1 January – It was revealed that 184 people were killed on Irish roads in 2023, the highest number of fatalities in almost a decade.[1]
4 January – A second man died in hospital following a shooting at aDublin restaurant on Christmas Eve.[2]
5 January –Focus Ireland and theSimon Community described newly released record figures for homelessness (from November 2023) as "shocking", with 9,409 adults and 4,105 children now homeless.[3]
A coroner's inquest held in London found thatSinéad O'Connor died from natural causes.[5]
10 January –Gardaí began an investigation into human trafficking after ten Kurdish people from Iran and Iraq, three people from Vietnam, and one from Turkey were discovered in a refrigerated container that arrived atRosslare Europort.[6]
17 January – A convent inLanesborough,County Longford which had been designated as accommodation for Ukrainian refugees was set on fire.[9]
18 January – A man died following an explosion at a homeless hostel in Dublin city centre.[10]
19 January – TheEuropean Court of Human Rights announced that Ireland launched legal action against the United Kingdom on 17 January over theNorthern Ireland Troubles (Legacy and Reconciliation) Act 2023 that gives amnesty to British soldiers and members of paramilitary groups in Northern Ireland duringthe Troubles.[11][12]
22 January
SenatorDavid Norris retired from theSeanad after 36 years service. In his final speech, he deploredthe slaughter in Gaza: "What is happening to the people of Gaza is appalling and cannot be allowed to continue."[13]
TheSupreme Court decided unanimously that an unmarried father whose partner died is entitled to a widower's pension. TheMinister for Social Protection originally refused him the pension; now, theGovernment must change social welfare law to comply with the court's decision that the department was guilty of unconstitutional discrimination. There are roughly 170,000 cohabiting couples in the State.[14]
It was reported that PresidentMichael D. Higgins had been awarded the United Nations Agricola Medal. It was later presented by the Director-General of theFood and Agriculture Organisation (FAO),Qu Dongyu, in a ceremony atÁras an Uachtaráin on 7 June. Higgins was selected by the FAO "in recognition of [his] contribution and commitment to the welfare of all peoples, [his] extraordinary support for FAO's fundamental goal of attaining universal food security, and the pursuit of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals."[16]
Homelessness figures for December were released, showing a slight drop in numbers to 13,318 people, including more than 3,900 children, accessing homelessness services in December. This was the first drop recorded in months, but it is not expected to be sustained.[17]
A murder investigation began after a post-mortem examination found that remains which were discovered in eastCork were those of a 47-year-old man who went missing in September 2023.[18]
The newDeposit Return Scheme became active. Henceforth, when empty and undamaged plastic, aluminium or steel containers are returned to participating shops and supermarkets, a small deposit, added to the original cost of purchase, is refunded.[19]
A 37-year-old woman was charged with the murder of her six-year-old son who was found unresponsive in a car inCounty Waterford.[24]
16 February – Gardaí seized 546kg ofcrystal methamphetamine worth €32.8million atCork Port. The quantity seized was by far the largest ever captured in Ireland. The haul, destined for Australia, was believed to belong to the MexicanSinaloa Cartel. Two suspects were arrested and firearms were seized.[25][26]
23 February – Record homelessness figures were released by theDepartment of Housing, showing that in January, 13,531 people were making use of emergency accommodation, including over 4,000 children. The figures did not include more than 1,000 asylum seekers.[27]
29 February – PresidentMichael D. Higgins was taken to hospital as a precaution, after complaining of feeling unwell.[28]
2 March – A man in his 40s was hospitalised with serious injuries after masked men armed with machetes and slash hooks stormed an Under-14 boxing event inCastlerea, County Roscommon.[29]
Four men were arrested and a firearm seized following aGarda operation in Dublin, during which a man who was reported kidnapped inBelfast was found safe and well.[34]
9 April – Fine Gael leaderSimon Harris, aged 37, became Ireland's youngest Taoiseach after a Dáil vote of 88–69 and being appointed by the President.[41]
10 April – A large fire destroyed industrial units in Dublin known as the 'home of car culture in Ireland'.[42] The buildings were home to Deane Motors, Drift Games and JC Autocare.[43]
28 April – Taoiseach Simon Harris said that other countries' migration policies "cannot be allowed to undermine" that of Ireland after it emerged that 80% of recent migrant arrivals in Ireland were people who crossed from the UK.[47]
