1896 in Ireland

Events from the year 1896 in Ireland.

Events

 * February – the Broighter Gold hoard of prehistoric objects is discovered near Limavady by Tom Nicholl while ploughing.
 * 29 March – the Royal College of St Patrick, Maynooth is granted the status of pontifical university by charter of the Holy See.
 * 16 May – the first electric tram runs on the Dublin tramways system.
 * May – James Connolly returns from Edinburgh to Ireland as paid organiser for the Dublin Socialist Club. He founds the Irish Republican Socialist Party.
 * 28 March – Tom Gallaher incorporates the Gallaher tobacco business and opens the world's largest tobacco factory in Belfast.
 * John Dillon assumes the leadership of the anti-Parnellite wing of the Home Rule Party.
 * An extension is made to Arthur Balfour's Land Act. 1,500 bankrupt estates are made available for sale to tenants.
 * Ireland's first motor vehicle laws are introduced.
 * Restoration of the Church of Ireland's Kildare Cathedral is completed.

Arts and literature

 * 20 April – first cinema show in Ireland, at Dan Lowry's Star of Erin Variety Theatre in Dublin.
 * The lyrics of The Mountains of Mourne are written by Percy French with Dr. W. Houston Collision.
 * Charles Villiers Stanford's comic opera Shamus O'Brien is first performed.

Cricket

 * International
 * February: Tim O'Brien becomes the first Irish captain of the England cricket team in a match won against South Africa at Port Elizabeth

Football

 * International
 * 29 February Wales 6–1 Ireland (in Wrexham)
 * 7 March Ireland 0-2 England (in Belfast)
 * 28 March Ireland 3-3 Scotland (in Belfast)
 * Irish League
 * Winners: Distillery
 * Irish Cup
 * Winners: Distillery 3 - 1 Glentoran

Field hockey

 * International
 * 2 March: The Ireland women's national field hockey team defeat England 2–0 at Alexandra College in the first ever women's international field hockey match.

Tennis

 * The Championships, Wimbledon
 * Harold Mahony wins the gentleman's singles Championship
 * Olympic Games
 * John Pius Boland wins gold medals in the men's singles and doubles at the first modern Summer Olympics in Athens (Greece)

Births

 * 15 February – Arthur Shields, actor (died 1970).
 * March – Martin Joseph Sheehan, soldier and Royal Air Service Observer in World War I, killed in action (died 1918).
 * 4 April – Sir Osmond Esmonde, 12th Baronet, diplomat and politician (died 1936).
 * 24 April – F. R. Higgins, poet and theatre director (died 1941).
 * 9 May – Austin Clarke, poet, playwright and writer (died 1974).
 * 22 May – Cyril Fagan, astrologer (died 1970).
 * 28 August – Liam O'Flaherty, novelist and short story writer (died 1984).
 * 10 November – Sophie Catherine Theresa Mary Peirce-Evans, later Mary, Lady Heath, aviator, athlete and writer (died 1939).
 * 25 December – Sister Philippa Brazill, nurse in Australia (died 1988).
 * Full date unknown
 * Monk Gibbon, poet and author (died 1987).
 * Fiona Plunkett, republican (died 1977).

Deaths

 * 10 January – Denis Dempsey, soldier, recipient of the Victoria Cross (born 1826).
 * 3 February – Jane Wilde, poet ("Esperanza"; born 1821).
 * 4 March – Peter Richard Kenrick, first Catholic archbishop west of the Mississippi River (born 1806).
 * 4 May – Timothy Anglin, politician in Canada and Speaker of the House of Commons of Canada (born 1822).
 * 18 May – Patrick Buckley, soldier, lawyer, statesman, and judge in New Zealand (born 1841).
 * 8 August – William Pery, 3rd Earl of Limerick, peer (born 1840).
 * 10 August – Jeremiah O'Sullivan, Roman Catholic Bishop of Mobile (born 1842).
 * 15 August – Patrick Duggan, Roman Catholic Bishop of Clonfert (born 1813).
 * 22 September – Edward Selby Smyth, British General, commanded Militia of Canada from 1874 to 1880 (born 1819).
 * 1 November – Jack (Nonpareil) Dempsey, boxer (born 1862).
 * 31 December – Leland Hone, cricketer (born 1853).
 * Full date unknown
 * Canon James Goodman, Irish music collector (born 1828).