1944 in Ireland

← 1943 1942 1941 1940 1939 1944 in Ireland → 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949
Centuries:	18th 19th 20th 21st
Decades:	1920s 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s
See also:	1944 in Northern Ireland Other events of 1944 List of years in Ireland

Events from the year 1944 in Ireland.

Incumbents

• President: Douglas Hyde
• Taoiseach: Éamon de Valera (FF)

Events

• 26 January - W. T. Cosgrave officially resigns as leader of no Fine Gael.
• 10 March - The United States alleges that Ireland's neutrality is operating in favour of the Axis Powers.
• 13 March - The British Government bans all travel between Great Britain and Ireland.
• 22 March - Cymric (Capt. C. Cassidy) lost between Ardrossan and Lisbon - 11 dead
• 1 June - Irish general election, 1944: The ruling Fianna Fáil under Éamon de Valera gains a majority of 14 seats over all other parties. Members of the 12th Dáil assemble on 9 June.
• 7 June - The Minister for Supplies, Seán Lemass, announces further rationing of electricity.
• 21 July - Irish Fir (Capt, J.P. Kelly) reports a 'near miss' torpedo attack in North Atlantic.
• 22 August - Men from Tyrone and Fermanagh form an Anti-Partition League in Dublin.
• 29 November - The Chief Genealogical Officer issues County Dublin with a coat of arms, the first county to receive such a distinction.
• 30 November - General Eoin O'Duffy, former leader of the Blueshirts, dies aged 52 in Dublin.
• Dr. John Dignan, Roman Catholic Bishop of Clonfert, publishes Social Security: Outlines of a Scheme of National Health Insurance.^[1]
• Dr. James Deeny is appointed Chief Medical Officer.^[1]

Arts and literature

• January - The White Stag group stages an exhibition of Subjective Art in Dublin.^[1]
• 28 August - Joseph Tomelty's play The End House (dealing with the Special Powers Act in Northern Ireland) is premièred at the Abbey Theatre, Dublin.^[2]
• John M. Feehan founds the successful Cork-based publishing house Mercier Press.
• John Lynch's De praesulibus Hiberniae (written 1672) is first published, in Dublin.^[3]
• Frank O'Connor's short story collection Crab Apple Jelly is published.^[1]

Sport

Football

• GAA All Ireland Football

Winners: Roscommon GAA

• League of Ireland

Winners: Shelbourne

• FAI Cup

Winners: Shamrock Rovers 3 - 2 Shelbourne.

Golf

• Irish Open is not played due to The Emergency.

Births

January to June

• 2 January - Martin Drennan, Roman Catholic Bishop of the Diocese of Galway and Kilmacduagh.
• 5 January - Edward Haughey, Baron Ballyedmond, businessman and senator (killed in helicopter accident in England 2014).
• 7 January - Joe McGowan, historian, folklorist and author.
• 8 February - Brian Farrell, Roman Catholic bishop in the Roman Curia.
• 22 February - Richard Higgins, Titular Bishop of the Casae Calanae and an Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA.
• 10 April - Leo O'Reilly, Bishop of Kilmore (1998 - ).
• 8 May - Paddy O'Hanlon, barrister and SDLP politician (died 2009).
• 21 May - Gerry Murphy, soccer coach.
• 21 May - Mary Robinson, first female and seventh President of Ireland (1990 - 1997), United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (1997 - 2002).
• 24 May
  • Ruth Dudley Edwards, historian.
  • Raymond Field, Auxiliary Bishop in the Archdiocese of Dublin.
• 25 May - Tom Munnelly, folk-song collector (died 2007).
• 27 May - Hugh Lambert, journalist and editor (died 2005).
• 30 May - Liam Naughten, Fine Gael politician, Cathaoirleach of Seanad Éireann from 1995 until his death (died 1996).
• 1 June - Paul Coghlan, Fine Gael Senator.
• 1 June - Seymour Crawford, Fine Gael TD for Cavan–Monaghan.
• 5 June - Colm Wilkinson, singer and actor.
• 6 June - Paul Connaughton, Snr, Fine Gael TD for Galway East.
• 29 June - Seán Doherty, former Fianna Fáil TD and Cabinet Minister (died 2005).

July to December

• 3 July - Tim O'Malley, former Progressive Democrats TD.
• 17 July - Vincent Browne, journalist, RTE broadcaster.
• 31 July - David Norris, member of the Seanad representing University of Dublin.
• 7 August - Brendan McWilliams, meteorologist and science writer (died 2007).
• 9 August - Seán Barrett, Fine Gael TD, cabinet minister and Ceann Comhairle of Dáil Éireann.
• 1 September - Pat Upton, Labour Party TD (died 1999).
• 1 September - Eamonn Walsh, Auxiliary Bishop of Dublin (1990 - ).
• 9 September - Bernard Allen, Fine Gael TD for Cork North–Central.
• 24 September - Eavan Boland, poet.
• 1 October - Emmet Stagg, Labour Party TD for Kildare North.
• 16 October - Paul Durcan, poet.
• 19 October - Liam Lawlor, Fianna Fáil politician, resigned following a finding that he had failed to co-operate with a planning irregularities investigation (died 2005).
• 30 November - John Boland, senior Fine Gael politician (died 2000).
• 28 December - Noel Ahern, Fianna Fáil, former TD for Dublin North–West and Minister of State at the Department of Finance with special responsibility for the Office of Public Works.

Full date unknown

• Tom Garvin, political scientist and historian.
• Noel Skehan, former Kilkenny hurler.
• Tom Walsh, former Kilkenny hurler.

Deaths

• 15 March - Thomas Byrne, recipient of the Victoria Cross for gallantry in 1898 at the Battle of Omdurman, Sudan (born 1866).
• 25 April - Tony Mullane, Major League Baseball player (born 1859).
• 12 May - Edel Quinn, lay missionary (born 1907).
• 10 June - Frank Ryan, member of the Irish Republican Army, editor of An Phoblacht, leftist activist and leader of Irish volunteers on the Republican side in the Spanish Civil War (born 1902).
• 19 September - David Lord, Royal Air Force pilot, posthumous recipient of the Victoria Cross for gallantry at Arnhem (born 1913).
• 6 November - Walter Guinness, 1st Baron Moyne, British politician and businessman, assassinated in Cairo by the Zionist group Lehi (Stern Gang) (born 1880).
• 28 November - Sir William Moore, 1st Baronet, Unionist MP and Lord Chief Justice of Northern Ireland 1925-1937 (born 1864).
• 30 November - Eoin O'Duffy, first leader of Fine Gael and the Blueshirts, leader of Irish volunteers on the Nationalist side of the Spanish Civil War (born 1892).
• 1 December - Charlie Kerins, Chief of Staff of the IRA, convicted of murder of Garda Siochána officer and hanged (born 1918).

Full date unknown

• Noble Huston, Presbyterian minister and dog breeder.
• Mainie Jellett, painter (born 1897).

References

1. Wills, Clair (2007). That Neutral Island. London: Faber. ISBN 9780571221059.
2. Gray, John (1984). "Interview From The Archive: Joseph Tomelty". Culture Northern Ireland. Retrieved 2012-04-23.
3. Gwynn, Aubrey (March 1945). "John Lynch's De Praesulibus Hiberniae". Studies: an Irish quarterly review (Irish Province of the Society of Jesus) 34 (133): 37–52.