Events

• 1 January – The Euro
  Euro
  The euro is the official currency of the eurozone: 17 of the 27 member states of the European Union. It is also the currency used by the Institutions of the European Union. The eurozone consists of Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg,...
  
   is introduced across the European Union
  European Union
  The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
  
  . The people of Ireland
  Republic of Ireland
  Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
  
   adapt without any major confusion.
• 9 January – Former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev
  Mikhail Gorbachev
  Mikhail Sergeyevich Gorbachev is a former Soviet statesman, having served as General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union from 1985 until 1991, and as the last head of state of the USSR, having served from 1988 until its dissolution in 1991...
  
   receives the Freedom of Dublin.
• 7 March – A referendum on a proposal to amend the Consititution
  Constitution of Ireland
  The Constitution of Ireland is the fundamental law of the Irish state. The constitution falls broadly within the liberal democratic tradition. It establishes an independent state based on a system of representative democracy and guarantees certain fundamental rights, along with a popularly elected...
  
   to remove the threat of suicide as a ground for legal abortion is narrowly defeated.
• 2 April – Brendan Comiskey
  Brendan Comiskey
  Brendan Comiskey, is the Roman Catholic Bishop Emeritus of the Diocese of Ferns. He was born on 13 August 1935 in Clontibret, County Monaghan, Ireland.He resigned on 1 April 2002, over charges that he had failed to deal adequately with allegations that Fr...
  
  , the Catholic Bishop of Ferns resigns after criticism of his handling of abuses cases in the diocese.
• 5 April – The first recruits of the new Police Service of Northern Ireland
  Police Service of Northern Ireland
  The Police Service of Northern Ireland is the police force that serves Northern Ireland. It is the successor to the Royal Ulster Constabulary which, in turn, was the successor to the Royal Irish Constabulary in Northern Ireland....
  
   graduate.
• 17 May – The Fianna Fáil
  Fianna Fáil
  Fianna Fáil – The Republican Party , more commonly known as Fianna Fáil is a centrist political party in the Republic of Ireland, founded on 23 March 1926. Fianna Fáil's name is traditionally translated into English as Soldiers of Destiny, although a more accurate rendition would be Warriors of Fál...
  
  -Progressive Democrats
  Progressive Democrats
  The Progressive Democrats , commonly known as the PDs, was a pro-free market liberal political party in the Republic of Ireland.Launched on 21 December 1985 by Desmond O'Malley and other politicians who had split from Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael, the Progressive Democrats took liberal positions on...
  
   coalition is re-elected. It is the first government to be re-elected since 1969.
• 1 June – The Republic of Ireland begin their soccer world cup campaign
• 11 October – Geraldine Kennedy
  Geraldine Kennedy
  Geraldine Kennedy is an Irish journalist, former politician, and former editor of The Irish Times newspaper.She became the first female editor of The Irish Times upon the departure of Conor Brady in 2002. Kennedy had held several senior positions at the paper; at the time of her appointment to the...
  
   is appointed the first female editor of the Irish Times.
• 14 October – As of midnight the Northern Ireland Assembly
  Northern Ireland Assembly
  The Northern Ireland Assembly is the devolved legislature of Northern Ireland. It has power to legislate in a wide range of areas that are not explicitly reserved to the Parliament of the United Kingdom, and to appoint the Northern Ireland Executive...
  
   and the Executive are suspended by order of the Secretary of State.
• 19 October – Irish voters accept the Nice Treaty in the second referendum held on the issue.

Arts and literature

• 25 October – Peter Mullan
  Peter Mullan
  Peter Mullan is a Scottish actor and film-maker who has been appearing in films since 1990.-Early life:Mullan, the sixth of eight children, was born in Peterhead in the northeast of Scotland, the son of Patricia, a nurse, and Charles Mullan, a lab technician who worked at Glasgow University. He...
  
  's film The Magdalene Sisters
  The Magdalene Sisters
  The Magdalene Sisters is a 2002 film written and directed by Peter Mullan about teenage girls who were sent to Magdalene Asylums, otherwise known as the 'Magdalene Laundries': homes for women who were labeled as "fallen" by their families or society...
  
  released in Ireland.

