2005 in Ireland

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

See also: 2004 in Ireland, other events of 2005, 2006 in Ireland and the list of 'years in Ireland'.

Contents

1 Events

2 Arts and literature

3 Sports

4 Deaths

[edit]

Events

January 1 - Cork officially becomes the European Capital of Culture for 2005.
January 6 - The Irish Farmers Association celebrates its 50th anniversary.
January 8 - The Minister for Foreign Affairs, Dermot Ahern TD, begins a visit to the area in South-East Asia that was devastated by the recent tsunami.
January 18 - An Taoiseach Bertie Ahern begins a trade mission to China. He is accompanied by one third of the Cabinet, including Miche�l Martin, Mary Hanafin, Mary Coughlan and Noel Dempsey.
January 20 - The Republic of Ireland officially changes all road signage and regulations to use kilometres per hour (km/h). Distance and speed in Northern Ireland remain in miles per hour.
January 20 - Belfast man Robert McCartney is murdered outside a bar in the city.
January 24 - The former Minister for Justice Ray Burke is jailed for six months for tax evasion. Jailed as a result of legislation he introduced, he is the first Cabinet minister to be jailed as a result of the tribunals of inquiry.
February 7 - An Taoiseach Bertie Ahern lays the foundation stone of a new town called Adamstown, just outside Lucan, County Dublin.
February 17 - Seven people are detained by Garda� for Provisional IRA activities in relation to the bank heist in Belfast in December 2004. �2.3 million sterling is seized in County Cork.
March 4 - The 100th Sinn F�in �rd-Fheis opens at the Royal Dublin Society in Ballsbridge, Dublin.
March 11 - The Irish Sugar Company factory in Carlow closes for good with the loss of several hundred jobs. The factory was Ireland's oldest sugar factory.
March 17 - St. Patrick's Day: The sisters and fianc�e of murdered Belfast-man, Robert McCartney, meet US President George W. Bush in the United States.
March 27 - Cian O'Connor is stripped of his Olympic gold medal after the sports ruling body find that his horse, Waterford Crystal had banned substances in its system during the Olympic Games in 2004.
April 2 - All across Ireland and the world, people of all nations, creeds and faiths unite with widespread prayer, mourning and remembrance in honour of Pope John Paul II following his death in Rome at 20:37 Irish time.
April 4 - The Minister for Foreign Affairs, Dermot Ahern TD, is appointed one of four special envoys for United Nations reform by the UN Secretary General, Kofi Annan.
April 8 - The mortal remains of the late Pope John Paul II are laid to rest in Rome. President Mary McAleese and An Taoiseach Bertie Ahern represent the Irish people at his funeral. There is a remembrance service under the papal cross in the Phoenix Park, Dublin.
April 16 - The annual congress of the Gaelic Athletic Association votes to open up Croke Park and allow soccer and rugby to be played there under certain circumstances.
April 19 - President McAleese and An Taoiseach Bertie Ahern convey messages of congratulations to the newly elected Pope Benedict XVI.
May 14 - President Mary McAleese's official state car is involved in a minor road accident in County Meath. The President and her driver escape injury.
May 23 - Five schoolgirls die and many other people are injured in a collision involving a crowded Bus �ireann school bus and two other vehicles in Co Meath.
June 13 - The Irish language is granted official status as a working language within the European Union.