30 April – Cabinet approved legislation drawn up by Minister for JusticeHelen McEntee that would re-designate the UK as a "safe country" to which asylum seekers can be returned.[48]
2 May –The Irish Times Group announced that it had acquired thedeath notice website,RIP.ie. The website was launched in 2005 and received 60 million page views per month when sold.[49]
6 May – Gardaí launched an investigation after a man was shot dead in theDrimnagh area of Dublin shortly after midnight.[50]
13 May – TheNew York–Dublin Portal connecting the two cities via video screens was temporarily turned off, following reports that participants were behaving inappropriately.[52][53]
19 May –Dublin City Council announced that the New York–Dublin Portal would reopen, but with hours limited between 11am and 9pm instead of 24 hours.[54]
22 May – The three leaders of the Coalition Government – TaoiseachSimon Harris, TánaisteMicheál Martin, and MinisterEamon Ryan – announced that Ireland, Norway, and Spain would recognise theState of Palestine on 28 May. In response, the Israeli foreign ministry said it would reprimand the three countries' ambassadors to Israel and show them video of female hostages being held byHamas. Israel also recalled its own ambassadors to the three countries, having argued that such recognition would encourage Hamas terrorism.[55]
FormerCircuit Court judge Gerard O'Brien was sent to prison for four years for sexually assaulting six boys and for the attempted rape of one of them.[57]
Gardaí in Dublin began wearingbody cameras for the first time. It was planned to extend the practice to the whole country eventually.[58]
13 June – A formerscout leader, Noel Sheehan ofGlenville, County Cork, was sentenced to 4½ years in prison, with the final six months suspended, for the sexual assault and psychological damage of young scouts during the late 1980s.[60]
A 22-year-old soldier who beat a woman unconscious in a random street attack, and boasted about it on social media, walked free from court afterJudge Tom O'Donnell gave him a fully suspended sentence which the victim described as "not justice".[63]
Aer Lingus confirmed it would cancel between 10 and 20 percent of its flights over the first five days of planned industrial action by pilots, affecting up to 40,000 passengers.[64]
21 June
TheDefence Forces began internal proceedings in relation to the case of a soldier who beat a woman unconscious in an attack, which Tánaiste and Minister for DefenceMicheál Martin "condemns unequivocally".[65]
The Irish Airline Pilots Association announced an official eight-hour strike on 29 June, in addition to its indefinite work-to-rule.[66]
22 June – Thousands of people marched in cities around Ireland to protest against thesuspended court sentence given to the soldier Cathal Crotty who beat Natasha O’Brien unconscious during a random street attack in Limerick in 2022. The taoiseach, Simon Harris, condemned the attack as part of "an epidemic ofgender-based violence".[67]
25 June –Jack Chambers was named as the new Finance Minister to succeed Michael McGrath.[69]
27 June
Taoiseach Simon Harris described a bomb threat made on his family home as "utterly unacceptable".[70]
A report into serving members of the Defence Forces found 68 personnel had criminal convictions or were currently before the courts on criminal charges which ranged from drink-driving to rape.[71]
29 June – Hundreds of striking Aer Lingus pilots marched at Dublin Airport as part of a dispute with the airline over pay.[72]
10 July – Authorities inDubai confirmed that charges of attempted suicide and alcohol consumption against 28-year-old Irish woman Tori Towey were dropped and a travel ban imposed had been lifted, after her case was raised in theDáil. Taoiseach Simon Harris said this was a situation that "should never have happened".[75]
12 July – Minister for Rural and Community DevelopmentHeather Humphreys described plans to ban theXL bully crossbreed dog, which would include fines of up to €2,500, a prison term, or both for those in breach of the ban.[76]
13 July – Taoiseach Simon Harris met Ukraine PresidentVolodymyr Zelensky atShannon Airport as the latter briefly visited Ireland on his way back to Kyiv from the2024 Washington summit, and announced he would visit Kyiv later in the year.[77]
14 July –Róisín Garvey was elected as deputy leader of the Green Party.[78]
15 July
Twenty-one people were arrested and charged after public disorder took place at a former factory inCoolock, Dublin intended to house asylum seekers, in which three garda cars were damaged, petrol bombs thrown, and fires lit on the roads.[79]
17 July – A death threat was made against Sinn Féin leaderMary Lou McDonald in a video posted onTikTok by a man who said he would shoot and kill her.[81]
Three gardaí were injured, including one hospitalised, and one arrest was made afteranti-immigration disturbances broke out in Coolock for a second time.[83]
