Editing 1999 in Ireland

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{{YearInIrelandNav|1999}}
Events from the year '''1999 in Ireland'''.

==Incumbents==
* [[President of Ireland|President]]: [[Mary McAleese]]
* [[Taoiseach]]: [[Bertie Ahern]] ([[Fianna Fáil|FF]])
* [[Tánaiste]]: [[Mary Harney]] ([[Progressive Democrats|PD]])
* [[Minister for Finance (Ireland)|Minister for Finance]]: [[Charlie McCreevy]] ([[Fianna Fáil|FF]])
* [[Chief Justice of Ireland|Chief Justice]]: [[Liam Hamilton]]
* [[Dáil Éireann|Dáil]]: [[28th Dáil|28th]]
* [[Seanad Éireann|Seanad]]: [[21st Seanad|21st]]

==Events==
* 1 January – The [[Euro|Euro Currency]] officially entered circulation in the [[European Union|European Union (EU)]] [[Eurozone|Eurozone member area countries]], then formally made its debut on European and the world financial markets.
* 13 January – [[Derek Hill (painter)|Derek Hill]] became the eleventh honorary citizen of Ireland.
* 5 February – New legislation changed the name of the RSI Number to the [[Personal Public Service Number]] and expanded its use.
* 31 March – The [[Irish Land Commission]] was dissolved.
* April – [[Senator George Mitchell Peace Bridge]] opened across the [[Republic of Ireland–United Kingdom border|Irish border]].
* 27 April – The ''[[States of Fear]]'' television series, made by [[Mary Raftery]] for [[RTÉ]], began broadcasting. Its revelations of a history of institutional [[child abuse]] led to questions being raised in the [[Dáil]],<ref>[http://193.178.1.112/debates-99/29apr99/sect6.htm Dáil adjournment comments, 29 April 1999]{{dead link|date=June 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> an apology to victims from the [[Taoiseach]], [[Bertie Ahern]], and the appointment of a [[Commission to Inquire into Child Abuse]] in May.
* 21 May – [[Gay Byrne]] hosted his last ''[[The Late Late Show (Ireland)|Late Late Show]]'' after 37 years.
* 28 May – County engineer for County Clare confirmed that the [[Latoon fairy bush]], which had been due to be cut down for the construction of the M18 motorway, would be spared, after a preservation campaign led by folklorist [[Edmund Lenihan|Eddie Lenihan]].<ref name = GD>{{Cite news|last=Deegan|first=Gordon|date=1999-05-29|title=Fairy bush survives the motorway planners |url=https://www.irishtimes.com/news/fairy-bush-survives-the-motorway-planners-1.190053 |access-date=2024-06-11|newspaper=[[The Irish Times]]|language=en}}</ref><ref name = AM>{{Cite news|last=Mulvaney|first=Amy|date=2019-04-24|title=Double Take: The fairy bush in Co Clare that moved a motorway |url=https://www.thejournal.ie/fairy-bush-co-clare-4604485-Apr2019/ |access-date=2024-06-11|newspaper=[[TheJournal.ie]]|language=en}}</ref><ref name = MMII>{{Cite news|last=Magan|first=Manchán|date=2021-05-13|title=From ringfort to ring road: The destruction of Ireland’s fairy forts. Some of these ancient mounds date back to 3000 BC, but many are buried under motorways |url=https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/heritage/from-ringfort-to-ring-road-the-destruction-of-ireland-s-fairy-forts-1.4496069 |access-date=2024-06-11|newspaper=[[The Irish Times]]|language=en}}</ref><ref name = JFC>{{Cite news|last=F. Clarity|first=James|date=1999-06-16|title=If You Believe in Fairies, Don't Bulldoze Their Lair |url=https://archive.nytimes.com/www.nytimes.com/learning/teachers/featured_articles/19990616wednesday.html |access-date=2024-06-11|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|language=en}}</ref><ref name = PM>{{Cite news|last=McMahon|first=Páraic|date=2020-10-26|title=A Latoon fairy bush that got international attention |url=https://www.clareecho.ie/a-latoon-fairy-bush-that-got-international-attention/ |access-date=2024-06-11|newspaper=The Clare Echo|language=en}}</ref> 
