1986 in Ireland

• President: Patrick Hillery
• Taoiseach: Garret FitzGerald (FG)
• Tánaiste: Dick Spring (Lab)
• Minister for Finance:
• Alan Dukes (FG) (until 14 February 1986)
• John Bruton (FG) (from 14 February 1986)
• Chief Justice: Thomas Finlay
• Dáil: 24th
• Seanad: 17th

• 2 January – The national offices of the Progressive Democrats were officially opened.
• 4 January – Phil Lynott, the lead singer of Thin Lizzy, died aged 35.{{cite web|last1=Armstrong|first1=Neil|title=How Phil Lynott became rock's most notorious hellraiser|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/music/artists/how-phil-lynott-became-rocks-most-notorious-hellraiser/|website=The Telegraph|access-date=10 January 2018|date=1 March 2016}}

• 11 February – Ireland's new football team manager, Jack Charlton, arrived in Dublin.

• 18 March – Irish citizenship was conferred on Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, Tip O'Neill, for inspiring constitutional nationalists to launch an initiative for a new Ireland.
• 31 March – President Hillery and Mrs. Hillery started a four-day official visit to Austria. This was the first Irish state visit there.

• 8 April – Jennifer Guinness was kidnapped by three armed men for a IR£2 million ransom. She was the wife of banker, John Guinness, of the Guinness brewing family. She was rescued after eight days by gardaí (police) in Ballsbridge, Dublin.{{cite web

| title = Jennifer Guinness - victim of a notorious 1986 kidnapping that lasted eight days - has died

| first = Jerome

| last = Reilly

| date = 2016-01-23

| website = Irish Independent

| url = https://www.independent.ie/irish-news/jennifer-guinness-victim-of-a-notorious-1986-kidnapping-that-lasted-eight-days-has-died/34390718.html

}}

• 4 May – Radiation from the devastated Chernobyl nuclear reactor in Ukraine reached Ireland.
• 6 May – The Divorce Action Group launched its campaign for the forthcoming divorce referendum.
• 21 May – Eighteen Old Master paintings from the Beit collection were stolen from Russborough House by Martin Cahill.
• 30 May – Ireland West Airport in County Mayo was officially opened.

• 2 June – Fire destroyed Loreto Convent at St. Stephen's Green in Dublin; six nuns died in the blaze.
• 6 June – John Stalker was removed from the 'shoot to kill' inquiry.
• 12 June – Two giant pandas, Ming Ming and Ping Ping, arrived at Dublin Zoo.
• 21 June – An anti-divorce rally took place in Dublin.
• 27 June – Counting began in a Divorce Referendum. Tallymen predicted a strong 'no' vote.
• June (date unknown) – Mick Flavin became a new star of country music.

• 1 August – Monsignor James Horan, Parish Priest of Knock, County Mayo and builder of Ireland West Airport, died suddenly aged 75 in Lourdes, France.
• 7 August – The deputy leader of the Democratic Unionist Party and member of the British parliament, Peter Robinson, was arrested and charged with illegal assembly, after a loyalist mob took over a village in County Monaghan.
• 25–6 August – The remnants of Hurricane Charley struck Ireland. Dublin suffered its worst flooding since records began in 1880, and a new record for the greatest rainfall in one day was set when 200{{nbsp}}millimetres of rain was measured at Kilcoole in County Wicklow. The River Dodder and River Dargle in County Dublin overflowed leading to flooding of 416 houses and 35 commercial premises.[http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2054992531 Monthly Weather Bulletin: Supplement to August 1986] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131203053529/http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2054992531 |date=3 December 2013 }} Irish Meteorological Service, August 1986.

• 23 October – Thirteen-year-old Philip Cairns disappeared on his way back to school after lunch.
• 30 October – The 20 pence coin entered circulation.

• November – Giant's Causeway and the Causeway Coast became the first Irish designated UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

• December (date unknown) – The Government banned South African food imports, about half the total of South African imports into Ireland, in protest against apartheid.[http://www.historyireland.com/20th-century-contemporary-history/an-boks-amach-the-irish-anti-apartheid-movement/ An ‘boks amach’:* the Irish Anti-Apartheid Movement] History Ireland, Issue 4 (Jul/Aug 2006), Volume 14.
• 25 December – Dublin Airport was open for the first time on a Christmas Day.
• 31 December – American visa applications at the United States Embassy in Dublin rose by 25%. Thirty thousand people emigrated during 1986.

