1970 in Ireland

Incumbents

• President: Éamon de Valera
• Taoiseach: Jack Lynch
• Tánaiste: Erskine H. Childers
• Minister for Finance:
• * Charles Haughey
• * George Colley
• Chief Justice: Cearbhall Ó Dálaigh
• Dáil: 19th
• Seanad: 12th

  Events

January – March

• 10 January – huge anti-apartheid demonstrations take place as Ireland play South Africa in rugby union.
• 10 January – Éamon and Sinéad de Valera celebrate their 60th wedding anniversary.
• 11 January – Sinn Féin splits into Provisional and Official wings over a disagreement on abstentionism.
• 29 March – Irish language pirate radio station Saor Raidió Chonamara begins broadcasting.

  April – June

• 3 April – Garda Richard Fallon murdered on duty in Dublin, the first policeman killed in the South during the troubles.
• 16 April – Rev. Ian Paisley wins a by-election to the House of Commons of Northern Ireland.
• 21 April – the Alliance Party is founded in Northern Ireland.
• 22 April – Taoiseach Jack Lynch presents the budget in the absence of the Minister for Finance, Charles Haughey, who was injured, supposedly in a riding accident.
• 4 May – the Minister for Justice, Mícheál Ó Móráin, resigns from the government citing ill-health. The Taoiseach states in the Dáil on 7 May, "I wish to state that Deputy Ó Moráin's condition is not unassociated with the shock he suffered as a result of the killing of Garda Fallon".
• 6 May – Arms Crisis: The Minister for Finance, Charles Haughey, and the Minister for Agriculture, Neil Blaney, are asked to resign by Taoiseach Jack Lynch. He accuses them of the attempted illegal importation of arms for use by the Provisional IRA. Kevin Boland, the Minister for Local Government, resigns in sympathy with them.
• 27 May – Captain James Kelly, Albert Luykx and John Kelly are arrested. They are charged with conspiracy to import arms.
• 28 May – Charles Haughey and Neil Blaney appear in Dublin's Bridewell Court charged, along with Albert Luykx and Capt. Kelly, with conspiracy to import arms.
• 31 May – the racehorse Arkle is put down at the home of his owner, Anne, Duchess of Westminster.
• 4 June – Kevin Boland is expelled from the Fianna Fáil parliamentary party.
• 25 June – Bishops meeting at Maynooth lift the ban on Catholic attendance at Trinity College Dublin.

  July – September

• 2 July – Neil Blaney is cleared of arms conspiracy charges.
• 5 July – after a special cabinet meeting the government demands a ban on all parades in Northern Ireland and the disarmament of civilians.
• 2 August – the British Army first fires rubber bullets in Belfast.
• 9 August – the Galway-Aran Islands air service is launched. A return air-fare costs £5.
• 21 August – a new political party, the Social Democratic and Labour Party, is founded in Northern Ireland under the leadership of Gerry Fitt.
• 1 September – the New University of Ulster is presented with a Royal Charter by Elizabeth II.

  October – December

• 3 October – United States President Richard Nixon arrives in Ireland. He is greeted by Taoiseach Jack Lynch. In Dublin an anti-Vietnam War protest takes place.
• 4 October – Mrs Nixon visits relatives and her ancestral home in County Mayo. Another protest takes place outside the U.S. Embassy in Dublin.
• 13 October – Jim Lovell, Jack Swigert, and Fred Haise, survivors of the aborted Apollo 13 spaceflight to the moon, land safely at Dublin Airport with wives Marilyn Lovell and Patt Haise.
• 23 October – Charles Haughey, James Kelly, Albert Luykx and John Kelly are acquitted in the Arms Conspiracy Trial.
• 26 October – Taoiseach Jack Lynch, questioned on his return from the United States, says that there will be no change in fundamental Fianna Fáil policy regarding Northern Ireland.
• 15 December – Aer Lingus takes delivery of its first Boeing 747 Jumbo Jet, the largest aircraft it will ever operate.

