| |||||
Centuries: | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Decades: | |||||
See also: | 1939 in Northern Ireland Other events of 1939 List of years in Ireland |
Events from the year 1939 in Ireland.
Incumbents
[edit]- President: Douglas Hyde
- Taoiseach: Éamon de Valera (Fianna Fáil)
- Tánaiste: Seán T. O'Kelly (FF)
- Minister for Finance:
- Seán MacEntee (FF) (until 16 September 1939)
- Seán T. O'Kelly (FF) (from 16 September 1939)
- Chief Justice: Timothy Sullivan
- Dáil: 10th
- Seanad: 3rd
Events
[edit]- 11 January – The Congress of the Irish National Teachers' Organisation in Galway called on the Government to abolish the ban on married women teachers.
- 12 February – The Department of External Affairs announced that it recognised the government of Francisco Franco in Spain.
- February – In his Lenten pastoral, Bishop Daniel Mageean referred to "A Protestant Parliament for a Protestant People".
- 12 March – Taoiseach Éamon de Valera attended the coronation of Pope Pius XII in Rome.
- 16 March – Éamon de Valera was greeted by Benito Mussolini in Rome and a luncheon was held in his honour.
- 22 March – Irish neutrality was discussed during a Dáil debate on defence estimates. The Government considered the implications for the export market to Britain if a neutral stand was taken.
- 30 March – The Treason Bill passed its fifth and final stage in Dáil Éireann.
- 9 April – The Gaelic Athletic Association voted to keep the name of the President, Douglas Hyde, off its list of patrons. The situation arose when Hyde attended an international soccer game.
- 15 April – Boxer Jack Doyle married Mexican film actress Movita Castaneda in a civil ceremony in Ensenada, Baja California, Mexico.[1]
- 17 April – The Prime Minister of Northern Ireland, Lord Craigavon, dismissed as cowardly the Irish Government's position of neutrality.
- 19 April – In a speech to Seanad Éireann (the Senate) Taoiseach Éamon de Valera referred to the dropping of all references to the King and Great Britain from new Irish passports.
- 30 April – The 1939 New York World's Fair opened with an Ireland pavilion designed by Michael Scott.[2]
- 4 May – The Prime Minister of Northern Ireland announced that conscription would not be extended to Northern Ireland.
- 18 May – The Earl of Iveagh presented the Government with his townhouse in Dublin.
- 2 June – The Treason Act 1939 became law: a sentence of death could be passed on anyone convicted of "levying war against the State."
- 29 June – Clann na Talmhan, the National Agricultural Party, was founded in Athenry.
- 1 July – The Irish Red Cross Society was established.
- 1 September – A state of emergency was declared by the Government when Germany invaded Poland.[3][4]
- 2 September – Taoiseach Éamon de Valera told the Dáil that Ireland will remain neutral in the European War.
- 3 September
- The Emergency Powers Act 1939 came into force as Britain and France declared war on Nazi Germany.
- The Marine and Coastwatching Service was set up.
- British liner SS Athenia became the first civilian casualty of the war when she was torpedoed and sunk by German submarine German submarine U-30 between Rockall and Tory Island;[5] the Knut Nelson (Norway) landed 450 of the survivors in Galway.
- 18 September – John F. Kennedy flew from Foynes, County Limerick for his first transatlantic flight, to Port Washington, New York, after helping with arrangements for survivors of the SS Athenia.[6][7]
- 9 September – Billed as "The Last Race in Europe" until after World War II, the Irish Motor Racing Club held its Phoenix Park Race; this included motorcycle and car races.[8]
- 11 September – The Irish-flagged tanker Inverliffey was shelled and sunk by the Nazi submarine, U-38. The U-boat towed the lifeboats away from the blazing oil.
- 13 September – The Minister for Supplies, Seán Lemass, introduced petrol rationing.
- 6 October – Austrian theoretical physicist Erwin Schrödinger took up residence in Dublin at the invitation of Éamon de Valera.[9]
- 30 October – More than two dozen air-raid sirens, acquired by Dublin Corporation, were tested across Dublin.
