Events from the year 2001 in Ireland.

Incumbents

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) *President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...

: Mary McAleese *

Taoiseach The Taoiseach is the head of government, or prime minister, of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. The office is appointed by the president of Ireland upon the nomination of Dáil Éireann (the lower house of the Oireachtas, Ireland's national legisl ...

Bertie Ahern Bartholomew Patrick "Bertie" Ahern (born 12 September 1951) is an Irish former Fianna Fáil politician who served as Taoiseach from 1997 to 2008, Leader of Fianna Fáil from 1994 to 2008, Leader of the Opposition from 1994 to 1997, Tánaiste a ...

( FF) *

Tánaiste The Tánaiste ( , ) is the deputy head of the government of Ireland and thus holder of its second-most senior office. The Tánaiste is appointed by the President of Ireland on the advice of the Taoiseach. The current office holder is former Taoi ...

Mary Harney Mary Harney (born 11 March 1953) is an Irish former politician and the current Chancellor of the University of Limerick. She was leader of the Progressive Democrats party between 1993 and 2006 and again from 2007 to 2008, resuming the role aft ...

( PD) *

Minister for Finance A finance minister is an executive or cabinet position in charge of one or more of government finances, economic policy and financial regulation. A finance minister's portfolio has a large variety of names around the world, such as "treasury", ...

Charlie McCreevy Charles McCreevy (born 30 September 1949) is a former Irish Fianna Fáil politician who served as European Commissioner for Internal Market and Services from 2004 to 2010, Minister for Finance from 1997 to 2004, Minister for Tourism and Trade fr ...

( FF) * Chief Justice:

Ronan Keane Ronan Colman Keane (born 20 July 1932) is a retired Irish judge who served as Chief Justice of Ireland from 2000 to 2004, a Judge of the Supreme Court from 1996 to 2004 and a Judge of the High Court from 1979 to 1996. Keane was educated at Bl ...

* Dáil: 28th * Seanad:

21st 21 (twenty-one) is the natural number following 20 and preceding 22. The current century is the 21st century AD, under the Gregorian calendar. In mathematics 21 is: * a composite number, its proper divisors being 1, 3 and 7, and a defici ...

Events

* 22 March – Ireland confirms its first case of

foot-and-mouth disease Foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) or hoof-and-mouth disease (HMD) is an infectious and sometimes fatal viral disease that affects cloven-hoofed animals, including domestic and wild bovids. The virus causes a high fever lasting two to six days, followe ...

. * 7 June – Voters reject the

Treaty of Nice The Treaty of Nice was signed by European leaders on 26 February 2001 and came into force on 1 February 2003. It amended the Maastricht Treaty (or the Treaty on European Union) and the Treaty of Rome (or the Treaty establishing the European Co ...

in a referendum. * 9 September – The

National Museum of Ireland The National Museum of Ireland ( ga, Ard-Mhúsaem na hÉireann) is Ireland's leading museum institution, with a strong emphasis on national and some international archaeology, Irish history, Irish art, culture, and natural history. It has thre ...

Museum of Country Life A museum ( ; plural museums or, rarely, musea) is a building or institution that cares for and displays a collection of artifacts and other objects of artistic, cultural, historical, or scientific importance. Many public museums make these i ...

at Turlough, County Mayo, is officially opened. * 14 September – Ireland holds a national day of mourning following the

9/11 terrorist attacks The September 11 attacks, commonly known as 9/11, were four coordinated suicide terrorist attacks carried out by al-Qaeda against the United States on Tuesday, September 11, 2001. That morning, nineteen terrorists hijacked four commercial ...

in New York City and Washington, D.C. All sports, public functions, and entertainment are cancelled on orders of the government. Schools, businesses, and shops are closed, also on orders of the government. President Mary McAleese says that the events are "an attack on the very foundations of human dignity" and left the people of Ireland "sad, shocked, sickened, grieving, disbelieving, outraged, frightened all at once." * 14 October – The first multiple

state funeral A state funeral is a public funeral ceremony, observing the strict rules of Etiquette, protocol, held to honour people of national significance. State funerals usually include much pomp and ceremony as well as religious overtones and distinctive ...

is held in honour of ten

Irish Republican Army The Irish Republican Army (IRA) is a name used by various paramilitary organisations in Ireland throughout the 20th and 21st centuries. Organisations by this name have been dedicated to irredentism through Irish republicanism, the belief tha ...

volunteers who were executed by the British for their part in the

War of Independence This is a list of wars of independence (also called liberation wars). These wars may or may not have been successful in achieving a goal of independence. List See also * Lists of active separatist movements * List of civil wars * List of o ...

