See also: 1988 in Ireland, other events of 1989, 1990 in Ireland and the list of 'years in Ireland'.

Events

• January 2 - Dundalk, County Louth celebrates its 1200 year heritage.
• February 12 - Belfast solicitor Pat Finucane is shot dead by loyalists.
• March 21 - Three Irish soldiers are killed in a alndmine explosion in southern Lebanon.
• April 3 - Belfast-born Alex Higgins beats Stephen Hendry to win the British Benson and Hedges snooker championship.
• April 4 - The Windmill Lane Consortium says that if it gets the franchise it will be on the air within 9 to 12 months with its station TV3.
• June 16 - Ray McAnally , one of the country's most versatile actors, dies suddenly.
• June 22 - an order is signed creating the University of Limerick, the first university founded since the foundation of the state, later in the day Dublin City University is created
• June 29 - Charles Haughey resigns as Taoiseach. He remains on in a caretaker capacity.
• August 19 - 10,000 people march from Dublin city centre to the British Embassy calling for British withdrawl from Northern Ireland.
• September 4 - Century Radio goes on the air for the first time.
• October 11 - The Republic of Ireland beat Northern Ireland 3-0 in a World Cup Qualifier at Lansdowne Road.
• October 19 - Three of the Guildford Four are released in London. Paul Hill is re-arrested.
• December 21 - Aer Rianta's 5,000,000th passenger is presented with a holiday to Florida.
• December 26 - Poet, playwright and winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature, Samuel Beckett, dies in Paris.

Arts and literature

Sports

Births

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Deaths

• January 31 - Allan McClelland , actor and writer.
• April 7 - Frank Cluskey, former leader of the Labour Party.
• June 15 - Ray McAnally , actor.
• August 3 - Dominic Behan , author and songwriter.
• August 12 - Emyr Estyn Evans , Ireland's first Professor of Geography.
• October 6 - Patricia Cockburn , artist.
• October 31 - Liam Redmond , actor.
• November 4 - Vivian Mercier, critic, scholar and teacher.
• December 14 - Gerry Healy, British Trotskyist leader.
• December 22 - Samuel Beckett, poet, novelist, playwright and winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature.