" of the Constitution of Ireland was published by the Government's Stationery Office, amending the Irish language text.

Arts and literature[edit]

• J. Sheridan Le Fanu's Green Tea and Other Ghost Stories was published posthumously in the United States.
• Ina Boyle's first symphony, Glencree, composed in 1924–27, received its first complete performance at a Raidió Éireann studio concert.^[6]
• E. J. Moeran's Cello Concerto incorporated fragments of Irish music.
• Establishment of Irish language publisher Sáirséal agus Dill in Dublin by Seán Sairséal Ó hÉigeartaigh and his wife Bríd Ní Mhaoileoin.

Sport[edit]

Football[edit]

League of Ireland

Winners: Cork United

FAI Cup

Winners: Shamrock Rovers 1–0 Bohemians.

Golf[edit]

• The Irish Open was not played due to The Emergency.

Births[edit]

• 8 January – Kevin Conneff, bodhrán player and singer with The Chieftains.
• 12 January
  • Tony Maher, Cork hurler.
  • Eddie O'Brien, Cork hurler.
• 2 February – Billy Morgan, Cork Gaelic footballer and manager.
• 5 February – Michael Courtney, titular archbishop of Eanach Dúin and Apostolic Nuncio to Burundi (assassinated 2003).
• 12 February – Jimmy Keaveney, Dublin Gaelic footballer.
• 17 February – Brenda Fricker, actress.
• 4 March – Tara Browne, socialite (died 1966).
• 17 March – Paddy Mulligan, soccer player.
• March – Bernard Durkan, Fine Gael TD for Kildare North.

• 2 April – Batt O'Keeffe, Fianna Fáil TD for Cork North-West and Minister of State.
• 8 April – Diarmuid Martin, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Dublin and Primate of Ireland.
• 18 April – Margaret Hassan, aid worker in Iraq, kidnapped and murdered by Iraqi insurgents (died 2004).
• 20 April – Alan Dukes, leader of Fine Gael and TD, Director General of the Institute of European Affairs.
• 26 April – Séamus Kirk, Fianna Fáil TD for Louth.
• 27 April – Dinny McGinley, Fine Gael TD for Donegal South-West.
• 4 May – Jim Higgins, Fine Gael TD, Senator and Member of the European Parliament.
• 7 May
  • Susan Denham (née Gageby), Chief Justice of Ireland.
  • Alexis FitzGerald Jnr, Fine Gael TD and Senator.
  • Christy Moore, folk singer.
• 21 May – Éamonn Cregan, Limerick Gaelic footballer and hurler, manager.
• 1 June
  • Niamh Bhreathnach, Labour Party politician, TD and Minister for Education (died 2023)
  • Jarlath McDonagh, Fine Gael politician.
• 6 June – Denis Coughlan, Cork Gaelic footballer and hurler.
• 11 June – Patrick Joseph McGrath, Irish-American bishop.(died 2023)
• 17 June – Pat Hickey, judoka and Olympic sports administrator.
• 20 June – Denis Brennan, Bishop of Ferns (2006–2021).
• 23 June – Paul Costelloe, fashion designer.
• 30 June – Sean Scully, painter.
• June – Nora Owen, Fine Gael TD and Minister for Justice.
• 1 July – Jack Wall, Labour Party TD for Kildare South.
• 25 July – John Dardis, Progressive Democrats Senator.
• 3 August – Eamon Dunphy, footballer, commentator and broadcaster.
• 14 August – Tony Scannell, actor.
• 12 September – Maria Aitken, actress, writer and director.
• 13 September – Niall FitzGerald, businessman.
• 15 September – Donie Cassidy, Fianna Fáil TD representing Longford–Westmeath, businessman.
• 20 September – Éamonn Walsh, Labour Party TD, local councillor.
• September – Gerald McCarthy, Cork hurling manager and player.
• 19 November – Christie Hennessy, folk singer songwriter (died 2007).
• 6 December – Noel Skehan, Kilkenny hurler.
• 8 December – John Banville, novelist.
• 14 December – Bernard O'Donoghue, poet and academic.
• 17 December – John Neill, Church of Ireland Archbishop of Dublin, Bishop of Glendalough, Primate of Ireland and Metropolitan.
• 24 December – Noel Davern, Fianna Fáil TD representing Tipperary South, Cabinet Minister, Member of the European Parliament.
• Full date unknown

• Richie Bennis, Limerick hurling manager.
• Justin McCarthy, Cork hurler, Waterford hurling manager.
• Philip Pettit, philosopher and political theorist.
• Kieran Purcell, Kilkenny hurler.
• Pad Joe Whelehan, Offaly hurler, manager.

Deaths[edit]

• 30 January – Patrick Belton, Fianna Fáil and Cumann na nGaedheal TD, President of the anti-communist Irish Christian Front (born 1885).
• 4 April – Henry Guinness, engineer, banker and independent member of the Seanad 1922–34 (born 1858).
• 5 May – Frederick Crowley, Fianna Fáil politician (born 1890).
• 20 July – Paddy Mahon, golfer (born c. 1907).
• 24 July – Kitty Kiernan, fiancée of the assassinated Michael Collins (born 1893).
• 16 September – Count John McCormack, tenor (born 1884).
• 3 October – Dermod O'Brien, painter (born 1865).
• 13 October – Joseph MacRory, Cardinal, Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of All Ireland (born 1861).
• 15 October – Professor Eoin MacNeill, scholar, nationalist and revolutionary, a founder-member of the Gaelic League and the Irish Volunteers (born 1867).
• 24 October – Frederick Field, Admiral of the Fleet (Royal Navy) and First Sea Lord (born 1871).
• 6 December – Edmund Dwyer-Gray, politician and 29th Premier of Tasmania in 1939 (born 1870).
• 20 December – John M. Lyle, architect in Canada (born 1872).

References[edit]