* 17 June – [[UEFA]] punished the [[Football Association of Ireland]] with a fine of £25,000 for not fulfilling a [[UEFA Euro 2000 qualifying|Euro 2000 qualifier]] against [[Serbia and Montenegro national football team|Yugoslavia]].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.rte.ie/news/1999/0617/sport.html|title=Ireland fined £25,000 for cancelled Yugoslavia match|work=RTÉ News|date=17 June 1999}}</ref>
* 11 August – Ireland joined the world in watching the last solar eclipse of the millennium.
* 18 August - [[Mary McAleese|President McAleese]] attended a [[novena]] in [[Knock, County Mayo]].
* 28 August – 80,000 fans saw the [[Robbie Williams]] concert at [[Slane Castle]], County Meath.
* 12 October – [[Peter Mandelson]] arrived in [[Belfast]] as the new [[Secretary of State for Northern Ireland]].
* 20 October – [[Mary McAleese|President McAleese]] led tributes to the former [[Taoiseach]] [[Jack Lynch]] who died aged 82.
* November – Remaining prohibition orders made under the Censorship of Publications Acts relating to [[Contraception in the Republic of Ireland|contraception]] or [[termination of pregnancy]] were lifted.<ref>''[[Iris Oifigiúil]]'', 7 March 2000</ref>
* 28 November – A bright [[Meteoroid#Fireball|fireball]] passed over [[Leighlinbridge]], [[County Carlow]] accompanied by detonations. Four stone [[meteorite]] fragments totalling 271.4g were found afterwards and classified as [[ordinary chondrite]]s.<ref>[http://www.lpi.usra.edu/meteor/metbull.php?code=12759 Leighlinbridge] The Meteoritical Society, Retrieved: 16 February 2013</ref>
* 29 November – Ten designated ministers were appointed to the power-sharing [[Northern Ireland Assembly]].
* December - The [[Millennium Bridge (Dublin)|Millennium Bridge]] is opened in Dublin.
* 2 December
** The [[Irish Government]] ratified changes to Articles 2 and 3 of the Constitution.
**Direct rule from [[Parliament of the United Kingdom|Westminster]] in [[Northern Ireland]] ended.
** [[Foras na Gaeilge]] was established as an agency of [[The North/South Language Body]] under the terms of the [[Good Friday Agreement]] to promote the [[Irish language]] throughout the island of Ireland, assuming the roles of ''[[Bord na Gaeilge]]'', ''[[An Gúm]]'', and ''[[An Coiste Téarmaíochta]]'', previously state bodies of the [[Government of Ireland]].
* 13 December – The first meeting of the [[North/South Ministerial Council]] took place in [[Armagh]].
* Inez McCormack of the [[UNISON]] trade union became the first woman President of the [[Irish Congress of Trade Unions]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.irishtimes.com/indepth/sisters/first-among.html|title=15 women who made a breakthrough|last=O'Toole|first=Fintan|website=irishtimes.com|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101128080159/http://www.irishtimes.com/indepth/sisters/first-among.html|archive-date=28 November 2010|access-date=18 January 2020}}</ref>

