2016 in Ireland

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Centuries:	19th 20th 21st
Decades:	1990s 2000s 2010s
See also:	2016 in Northern Ireland Other events of 2016 List of years in Ireland

Events during the year 2016 in Ireland.

Incumbents

• President: Michael D. Higgins
• Taoiseach: Enda Kenny (FG)
• Tánaiste: Joan Burton (Lab)
• Chief Justice: Susan Denham
• Dáil: 31st (until February 3, 2016); 32nd (starting March 10, 2016)

Events

January

• Memorials and events marking the Centenary of the Easter Rising takes place nationwide throughout the year.
• Flooding takes place across the country causing widespread damage.

February

• 3 February – Taoiseach Enda Kenny dissolves the 31st Dáil and announces 26 February as the date of a general election.^[1]
• 5 February – One man is killed and two other people are wounded during a shooting at the Regency Hotel in Dublin.^[2]
• 8 February - Another man is shot dead in a gangland shooting in Dublin.
• 26 February - The 2016 general election takes place.^[3]

March

• Talks on government formation begin.
• 10 March – The 32nd Dáil meets for the first time but fails to elect a Taoiseach.
• 20 March – Five members of the same family die after their car slips off the pier at Buncrana.^[4]
• 27 March – A military parade takes place in Dublin city on Easter Sunday to commemorate the centenary of the start of the Easter Rising.

April

• Talks on government formation continue.
• 6 April – The 32nd Dáil again fails to elect a Taoiseach.
• 14 April - The 32nd Dáil fails for the third time to elect a Taoiseach. On the same day, an innocent man is shot dead in Dublin.

Sports

Association football

UEFA Euro 2016

Horse racing

• 18 March - Don Cossack, trained by Gordon Elliott in County Meath, wins the 2016 Cheltenham Gold Cup, Europe's most prestigious steeplechase.^[5]

Rio Olympics

• 21 February – Oliver Dingley qualifies for the 2016 Summer Olympics, the first Irish diver to do so since 1948 (68 years).^[6][7][8]
• 5-21 August - 50 athletes from Ireland compete at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Deaths

January

• 3 January – Amby Fogarty, 82, footballer (Sunderland, Hartlepool United, Cork Celtic and Cork Hibernians).^[9]
• 5 January – Gerry O'Malley, 87, Gaelic footballer and hurler (Roscommon).^[10]
• 6 January – Christy O'Connor Jnr, 67, golfer.^[11]
• 7 January – Patrick Connolly, 88, former Attorney General.^[12]
• 15 January – P. J. Mara, 73, public affairs consultant and former senator, long illness.^[13]
• 16 January – Molly Madden, 109, Ireland's oldest person.^[14]
• 17 January – Billy Quinn, 80, hurler (Tipperary).^[15]
• 19 January – John Corcoran, 56, Gaelic games administrator, heart attack.^[16]
• 23 January – Micheál McGeary, 68, Gaelic games journalist.^[17]
• 25 January – The O'Donovan, 84, hereditary chief of the O'Donovan family.^[18]
• 30 January – Peter Quinn, 90, Gaelic footballer (Mayo).^[19]
• 31 January – Terry Wogan, 77, broadcaster, cancer.^[20]

February

• 2 February –
  • Fergus O'Farrell, 48, singer.^[21]
  • John V. Halloran, 85, former RTÉ News editor.^[22]
• 3 February – Mark Farren, 33, footballer (Derry City F.C.), cancer.^[23]
• 7 February – Peter Turley, 33, Gaelic footballer (Down).^[24]
• 15 February – Paul Bannon, 59, footballer (Cork City F.C.).^[25]
• 17 February – George Redmond, 92, former Dublin county planning manager, short illness.^[26]
• 18 February – Jimmy Donnelly, 87, footballer (Belfast Celtic F.C.).^[27]
• 19 February – Din Joe Crowley, 70, Gaelic footballer (Kerry).^[28]
• 23 February – Johnny Murphy, 72, actor, respiratory failure.^[29]
• 26 February – Henry Comerford, 79, actor and solicitor.^[30]
• 28 February –
  • Frank Kelly, 77, actor, cancer.^[31]
  • Peter Keogh, 86, Gaelic games journalist.^[32]

March

• 7 March – Adrian Hardiman, 64, Supreme Court judge.^[33]
• 10 March –
  • Jim McNamara, 76, athlete.^[34]
  • Larry Wren, 93, former Commissioner of an Garda Síochána.^[35]
• 15 March –
  • Robert Carrickford, 88, actor.^[36]
  • Dick Burke, 83, former Fine Gael politician and cabinet minister.^[37]
• 16 March – Brian Smyth, 91, Gaelic footballer (Meath).^[38]
• 19 March – Paddy Philpott, 79, hurler (Cork).^[39]
• 22 March – Eugene Treanor, Gaelic footballer (Down).^[40]
• 24 March – Brendan Sloan, 67, Gaelic footballer (Down).^[41]
• 26 March – Paddy O'Brien, 91, Gaelic footballer (Meath).^[42]

