1997 in Ireland

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 1997
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See also:1997 in Northern Ireland
Other events of 1997
List of years in Ireland

Events from the year 1997 in Ireland.

Incumbents

Events
  • 8 January – Russia sought to widen its ban on the importation of Irish beef due to Bovine spongiform encephalopathy.
  • 27 February – the law providing for divorce came into effect.
  • 6 March – Michael Lowry resigned as a member of the Fine Gael party.
  • 7 March – President Mary Robinson met Pope John Paul II in the Vatican.
  • 17 March – the new national independent radio station, Radio Ireland, went on the air.
  • 8 April – author Frank McCourt was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for his book Angela's Ashes.
  • 6 June – in the general election, Fianna Fáil won a plurality of seats and formed a coalition government with the Progressive Democrats. Bertie Ahern replaced John Bruton as Taoiseach, and Mary Harney of the Progressive Democrats became Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade, and Employment.
  • 12 June – President Mary Robinson was appointed UN High Commissioner for Human Rights.
  • 16 June – National University of Ireland, Maynooth came into existence with the commencement of the Universities Act, 1997.
  • 25 June – film makers arrived for two months of shooting at Curracloe, County Wexford to re-create the D-Day Normandy invasion scenes for Steven Spielberg's film Saving Private Ryan.[1]
  • 3 July – Taoiseach Bertie Ahern met United Kingdom Prime Minister Tony Blair for the first time.
  • 6–11 July – 1997 nationalist riots in Northern Ireland: There was violence in nationalist areas after an Orange Order parade was allowed down the Garvaghy Road by the Royal Ulster Constabulary in Portadown as part of the Drumcree conflict.
  • 9 July – counsel for Charles Haughey admitted that the former Taoiseach accepted £1.3 million from businessman Ben Dunne.
  • 20 July – the Irish Republican Army instituted a second ceasefire.
  • 31 August – The British Ambassador to Ireland, Veronica Sutherland leads the tributes to Princess Diana.
  • 6 September – Thousands of people queued at the British Embassy in Dublin to sign a book of condolence and to express their personal sadness at the death of Princess Diana. Due to the large turnout, three books of condolence were made available. Taoiseach Bertie Ahern, Tánaiste Mary Harney, Minister for Foreign Affairs Ray Burke, Fine Gael's Nora Owen and Labour's Ruairi Quinn all sign their condolences. Thousands of bouquets and cards are left at the gates of the embassy expressing a very real affection for Princess Diana as well as a sense of loss amongst the people of Ireland, Books of Condolence are also made available for signing at the Mansion House and at City Hall in Cork.
  • 6 September – All Flags on State Buildings in Ireland fly at half mast as a mark of respect for Princess Diana on the day of her funeral.
  • 7 September – A special service of remembrance for Diana, Princess of Wales, is held in St Patrick's Cathedral, Dublin, attended by the President of Ireland, Mary Robinson, (on one of her Final Official Engagements as President of Ireland) & the Taoiseach, Bertie Ahern,
  • 12 September – Mary Robinson resigned as President to assume her new role as UN High Commissioner for Human Rights.
  • 18 September – the converted Collins Barracks re-opened to house the National Museum of Ireland's Decorative Arts and History collections.[2]
  • 7 October – substantial all-party talks began in Northern Ireland.
  • 10 October – at a Provisional Irish Republican Army General Army Convention held at Falcarragh, County Donegal, a majority supported the ceasefire.[3][4]
  • November – IRA members opposed to the ceasefire, led by Michael McKevitt, met at a farmhouse in Oldcastle, County Meath, and formed a new organisation of Óglaigh na hÉireann, which became known as the Real Irish Republican Army.[5]
  • 1 November – the Hepatitis C Compensation Tribunal Act, 1997, took effect.
  • 7 November – Dick Spring confirmed that he was resigning as leader of the Labour Party.
  • 11 November – Mary McAleese was inaugurated as the eighth President of Ireland, the first time in the world that one woman succeeded another as elected head of state.
  • 13 November – Ruairi Quinn won the leadership of the Labour Party.
  • 27 December – the Loyalist Volunteer Force leader Billy Wright was shot dead in the Maze prison by members of the Irish National Liberation Army.

Arts and literature

Sport

Gaelic games

Golf

Snooker
  • Ken Doherty became world snooker champion following an 18 frames to 12 victory over Stephen Hendry at the Crucible Theatre, Sheffield.

Soccer

Births

Full date unknown

Deaths

January to June

July to December

Full date unknown
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See also

References
  1. Movies you never knew were filmed in Ireland Irish Central, 2011-08-22.
  2. "History and Architecture". National Museum of Ireland. 2008. Retrieved 6 February 2011.
  3. Harnden, Toby (1999). Bandit Country. London: Hodder & Stoughton. pp. 429–431. ISBN 0-340-71736-X.
  4. English, Richard (2003). Armed Struggle: The History of the IRA. London: Pan Books. p. 296. ISBN 0-330-49388-4.
  5. Mooney, John; O'Toole, Michael (2004). Black Operations: The Secret War Against the Real IRA. Ashbourne, Co. Meath: Maverick House. pp. 33–39. ISBN 0-9542945-9-9.
  • 1997 at Reeling in the Years
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