27 July – Gardaí and Department of Agriculture personnel investigated a suspectedcockfighting event at a home inEmyvale, County Monaghan. A crowd of people ran away as the gardaí arrived. Fifteen dead cocks and seventy live ones were seized.[84]
15 August – AnIrish Army chaplain in his 50s was seriously injured while being stabbed a number of times outsideRenmore Barracks inCounty Galway. A terror motive was investigated and a 16-year-old boy was arrested.[88]
17 August – A teenage boy was charged in connection with the stabbing of an Army chaplain at Renmore Barracks.[89]
21 August – A man was arrested in Dublin over a 1982 bomb attack inCounty Armagh during theTroubles that killed three officers of theRoyal Ulster Constabulary.[90] He was remanded in custody the following day pending an extradition hearing.[91]
30 August – Figures for homeless people living in emergency accommodation reached another record high, with 10,028 adults and 4,401 children living in emergency accommodation in July – the seventh consecutive month which broke homelessness records.[93]
3 September – A Government-appointed inquiry revealed that 2,395 allegations of sexual abuse had been made in 308 primary and secondary schools run by religious orders across Ireland, spanning a 30-year period. Minister for EducationNorma Foley said the level of abuse was "truly shocking" and a commission of investigation would be established.[94]
17 September –The National Parks and Wildlife Service reported that a record 78,175 wild deer were killed by hunters during the year ending on 28 February 2023, mostly in counties Wicklow, Cork, Waterford, Tipperary, Kerry, Galway and Clare. Deer are legally protected but lack natural predators in Ireland therefore hunting is allowed to control overpopulation in order to limit habitat damage by the animals.[98]
19 September – Nineteen people were arrested at an anti-immigration rally that saw multiple public order incidents across central Dublin.[99]
21 September
Minister for Justice Helen McEntee confirmed she had dropped plans to introduce specific hate speech legislation, but would instead include the hate speech element in new draft legislation.[100]
A monument was unveiled by members of the Spanish Navy atStreedagh Beach nearGrange, County Sligo during the annual commemoration of the deaths of more than 1,100 Spaniards on 21 September 1588, when three ships of theSpanish Armada sank there.[101]
28 September –Sinn Féin presidentMary Lou McDonald told her party's annual conference that the next Irish government will include a Minister for Reunification if Sinn Féin are part of the administration.[102]
1 October – The Minister for Finance,Jack Chambers, and the Minister for Public Expenditure,Paschal Donohoe, unveiledBudget 2025, with energy credits, bonus social welfare payments, a higher minimum wage and tax changes announced.[103]
2 October – The president of Vietnam,Tô Lâm, began a two-day visit to Ireland by meeting President Higgins and his wife, Sabina, at Áras an Uachtaráin. The two leaders held talks during this firststate visit to Ireland by a Vietnamese president, which reciprocated Higgins' inaugural visit by an Irish president to Vietnam in 2016. Lâm returned to the Áras for astate dinner in the evening along with members of the Irish Vietnamese community.[104]
3 October – A teenager who killed a 51-year-old woman in County Offaly in September 2023 and posted a video of the murder on Snapchat was given a sentence of life in detention with a review after 15 years.[105]
6 October – A newspaper story was published that an unnamedOireachtas politician had been recruited as a spy by Russia, using ahoneytrap approach (seduction). The alleged event occurred during theBrexit talks, when Russia sought to undermine relations between Ireland, Britain, and the European Union. The taoiseach remarked that it should not surprise anyone.[106]
15 October –Niall Ó Donnghaile revealed that he was theSinn Féin member who was suspended for sending inappropriate messages to a teenage boy and an adult in September 2023. Party leaderMary Lou McDonald told theDáil that ÓDonnghaile resigned, following allegations of the sending of inappropriate messages to a 17-year-old male.[107]
18 October – AnUisce Éireann document seen by the broadcasterRTÉ'sPrime Time team said that more than 40 years will be needed to correctwastewater treatment problems and public water infrastructure deficiencies in Ireland. This estimated lengthy delay conflicts dramatically with an analysis published by theEnvironmental Protection Agency which projects necessary corrections being achieved in half the time; it conflicts with a government goal to restore water quality by 2027; and it further delays the long-overdue fulfillment of Irish obligations under the European Union'sWater Framework Directive.[108]