Politics

• General Election
  Irish general election, 2002
  The Irish general election of 2002 was held on Friday, 17 May 2002 just over three weeks after the dissolution of the 28th Dáil on Thursday 25 April by President Mary McAleese, at the request of the Taoiseach, Bertie Ahern...
  
   – The Fianna Fáil
  Fianna Fáil
  Fianna Fáil – The Republican Party , more commonly known as Fianna Fáil is a centrist political party in the Republic of Ireland, founded on 23 March 1926. Fianna Fáil's name is traditionally translated into English as Soldiers of Destiny, although a more accurate rendition would be Warriors of Fál...
  
  -Progressive Democrats
  Progressive Democrats
  The Progressive Democrats , commonly known as the PDs, was a pro-free market liberal political party in the Republic of Ireland.Launched on 21 December 1985 by Desmond O'Malley and other politicians who had split from Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael, the Progressive Democrats took liberal positions on...
  
   government is returned to power. Fianna Fáil achieve 80 seats, just 4 short of an overall majority. Fine Gael
  Fine Gael
  Fine Gael is a centre-right to centrist political party in the Republic of Ireland. It is the single largest party in Ireland in the Oireachtas, in local government, and in terms of Members of the European Parliament. The party has a membership of over 35,000...
  
   lose 23 seats and the Labour Party remain static. Increased support for Sinn Féin
  Sinn Féin
  Sinn Féin is a left wing, Irish republican political party in Ireland. The name is Irish for "ourselves" or "we ourselves", although it is frequently mistranslated as "ourselves alone". Originating in the Sinn Féin organisation founded in 1905 by Arthur Griffith, it took its current form in 1970...
  
   results in 4 extra TDs
  Teachta Dála
  A Teachta Dála , usually abbreviated as TD in English, is a member of Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Oireachtas . It is the equivalent of terms such as "Member of Parliament" or "deputy" used in other states. The official translation of the term is "Deputy to the Dáil", though a more literal...
  
  . Michael Noonan
  Michael Noonan
  Michael Noonan is an Irish Fine Gael politician and has been the Minister for Finance since March 2011. He has been a Teachta Dála for the Limerick East and later Limerick City constituencies since 1981....
  
   resigns as leader of Fine Gael and Ruairi Quinn
  Ruairi Quinn
  Ruairi Quinn is an Irish Labour Party politician who has been Minister for Education and Skills since March 2011. He is currently a Teachta Dála for the Dublin South East constituency. He was Minister for Finance from 1994 to 1997, and leader of the Labour Party from 1997 to 2002.-Early...
  
   resigns as leader of the Labour Party.

Equestrianism

• Show Jumping
  Show jumping
  Show jumping, also known as "stadium jumping," "open jumping," or "jumpers," is a member of a family of English riding equestrian events that also includes dressage, eventing, hunters, and equitation. Jumping classes commonly are seen at horse shows throughout the world, including the Olympics...
  
  

Dermott Lennon wins the individual Show Jumping World Championship on Liscalgot

Gaelic games

• All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship Final
  All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship 2002
  The All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship of 2002 was the 116th staging of Ireland's premier hurling knock-out competition...
  
  

Kilkenny

Kilkenny GAA

The Kilkenny County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland and is responsible for Gaelic Games in County Kilkenny. The county board has its head office and main grounds at Nowlan Park and is also responsible for Kilkenny inter-county teams...

 2–20 – 0–19 Clare

Clare GAA

The Clare County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association or Clare GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Clare. The county board is also responsible for the Clare inter-county teams....

• All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Final
  All-Ireland Senior Football Championship
  The All-Ireland Senior Football Championship, the premier competition in Gaelic football, is a series of games organised by the Gaelic Athletic Association and played during the summer and early autumn...
  
  

Armagh

Armagh GAA

The Armagh County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association or Armagh GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Armagh...

 1–12 – 0–14 Kerry

Kerry GAA

The Kerry County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Kerry...

Rugby Union

• 2002 Six Nations Championship
  2002 Six Nations Championship
  The 2002 Six Nations Championship was the third series of the Six Nations Championship. Including the previous incarnations as the Home Nations and Five Nations, this was the hundred-and-eighth series of the northern hemisphere rugby union championship...
  
