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)
• Tánaiste: Seán T. O'Kelly (FF)
• Minister for Finance: Seán T. O'Kelly (FF)
• Chief Justice: Timothy Sullivan
• Dáil:
  • 11th (until 7 June 1944)
  • 12th (from 9 June 1944)
• Seanad:
  • 4th (until 5 July 1944)
  • 5th (from 18 August 1944)

Events

January

• 26 January – W. T. Cosgrave officially resigned as leader of the Fine Gael party.

March

• 10 March – The United States alleged that Ireland's neutrality was operating in favour of the Axis Powers during World War II.
• 13 March – Winston Churchill banned travel and communication between Britain and Ireland, north and south.
• 22 March – The Cymric (Captain C. Cassidy) was lost between Ardrossan and Lisbon: 11 dead.
• 30 March – The first Dunnes Stores opened.

June

• 1 June – General election: The ruling Fianna Fáil party under Éamon de Valera gained a majority of 14 seats over all other parties. The 12th Dáil assembled on 9 June.
• 3 June – Maureen Flavin (Sweeney after marriage) recorded weather conditions at Blacksod Lighthouse, County Mayo indicating an approaching storm, which led to the 24-hour postponement of the Allied D-Day landings from 5 June to 6 June. The United States House of Representatives honoured Sweeney in 2021 with a medal and proclamation for her vital role in World War II.

• 7 June – The Minister for Supplies, Seán Lemass, announced further rationing of electricity.

July

• 21 July – The Irish Fir (Captain J.P. Kelly) reported a 'near miss' torpedo attack in the North Atlantic.

August

• 22 August – Men from Tyrone and Fermanagh formed an Anti-Partition League in Dublin.

November

• 29 November – The Chief Genealogical Officer issued County Dublin with a coat of arms, the first county to receive such a distinction.

Undated

• Dr. John Dignan, Roman Catholic Bishop of Clonfert, published Social Security: Outlines of a Scheme of National Health Insurance.
• Dr. James Deeny was appointed Chief Medical Officer.

Arts and literature

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

Sport

Association football

League of Ireland

Winners: Shelbourne

FAI Cup

Winners: Shamrock Rovers 3–2 Shelbourne.

Gaelic football

All Ireland Final

Winners: Roscommon GAA

Golf

• Irish Open was not played due to The Emergency.

Births

• 2 January – Martin Drennan, Roman Catholic Bishop of the Diocese of Galway and Kilmacduagh.
• 5 January
  • Ivan Cooper, co-founder of the SDLP (NI) (died 2019).
  • Edward Haughey, Baron Ballyedmond, businessman and senator (killed in helicopter accident in England 2014).
  • Louis Stewart, jazz guitarist (died 2016)
• 7 January – Joe McGowan, historian, folklorist and author.
• 8 February – Brian Farrell, Roman Catholic bishop in the Roman Curia.
• 22 February – Richard Higgins, Roman Catholic 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 (1998–2018).
• 8 May – Paddy O'Hanlon, barrister and SDLP politician (died 2009).
• 21 May
  • Gerry Murphy, soccer coach.
  • Mary Robinson, first female President of Ireland (1990–1997), United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (1997–2002).
• 24 May
  • Ruth Dudley Edwards, historian.
  • Raymond Field, Roman Catholic 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.
  • 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, Fianna Fáil TD and Cabinet Minister (died 2005).
• 3 July – Tim O'Malley, Progressive Democrats TD.
• 17 July – Vincent Browne, journalist, RTÉ broadcaster.
• 31 July – David Norris, member of the Seanad representing Dublin University, founder of Campaign for Homosexual Law Reform (born in Belgian Congo).
• 3 August – Pearse Lyons, biochemist and businessman (died 2018 in the United States).
• 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.
• 17 August – Peter Kelly, Fianna Fáil TD for Longford–Roscommon, later Longford–Westmeath (died 2019).
• 1 September
  • Pat Upton, Labour Party TD (died 1999).
  • Eamonn Walsh, Auxiliary Bishop of Dublin (1990– ).
• 9 September – Bernard Allen, Fine Gael TD for Cork North-Central.
• 24 September – Eavan Boland, poet (died 2020).
• 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).
• 22 December – Patrick Nee, mobster and author in the United States.
• 28 December – Noel Ahern, Fianna Fáil, 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

• Dermot Gallagher, civil servant and diplomat (died 2017).
• Tom Garvin, political scientist and historian.
• Tom Walsh, Kilkenny hurler.

Deaths

• 16 February – Mainie Jellett, abstract painter (born 1897).
• 19 February – J. J. "Ginger" O'Connell, officer in the Irish Volunteers and Irish Defence Forces (born 1887).
• 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).
• August – Noble Huston, Presbyterian minister and dog breeder.
• 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, general in the National Army, 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 Síochána officer and hanged (born 1918).