This articleneeds additional citations forverification. Please helpimprove this article byadding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "1970 in Ireland" – news ·newspapers ·books ·scholar ·JSTOR(February 2021) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

← 1969 1968 1967 1966 1965 1970 in Ireland → 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975
Centuries:	18th 19th 20th 21st
Decades:	1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s
See also:	1970 in Northern Ireland Other events of 1970 List of years in Ireland

Events in the year1970 in Ireland.

• President:Éamon de Valera
• Taoiseach:Jack Lynch (FF)
• Tánaiste:Erskine Childers (FF)
• Minister for Finance:
  • Charles Haughey (FF) (until 7 May 1970)
  • George Colley (FF) (from 9 May 1970)
• Chief Justice:Cearbhall Ó Dálaigh
• Dáil:19th
• Seanad:12th

• 10 January
  • Huge anti-apartheid demonstrations took place as Ireland played South Africa inrugby union.
  • PresidentÉamon de Valera and his wifeSinéad celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary.
• 11 January – TheSinn Féin party split intoProvisional andOfficial wings over a disagreement onabstentionism.

• February – Arock from the surface of the Moon, brought to Earth by the crew of theApollo 11 mission, was displayed to the public at theUnited States embassy inBallsbridge.^[1]

• 2 March – SenatorTed Kennedy of the United States began a visit to Ireland by going to see theJohn F. Kennedy Memorial Park nearNew Ross in County Wexford, his first visit to the town since 1962.^[2]
• 3 March – Ted Kennedy visitedTrinity College Dublin for the bicentenary meeting of the university's Historical and Debating Society.^[2]
• 29 March –Irish languagepirate radio stationSaor Raidió Chonamara began broadcasting.

• 3 April –Garda (policeman) Richard Fallon was murdered on duty in Dublin, the first policeman killed in the Republic of Ireland duringThe Troubles.
• 10 April – The United States AmbassadorJohn Moore visited President De Valera at his home inÁras an Uachtaráin to present him with anIrish flag flown on theApollo 11 moon landing mission, and a fragment from the lunar surface, as a gift to the people of Ireland from US PresidentRichard Nixon.^[3]
• 16 April –Ian Paisley won aby-election to theHouse of Commons of Northern Ireland.
• 21 April – TheAlliance Party was founded in Northern Ireland.
• 22 April –TaoiseachJack Lynch presented a budget in the absence of the Minister for Finance,Charles Haughey, who was injured in a riding accident.

• 1 May – Workers at theBank of Ireland, theAllied Irish Banks, theNorthern Bank, and theUlster Bank went on a 6½ month strike, in what would be the largest of theIrish bank strikes of 1966 to 1976.^{[4]: 41 [5]: 647}
• 4 May – The Minister for Justice,Mícheál Ó Móráin, resigned from the government citing ill-health. The Taoiseach stated in theDáil (parliament) on 7 May, "I wish to state that Deputy Ó Moráin's condition is not unassociated with the shock he suffered as a result of the killing of Garda Fallon".
• 6 May –Arms Crisis: The Minister for Finance, Charles Haughey, and the Minister for Agriculture,Neil Blaney, were asked to resign by the Taoiseach. He accused them of an attempted illegal importation of arms for use by theProvisional IRA.Kevin Boland, the Minister for Local Government, resigned in sympathy with them.^[6]
• 27 May –Captain James Kelly, Albert Luykx, and John Kelly were arrested and charged with conspiracy to import arms.
• 28 May – Charles Haughey and Neil Blaney appeared in theBridewell Court in Dublin charged, along with Albert Luykx and Captain James Kelly, with conspiracy to import arms.
• 31 May – The racehorseArkle was put down at the home of his owner,Anne, Duchess of Westminster.^[7]

• 4 June – Kevin Boland was expelled from theFianna Fáil parliamentary party.
• 25 June – Bishops meeting atMaynooth lifted the ban onCatholic people attendingTrinity College Dublin.

• 2 July – Neil Blaney was cleared of arms conspiracy charges.
• 5 July – After a special cabinet meeting the government demanded a ban on all parades in Northern Ireland and the disarming of civilians.

• 2 August – TheBritish Army firedrubber bullets inBelfast for the first time.^{[citation needed]}
• 9 August – TheGalway-Aran Islands air service was launched. A return air-fare cost £5.
• 21 August – TheSocial Democratic and Labour Party was founded in Northern Ireland under the leadership ofGerry Fitt.

• 1 September – TheNew University of Ulster was presented with aRoyal Charter byElizabeth II.

• 3 October – United States PresidentRichard Nixon and his wifePat were greeted by TaoiseachJack Lynch on their arrival in Ireland. In Dublin, an anti-Vietnam War protest took place.
• 4 October –Pat Nixon visited relatives and her ancestral home inCounty Mayo. Another protest against her husband took place outsidethe United States embassy in Dublin.
• 5 October – Richard Nixon visited Timahoe in County Kildare.^[a] He dedicated an inscribed stone in the local Quaker cemetery where his maternal ancestors lie buried.^[9]
• 14 October – AstronautsJim Lovell,Jack Swigert, andFred Haise, recent survivors of the abortedApollo 13 spaceflight to the moon, landed at Dublin Airport as part of a European tour with wives Marilyn Lovell and Mary Haise (Swigert was unmarried). They were received atÁras an Uachtaráin by President Éamon de Valera on his 88th birthday.^[10][11]
• 23 October – Charles Haughey, James Kelly, Albert Luykx, and John Kelly were acquitted in the Arms Conspiracy Trial.
• 26 October – The Taoiseach was questioned on his return from the United States, and said that there will be no change in fundamental Fianna Fáil party policy regarding Northern Ireland.

