1999 in Ireland

Centuries:

• 18th
• 19th
• 20th
• 21st

Decades:

• 1970s
• 1980s
• 1990s
• 2000s
• 2010s

See also:1999 in Northern Ireland
Other events of 1999
List of years in Ireland

Events from the year 1999 in Ireland.

• President: Mary McAleese
• Taoiseach: Bertie Ahern (FF)
• Tánaiste: Mary Harney (PD)
• Minister for Finance: Charlie McCreevy (FF)
• Chief Justice: Liam Hamilton
• Dáil: 28th
• Seanad: 21st

• 1 January – The Euro Currency officially entered circulation in the European Union (EU) Eurozone member area countries, then formally made its debut on European and the world financial markets.
• 13 January – 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 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,^[1] 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 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 Eddie Lenihan.^{[2] [3] [4] [5] [6]}
• 17 June – UEFA punished the Football Association of Ireland with a fine of 25,000ドル for not fulfilling a Euro 2000 qualifier against Yugoslavia.^[7]
• 11 August – Ireland joined the world in watching the last solar eclipse of the millennium.
• 18 August - 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 – 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 or termination of pregnancy were lifted.^[8]
• 28 November – A bright fireball passed over Leighlinbridge, County Carlow accompanied by detonations. Four stone meteorite fragments totalling 271.4g were found afterwards and classified as ordinary chondrites.^[9]
• 29 November – Ten designated ministers were appointed to the power-sharing Northern Ireland Assembly.
• December - The Millennium Bridge is opened in Dublin.
• 2 December
  • The Irish Government ratified changes to Articles 2 and 3 of the Constitution.
  • Direct rule from 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.^[10]

• 10 February – Mark O'Rowe's play Howie the Rookie premièred at the Bush Theatre, London.^[11]
• 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.^[12]
• 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.

• St Patrick's Athletic won the League of Ireland for the third time in four years.

• Meath beat Cork 1–11 to 1–8 to win their second All-Ireland Senior Football Championship in four years.

• Murphy's Irish Open was won by Sergio García (Spain).

• Cork beat Kilkenny 0–13 to 0–12 to win the All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship for the first time since 1990.

• 22 January – David Clifford, Gaelic footballer
• 18 May – Mark Travers, footballer
• 11 August – Mary Fitzgerald, Paralympic athlete^[13]

• 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, Labour Party TD (b. 1944)
• 25 April – 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)

• 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 – Raonaid Murray, victim of an unsolved murder (b. 1982)
• 13 October – 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, politician in the UK (b. 1933)
• 30 December – Tom Aherne, soccer player (b. 1919)

• Manliff Barrington, motorcycle racer (b. 1910)
• Áine Ní Cheanainn, educationalist (b. 1907)

• 1999 in Irish television

• 1999 at Reeling in the Years