1987 in Ireland

Events from the year 1987 in Ireland.

← 1986 1985 1984 1983 1982 1987 in Ireland → 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992
Centuries:	18th 19th 20th 21st
Decades:	1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s 2000s
See also:	1987 in Northern Ireland Other events of 1987 List of years in Ireland

Incumbents

• President: Patrick Hillery
• Taoiseach:
  • Garret FitzGerald (FG) (until 10 March 1987)
  • Charles Haughey (FF) (from 10 March 1987)
• Tánaiste:
  • Dick Spring (Lab) (until 20 January 1987)
  • Peter Barry (FG) (from 20 January 1987 until 10 March 1987)
  • Brian Lenihan (FF) (from 10 March 1987)
• Minister for Finance:
  • John Bruton (FG) (until 10 March 1987)
  • Ray MacSharry (FF) (from 10 March 1987)
• Chief Justice: Thomas Finlay
• Dáil:
  • 24th (until 20 January 1987)
  • 25th (from 10 March 1987)
• Seanad:
  • 17th (until 3 April 1987)
  • 18th (from 25 April 1987)

Events

January

• 1 January – The halfpenny coin was withdrawn from circulation.
• 20 January – Labour Party ministers resigned from the government because of disagreement over budget proposals.

February

• 19 February – A general election returned a Fianna Fáil minority government after the Fine Gael–Labour Party coalition collapsed. Charles Haughey became taoiseach by one Dáil vote. The new Progressive Democrats party won 14 seats.

March

• 11 March – Former taoiseach Garret FitzGerald resigned as leader of the Fine Gael party and was succeeded by Alan Dukes.
• 22 March – The Irish National Lottery was launched.

May

• 8 May – Loughgall ambush: The British Special Air Service killed eight Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA) members and a civilian in Loughgall, County Tyrone.
• 9 May – Johnny Logan won the Eurovision Song Contest for Ireland with his own composition Hold Me Now, making him the only person to win the competition twice as a performer.
• 26 May – A referendum was held on the Single European Act. Nearly 70% voted in favour of the tenth amendment to the Constitution.

July

• 26 July – Stephen Roche won the Tour de France, the first Irish cyclist to do so.

November

• 8 November – Remembrance Day bombing: Eleven people were killed and 63 were injured by an IRA bomb during a Remembrance Day service in Enniskillen.
• 10 November – The funeral took place of broadcaster Eamonn Andrews.
• 29 November – Beaumont Hospital opened in Dublin.

December

• 5 December – Downpatrick and Ardglass Railway began public operation, the first Irish gauge heritage railway in Ireland.
• Undated – Cooley Distillery began producing Irish whiskey.

Arts and literature

See also: 1987 in Irish television

• U2 released The Joshua Tree album to international acclaim.
• Maeve Binchy's novel Firefly Summer was published.
• Roddy Doyle published his first novel, The Commitments, the first volume of The Barrytown Trilogy, about a group of unemployed young people on the north side of Dublin who start a soul band.
• Kíla, the folk/world music group, was formed in the Irish language secondary school, Coláiste Eoin in County Dublin.

Sport

Association football

• 11 November – Ireland qualified for their first major international tournament when Scotland pulled off a shock 1–0 win in Sofia against Bulgaria. Gary Mackay scored the only goal with just three minutes left to put Ireland into the Euro 88 tournament in West Germany.

Cycling

Stephen Roche

• 6 September – Cyclist Stephen Roche completed a remarkable treble by winning the Giro d'Italia, the Tour de France, and the World Championship.

Gaelic football

• Meath defeated Cork by 1–14 to 0–11 to win the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship.

Golf

• The Carroll's Irish Open golf tournament was won by Bernhard Langer (West Germany).

Hurling

• Galway defeated Kilkenny by 1–12 to 0–9 to win the All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship.

Births

Shane Long, born in January.

Shane Lowry, born in April.

• 2 January – Cathal Naughton, Cork hurler.
• 9 January – Nicola Coughlan, actress
• 22 January – Shane Long, association footballer.
• 24 January – Ruth Bradley, television actress.
• 30 January – Becky Lynch, professional wrestler.
• 4 February – Darren O'Dea, association footballer.
• 5 February – Denis McLaughlin, association footballer.
• 14 February – James Chambers, association footballer.
• 16 March – Diarmuid O'Carroll, association footballer.
• 2 April – Shane Lowry, golfer
• 13 April – Conor Sammon, association footballer.
• 23 April – Kelly Gough, actress.
• 12 May – Darren Randolph, association footballer.
• 20 May – Pa Cronin, Cork hurler.
• 21 May – Chris McCann, association footballer.
• 7 July – Diarmuid Connolly, Dublin Gaelic football and hurling player.
• 9 July – Jonny Hayes, association footballer.
• 28 September – Gary Deegan, association footballer.
• 2 June – Graeme Mulcahy, hurler (Kilmallock, Limerick).
• 2 October – Séamus Hickey, hurler (Murroe-Boher, Limerick).
• 11 October – Richie McCarthy, hurler (Blackrock, Limerick).
• 16 October – Eric McGill, association footballer.
• 9 November – Tom Condon, hurler (Limerick).
• 14 November – Brian Gleeson, actor
• 16 November – T. J. Reid, Kilkenny hurler.
• 13 December – Billy Clarke, association footballer.

Deaths

• 2 January – Roger McHugh, professor, author and playwright (born 1908).
• 4 January – Eudie Coughlan, Cork hurler (born 1900).
• 14 January – Ewart Milne, poet (born 1903).
• January – Billy King, cricketer (born 1902).
• 8 April – Kevin McNamara, Archbishop of Dublin (born 1926).
• 19 April – Con Cremin, diplomat (born 1908).
• 22 April – Bill Hayes, association footballer (born 1915).
• 23 April – Oliver J. Flanagan, Fine Gael teachta dála (TD) and cabinet minister (born 1920).
• 27 April – Maurice Gibson, Northern Irish judge (born 1913).
• 8 May – Jim Lynagh, Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA) member killed in an ambush by the British Special Air Service during an IRA attack on Loughgall Royal Ulster Constabulary station (born 1956).
• 22 June – John Hewitt, poet (born 1907).
• 30 June – Tommy O'Connor, association footballer.
• 20 July – Denis J. O'Sullivan, Fine Gael TD (born 1918).
• 18 October – Michael Lipper, Labour Party TD (born 1932).
• 25 October – Ivan Beshoff, last survivor of the Russian Potemkin mutiny (born 1882/4 in the Russian Empire).
• 29 October – Monk Gibbon, poet and author (born 1896).
• 5 November – Eamonn Andrews, broadcaster (born 1922).
• 25 November – James McDyer, Roman Catholic priest and community leader (born 1910).
• 8 December – Peadar Livingstone, priest and historian (born 1930).
• 9 December – Seán Brosnahan, Treasurer Irish National Teachers Organisation, member of the Seanad (Senate) from 1961 to 1977 (born 1911).

Full date unknown

• Jimmy Warnock, boxer (born 1912).