. * 23 October – The

Provisional Irish Republican Army The Irish Republican Army (IRA; ), also known as the Provisional Irish Republican Army, and informally as the Provos, was an Irish republican paramilitary organisation that sought to end British rule in Northern Ireland, facilitate Irish reun ...

commences disarmament after peace talks. * 4 November – The Police Service of Northern Ireland is established. * 17 November – The

Gaelic Athletic Association The Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA; ga, Cumann Lúthchleas Gael ; CLG) is an Irish international amateur sporting and cultural organisation, focused primarily on promoting indigenous Gaelic games and pastimes, which include the traditional ...

votes to abolish its controversial Rule 21 which previously prevented members of the

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...

and the Police Service of Northern Ireland from playing. * 14 December – Irish euro coins becomes available in

An Post (; literally 'The Post') is the state-owned provider of postal services in Ireland. An Post provides a "universal postal service" to all parts of the country as a member of the Universal Postal Union. Services provided include letter post, p ...

and bank branches. These "starter packs" contained nineteen coins worth €6.35 and could be purchased for

IR£ The pound (Irish: ) was the currency of the Republic of Ireland until 2002. Its ISO 4217 code was IEP, and the symbol was £ (or IR£ for distinction). The Irish pound was replaced by the euro on 1 January 1999. Euro currency did not begin cir ...

Arts and literature

* February–April – Conor McPherson's play ''

Port Authority In Canada and the United States, a port authority (less commonly a port district) is a governmental or quasi-governmental public authority for a special-purpose district usually formed by a legislative body (or bodies) to operate ports and other t ...

'' premièred in London and Dublin. * 26 June – Two Old Master paintings from the

Alfred Beit Alfred Beit (15 February 1853 – 16 July 1906) was a Anglo-German gold and diamond magnate in South Africa, and a major donor and profiteer of infrastructure development on the African continent. He also donated much money to university edu ...

collection were stolen from Russborough House. * 8 August – Australian soap opera series ''

Neighbours ''Neighbours'' is an Australian television soap opera, which has aired since 18 March 1985. It was created by television executive Reg Watson. The Seven Network commissioned the show following the success of Watson's earlier soap '' Sons an ...

'' gets its first ever Irish transmission on Network 2. * 1 October – First season of '' Bachelors Walk'' on Network 2. * Publication of

Julian Gough Julian Gough (born 1966) is an English-Irish musician who was the singer and lyricist for the Galway band Toasted Heretic, and is best known for his songs "Galway and Los Angeles", "You can Always go Home" and "LSD (isn't what it used to be)", ...

's novel ''Juno & Juliet''. * Publication of John McGahern's last novel ''That They May Face the Rising Sun''. * Publication of Kate Thompson's children's novel ''The Beguilers''.

Sport

Equestrianism

;

Show jumping Show jumping is a part of a group of English riding equestrianism, equestrian events that also includes dressage, eventing, Show hunter, hunters, and equitation. Jumping classes are commonly seen at horse shows throughout the world, including th ...

:Kevin Babington, Peter Charles, Jessica Kurten and Dermott Lennon won the senior

European Show Jumping Championships The FEI European Show Jumping Championships is the European Championship for the equestrian discipline of show jumping. First held in 1957 in Rotterdam, and on an annual basis, it is held every two years, on the years between Olympic Games and Wor ...

Team Gold medals.

Golf

Murphy's Irish Open The Irish Open (currently known as the Horizon Irish Open for sponsorship reasons) () is a professional golf tournament on the European Tour. The Irish Open was first played in 1927 and was played annually, except for the war years, until 1950. ...

was won by Colin Montgomerie (

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...

Births

* 18 January –

Niamh McCormack Niamh Rose McCormack (born 17 January 2001) is an Irish actress and model. Early life and education McCormack is the daughter of makeup artist Annie Gribbin and publican Paddy McCormack. Her parents separated when she was an infant, and she ...

, actress * 27 March –

Gaby Lewis Gaby Hollis Lewis (born 27 March 2001) is an Irish international cricketer who made her senior debut for the Irish national team in July 2014, aged only 13. She made her Twenty20 International (T20I) debut later in the year, becoming the younge ...

, cricketer * 8 August –

Tyler Toland Tyler Toland (born 8 August 2001) is an Irish professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for English Women's Super League club Blackburn Rovers. She previously played for Liga F club Levante UD, Scottish Women's Premier League (SWPL) clu ...

, footballer * 19 October – Art Parkinson, actor

Deaths

January to June

* 5 January –

G. E. M. Anscombe Gertrude Elizabeth Margaret Anscombe (; 18 March 1919 – 5 January 2001), usually cited as G. E. M. Anscombe or Elizabeth Anscombe, was a British analytic philosopher. She wrote on the philosophy of mind, philosophy of action, ...