  

Ireland lose to England and France

• 2001-02 Heineken Cup
  2001-02 Heineken Cup
  The 2001–02 Heineken Cup was the seventh edition of the Heineken Cup. Competing teams from France, Ireland, Italy, Wales, England and Scotland, were divided into six pools of four, in which teams played home and away matches against each other. The pool winners and two best runners-up qualified for...
  
  

Munster

Munster Rugby

Munster Rugby is an Irish professional rugby union team based in Munster, that competes in the RaboDirect Pro12 and Heineken Cup.The team represents the Irish Rugby Football Union Munster Branch which is one of four primary branches of the IRFU, and is responsible for rugby union in the Irish...

 and Leinster

Leinster Rugby

Leinster Rugby, usually referred to simply as Leinster, is an Irish professional rugby union team based in Dublin, representing the Irish province of Leinster, that competes in the RaboDirect Pro 12 and also competes in the Heineken Cup...

 advance from the pool stage. Leinster are defeated in the quarter-finals while Munster are defeated by Leicester in the final.

Soccer

Group stage

Republic of Ireland

Republic of Ireland national football team

The Republic of Ireland national football team represents Ireland in association football. It is run by the Football Association of Ireland and currently plays home fixtures at Aviva Stadium in Dublin, which opened in May 2010....

 1-1 Cameroon

Cameroon national football team

The Cameroon national football team, nicknamed Les Lions Indomptables , is controlled by the Fédération Camerounaise de Football and is Africa's most successful side in FIFA world cup; having qualified for the FIFA World Cup six times – in 1982, 1990, 1994, 1998, 2002 and 2010– more than any...

Republic of Ireland 1-1 Germany

Germany national football team

The Germany national football team is the football team that has represented Germany in international competition since 1908. It is governed by the German Football Association , which was founded in 1900....

Republic of Ireland 3 – 0 Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia national football team

Saudi Arabia national football team is the national team of Saudi Arabia and is controlled by the Saudi Arabia Football Federation...

Republic of Ireland qualify for the second round of the World Cup

Knockout stage

Republic of Ireland 1-1 Spain

Spain national football team

The Spain national football team represents Spain in international association football and is controlled by the Royal Spanish Football Federation, the governing body for football in Spain. The current head coach is Vicente del Bosque...

 (Spain win 3–2 on penalties)

Republic of Ireland are knocked out at the second round of the World Cup

• Shelbourne win the League of Ireland
  League of Ireland
  The League of Ireland is the national association football league of the Republic of Ireland. Founded in 1921, as a league of eight clubs, it has expanded over time into a two-tiered league of 22 clubs. It is currently split into the League of Ireland Premier Division and the League of Ireland...
  
   for the tenth time.

January to June

• 14 January – Colm Hilliard
  Colm Hilliard
  Colm Hilliard was an Irish Fianna Fáil Party politician who sat for fifteen years as Teachta Dála for Meath....
  
  , Fianna Fáil
  Fianna Fáil
  Fianna Fáil – The Republican Party , more commonly known as Fianna Fáil is a centrist political party in the Republic of Ireland, founded on 23 March 1926. Fianna Fáil's name is traditionally translated into English as Soldiers of Destiny, although a more accurate rendition would be Warriors of Fál...
  
   TD
  Teachta Dála
  A Teachta Dála , usually abbreviated as TD in English, is a member of Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Oireachtas . It is the equivalent of terms such as "Member of Parliament" or "deputy" used in other states. The official translation of the term is "Deputy to the Dáil", though a more literal...
  
   (b.1936).
• 16 January – Jim Tunney, former Fianna Fáil
  Fianna Fáil
  Fianna Fáil – The Republican Party , more commonly known as Fianna Fáil is a centrist political party in the Republic of Ireland, founded on 23 March 1926. Fianna Fáil's name is traditionally translated into English as Soldiers of Destiny, although a more accurate rendition would be Warriors of Fál...
  
   TD
  Teachta Dála
  A Teachta Dála , usually abbreviated as TD in English, is a member of Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Oireachtas . It is the equivalent of terms such as "Member of Parliament" or "deputy" used in other states. The official translation of the term is "Deputy to the Dáil", though a more literal...
  