- November – The teenage Brendan Behan, at this time a member of the Irish Republican Army, was arrested in Liverpool for possession of explosives.
- December – The Supreme Court of Ireland declared the detention without trial of Irish Republican Army members to be illegal.[10]
- 10 December – The German Nazi propaganda radio station Irland-Redaktion began broadcasting to Ireland in the Irish language.[10]
- 23 December – A million rounds of ammunition were stolen from the national arsenal at the Phoenix Park by the Irish Republican Army.
Arts and literature
[edit]- 31 January – Lord Longford began a series of Chekhov productions at the Gate Theatre in Dublin with The Cherry Orchard.[11]
- February – English novelist T. H. White settled at Doolistown in County Meath; he lived in Ireland until 1946.
- 13 March – Flann O'Brien's At Swim-Two-Birds was published in London.
- 4 May – James Joyce's Finnegans Wake was published complete in London.
- 18 May – Louis MacNeice's Autumn Journal: a poem was published in London.[12]
- July – W. B. Yeats' Last Poems and Two Plays were published posthumously in London.[12]
- 10 October – Robert Collis's play Marrowbone Lane was premiered at the Gate Theatre, Dublin, starring Wilfrid Brambell.[10][13]
- Autumn
- English painters Kenneth Hall and his lover Basil Rakoczi of The White Stag group moved from London to Ireland.
- English novelist Ethel Mannin settled in Connemara.[10]
- English-born Irish composer Elizabeth Maconchy returned to Ireland from England, living in Dublin for a brief period, during which she composed her Fifth String Quartet.[14]
- Peig Sayers' stories and anecdotes about life on Great Blasket Island are published as Maċtnaṁ seana-ṁná in Dublin.
Sport
[edit]Football
[edit]- League of Ireland
- Winners: Shamrock Rovers
- FAI Cup
- Winners: Shelbourne 1–1, 1–0 Sligo Rovers. English footballer, Dixie Dean played in the final for Rovers.
Golf
[edit]- Irish Open was won by Arthur Lees (England).
Births
[edit]- 7 January – Tom Kiernan, rugby player and coach.
- 25 January – Dermot Clifford, Roman Catholic Archbishop of the Archdiocese of Cashel and Emly.
- 2 February – Desmond O'Malley, politician, TD (1968–2002) and leader of the Progressive Democrats (1985-1993) (died 2021).
- 19 February – Ted Carroll, Kilkenny hurler (died 1995).
- 25 March – Tom Fitzgerald, Fianna Fáil Senator.
- 1 April – Joe Jacob, Fianna Fáil TD and Minister of State.
- 11 April – Joe Burke, accordionist (died 2021).
- 13 April – Seamus Heaney, poet (died 2013).
- 24 April – Joe McCartin, Member of the European Parliament, Senator.
- 3 May – Ken Hope, cricketer.
- 9 May – Pádraig Flynn, Fianna Fáil TD, Cabinet Minister and European Commissioner.
- 19 May – John Sheahan, violinist, folk musician and composer, with The Dubliners.
- 29 May – Mary Banotti, Fine Gael politician.
- 25 June – Garech Browne, patron of the arts (died 2018).
- 5 July – Hugh Byrne (died 2023).
- 11 July – Mick Brown, football scout.
- 16 August – Seán Brady, Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of All Ireland.
- 21 August – Ray McLoughlin, international rugby player.
- 5 September – Mark Killilea Jnr, Fianna Fáil TD and Member of the European Parliament.
- 10 September – Edward Plunkett, 20th Baron of Dunsany, artist.
- 12 September – Patrick Harrington, Bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Lodwar in Kenya.
- 11 October – Austin Currie, founder-member of the Social Democratic and Labour Party and Fine Gael TD (died 2021).
- 16 October – Joe Dolan, singer (died 2007).
- 27 October – Thady Wyndham-Quin, 7th Earl of Dunraven and Mount-Earl, peer.
