1982 in Ireland

Incumbents

• President: Patrick Hillery
• Taoiseach:
• * Garret FitzGerald
• * Charles Haughey
• * Garret FitzGerald
• Tánaiste:
• * Michael O'Leary
• * Ray MacSharry
• * Dick Spring
• Minister for Finance:
• * John Bruton
• * Ray MacSharry
• * Alan Dukes
• Chief Justice: Tom O'Higgins
• Dáil:
• * 22nd
• * 23rd
• * 24th
• Seanad:
• * 15th
• * 16th

  Events

• 21 January – Kildare TD, Charlie McCreevy, was expelled from the Fianna Fáil parliamentary party for criticising Charles Haughey.
• 27 January – Garret FitzGerald's Fine Gael-Labour government was defeated 82–81 on its budget; the 22nd Dáil was dissolved.
• 1 February – Corporal punishment was banned in schools.
• 18 February – General election: Fianna Fáil was the largest party.
• 9 March – 23rd Dáil assembled; Charles Haughey was elected Taoiseach.
• 12 March – The country's first crematorium was officially opened at Glasnevin Cemetery in Dublin.
• 6 April – James Prior launched 'rolling devolution' for Northern Ireland.
• 28 April – Work began on the Cork–Dublin natural gas pipeline.
• 2 May – The Government affirmed its neutrality in the Falklands conflict between the United Kingdom and Argentina, and opposed European Economic Community sanctions against Argentina.
• 10 May – Seamus Mallon of the Social Democratic and Labour Party was appointed to Seanad Éireann.
• 24 May – 20,000 people across the country marched in protest at income tax and Pay Related Social Insurance changes.
• 20 July – The Irish Republican Army killed ten servicemen in bomb attacks in Hyde Park and Regent's Park in London.
• 16 August – The Attorney General Patrick Connolly resigned after a wanted double-murderer was found staying on his property; the ensuing scandal was later described as being "grotesque, unbelievable, bizarre and unprecedented" by Taoiseach Charles Haughey.
• 14 September – Ireland mourned the death of Princess Grace of Monaco, the Irish American former film actress Grace Kelly.
• 6 October – Taoiseach Charles Haughey won a majority of 58 votes to 22 in an open ballot on Charlie McCreevy's motion of no confidence in his leadership.
• 15 October – Cork Airport celebrated its 21st birthday. The airport had yet to make a profit.
• 20 October – Polling took place in the Northern Ireland Assembly election. Sinn Féin won its first five seats in the Assembly, with Gerry Adams representing Belfast West.
• 27 October – Pte Michael McAleavey, an Irish Army soldier on service with UNIFIL in South Lebanon, murders three of his colleagues: Pte Peter Burke, Pte Thomas Murphy and Cpl Gary Morrow.
• 1 November - New designed £50 note brown in colour was launched with Turlough O'Carolan.
• 2 November – Former leader of the Labour Party, Michael O'Leary, joined the Fine Gael Party.
• 4 November – The government lost a confidence motion in the Dáil by 82 votes to 80. President Hillery dissolved the 23rd Dáil.
• 24 November – General election: Fine Gael was the largest party.
• 1 December – Grafton Street in Dublin officially opened as a pedestrianised street.
• 3 December – Patrick Hillery was installed as President of Ireland for a second term.
• 6 December – Ballykelly disco bombing: The Irish National Liberation Army killed seventeen people in a bomb attack at the Droppin Well Inn, Ballykelly, County Londonderry.
• 14 December – The 24th Dáil assembled; Garret FitzGerald was elected Taoiseach.
• Undated event: Rice Bridge replaced Redmond Bridge in Waterford City.