20 October – The teenager who received inappropriate messages from Niall ÓDonnghaile revealed he was 16-years-old at the time, contradicting a claim by Mary Lou McDonald that he was 17 and called for her apology for the party's "disastrous handling" of his case, saying her tribute to ÓDonnghaile when he resigned was "like a mental stab".[111]
22 October – Convicted murderer Thomas McCabe, arrested by gardaí in August 2024 after being on the run for a year, was returned to prison in Northern Ireland.[112]
31 October – An internet rumour that aHallowe'en parade would take place onO'Connell Street in Dublin attracted hundreds of people into the city. The hoax led to brief public transport disruption and gardaí asked the crowd to disperse.[113]
1 November – Health MinisterStephen Donnelly announced that the Irish Government would fund 150 places for students to study health atUlster University at a cost of €9.5m (£8m).[114]
5 November – A civil sexual assault case taken by Nikita Ní Laimhín against fighterConor McGregor began in theHigh Court. The rape was alleged to have taken place in December 2018.[115]
9 November – Ryanair CEOMichael O'Leary criticised teachers at a Fine Gael party gathering saying, "The Dáil is full of teachers ... but I wouldn't generally employ a lot of teachers to go out and get things done." His remarks were angrily condemned later by the leaders of the main political parties and by teacher unions.[117]
12 November – The postal serviceAn Post ended the use ofsavings stamps, which had largely been used by young savers.[118]
22 November
The taoiseach said that the prime minister of Israel,Benjamin Netanyahu, would be arrested if he set foot in Ireland. This followed the issuance of an arrest warrant for Netanyahu by theInternational Criminal Court the previous day for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.[119]
The fighter Conor McGregor was found guilty of rape in the High Court. The jury awarded the plaintiff €250,000 in damages. It emerged after the verdict was announced that the plaintiff's partner had been stabbed when attackers wearing balaclavas invaded her home in June.[120]
23 November
Several thousand homes in Donegal were left without power afterStorm Bert brought heavy rain and high winds to Ireland.[121]
Justice MinisterHelen McEntee commended the plaintiff in the Conor McGregor case for her "bravery and determination".[122]
5 December – Irishdry stone wall construction (using stones only, with no mortar) was added to theUNESCO list ofintangible cultural heritages. This was the fifth Irish practice recognised by the UN following hurling, uilleann piping, Irish harping, and Irish falconry.[128]
7 December – More than 400,000 homes and businesses were without power afterStorm Darragh brought strong northwest winds to the country with gusts of up to 141km/h.Met Éireann had issued a Status Red warning for seven counties, with a Status Orange warning for the rest of the country. TheElectricity Supply Board said the storm's effect was greater than that ofStorm Ophelia in 2017.[129]
8 December – Syrian refugees gathered inBallaghaderreen andClonskeagh to celebrate the sudden fall of theAssad regime in their home country. News from Damascus was slightly delayed in Ballaghaderreen by interruption of the electricity supply caused by Storm Darragh.[130]
9 December – Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin and Fine Gael leader Simon Harris held talks aimed at forming the next government; both parties later released a joint statement confirming negotiations would begin the following day.[131]
11 December – The president of Egypt,Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, paid a courtesy call to President Higgins and had lunch with Taoiseach Harris. He talked with both men about Palestine and Syria, and about ties between Egypt and Ireland. It was the first Irish trip by an Egyptian president sinceHosni Mubarak visited in 2006.[132][133]
15 December
Israel announced that it will close itsembassy in Ireland because of what was described as "the extreme anti-Israel policies of the Irish government". The taoiseach said the decision was "deeply regrettable" while the tánaiste said Ireland did not intend to respond in kind.[134]
The postal serviceAn Post announced it was abandoning its plan to useHolyhead Port in Wales for Christmas deliveries as the port will remain closed until 18 December as a result of damage caused byStorm Darragh.[135]
17 December – The ambassador of Italy,Nicola Faganello, and the ambassador of Palestine,Jilan Wahba Abdalmajid, were officially accredited as ambassadors to Ireland when President Higgins accepted theircredentials in the State Reception Room at Áras an Uachtaráin. Afterwards, military honours were rendered, outside.[136] The ambassadors were accompanied to and from the ceremony by a motorcycle escort of honour, drawn from the Cavalry Squadron.[137]
18 December
