1961 in Northern Ireland

Events

• December 20 - The last legal execution in Ireland occurs in Belfast, Northern Ireland - it is of Robert McGladdery for murder.

Arts and literature

Sport

Football

• Irish League

Winners: Linfield

• Irish Cup

Winners: Glenavon 5 - 1 Linfield

Births

• 15 January - Damian O'Neill, guitarist.
• 15 June - Dave McAuley, boxer.
• 10 September - Ian Stewart, footballer.
• 4 November - Nigel Worthington, footballer, football manager and manager of Northern Ireland national football team.
• 26 December - John Lynch, actor.
• Maureen Boyle, poet.
• Bob Gilmore, musicologist and musician.
• Owen McCafferty, playwright.
• Eoin McNamee, novelist and screenwriter.
• Marcas Ó Murchú, traditional flute player.
• Glenn Patterson, writer.

Deaths

• 18 January - Joseph Connolly, Fianna Fáil politician (b. 1885).
• 25 September - James Crichton, soldier, recipient of the Victoria Cross for gallantry in 1918 at Crèvecœur, France (b. 1879).
• 8 December - Seamus Robinson, member of Irish Volunteers and Irish Republican Army (b. 1890).
• 20 December - Robert McGladdery, murderer and last person to be executed in Northern Ireland.