April

• 3 April – Seán O'Shea, 88, public relations guru.^[43]
• 18 April – Sir John Leslie, 4th Baronet, 99, British Army officer, aristocrat and media personality.^[44]
• 20 April – James Downey, 82, former Irish Independent and Irish Times journalist.^[45]

May

• 2 May – Basil Blackshaw, 84, artist.^[46]

References

1. "Irish general election to take place on 26 February". Guardian. 3 February 2016. Retrieved 8 February 2016.
2. "Ordinary day at hotel turns into terrifying bloodbath". Irish Independent. 6 February 2016. Retrieved 8 February 2016.
3. "General Election 2016: The eight best reactions online to this morning's announcement". Irish Independent. 3 February 2016. Retrieved 9 February 2016.
4. "”It was harrowing. To have a family, so many people, gone like that over a very simple thing'". Irish Independent. 22 March 2016. Retrieved 24 March 2016.
5. "Cheltenham 2016: Don Cossack lands Gold Cup victory". BBC Sport. Retrieved 20 March 2016.
6. "Oliver Dingley makes Irish diving history and qualifies for Rio: Ireland has not been represented in diving at the Olympic games since 1948 in London". The Irish Times. 21 February 2016.
7. "Oliver Dingley 'humbled' after booking place at Rio". RTÉ Sport. 21 February 2016.
8. "Oliver Dingley becomes first Irish diver to reach Olympics in 68 years". Irish Independent. 21 February 2016.
9. Tributes paid to former Ireland player Ambrose ‘Amby’ Fogarty, irishtimes.ie
10. Roscommon ‘colossus’ Gerry O’Malley passes away, irishtimes.ie
11. Christy O’Connor Jnr dies suddenly aged 67, irishtimes.ie
12. "Ex-attorney general in Gubu case dies". The Irish Times. Retrieved 2016-01-08.
13. PJ Mara obituary: flamboyant character who was central to FF for three decades , irishtimes.ie
14. Ireland's oldest citizen dies aged 109 , rte.ie
15. Billy Quinn, two-time All-Ireland minor winner with Tipperary and father of Niall, has died, independent.ie
16. Cork GAA in mourning following the sudden death of former Rebels selector John Corcoran, independent.ie
17. Death of GAA journalist Micheál McGeary, hoganstand.com
18. Obituary: The O'Donovan, irishindependent.ie
19. Death of Mayo All-Ireland winning priest, hoganstand.com
20. Broadcaster Terry Wogan dies, aged 77, irishtimes.com
21. Interference singer Fergus O'Farrell dies, independent.ie
22. Death of former RTÉ journalist, independent.ie
23. Tributes pour in for Mark Farren who dies aged 33, irishexaminer.com
24. GAA community in Down in shock after the sudden death of Peter Turley, independent.ie
25. FAI pays tribute to the late Paul Bannon, rte.ie
26. Late George Redmond disputed tribunal’s findings, irishtimes.com
27. Jimmy Donnelly respected at Belfast Celtic and beyond, belfasttelegraph.co.uk
28. Death of former Kerry great DJ Crowley, hoganstand.com
29. 'The Commitments' actor Johnny Murphy, known for his role as Joey 'The Lips' Fagan, dies aged 72, independent.ie
30. Henry Comerford (1936-2016), solicitor and actor, dies in Galway, patrickcomerford.com
31. Fr Ted star Frank Kelly passes away, independent.ie
32. Tributes pour in for Peter Keogh, hoganstand.com
33. Supreme Court judge Adrian Hardiman dies, irishtimes.com
34. Tributes pour in following the death of legendary Irish athlete Jim McNamara, independent.ie
35. Former Garda commissioner Larry Wren dies aged 93, irishtimes.com
36. Actor Robert Carrickford, Glenroe’s Stephen Brennan, dies, irishtimes.com
37. Dick Burke, former minister for education, dies aged 83, irishtimes.com
38. Death of 1949 Royal County captain, Brian Smyth, meathchronicle.ie
39. The death has occurred of PATRICK (PAT) PHILPOTT, rip.ie
40. Sad days for Down gaels with passing of Brendan Sloan and Eugene Treanor, irishnews.com
41. Down legend Brendan Sloan passes away, hoganstand.com
42. Death of legendary Meath full back, Paddy 'Hands' O'Brien, meathchronicle.ie
43. Obituary: Sean ‘Chesty’ O’Shea, legendary PR man, independent.ie
44. "Castle Leslie owner Sir John 'Jack' Leslie has died aged 99". The Journal.ie. Retrieved 2016-04-18.
45. President Higgins pays tribute to late Irish Independent columnist James Downey, independent.ie
46. Death occurs of artist Basil Blackshaw, irishtimes.com