  , Minister of State and Lord Mayor of Dublin
  Lord Mayor of Dublin
  The Lord Mayor of Dublin is the honorific title of the Chairman of Dublin City Council which is the local government body for the city of Dublin, the capital of Ireland. The incumbent is Labour Party Councillor Andrew Montague. The office holder is elected annually by the members of the...
  
   (b.1923).
• 22 February – Paddy Ambrose
  Paddy Ambrose
  Patrick "Paddy" Ambrose was a professional football player and coach from Dublin, Ireland.Signed by Jimmy Dunne from junior side Clontarf, he was associated with Shamrock Rovers from 1948 to 1973, firstly as a player and then as a coach.He made his debut against Transport in Bray on 28 August...
  
  , soccer player and coach (b.1930).
• 22 February – Brendan O'Dowda
  Brendan O'Dowda
  Brendan O'Dowda was an Irish tenor who popularised the songs of Percy French.O'Dowda was born in Dundalk, County Louth and was educated at the De la Salle Brothers' school in the town. His early promise as a singer brought him to the attention of Dr. Vincent O'Brien, who had taught John McCormack...
  
  , tenor
  Tenor
  The tenor is a type of male singing voice and is the highest male voice within the modal register. The typical tenor voice lies between C3, the C one octave below middle C, to the A above middle C in choral music, and up to high C in solo work. The low extreme for tenors is roughly B2...
  
   singer (b.1925).
• 27 February – Spike Milligan
  Spike Milligan
  Terence Alan Patrick Seán "Spike" Milligan Hon. KBE was a comedian, writer, musician, poet, playwright, soldier and actor. His early life was spent in India, where he was born, but the majority of his working life was spent in the United Kingdom. He became an Irish citizen in 1962 after the...
  
  , comedian, poet and writer (b.1918).
• 14 March – Kevin Danaher
  Kevin Danaher
  Kevin Danaher was a prominent Irish folklorist with a special interest in ethnography and military history....
  
  , folklorist and writer (b.1913).
• 8 May – Sylvester Barrett
  Sylvester Barrett
  Sylvester A. Barrett was a senior Irish Fianna Fáil politician. He served under Jack Lynch and Charles Haughey as Minister for the Environment and Minister for Defence ....
  
  , former Fianna Fáil
  Fianna Fáil
  Fianna Fáil – The Republican Party , more commonly known as Fianna Fáil is a centrist political party in the Republic of Ireland, founded on 23 March 1926. Fianna Fáil's name is traditionally translated into English as Soldiers of Destiny, although a more accurate rendition would be Warriors of Fál...
  
   TD
  Teachta Dála
  A Teachta Dála , usually abbreviated as TD in English, is a member of Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Oireachtas . It is the equivalent of terms such as "Member of Parliament" or "deputy" used in other states. The official translation of the term is "Deputy to the Dáil", though a more literal...
  
  , Cabinet Minister and MEP (b.1926).
• 30 May – John B. Keane
  John B. Keane
  John Brendan Keane was an Irish playwright, novelist and essayist from Listowel, County Kerry.-Life and career:...
  
  , playwright, novelist and essayist (b.1928).

July to December

• 1 August – Brendan Menton Sr.
  Brendan Menton Sr.
  Brendan Menton was an Irish football administrator and economist. Menton was a founding member of Home Farm F.C. and later served as president of the Football Association of Ireland between 1980 and 1982. He also served on various UEFA committees...
  
  , soccer administrator and president of the Football Association of Ireland
  Football Association of Ireland
  The Football Association of Ireland is the governing body for the sport of association football in the Republic of Ireland. It should not to be confused with the Irish Football Association , which is the organising body for the sport in Northern Ireland.For the full history, statistics and records...
  
   (b.1912).
• 28 August – Jim McFadden
  Jim McFadden
  James Alexander McFadden was a professional ice hockey forward. Jim McFadden was one of only six players born in Ireland to ever reach the NHL.-Playing career:...
  
  , ice hockey player (b.1920).
• 4 September – David Molony
  David Molony
  David Molony was an Irish Fine Gael Party Senator and TD.Born in Thurles, County Tipperary, he qualified as a lawyer and in the 1970s he worked with , a voluntary group providing free legal aid, eventually became FLAC's chairperson.In 1977, he was elected to the 14th Seanad Éireann on the Cultural...
  
