1931 in Ireland

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Decades: 1910s • 1920s • 1930s • 1940s • 1950s Centuries: 18th • 19th • 20th • 21st See also: 1931 in Northern Ireland Other events of 1931 List of years in Ireland

Events

• 12 February - Sixteen members of the Ennis Dalcassian Gaelic Athletic Association club are expelled for attending the Ennis-Nenagh rugby match.
• 17 March - First St. Patrick's Day parade held in the Irish Free State, reviewed by Desmond FitzGerald, Minister of Defense.
• 3 April - Persistent rainfall causes the banks of the River Lee to burst. Half the houses in Cork are flooded.
• 7 May - The Irish Youth Hostel Service, An Óige, is established.
• 17 May - Muintir na Tíre, the rural organisation, is founded by Canon John Hayes.
• 9 July - Dublin-born racing driver Kaye Don breaks the world water speed record at Lake Garda, Italy.^[1]
• 13 August - Law books return to the rebuilt Four Courts where High Court business resumes after its destruction during the Civil War.
• 5 September - The first issue of the Irish Press, the newspaper of Fianna Fáil, goes on sale for 1d.
• 27 September - Saor Éire's first National Congress takes place in the Iona Hall in Dublin.
• 4 December - The derelict aerodrome at Collinstown in north County Dublin is considered as the site for a new civil airport.
• Ulster Canal abandoned.^[2]

Arts and literature

• 25 October - Ireland's first all-concrete Art Deco church, the Church of Christ the King, is opened at Turners Cross, Cork, designed by Chicago architect Barry Byrne with sculptor John Storrs.^[3]
• 'Æ' (George William Russell) publishes Vale, and Other Poems.^[4]
• Samuel Beckett's Proust is published.
• Cecil Day-Lewis's poetry From Feathers To Iron is published.
• Kate O'Brien's first novel, Without My Cloak, is published.
• Frank O'Connor's first short story collection, Guests of the Nation, is published.

Sport

Football

• League of Ireland

Winners: Shelbourne

• FAI Cup

Winners: Shamrock Rovers 1 - 1, 1 - 0 Dundalk

Golf

• Irish Open is won by Bob Kenyon (England).

Births

• 2 March - Paddy Cooney, solicitor, former Fine Gael TD, Cabinet Minister and MEP.
• 9 March - Jackie Healy-Rae, Fianna Fáil. TD for Kerry South.
• 9 April - Patrick Walsh, Bishop of Down & Connor (1991–).
• 5 June - Laurence Forristal, Bishop of Ossory (1981 - ).
• 8 July - Thomas Flynn, Bishop of Achonry (1976–2007).
• 26 July - Paddy Harte, former Fine Gael TD and Minister of State.
• 1 August - Seán Ó Riada, composer and musician (died 1971).
• 20 September - Malachy McCourt, actor, writer and politician.
• 13 October - Jimmy O'Neill, soccer player (died 2007).
• 27 October - Seán Calleary, former Fianna Fáil TD and Minister of State.
• 28 November - Dervla Murphy, travel writer.
• 1 December - Mervyn Taylor, former Irish Labour Party TD and Cabinet Minister.

Full date unknown

• Mick Cashman, Cork hurler (died 1990).
• Seán Clohessy, former Kilkenny hurler.
• Jimmy Smyth, former Clare hurler.

Deaths

• 7 March - Hamilton Lyster Reed, recipient of the Victoria Cross for gallantry in 1899 at the Battle of Colenso, South Africa (born 1869).
• 26 March - Timothy Michael Healy, Nationalist politician, journalist, author, barrister and first Governor-General of the Irish Free State (born 1855).
• 22 March - James Campbell, 1st Baron Glenavy, lawyer, Lord Chancellor of Ireland, first Chairman of Seanad Éireann (born 1851).
• 2 April - Katharine Tynan, novelist and poet (born 1861).
• 13 April - William Dowler Morris, mayor of Ottawa (born 1857).
• 22 April - Patrick Kenny, Independent member of the Seanad for 12 years from 1922. Leas Ceann Comhairle 1928.
• 25 June - Con Lucid, Major League Baseball player (born 1874).
• 27 August - Frank Harris, author, editor, journalist and publisher (born 1856).
• 29 September - William Orpen, painter (born 1878).
• 18 October - Reginald Clare Hart, soldier, recipient of the Victoria Cross for gallantry in 1879 in the Bazar Valley, Afghanistan (born 1848).
• 23 October - Peter de Loughry, member of 1922 Seanad, TD representing Carlow–Kilkenny from 1927 to 1931.
• 28 October - Patrick Glynn, Attorney General of Australia and Minister for External Affairs (born 1855).
• 27 December - Alfred Perceval Graves, writer (born 1846).

Full date unknown

• Theresa Lennon Blunt, writer.
• Harry Clarke, stained glass artist and book illustrator (born 1889).

References