1964 in Ireland

Events

*January 3 – Princess Margaret and Lord Snowdon arrive in Ireland for a seven-day visit.
*February 21 – The new Garda Síochána training centre is opened in Templemore, County Tipperary.
*March 16 – Seán Lemass arrives in London to officially launch Ireland Week.
*March 21 – Brendan Behan's funeral takes place in Dublin.
*May 23 – President de Valera, An Taoiseach Seán Lemass and An Tánaiste Seán MacEntee attend the official opening of the US Embassy in Dublin.
*May 26 – The Fine Gael parliamentary party approves Declan Costello's "Just Society" programme.
*June 1 – Jill, a two-year-old elephant, arrives at Dublin Airport from India. She is headed to a new home at Dublin Zoo.
*September 5 – An Taoiseach Seán Lemass attends celebrations marking the silver jubilee of the first commercial transatlantic flight.
*September 19 – The Abbey Theatre, Dublin closes in mourning for playwright Seán O'Casey who has died.
*New bridge over the River Foyle, linking Lifford and Strabane is built.
*The death penalty is abolished for all but the murder of gardaí, diplomats and prison officers.

Arts and literature

ports

*In the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup, Shelbourne were drawn against Portuguese side Belenenses and after two drawn games won the replay 2-1. Facing Atlético Madrid in the second round, they were beaten 1-0 in both legs.

Births

January to June

*21 February – Keith Bailey, cricketer.
*4 March – Brian Crowley, Fianna Fáil Member of the European Parliament representing Ireland South.
*April – Ger FitzGerald, Cork hurler.
*6 May – John Gill, soccer player and manager.
*26 May – Caitlín R. Kiernan, writer.
*1 June – Alan Lewis, former cricketer, rugby referee.
*13 June – Ciarán Lynch, Labour Party (Ireland) TD representing Cork South Central.
*26 June – Francis Hare, 6th Earl of Listowel, peer.

July to December

*21 July – Steve Collins, boxer.
*31 July – Jim Corr, guitarist with The Corrs.
*31 July – Aengus Ó Snodaigh, Sinn Féin TD for Dublin South Central and Chief Whip.
*20 August – Declan Geoghegan, soccer player.
*1 September – Ray D'Arcy, radio and television broadcaster.
*5 September – Liam O'Brien, soccer player.
*28 September – Brendan Kelly, actor.
*31 October – Colm Ó Cíosóig, drummer.
*7 November – Liam Ó Maonlaí, musician.
*29 November – Tony Davis, Cork Gaelic footballer.

Full date unknown

*Paul Bradford, Fine Gael Seanad Éireann member.
*Marina Carr, playwright.
*Michael Collins, novelist.
*Mick Deegan, Dublin Gaelic footballer and manager.
*Pete Finnerty, Galway hurler.
*Teddy McCarthy, Cork Gaelic footballer and hurler.
*Martin Naughton, Galway hurler.
*Eddie O'Connor, former Kilkenny hurler.
*Colm O'Neill, Cork Gaelic footballer.
*Derek Turner, journalist.
*Paul Williams, journalist and writer.

Deaths

*9 March – Frederick Jeremiah Edwards, recipient of the Victoria Cross for gallantry in 1916 at at Thiepval, France (b.1894).
*20 March – Brendan Behan, poet, novelist and playwright (b.1923).
*29 April – J. M. Kerrigan, actor (b.1884).
*18 September – Seán O'Casey, dramatist and memoirist (b.1880).
*27 September – Michael Donnellan, founder of Clann na Talmhan and TD (b.1900).
*24 November – William O'Dwyer, judge, District Attorney and 100th Mayor of New York City (b.1890).
*November – Percy Redfern Creed, soldier, sportsman and writer (b.1874).
*31 December – Daniel Corkery, writer, teacher and Sinn Féin and Fianna Fáil TD (b.1878).