  , lawyer, former Fine Gael
  Fine Gael
  Fine Gael is a centre-right to centrist political party in the Republic of Ireland. It is the single largest party in Ireland in the Oireachtas, in local government, and in terms of Members of the European Parliament. The party has a membership of over 35,000...
  
   TD
  Teachta Dála
  A Teachta Dála , usually abbreviated as TD in English, is a member of Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Oireachtas . It is the equivalent of terms such as "Member of Parliament" or "deputy" used in other states. The official translation of the term is "Deputy to the Dáil", though a more literal...
  
   and Seanad member (b.1950).
• 20 September – Pat Saward
  Pat Saward
  Patrick "Pat" Saward was a former professional footballer in the English football League and for the Republic of Ireland. He died of Alzheimer's disease in 2002.-Club:He played as an amateur for Crystal Palace before he joined Milwall as a professional...
  
  , soccer player (b.1928).
• 17 October – Derek Bell
  Derek Bell (musician)
  George Derek Fleetwood Bell, MBE was an Northern Irish harpist, pianist, oboist, musicologist, and composer, best known for his accompaniment work on various instruments with The Chieftains....
  
  , harpist and composer (b.1935).
• 25 October – Richard Harris, actor (b.1930).
• 2 November – Brian Behan
  Brian Behan
  Brian Behan was an Irish writer and trade unionist.Behan was born in Dublin, the son of Stephen Behan, younger brother of Brendan Behan and older brother of Dominic Behan...
  
  , writer and trade unionist (b.1926).
• 2 December – Jim Mitchell, former Fine Gael
  Fine Gael
  Fine Gael is a centre-right to centrist political party in the Republic of Ireland. It is the single largest party in Ireland in the Oireachtas, in local government, and in terms of Members of the European Parliament. The party has a membership of over 35,000...
  
   TD
  Teachta Dála
  A Teachta Dála , usually abbreviated as TD in English, is a member of Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Oireachtas . It is the equivalent of terms such as "Member of Parliament" or "deputy" used in other states. The official translation of the term is "Deputy to the Dáil", though a more literal...
  
   and Cabinet Minister (b.1946).
• 3 December – Glenn Quinn
  Glenn Quinn
  Glenn Martin Christopher Francis Quinn was an Irish actor in television and film, known for playing Mark Healy in the American sitcom Roseanne, and Doyle, a half-demon, on the 1999–2004 television series Angel, a spin-off series of the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer.-Early life:Quinn...
  
  , actor (b.1970).
• 18 December – Lucy Grealy
  Lucy Grealy
  Lucinda Margaret Grealy was an American poet and memoirist who wrote Autobiography of a Face in 1994. This critically acclaimed book describes her childhood and early adolescence experience with cancer of the jaw, which left her with some facial disfigurement...
  
  , poet and memoirist (b.1963).
• 24 December – Alan Clodd
  Alan Clodd
  Alan Clodd was an Irish publisher, book collector, and dealer. Edward Clodd was his grandfather. Born in Dublin, Ireland, Clodd went to Bishop's Stortford College and later worked with the insurance firm Scottish Widows. During World War II he was a conscientious objector and worked with the...
  
  , book collector, dealer and publisher (b.1918).

Full date unknown

• David Grene
  David Grene
  David Grene was a professor of classics at the University of Chicago from 1937 until his death. He was a co-founder of the Committee on Social Thought and is best known for his translations of ancient Greek literature.-Life:...
  
  , classical scholar (b.1913).
• Frances Kelly
  Frances Kelly
  Frances J. Kelly was an Irish painter. She was married to Irish diplomat Frederick Boland. They had five children, one of whom is the poet Eavan Boland. Kelly studied at the Metropolitan School of Art, Dublin, Ireland. From 1932-1935, she studied in Paris, France with the cubist painter Léopold...
  
  , painter (b.1908).
• David Beers Quinn
  David Beers Quinn
  David Beers Quinn was an Irish historian who wrote extensively on the voyages of discovery and colonisation of America. Many of his publications appeared as volumes of the Hakluyt Society...
  
  , historian (b.1909).
• Owen Walsh
  Owen Walsh (artist)
  Owen Walsh was born in Wesport, Mayo County, Ireland.He studied at the National College of Art in Dublin, where he received major awards for painting and composition....
  
  , artist (b.1933).