- October – Frank Columb, writer.
- 2 November – John Buckley, Bishop of Cork and Ross (1997 – ).
- November – Ollie Conmy, international soccer player.
- 16 December – Barney McKenna, musician.
- Full date unknown
-
- Michael Coady, poet, short story writer, local historian, genealogist, photographer, journalist and musician (died 2024).
- Paddy FitzGerald, Cork hurler.
- Alice Hanratty, painter and printmaker.
- Paddy Moran, Kilkenny hurler.
- Denis Murphy, Cork hurler.
- Éamonn O'Doherty, sculptor (died 2011).[15]
Deaths
[edit]- 28 January – W. B. Yeats, poet and dramatist, in France (born 1865).
- 2 February – Amanda McKittrick Ros, novelist and poet (born 1860).[16]
- 9 May – Mary Williams, previously Mary, Lady Heath, aviator, athlete and writer (born 1896).
- 9 June – Owen Moore, actor (born 1886).
- 28 June – James Charles Dowdall, businessman and independent member of the 1922 Seanad (born 1873).
- 19 July – John Cassidy, sculptor and painter (born 1860).
- 20 August – Edward Bulfin, British general during World War I (born 1862).
- 8 September – Maurice George Moore, soldier and independent member of the 1922 Seanad (born 1854).
- 15 September – William MacCarthy-Morrogh, cricketer (born 1870).
- 20 September – Andrew Claude de la Cherois Crommelin, astronomer (born 1865).
- 10 November – Charlotte Despard, suffragist, novelist and Sinn Féin activist (born 1844).
- 14 December – Samuel Lombard Brown, independent member of 1922 Seanad and barrister (born 1858).
References
[edit]- ^ "Jack Doyle Married". Sunderland Daily Echo and Shipping Gazette. 18 April 1939. Retrieved 20 November 2015 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ "1939 – Irish Pavilion, New York World's Fair". Archiseek. 22 November 2011. Retrieved 31 March 2015.
- ^ "Defence Forces (Requisitions of Emergency) Order, 1939". Irish Statute Book. Retrieved 29 July 2012.
- ^ S.I. No. 223/1939 - Defence Forces (Billeting Requisitions) Order, 1939 Irish Statute Book, 1939-09-01.
- ^ Brennecke, Jochen (2003). The Hunters and the Hunted. Naval Institute Press. pp. 15–16. ISBN 1-59114-091-9.
- ^ John Fitzgerald Kennedy Archived 15 May 2014 at the Wayback Machine Opossum Sally's Goldenmean. Retrieved: 2014-05-14.
- ^ An Inspirational Trip to the JFK Museum Of Exhibition in Dublin ELPP Summer 2013, 2013-07-02.
- ^ The Irish Motor News, Thursday, 21 September 1939.
- ^ Daugherty, Brian. "Brief Chronology". Erwin Schrödinger. Archived from the original on 9 March 2012. Retrieved 10 December 2012.
- ^ a b c d Wills, Clair (2007). That Neutral Island. London: Faber. ISBN 9780571221059.
- ^ Tracy, Robert (2008). "Chekhov in Ireland". Archived from the original on 24 August 2011. Retrieved 16 June 2012.
- ^ a b Cox, Michael, ed. (2004). The Concise Oxford Chronology of English Literature. Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-860634-6.
- ^ "Playography Ireland". Dublin: Irish Theatre Institute. Retrieved 8 April 2015.
- ^ Beer, Anna (2017). "Maconchy". Sounds and Sweet Airs: The Forgotten Women of Classical Music. London: One World. p. 345.
- ^ "Renowned Derry-born sculptor dies at 72". Belfast Telegraph. 5 August 2011. Retrieved 5 August 2011.
- ^ Ormsby, Frank (1988). Thine in Storm and Calm: An Amanda McKittrick Ros Reader. Belfast St Paul: Blackstaff Press. p. 4. ISBN 978-0-85640-408-5.