  Unknown dates

• The first Regional Technical Colleges open, at Carlow, Athlone, Dundalk, Sligo and Waterford.
• Magnesite processing plant at Ballinacourty opened.

  Arts and literature

• 1 March – the national song contest is held.
• 21 March – "All Kinds of Everything" sung by Dana wins the Eurovision Song Contest for Ireland for the first time.
• 1–3 May – the first Oireachtas Rince na Cruinne is held in Dublin.
• 9 November – Ryan's Daughter, David Lean's movie, filmed largely in Ireland, is released.
• John Banville's short story collection Long Lankin is published.
• Leland Bardwell's first poetry collection The Mad Cyclist is published.
• Christy Brown's autobiographical Down All the Days is published.
• J. G. Farrell's novel Troubles, set during the Irish War of Independence, is published.
• Brian Moore's novel Fergus is published.
• Máirtín Ó Cadhain's first short story collection An tSraith dhá Tógáil is published.
• Royal Hibernian Academy moves to new premises in Ely Place, Dublin.
• The crossover band Clannad is formed in Gaoth Dobhair, County Donegal.

  Sport

Horse racing

• Nijinsky wins the Irish Derby

  Football

[Gaelic Athletic Association]

Births

• 1 January – Rónán Ó Snodaigh, singer and bodhrán player with Kíla.
• 4 January – Edward Olive, actor.
• 16 January – Ciarán Carey, former Limerick hurler.
• 24 March – Sharon Corr, violinist with The Corrs.
• 27 March - June Caldwell, writer.
• 21 April – Glen Hansard, actor and vocalist/guitarist for The Frames.
• 1 May – Serena Armstrong-Jones, Viscountess Linley, aristocrat.
• 10 May – Mick Fitzgerald, National Hunt jockey.
• 27 May – Glenn Quinn, actor.
• 29 May – Mary Kingston, television presenter.
• 3 June – Stephen Geoghegan, soccer player.
• 6 July – Tony O'Dowd, soccer player.
• 17 July – Siobhán Hoey, triple jumper.
• 24 July – Julia Bradbury, television presenter.
• 27 August – Jeff Kenna, soccer player.
• 18 September – Vinny Arkins, soccer player.
• 19 September - Donal Cronin, born in Mayo, Ireland. AKA Factory.
• 21 September – Samantha Power, journalist, academic and United States government official.
• 13 October – Rónán Mullen, journalist and Senator.
• 3 November – Tommy Tiernan, comedian, actor and writer.
• 11 November – D. J. Carey, Kilkenny hurler.
• 12 November – Bláthnaid Ní Chofaigh, television presenter.
• 3 December – Brendan Kehoe, software developer and author.
• 17 December – Craig Doyle, television presenter.

Deaths

• 5 January – Cyril Fagan, astrologer.
• 6 January – Peter J. Ward, Sinn Féin TD, member 1st Dáil.
• 6 January – David P. Tyndall, businessman.
• 28 January – Gerard Sweetman, former Fine Gael TD and Cabinet Minister.
• 8 February – Cahir Healy, Nationalist Party MP.
• 11 March – Patrick Lenihan, Fianna Fáil TD.
• 21 April – Enid Starkie, literary critic and biographer.
• 27 April – Arthur Shields, actor.
• 31 May – Arkle, racehorse, winner of the Cheltenham Gold Cup on three consecutive occasions.
• 11 July – Bobby Kirk, ice hockey player.
• 12 August – Joseph Blowick second leader of Clann na Talmhan, TD and Cabinet Minister.
• 14 August – Tommy Henderson, Ulster independent Unionist politician.
• 20 September – Leo Rowsome, teacher, player and maker of uilleann pipes.
• 25 September – James Ryan, Fianna Fáil TD Member of 1st Dáil and Cabinet Minister.
• 29 September – Mark Killilea Snr, Fianna Fáil TD, member of the Seanad.
• 15 October – Liam Ó Buachalla, Cathaoirleach of Seanad Éireann 1951-1954 and 1957-1969.
• 18 October – Máirtín Ó Cadhain, Irish language writer.
• 24 December – Tom Farquharson, soccer player.