• President: Seán T. O'Kelly
• Taoiseach: Éamon de Valera (FF)
• Tánaiste: Seán Lemass (FF)
• Minister for Finance: Frank Aiken (FF)
• Chief Justice: Conor Maguire
• Dáil: 12th
• Seanad: 5th

• 19 January to 15 March – an arctic cold snap with five major blizzards caused many deaths.
• 30 January – the internationally known labour leader Jim Larkin died in Dublin aged 72.
• 18 May – the 21st anniversary of the founding of the Fianna Fáil party was celebrated in the Capitol Theatre, Dublin.
• 7 July – the Aer Lingus airline began a direct service between Dublin and Amsterdam.
• 31 July – the Soviet Union blocked Ireland's entry into the United Nations.
• 11 August – the Enterprise Express train service commenced from Belfast to Dublin.
• 31 August – United States Congressman John F. Kennedy visited his sister Kathleen in Ireland during the Congressional summer recess.^[1] He visited again in 1955 and 1963.
• 14 September – the All-Ireland Football Final was played in the Polo Grounds in New York. Cavan were victorious over Kerry.
• 3 November – a 60-day transport strike ended in Dublin. Trams and buses returned to normal service.

  Undated

• The Customs Free Airport Act established Shannon as the world's first duty-free airport.
• The Poulaphouca Reservoir was completed.
• The Waterford Crystal glassmaking business was revived by Charles Bacik.

• June – Joan Denise Moriarty's Cork Ballet Group gave its first performance, at the Cork Opera House under the baton of Aloys Fleischmann.
• Donagh MacDonagh's poetry The Hungry Grass was published.
• Séamus Ó Néill's novel Tonn Tuile was the first book published by Irish language publisher Sáirséal agus Dill in Dublin.

Football edit

League of Ireland

Winners: Shelbourne

FAI Cup

Winners: Cork United 2–2, 2–1 Bohemians.

Gaelic Games edit

• Cavan won historic All Ireland final in Polo Grounds, New York.

Golf edit

• The Irish Open was won by Harry Bradshaw (Ireland).

Swimming edit

• 27–28 July – English endurance swimmer Tom Blower became the first person to swim the North Channel, from Donaghadee in County Down to Portpatrick in Scotland.

• 18 January – John O'Conor, pianist.
• 26 January – Red Morris, 4th Baron Killanin, film producer.
• 9 February – Eamon Duffy, religious historian.
• 1 March
  • Brian Fitzgerald, Labour Party TD.
  • Liz McManus, Labour Party TD for Wicklow.
  • Kate Walsh, Progressive Democrats Senator (died 2007).
• 30 March
  • Kevin Myers, journalist.
  • Dick Roche, university lecturer, Fianna Fáil TD for Wicklow, Cabinet Minister.
• 16 April – Eamonn Rogers, soccer player.
• 17 April – Linda Martin, singer.
• 24 April – Johnny McEvoy, singer.
• 27 April – Patrick Lynch, Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Southwark.
• 18 May – John Bruton, Taoiseach, European Union Ambassador to the United States (died 2024).
• 22 May – Seán Ó Neachtain, Fianna Fáil Member of the European Parliament representing North-West.
• 8 July – Jonathan Kelly, folk rock singer-songwriter.
• 18 July – Dermot Healy, novelist and poet (died 2014).
• 20 July – Joe O'Toole, President of the Irish Trades Union Congress and Senator.
• 31 July – Olivia Mitchell, Fine Gael TD representing Dublin South (1997 – ).
• 1 August – Tommy Broughan, Labour Party TD for Dublin North-East.
• 3 August
  • Sally Oldfield, singer.
  • G. V. Wright, Fianna Fáil TD and member of Seanad Éireann.
• 10 August – Dónal Lunny, musician.
• 21 August – Philip Lawrence, a London-based headmaster, stabbed to death outside the gates of his school when he went to help a pupil being attacked by a gang (died 1995).
• 25 August – Anne Harris, journalist.
• 2 September – Kevin Farrell, Bishop of Dallas, Texas.
• 7 September – Roger Bolton, trade unionist in UK (died 2006).
• 2 October – Damien Martin, Offaly hurler.
• 9 October – Frank Dunlop, public relations consultant, planning advisor, Fianna Fáil Government Press Secretary (1977–1982).
• 26 October – Trevor Joyce, poet.
• 9 November
  • Pat Carey, Fianna Fáil TD for Dublin North-West and Minister of State.
  • Frank Cummins, Kilkenny hurler.
• 25 November
  • Seán Ardagh, Fianna Fáil TD for Dublin South-Central (died 2016).
  • Steve Heighway, soccer player.
• 1 December – Jimmy Dunne, soccer player.
• 4 December
  • Moosajee Bhamjee, physician, Ireland's first Muslim Teachta Dála (1992–1997), 27th Dáil.
  • Terry Woods, folk musician.
• 5 December
  • Tony Gregory, independent politician and TD for Dublin Central.
  • Seán Quinn, businessman.

Undated edit

• Vincent Brown, sculptor.
• Noel Elliott, international rugby union player.
• Johnny Flaherty, Offaly hurler.
• Jimmy Gregg, former football player.^[2]
• Éamonn Grimes, Limerick hurler.
• Pat Hegarty, Cork hurler.
• John Holloway, sociologist and philosopher.
• Dermot Somers, mountaineer, explorer, writer and broadcaster.

• 2 January – Tom Ross, cricketer (born in 1872).
• 4 January – Derrick Hall, cricketer (born in 1892).
• 4 January – Forrest Reid, novelist and literary critic (born in 1875).
• 21 January – Charles A. Callis, member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (born in 1865).
• 30 January – James Larkin, trade union leader, socialist and Labour Party TD (born in 1876).
• 3 March – Michael Egan, trade unionist, city councillor, and Cumann na nGaedheal TD (born in 1866).
• 9 April – Desmond FitzGerald, Sinn Féin MP, TD, Cabinet Minister and Seanad Éireann member (born in 1888).
• 16 May – Augusta Crichton-Stuart, Marchioness of Bute (born in 1880).
• 18 June – John Henry Patterson, soldier, hunter and writer (born in 1867).
• 4 September – P. J. Moloney, chemist, member of 1st Dáil representing Tipperary South.