==Arts and literature==
*10 February – [[Mark O'Rowe]]'s play ''Howie the Rookie'' premièred at the [[Bush Theatre]], London.<ref>{{cite web|title=Howie the Rookie|url=http://www.irishplayography.com/play.aspx?playid=31075|work=Playography Ireland|publisher=Irish Theatre Institute|location=Dublin|access-date=2017-07-23}}</ref>
*19 April – [[Sligo]] [[boyband]] [[Westlife]] released their first single, ''[[Swear It Again]]'', the first of fourteen that went straight to number one in the [[UK Singles Chart]]. 
*6 October – [[Frank McGuinness]]'s drama ''[[Dolly West's Kitchen]]'' premièred at the [[Abbey Theatre]], Dublin.<ref>{{cite web|title=Dolly West's Kitchen|url=http://www.irishplayography.com/play.aspx?playid=783|work=Playography Ireland|publisher=Irish Theatre Institute|location=Dublin|access-date=2015-06-30}}</ref>
*1 November – Westlife released their first album, five singles from which went to number one in the UK Singles Chart.
*[[Colm Tóibín]]'s novel ''[[The Blackwater Lightship]]'' was published.

==Sport==

===Association football===
* [[St Patrick's Athletic F.C.|St Patrick's Athletic]] won the [[1998–99 League of Ireland Premier Division|League of Ireland]] for the third time in four years.

===Gaelic football===
*[[Meath GAA|Meath]] beat [[Cork GAA|Cork]] 1–11 to 1–8 to win their second [[1999 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship|All-Ireland Senior Football Championship]] in four years.

===Golf===
*[[Irish Open (golf)|Murphy's Irish Open]] was won by [[Sergio García]] (Spain).

===Hurling===
*[[Cork GAA|Cork]] beat [[Kilkenny GAA|Kilkenny]] 0–13 to 0–12 to win the [[1999 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship|All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship]] for the first time since [[1990 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship|1990]].

==Births==
* 22 January – [[David Clifford]], Gaelic footballer
* 18 May – [[Mark Travers]], footballer
* 11 August – [[Mary Fitzgerald (athlete)|Mary Fitzgerald]], Paralympic athlete<ref>{{cite web |title=FITZGERALD Mary |url=https://olympics.com/en/paris-2024-paralympics/athlete/mary-fitzgerald_1569157 |work=[[Paris 2024 Paralympics]] |access-date=21 August 2024}} ([https://www.paralympic.org/en/paris-2024-paralympics/athlete/mary-fitzgerald_1569157 alternate link], [https://paris2024.rtve.es/es/paris-2024-paralimpicos/atleta/mary-fitzgerald_1569157 alternate link 2])</ref>

==Deaths==
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===January to June===
* 15 January – [[Robert Lowry, Baron Lowry]], [[Lord Chief Justice of Northern Ireland]] (b. 1919)
* 28 January – [[Markey Robinson]], artist (b. 1918)
* 8 February – [[Iris Murdoch]], novelist and philosopher (b. 1919)
* 22 February – [[Pat Upton (politician)|Pat Upton]], [[Labour Party (Ireland)|Labour Party]] [[Teachta Dála|TD]] (b. 1944)
* 25 April – [[William McCrea (astronomer)|William McCrea]], astronomer and mathematician (b. 1904)
* 25 April – [[Michael Morris, 3rd Baron Killanin]], journalist, author, sports official and sixth president of the [[International Olympic Committee]] (b. 1914)
* 11 May – [[Birdy Sweeney]], actor (b. 1931)
* 23 May – [[Cathal Gannon]], [[harpsichord]] maker and [[fortepiano]] restorer (b. 1910)
* 15 June – [[Fred Tiedt]], boxer (b. 1935)

===July to December===
* 17 July – [[Donal McCann]], actor (b. 1943)
* 27 July – [[Malachi Martin]], [[Roman Catholic]] priest and author (b. 1921)
* 21 August – [[Noel Larmour]], cricketer and diplomat (b. 1916)
* 21 August – [[Maurice Gerard Moynihan]], civil servant and writer (b. 1902)
* 24 August – [[Eithne Strong]], poet
*4 September – [[Murder of Raonaid Murray|Raonaid Murray]], victim of an unsolved murder (b. 1982)
* 13 October – [[Michael Hartnett (poet)|Michael Hartnett]], poet (b. 1941)
* 15 October – [[Josef Locke]], tenor (b. 1917)
* 20 October – [[Jack Lynch]], former [[Taoiseach]] and leader of [[Fianna Fáil]] (b. 1917)
* 14 November – [[Brian Ó Cuív]], son-in-law of [[Éamon de Valera]], Celtic scholar and author
* 23 November – [[Micheál Cranitch]], Fianna Fáil politician, [[Cathaoirleach of Seanad Éireann]] in 1973 (b. 1912)
* 29 November – [[Michael O'Halloran (UK politician)|Michael O'Halloran]], politician in the UK (b. 1933)
* 30 December – [[Tom Aherne]], soccer player (b. 1919)

===Full date unknown===
* [[Manliff Barrington]], motorcycle racer (b. 1910)
* [[Áine Ní Cheanainn]], educationalist (b. 1907)

==See also==
*[[1999 in Irish television]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* [http://www.rte.ie/tv/reelingintheyears/1999.html 1999] at ''[[Reeling in the Years]]''

{{Years in Ireland}}
{{Year in Europe|1999}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:1999 in Ireland}}