• 17 May – The Self Aid unemployment benefit concert was held in Dublin, featuring dozens of performers.{{cite web|last=Carroll|first=Jim|title=Self Aid 22 Years On|url=http://www.irishtimes.com/blogs/ontherecord/2008/05/19/self-aid-22-years-on/|work=Irish Times|access-date=13 June 2010}}{{cite web|last=Lynch|first=Mick|title=Self-Aid: Looking Back Twenty Years On|url=http://www.cluas.com/music/features/self-aid-20-years-on.htm|access-date=13 June 2010}}
• Sigerson Clifford published the second edition of his poetry collection Ballads of a Bogman, including the first publication of "The Boys of Barr na Sráide".
• Bob Geldof published his autobiography, Is That It?
• Patrick McCabe published his novel, Music on Clinton Street.
• John Montague became the first occupant of the Ireland Chair of Poetry.
• The film Eat the Peach was released.

• Ireland did not qualify for the 1986 FIFA World Cup.

• The Irish Open was won by Seve Ballesteros (Spain).

• 10 February – Steven Foley-Sheridan, association football player.
• 17 February – Joey O'Brien, association football player.
• 24 February – Claire Hennessy, author.

• 1 March – Shane O'Neill, Cork hurler.

• 4 April – Stephen Quinn, association football player.
• 18 April – Conrad Logan, association football player.
• 30 April – Derek Doyle, association football player.

• 16 May – Andy Keogh, association football player.
• 19 May – Paul Byrne, association football player.
• 23 May – Shane McFaul, association football player.

• 3 June – Donal Skehan, singer and television presenter.
• 8 June – Michael Shields, Cork Gaelic footballer, Australian rules footballer.

• 2 July – Katie Taylor, boxer{{cite web |title=Katie TAYLOR – Olympic Boxing {{!}} Ireland |url=https://www.olympic.org/katie-taylor |website=International Olympic Committee |access-date=24 April 2019 |language=en |date=25 June 2017}}
• 11 July – Gerard Nash, association football player.
• 31 July
• Gary Dicker, association football player.
• Deirdre Codd, Wexford Camogie player.

• 22 August – Stephen Ireland, association football player.
• 31 August – Colm Begley, Australian rules footballer.

• 10 September – Eoin Morgan, cricketer.

• 17 October - Simon Harris, Taoiseach
• 19 October – Shaun Williams, soccer player.

• 20 November – Evan McMillan, association football player.

• 4 January – Phil Lynott, singer and songwriter (born 1949).

• 10 February – James Dillon, former leader of the Fine Gael party, teachta dála (TD) and minister (born 1902).
• 12 February – James Joseph Magennis, British Royal Navy submariner awarded Victoria Cross for taking part in Operation Struggle in 1945 (born 1919).

• 1 March – Cahir Davitt, lawyer and judge (born 1894).
• 4 March – Edward McLysaght, genealogist and writer (born 1887).
• 16 March – Pat Carroll, Offaly hurler (born 1956).
• 28 March – Eddie McAteer, Nationalist Party (Northern Ireland) member of parliament (born 1914).

• 13 May – Peadar O'Donnell, Irish Republican socialist, Marxist activist and writer (born 1893).
• 22 May – James Christopher Branigan, known as "Lugs Branigan", police officer and boxer (born 1910).

• 20 July – Dermot Honan. licensed vintner, member of the Seanad from 1965 to 1973.

• 1 August – James Horan, Roman Catholic monsignor, conceived and created Ireland West Airport (born 1911).

• 1 October – Seán Moore, Fianna Fáil party TD (born 1913).

• Eddie Duffy, traditional Irish musician (born 1894).
• Cecil King, painter (born 1921).

• 1986 in Irish television

{{Reflist}}

{{Years in Ireland}}

{{Year in Europe|1986}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:1986 in Ireland}}

Category:1980s in Ireland

Category:Years of the 20th century in Ireland

Ireland