1958 in Ireland

««« 1957 1956 1955 1954 1953	1958 in Ireland	»»» 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963
Decades: 1930s • 1940s • 1950s • 1960s • 1970s Centuries: 18th • 19th • 20th • 21st See also: 1958 in Northern Ireland Other events of 1958 List of years in Ireland

Events

• 6 February - Billy Whelan, 22-year-old forward who has played four times for the Irish national team, is among the 21 people killed in the Munich air disaster involving English league champions Manchester United. He had played nearly 100 times for United in the space of three years, scoring 52 goals and winning two league titles.^[1]
• 18 March - Taoiseach Éamon de Valera says he would be willing to have talks with the government of Northern Ireland on wider economic co-operation.
• 20 March - Work begins on the £80,000 restoration of the State rooms at Dublin Castle.
• 10 May - The Independent TD, Jack Murphy, resigns in protest at the indifference of the main political parties to the plight of the unemployed.
• 12 May - Ardmore Studios opened by Seán Lemass.
• 22 May - The Minister for Education, Jack Lynch, tells the Dáil that the ruling requiring women teachers to retire on marriage is to be revoked.
• 25 July - £100 damages are awarded to a nine-year old who was beaten by his teacher in a national school.
• 28 July - The Carlisle Monument, an eight foot bronze statue in the Phoenix Park, is blown up in the early hours.
• 6 August - Australian athlete Herb Elliott shatters the world record for the mile at Santry Stadium, recording a time of 3 minutes 54.5 seconds.
• 8 August - The US Embassy in Merrion Square displays plans for a new embassy in Dublin.
• 8 September - Pan Am's Boeing 707 becomes the first jetliner to touch down on European soil at Shannon Airport.
• 1 October - Assets and management of the Great Northern Railway are divided between Córas Iompair Éireann and the Ulster Transport Authority.
• 29 October - The government announces that the ending of the proportional representation method of voting is to be put to the people in a referendum.
• 4 November - In the Vatican, Taoiseach Éamon de Valera attends the four-hour coronation of Pope John XXIII.
• 31 December - The Harcourt Street railway line, serving Dundrum, Foxrock and points to Bray, closes

Arts and literature

• Samuel Beckett's monologue Krapp's Last Tape first performed by Patrick Magee at the Royal Court Theatre, London (28 October).
• Beckett's novel The Unnamable published in English.
• Brendan Behan's play The Hostage first performed in English by Joan Littlewood's Theatre Workshop at the Theatre Royal Stratford East, London (14 October).
• Behan's autobiographical Borstal Boy published in London.^[2] On 12 November it is banned in Ireland by the Censorship of Publications Board.
• Thomas Kinsella's poetry Another September published in Dublin.^[3]
• Patrick MacDonogh's poetry One Landscape Still published.
• John Montague's poetry Forms of Exile published.

Sports

• Football World Cup
  • Group stage
    • Northern Ireland 1-1 Czechoslovakia
    • Northern Ireland 1-1 Argentina
    • Northern Ireland 1-1 West Germany
      • Northern Ireland enter group play off stage the World Cup
    • Northern Ireland 2-1 Czechoslovakia AET
      • Northern Ireland qualify for the quarter final stage of the World Cup
    • Northern Ireland 0-4 France
      • Northern Ireland are knocked out at the quarter final stage of the World Cup
• The Republic of Ireland did not qualify for the 1958 world cup

Births

January to June

• 1 January - Liam Fennelly, former Kilkenny hurler.
• 1 February - Seán Fleming, Fianna Fáil TD for Laois–Offaly.
• 19 April - Denis O'Brien, entrepreneur.
• 30 April - James Hewitt, soldier and lover of Diana, Princess of Wales.
• 6 May - Tommy Byrne, former motor racing driver.
• 6 May - Ivor Callely, Fianna Fáil politician, member of the 23rd Seanad Éireann, former TD and Minister of State.
• 8 May - Roddy Doyle, novelist, dramatist and screenwriter.
• 11 May - Conor Hayes, Galway hurler and manager.
• 2 June - John Buckley, former Cork hurler.

July to December

• 5 July - Veronica Guerin, journalist, murdered by drug dealers (died 1996).
• 10 July - Fiona Shaw, actress.
• 11 July - Martin Doherty, member of the Provisional Irish Republican Army
• 10 September - Siobhan Fahey, musician.
• 18 September - John Aldridge, former Irish international soccer player, in England of Irish descent.
• 11 November - John Devine, soccer player.
• 16 September - Maura O'Connell, singer.
• 21 November - Eddie O'Sullivan, head coach of the Ireland national rugby union team.

Full date unknown

• Synan Braddish, soccer player.
• Michael Flatley, dancer.
• Aidan Fogarty, Offaly hurler.
• Noel Hill, concertina player.
• Michael Lyster, RTÉ sports broadcaster.
• Fintan O'Toole, journalist and drama critic.
• Paddy Prendergast, former Kilkenny hurler.
• Niall Williams, writer.
• Paul Woodfull, writer, actor, comedian and musician.

Deaths

• 1 January - Richard Hayes, doctor and Sinn Féin MP.
• 17 January - Michael Donohoe, Democrat U.S. Representative from Pennsylvania (born 1864).
• 24 March - Seamus O'Sullivan, poet and editor (born 1879).
• 29 March - Jimmy Archer, Major League baseball player (born 1883).
• 6 July - John Lymbrick Esmonde, soldier, Fine Gael TD (born 1893).
• 13 August - James Lennon, member of 1st Dáil representing the County Carlow constituency.
• 24 August - Paul Henry, artist (born 1876).
• 15 October - Lennox Robinson, dramatist, poet and theatre director and producer (born 1886).
• 2 December - Alan McKibbin, businessman and Ulster Unionist Party MP (born 1892).
• 19 December - Arthur Gore, 6th Earl of Arran, Anglo-Irish peer and soldier (born 1868).

Full date unknown

• Dorothy Macardle, author and historian (born 1889).
• Peig Sayers, writer and seanachaí (born 1873).
• Dick Walsh, Kilkenny hurler (born 1878).

References