Post-election sitting of the new Dáil: Taoiseach Simon Harris visitedÁras an Uachtaráin to tender his resignation to President Higgins; he will continue to serve until a successor is appointed. The34th Dáil met for the first time, andVerona Murphy was elected by the deputies as the first femaleCeann Comhairle in Dáil Eireann. The Sinn Féin party nominated Mary Lou McDonald as taoiseach, but the motion was defeated. The Dáil adjourned after voting to return on 22 January; many opposition TDs preferred 15 January, but they were outvoted.[138]
TheDepartment of Defence ordered a new government jet, a FrenchFalcon 6X, currently under construction, to replace the existing troublesome 30-year-oldLearjet. Delivery is expected by December 2025 at a cost of €53 million plus tax.[139]
22 December – TheHealth Service Executive reported that at least 2,700 cyclists were treated for injuries as hospital in-patients in the past two years. The figures included only publicly funded acute hospitals and did not include patients treated in emergency departments or as out-patients, so did not account for all cycling injuries.[140]
29 December – The Department of Defence contracted to buy fourAirbus H145M light-utility helicopters, at a cost of €91.7 million plus tax, for delivery in early 2027 to replace ageingEC-135Irish Air Corps helicopters. The new aircraft were assigned to pilot training programmes, intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance, light combat, and police support operations.[142]
30 December
Ballot papers were issued to the electorate in the2025 Seanad election for university members; this election phase was due to conclude next 29 January.[143]
31 December –Hate crime legislation came into effect when the minister for justice Helen McEntee signed the commencement order for theCriminal Justice (Hate Offences) Act 2024. Ireland was one of the last countries in the European Union to enact such law. The Act joined theProhibition of Incitement to Hatred Act 1989 which penalisedhate speech.[145]
10 March – Cillian Murphy became the first Irish-born actor to win the best actor award at theOscar ceremony inHollywood, California for his leading performance in the filmOppenheimer.[149]
11 May – Bambie Thug came sixth place in the Eurovision Song Contest, marking the country's first top-ten finish since 2011.[150]
28 July – President Higgins led tributes to writerEdna O'Brien who died the previous day, aged 93, describing her as "a fearless teller of truths" and "a superb writer possessed of the moral courage to confront Irish society with realities long ignored and suppressed." Taoiseach Simon Harris described O'Brien as "a brave, gifted, dignified and magnetic person".[151]
7 November – A football supporter won a court case against theFootball Association of Ireland inDublin District Court because the FAI failed to update its website to advise the public of a change of date for an international away match in Armenia in 2022. The plaintiff was awarded damages to compensate him for extra travelling costs he incurred because of the wrong match date information.[153]
4 April – The GAA defended its decision to report theSupermac's fast-food company to theMeta technology company overApril Fools' DayFacebook andInstagram posts by Supermac's which featured an altered image of the GAA'sCroke Park stadium, saying "the use of any registered trademark is not permitted, in jest or otherwise", resulting in the Supermac's Instagram and Facebook accounts being suspended.[185]
12 August – Ireland's Olympic athletes were welcomed home from thegames in Paris by a crowd at Dublin Airport. Another gathering of 20,000 people inO'Connell Street, Dublin attended the first civic reception ever held for returning Olympic athletes. Officials greeting the team included the taoiseachSimon Harris, the lord mayor of DublinJames Geoghegan, the minister for sportCatherine Martin, and the minister of state for sport and physical educationThomas Byrne.Team Ireland's 133 athletes competed in 14 sports and won seven medals, coming 19th on the medals table, Ireland's greatest success at the Olympic games.[187]
16 March – Ireland 17–13Scotland.[193] Ireland won theSix Nations Championship for the second year in a row after defeating Scotland in their final rugby match of the contest.[194]
15 June – Five women swam a relay of theNorth Channel between Ireland and Scotland, starting in 11.8 °C water fromDonaghadee and reachingPortpatrick. Afric Creedon, Jackie O'Connor, Karen Molloy, Orla Colreavy, and Siobhán O'Driscoll took half a day to swim a curved 42.2 kilometre route whose course was shaped by the tide.[204]
18 September –Toto Schillaci, 59, Italian association footballer and figure in Irish footballing folklore whose goal in a1990 World Cup quarter final match endedIreland's most successful run in a major international football competition and broke their dreams of proceeding further in the tournament.[303][304]
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