  Arts and literature

• 11 March – Frank McGuinness's first play, The Factory Girls, set in a Donegal shirt factory, was premiered on the Abbey Theatre's Peacock stage in Dublin.
• 22 April – Graham Reid's play The Hidden Curriculum, set in West Belfast, was premiered on the Peacock Stage of the Abbey Theatre in Dublin.
• 16 June – Ulysses broadcast: RTÉ Radio transmitted an uninterrupted, unabridged, 30-hour dramatised performance of James Joyce's novel Ulysses to mark the centenary of the author's birth. The marathon broadcast won a Jacob's Award.
• 24 July – The second Slane Concert took place with The Rolling Stones, The J. Geils Band, The Chieftains, and George Thorogood and the Destroyers playing at Slane Castle.
• September – Medbh McGuckian was awarded the Rooney Prize for Irish Literature, with a special prize to Seán Ó Tuama and Thomas Kinsella for An Duanaire / Poems of the Dispossessed. McGuckian's poetry collection The Flower Master was published this year.
• Maeve Binchy's first novel Light a Penny Candle was published.
• Unlicensed operator Radio Nova began broadcasting in Dublin.

  Sport

Gaelic football

• Kerry were denied a fifth consecutive All-Ireland Senior Football Championship title by Offaly in a famous final.

  Golf

• The Irish Open was won by Irishman John O'Leary.

  Hurling

• Kilkenny won the All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship.

  Rugby

• The Ireland rugby team won the Triple Crown Ireland for the first time since 1949 by beating Scotland 21–12 on 21 February, having already beaten Wales and England.

  Births

January to June

• 22 January – Alan McDermott, soccer player.
• 10 February – Keith Dunne, soccer player.
• 11 February – John Melligan, soccer player.
• 18 February – Damien Hayes, Galway hurler.
• 6 March – J. J. Delaney, Kilkenny hurler.
• 4 April – Robbie Hedderman, soccer player.
• 6 April – Philip Byrne, soccer player.
• 27 April – Cliff Byrne, soccer player.
• 27 April – Stephen O'Flynn, soccer player.
• 5 May – Noel O'Leary, Cork Gaelic footballer.
• 10 May – Alan Keely, soccer player.
• 28 May – Wes Hoolahan, soccer player.
• 19 June – Jackie Tyrrell, Kilkenny hurler.

  July to December

• 13 July – James Masters, Cork Gaelic footballer.
• 20 July – Aidan Fogarty, Kilkenny hurler.
• 21 July – Brian Murphy, Cork hurler.
• 29 July – Andy Reid, soccer player.
• 31 July – Alan O'Hare, soccer player.
• 5 August – John Lester, soccer player.
• 10 September – Andrew Murray, boxer.

  Full date unknown

• Graham Callinan, Cork hurler.
• Sarah Flannery, winner of the 1999 Esat Young Scientist Exhibition.
• Peter Lawlor, Limerick hurler.
• Kevin McMahon, Cork Gaelic footballer.
• Damian Reale, Limerick hurler.
• Pat Tobin, Limerick hurler.

  Deaths

• 1 January – Michael Hilliard, Fianna Fáil TD, Cabinet Minister and MEP.
• 16 January – Sir Basil Goulding, 3rd Baronet, cricketer, squash player and art collector.
• 5 February – George Crothers, cricketer.
• 16 February – Vivion de Valera, barrister, managing director of The Irish Press, Fianna Fáil TD representing Dublin North-West.
• 3 March – Con Cottrell, Cork hurler.
• 18 March – Patrick Smith, TD and Cabinet Minister.
• 26 March – Sam Kydd, actor.
• 26 May – Pamela Hinkson, novelist.
• 15 June – Johnny Callanan, Fianna Fáil TD.
• 7 July – Charles Hill, cricketer.
• 24 August – Eoghan Ó Tuairisc, poet and writer.
• 13 September – Mick Mackey, Limerick hurler and first recipient of the GAA All-Time All-Star Award .
• 5 October – Séamus Ennis, uilleann piper, singer and folk-song collector.
• 18 November – Hilton Edwards, actor, director, co-founder of Gate Theatre.

  Full date unknown

• Mick Kennefick, Cork hurler.
• Caitlín Maude, poet, actress and traditional singer.