1956 in Ireland

Events from the year 1956 in Ireland.

Incumbents

 * President: Seán T. O'Kelly
 * Taoiseach: John A. Costello (FG)
 * Tánaiste: William Norton (Lab)
 * Minister for Finance: Gerard Sweetman (FG)
 * Chief Justice: Conor Maguire
 * Dáil: 15th
 * Seanad: 8th

Events

 * 15 February – Senator Owen Sheehy-Skeffington introduced a motion calling for the prohibition of all corporal punishment for girls in Irish national schools.
 * 2 April – President Seán T. O'Kelly unveiled a bust of politician, revolutionary, and suffragist Constance Markievicz in St Stephen's Green, Dublin.
 * 1 May – the Minister for Education Richard Mulcahy introduced the debate on a separate government department for the Gaeltacht.
 * 21 May – President Seán T. O'Kelly opened the first Cork International Film Festival.
 * 29 May – T. K. Whitaker was appointed new Secretary at the Department of Finance.
 * 12 August – The Gaelic Athletic Association postponed the All-Ireland Hurling and Football Finals due to an outbreak of polio.
 * 21 November – Our Lady's Hospital for Sick Children was opened in Crumlin.
 * 30 November – Petrol rationing was due to be introduced from next January 1 due to the Suez Crisis.
 * 1 December – At the Olympic Games in Melbourne, Australia, Ronnie Delany won Ireland's first Olympic gold medal for 24 years.
 * 12 December – The Irish Republican Army launched its Border Campaign in Northern Ireland with the bombing of a BBC relay transmitter in County Londonderry, burning of a courthouse in Magherafelt by a unit led by 18-year-old Seamus Costello, and of an Ulster Special Constabulary post near Newry and blowing up of a half-built British Army barracks at Enniskillen. A raid on Gough Barracks in Armagh was beaten off after a brief exchange of fire.
 * Undated
 * The second Coimisiún na Gaeltachta redefined the boundaries of the Gaeltacht.
 * Robert Briscoe became the first Jewish Lord Mayor of Dublin.

Arts and literature

 * June – Painter Louis le Brocquy represented Ireland at the Venice Biennale.
 * Samuel Beckett's novel Malone Dies was published in English.

Association football

 * League of Ireland
 * Winners: St Patrick's Athletic


 * FAI Cup
 * Winners: Shamrock Rovers 3–2 Cork Athletic.

Births

 * 1 January – John O'Donohue, poet and philosopher (died in 2008).
 * 16 January – Denis Moran, Kerry Gaelic footballer.
 * 17 January – Joe Hennessy, Kilkenny hurler.
 * 27 January – Joe Duffy, radio presenter.
 * 11 February – Pat Carroll, Offaly hurler (died 1986).
 * 13 February – Liam Brady, international soccer player.
 * 21 February – Johnny Crowley, Cork hurler.
 * 4 March – Ciarán Brennan, singer, songwriter, producer and instrumentalist.
 * 13 April – Jim Lynagh, Provisional Irish Republican Army member killed in an ambush by the Special Air Service during an attack on Loughgall RUC station (died in 1987).
 * 16 April – Paul Drechsler, businessman.
 * 29 April – Kevin Moran, Gaelic footballer and soccer player.
 * 30 April – Liam T. Cosgrave, Fine Gael politician, Cathaoirleach of Seanad Éireann 1996–1997
 * 4 May – Steve Barron, film director and producer.
 * 5 May – Mary Coughlan, singer.
 * 9 May – Brendan Howlin, national school teacher, Labour Party Teachta Dála (TD) for Wexford and cabinet minister.
 * 15 May – Pat Byrne, soccer player and manager.
 * 18 May – Pat Fleury, Offaly hurler, manager.
 * 21 May – Sean Kelly, cyclist and broadcaster.
 * 24 May – Michael Jackson, Church of Ireland Bishop of Clogher.
 * 28 May – John O'Donoghue, Fianna Fáil TD for Kerry South and Cabinet Minister.
 * 1 June – Brendan Smith, Fianna Fáil TD for Cavan–Monaghan and Minister of State.
 * 4 June – Gerry Ryan, RTÉ radio presenter. (Died in 2010)
 * 7 June – Marty Whelan, RTÉ radio and television presenter.
 * 1 July – Liz O'Donnell, Deputy Leader of the Progressive Democrats, TD and Minister of State.
 * 10 July – Frank Stapleton, soccer player and manager.
 * 12 July – Cathal Ó Searcaigh, poet.
 * August – Denis Mulcahy, Cork hurler.
 * 26 August – Dick Hooper, long-distance runner.
 * 5 September – Willie Mullins, jockey, racehorse trainer.
 * 4 October – Mary Kennedy, television presenter.
 * 13 October – Joe Connolly, Galway hurler.
 * 1 November – Charles Flanagan, Fine Gael TD for Laois–Offaly.
 * 5 November – Marita Conlon-McKenna, children's writer.
 * 4 December – Nia Griffith Welsh Labour Member of Parliament.
 * 19 December – Shane McEntee, Fine Gael TD for Meath East.
 * Undated
 * Patrick Cassidy, composer.
 * Dorothy Cross, sculptor and installation artist.
 * Frankie Gavin, fiddle and flute player.
 * Alice Maher, painter and sculptor.
 * Valerie Mulvin, architect.
 * Tadhg Murphy, Cork hurler.
 * Richie Reid, Kilkenny hurler.
 * Fran Rooney, businessman.

Deaths

 * 30 January – Sir John Keane, 5th Baronet, barrister, member of Seanad (born in 1873).
 * 20 February – James Cousins, poet and writer (born in 1873).
 * 21 February – Louis Meldon, cricketer (born in 1886).
 * 13 March – Alfie Byrne, Irish Nationalist politician, served both as an Member of parliament in the British House of Commons and as a Teachta Dála in Dáil Éireann (born in 1882).
 * 18 March – Benjamin Glazer, Academy Award-winning writer, film producer and director (born in 1887).
 * 19 March – Matt Goff, Kildare Gaelic footballer (born in 1901).
 * 24 March – Bob Lambert, cricketer (born in 1874).
 * 20 April – Ida Mary Costello, wife of Taoiseach John A. Costello (born in 1891).
 * 17 May – John Tudor Gwynn, cricketer (born in 1881).
 * 22 May – Elizabeth Cronin, traditional singer (born in 1879).
 * 11 June – Seán Óg Murphy, Cork hurler, Gaelic Athletic Association administrator (born in 1892).
 * 23 July – Ella Young, poet (born in 1867).
 * 5 August – J. M. Andrews, second Prime Minister of Northern Ireland (born in 1871).
 * 23 September – Arthur Duff, composer and conductor (born in 1899).
 * 6 November – Leo Whelan, painter (born in 1892).
 * 19 November – Thomas Derrig, Fianna Fáil TD and Cabinet Minister (born in 1897).
 * 25 November – Robert Bruce Bowers, cricketer (born in 1897).
 * 11 December – Frederic Charles Dreyer, British Royal Navy Admiral (born in 1878).
 * 27 December – Lambert McKenna, Jesuit priest and writer (born in 1870).
 * Undated – Geoffrey Taylor, born Jeoffrey Phibbs, poet (born 1900 in England).