• 15 December –Aer Lingus took delivery of its firstBoeing 747 Jumbo Jet, the largest aircraft it ever operated. The plane was stored temporarily inEverett in Washington State, USA until it arrived for service in Irelandthe following March.^[12]

• The firstRegional Technical Colleges opened, atCarlow,Athlone,Dundalk,Sligo, andWaterford.
• AMagnesite processing plant opened inBallinacourty in County Waterford.

• 1 March – The national song contest was held.
• 21 March – "All Kinds of Everything" sung byDana won theEurovision Song Contest for Ireland for the first time.
• 1–3 May – The firstOireachtas Rince na Cruinne was held in Dublin.
• 9 November –David Lean's film,Ryan's Daughter, was released. It was filmed largely in Ireland.
• John Banville's short story collectionLong Lankin was published.
• Leland Bardwell's first poetry collectionThe Mad Cyclist was published.
• Christy Brown's autobiographicalDown All the Days was published.
• J. G. Farrell's novelTroubles, set during theIrish War of Independence, was published.
• Brian Moore's novelFergus was published.
• Máirtín Ó Cadhain's first short story collectionAn tSraith dhá Tógáil was published.
• TheRoyal Hibernian Academy moved to new premises inEly Place, Dublin.
• Thecrossover bandClannad was formed inGaoth Dobhair,County Donegal.^[13]
• TheCeltic rock bandHorslips was formed in Dublin.

• The horseNijinsky won theIrish Derby

League of Ireland

Winners:Waterford

FAI Cup

Winners:Bohemian F.C. 0–0, 0–0, 2–1Sligo Rovers F.C.

All-Ireland Senior Football Championship

Winners:Kerry 2–19 v 0–18Meath (played atCroke Park, Dublin)

All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship

Winners:Cork 6–21 v 5–10Wexford (played at Croke Park, Dublin)

          (This was the first 80 minute All-Ireland Hurling Final)

• 1 January –Rónán Ó Snodaigh, singer andbodhrán player withKíla.
• 16 January –Ciarán Carey,Limerick hurler.
• 2 March –Edward Moore, cricketer (died 2021).
• 24 March –Sharon Corr, violinist withThe Corrs.
• 27 March –Eleanor Maguire,neuropsychologist.
• 21 April –Glen Hansard, actor and vocalist-guitarist withThe Frames.
• 10 May –Mick Fitzgerald,National Hunt jockey].
• 27 May –Glenn Quinn, actor (died 2002).
• 29 May –Mary Kingston, television presenter.
• 3 June –Stephen Geoghegan, association football player.
• 6 July –Tony O'Dowd, association football player.
• 13 July –Sharon Horgan, actress and screenwriter (in London).
• 17 July –Siobhán Hoey, triple jumper.
• 24 July –Julia Bradbury, television presenter.
• 31 July –Johnny Pilkington,Offaly hurler.
• 27 August –Jeff Kenna, association football player.
• 18 September –Vinny Arkins, association football player.
• 21 September –Samantha Power, journalist, academic and United States government official (in London).
• 13 October –Rónán Mullen, journalist andsenator.
• 11 November –D. J. Carey,Kilkenny hurler.
• 12 November –Bláthnaid Ní Chofaigh, television presenter.
• 3 December –Brendan Kehoe,software developer and author.
• 17 December –Craig Doyle, television presenter.

Full date unknown

• Aidan McArdle, actor.
• John Moore, film director, producer and writer.
• Mark O'Rowe, playwright.
• David Quinn, painter.
• Ruth Turner, Director of Government Relations withinTony Blair'sDowning Street office.
• David Wheatley, poet and critic.

• 5 January –Cyril Fagan, astrologer (born 1896).
• 6 January –Peter J. Ward, Sinn Féin party (laterCumann na nGaedheal party)Teachta Dála (TD), memberFirst Dáil (born 1891).
• 6 January –David P. Tyndall, businessman (born 1890).
• 28 January –Gerard Sweetman, formerFine Gael party TD and Cabinet minister (born 1908).
• 8 February –Cahir Healy,Nationalist Partymember of parliament (MP) (born 1877).
• 11 March –Patrick Lenihan, Fianna Fáil TD (born 1902).
• 21 April –Enid Starkie, literary critic and biographer (born 1897).
• 27 April –Arthur Shields, actor (born 1896).
• 11 July –Bobby Kirk, ice hockey player (born 1910).
• 12 August –Joseph Blowick second leader ofClann na Talmhan party, TD and Cabinet minister (born 1903).
• 14 August –Tommy Henderson,UlsterindependentUnionist politician (born 1877).
• 20 September –Leo Rowsome, teacher, player and maker ofuilleann pipes (born 1903).
• 25 September –James Ryan, Fianna Fáil TD, member ofFirst Dáil and Cabinet minister (born 1891).
• 29 September –Mark Killilea Snr, Fianna Fáil TD,senator (born 1897).
• 15 October –Liam Ó Buachalla,Cathaoirleach (chairperson) ofSeanad Éireann 1951–1954 and 1957–1969 (born 1899).
• 18 October –Máirtín Ó Cadhain,Irish language writer (born 1906).
• 24 December –Tom Farquharson, association football player (born 1900).

• 1970 in Irish television

• 1970 in Ireland
• 1970s in Ireland
• Years of the 20th century in Ireland
• 1970 in Europe
• 1970 by country

• Articles with short description
• Short description is different from Wikidata
• Articles needing additional references from February 2021
• All articles needing additional references
• Use Hiberno-English from February 2021
• All Wikipedia articles written in Hiberno-English
• Use dmy dates from July 2022
• All articles with unsourced statements
• Articles with unsourced statements from February 2021
• Articles containing Irish-language text