, analytic philosopher (b. 1919) * 21 February – Desmond Leslie, pilot, filmmaker and writer (b. 1921) * 8 March –

Ninette de Valois Dame Ninette de Valois (born Edris Stannus; 6 June 1898 – 8 March 2001) was an Irish-born British dancer, teacher, choreographer, and director of classical ballet. Most notably, she danced professionally with Serge Diaghilev's Ballets Russes, ...

, founder of the Royal Ballet (b. 1898) * 18 May – Seán Mac Stíofáin, English-born, Irish republican paramilitary leader (b. 1928) * 1 June – Peter Corr, international soccer player and father of The Corrs members (b. 1923) * 27 June – Michael Moynihan, Labour Party

Senator A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

and TD (b. 1917)

July to December

* 4 July –

Anne Yeats Anne Butler Yeats (26 February 1919 – 4 July 2001) was an Irish painter, costume and stage designer. Early and family life She was the daughter of the poet William Butler Yeats and Georgie Hyde-Lees, a niece of the painter Jack B. Yeat ...

, painter and stage designer (born 1919). * 1 August – Joe Lynch, actor (born 1925). * 27 August – John Joe 'Purty' Landers,

Kerry Kerry or Kerri may refer to: * Kerry (name), a given name and surname of Gaelic origin (including a list of people with the name) Places * Kerry, Queensland, Australia * County Kerry, Ireland ** Kerry Airport, an international airport in County ...

Gaelic football Gaelic football ( ga, Peil Ghaelach; short name '), commonly known as simply Gaelic, GAA or Football is an Irish team sport. It is played between two teams of 15 players on a rectangular grass pitch. The objective of the sport is to score by kic ...

er (born 1907). * 31 August – Donal O'Sullivan,

Cork Cork or CORK may refer to: Materials * Cork (material), an impermeable buoyant plant product ** Cork (plug), a cylindrical or conical object used to seal a container ***Wine cork Places Ireland * Cork (city) ** Metropolitan Cork, also known as G ...

er (born 1930). * 23 September – Kevin Boland,

Fianna Fáil Fianna Fáil (, ; meaning 'Soldiers of Destiny' or 'Warriors of Fál'), officially Fianna Fáil – The Republican Party ( ga, audio=ga-Fianna Fáil.ogg, Fianna Fáil – An Páirtí Poblachtánach), is a conservative and Christian- ...

TD, served as

Minister for Defence {{unsourced, date=February 2021 A ministry of defence or defense (see spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is an often-used name for the part of a government responsible for matters of defence, found in states ...

, Minister for Social Welfare and Minister for Local Government (born 1917). * 24 October – Eamon Kelly, actor (born 1914). * 27 October –

Seán Condon Seán Condon (11 June 1923 – 27 October 2001) was an Irish hurler who played as a centre-forward at senior level for the Cork county team. Condon joined the team during the 1942 championship and was a regular member of the starting fiftee ...

hurler (born 1923). * 4 November –

Denis Gallagher Denis Gallagher (23 November 1922 – 3 November 2001) was an Irish Fianna Fáil politician. He served as Minister for the Gaeltacht on two occasions. Early life Denis Gallagher was born in Currane, by Clew Bay, facing Achill Island, County M ...

TD and Cabinet Minister (born 1922). * 10 December –

Freddie Anderson Freddie Anderson (11 September 1922 – 10 December 2001) was an Irish writer, playwright, author, poet and socialist, born in Ballybay, County Monaghan, Ireland, who became an influential figure in left wing culture and folk music scene in Glasg ...

, playwright and socialist (born 1922). * 12 December –

Michael Torrens-Spence Captain Frederick Michael Alexander Torrens-Spence, (10 March 1914 – 12 December 2001) was a Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm pilot in the Second World War. Torrens-Spence earned the distinction of holding commissions in the Royal Navy, the Royal Air F ...

, held commissions in the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against F ...

Fleet Air Arm The Fleet Air Arm (FAA) is one of the five fighting arms of the Royal Navy and is responsible for the delivery of naval air power both from land and at sea. The Fleet Air Arm operates the F-35 Lightning II for maritime strike, the AW159 Wil ...

, the

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and ...

, the

, Ulster Special Constabulary and Ulster Defence Regiment (born 1914). * 14 December – Eoin Ryan,

Seanad Éireann member (born 1920). * 23 December –

Mark Clinton Mark A. Clinton (7 February 1915 – 23 December 2001) was an Irish Fine Gael politician who served as Minister for Agriculture from 1973 to 1977. He served as Member of the European Parliament (MEP) for the Leinster constituency from 1979 to 1 ...

Fine Gael Fine Gael (, ; English: "Family (or Tribe) of the Irish") is a liberal-conservative and Christian-democratic political party in Ireland. Fine Gael is currently the third-largest party in the Republic of Ireland in terms of members of Dáil � ...

TD, former Minister for Agriculture and MEP (born 1915).

References

{{Year in Europe, 2001