1988 in Ireland

Incumbents

• President: Patrick Hillery
• Taoiseach: Charles Haughey
• Tánaiste: Brian Lenihan
• Minister for Finance:
• * Ray MacSharry
• * Albert Reynolds
• Chief Justice: Thomas Finlay
• Dáil: 25th
• Seanad: 18th

  Events

• 11 January – SDLP leader, John Hume and Gerry Adams of Sinn Féin, have a surprise meeting in Belfast.
• 27 January – the country code top-level domain.ie for the Republic of Ireland is registered.
• 29 February - the 1st edition of the Irish Daily Star newspaper hits the shops.
• 6 March – Operation Flavius: a Special Air Service team of the British Army shoots dead a Provisional Irish Republican Army Active Service Unit in Gibraltar.
• 16 March – Milltown Cemetery attack: three men are killed and 70 are wounded in a gun and grenade attack by loyalist paramilitary Michael Stone on mourners at Milltown Cemetery in Belfast during the funerals of the three IRA members killed in Gibraltar.
• 19 March
• *Corporals killings in Belfast: Two British Army corporals are abducted, beaten and shot dead by Irish republicans after driving into the funeral cortège of IRA members killed in the Milltown Cemetery attack.
• *5,000 people turn out for an anti-apartheid rally at the GPO in Dublin.
• 22 March – tributes are paid to Aran Islands-born poet Máirtín Ó Direáin at his funeral in Dublin.
• 16 April – the Irish National Lottery launches its national live draw.
• 15 June – the IRA kills six British soldiers in a bomb attack in Lisburn.
• 19 June – the Royal Canal officially reopens for leisure purpose between Leixlip and Maynooth.
• 10 July – Dublin celebrates its official 1,000th birthday.
• 18 July – Nelson Mandela, the jailed anti-apartheid leader, is awarded the freedom of the City of Dublin.
• 11 August – the Department of Health launches an information booklet as the number of AIDS cases increases dramatically.
• 28 August – Leopardstown Racecourse celebrates its 100th birthday.
• 12 September – Archbishop Thomas Morris resigns as Archbishop of Cashel and is replaced by Dermot Clifford.
• 8 October – a tax amnesty brings in over £500 million.
• 17 October – the Independent Radio and Television Commission is established to regulate radio and television services outside the RTÉ umbrella.
• 26 October – the case of Norris v. Ireland is decided by the European Court of Human Rights, ruling the existence of laws in the Republic of Ireland criminalising consensual gay sex to be illegal.
• 16 November – Minister for Finance Ray MacSharry is appointed Ireland's new EC Commissioner.
• National Archives of Ireland formed under terms of the National Archives Act 1986 taking over the functions of the State Paper Office and the Public Record Office of Ireland.
• Paddy Power established by the merger of the 40 shops of three Irish bookmakers: Stewart Kenny, David Power and John Corcoran.
• Gay and Lesbian Equality Network established in Dublin.
• GCN, Ireland's free gay magazine published for the first time

  Arts and literature

• 30 April – Ireland hosts the Eurovision Song Contest.
• 13 June – a statue of Molly Malone by Jeanne Rynhart is unveiled in Grafton Street, Dublin, to mark the city's millennium. The installations Anna Livia in O'Connell Street by Éamonn O'Doherty and People's Island by Rachel Joynt are produced for the same commemoration.
• September – television channel RTÉ 2 is relaunched as Network 2.
• 11 October – comedy series Nighthawks is first broadcast on RTÉ's Network 2.
• Toasted Heretic release their debut album Songs for Swinging Celibates.

  Sport

Cycling

• 13 March – Sean Kelly wins the Paris–Nice cycle race for the seventh year in a row.
• 15 May – Sean Kelly wins the Vuelta a España cycle race.

  Gaelic football

• Meath GAA beat Cork GAA 0–13 to 0–12 in Croke Park to win a second consecutive All-Ireland Senior Football Championship title.

  Hurling

• Galway GAA beat Tipperary GAA 1–15 to 0–14 in Croke Park to win a second consecutive All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship title.

  Soccer

• The Republic of Ireland plays in the European Championship finals for the first time.
• 12 June – the Republic of Ireland celebrates a win over England 1–0 at Euro 88.

  Golf

• Carroll's Irish Open is won by Ian Woosnam.
• 16 October – Ireland wins the Dunhill Cup at St Andrew's.

  Births

• 7 January – Robert Sheehan, actor.
• 15 January – Padraig Amond, soccer player.
• 23 January – Alan Power, soccer player.
• 29 January – Owen Garvan, soccer player.
• 21 February – Darren Forsyth, soccer player.
• 22 February – Robert Bayly, soccer player.
• 4 March – Timmy Purcell, soccer player.
• 21 March – Kevin Guthrie, actor.
• 2 May – Stephen Henderson, soccer player.
• 21 May – Adam Rooney, soccer player.
• 25 June - Grainne O'Malley, Pirate, Legend.
• 14 July – Conor McGregor, mixed martial arts fighter.
• 25 July – Anthony Stokes, soccer player.
• 26 July – Grainne Leahy, pharmacist.
• 14 September – Shane Tracy, soccer player.
• 22 September – Keith Quinn, soccer player.
• 11 October – Joe Canning, hurler.
• 28 October – Devon Murray, actor

  Deaths

January to June

• 1 January – Sister Philippa Brazill, nurse in Australia.
• 1 January – Dan Spring, Gaelic footballer, trade unionist and Labour Party TD.
• 15 January – Seán MacBride, former Clann na Poblachta TD, Cabinet Minister, Nobel Peace Prize winner.
• 2 February – Frederick Blaney, cricketer.
• 6 February – Paschal Doyle, hotelier and builder, founder Doyle Hotel Group.
• 11 February – Tommy Coleman, Irish volunteer.
• 24 February – Tommy O'Brien, journalist and broadcaster.
• 1 March – Tommy Breen, international soccer player.
• 19 March – Máirtín Ó Direáin, poet.
• 2 April – E. Chambré Hardman, photographer.
• 10 May – Ciarán Bourke, musician, an original member of The Dubliners.
• 5 June – Robert Dudley Edwards, historian.
• 11 June – Nick O'Donnell, Kilkenny and Wexford hurler.

  July to December

• 17 July – Frank Carter, Fianna Fáil TD, Seanad member.
• 17 September – Mick Cashman, Cork hurler.
• 10 October – Sonny Hool, cricketer.
• 27 October – Frank Devlin, badminton player.
• November – Terry Leahy, Kilkenny hurler.
• 12 December – Seán Dowling, revolutionary and playwright.
• 7 December – Peter Langan, restaurateur.
• 8 December – John Joe McGirl, chief of staff of the Irish Republican Army.
• 21 December – Eithne Dunne, actress.
• 22 December – Jack Bowden, cricketer and hockey player.

  Full date unknown

• Tommy Potts, fiddle player.
• Ed Reavy, fiddle player and songwriter.