1980 in Northern Ireland

← 1979 1978 1977 1980 in Northern Ireland → 1981 1982 1983
Centuries:	20th 21st
Decades:	1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s 2000s
See also:	1980 in the United Kingdom 1980 in Ireland Other events of 1980 List of years in Northern Ireland

Events

• 1 January - First national anti-H-Block march.^[1]
• 27 October - Seven Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA) prisoners go on hunger strike in Long Kesh.^[1]
• 8 December - Taoiseach Charles Haughey meets with the British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher at Dublin Castle, the first visit by a British prime minister since independence.
• 15 December - Thirty more IRA prisoners join the hunger strike.^[1]
• 18 December - Hunger striker Sean McKenna critically ill. Belief that settlement is imminent brings an end to the hunger strike.^[1]
• Work begins on the building of the Foyle Bridge in Derry.
• W. A. McCutcheon's official survey The Industrial Archaeology of Northern Ireland is published.

Arts and literature

• 23 September - Field Day Theatre Company presents its first production, the premiere of Brian Friel's Translations at the Guildhall, Derry.
• Crescent Arts Centre is founded in Belfast.
• Annual Enniskillen Drama Festival revived.
• Ron Hutchinson's The Irish Play is first performed, in London.
• Medbh McGuckian publishes the first collections of her poems in two pamphlets, Portrait of Joanna and Single Ladies: Sixteen Poems and wins an Eric Gregory Award.
• Bernard MacLaverty publishes his novel Lamb.

Sport

Boxing

• Hugh Russell wins Flyweight Bronze medal at the 1980 Summer Olympics.

Football

• Irish League

Winners: Linfield

• Irish Cup

Winners: Linfield 2 - 0 Crusaders

Motorcyling

• Robert Dunlop makes first appearance at the Cookstown 100.

Births

• 17 January - Gareth McLearnon, flautist.
• 11 February - Cormac McAnallen, Tyrone Gaelic footballer (died 2004).
• 6 March - Ross Mawhinney, radio DJ.
• 3 April - Adrian McCoubrey, cricketer.
• 14 April - Grant McCann, footballer.
• 11 June - Pete Snodden, radio DJ.
• 3 July - Andrew White, cricketer.
• 9 July - Michael Ingham, footballer.
• 11 September - Gerard McCabe, actor.
• 23 September - Malachi Cush, singer/songwriter.
• 6 October - Stephen Carson, soccer player.

Full date unknown

• Gerard McKeown, performance poet.
• Zöe Salmon, Blue Peter presenter and former Miss Northern Ireland in 1999.

Deaths

• 5 July - A. J. Potter, composer (born 1918).
• 22 November - Norah McGuinness, artist (born 1901).

Full date unknown

• Ronnie Bunting, Official IRA member and a founder member of the Irish National Liberation Army, assassinated.
• Sam Cree, playwright (born 1928).
• Jimmy McCambridge, soccer player (born 1905).
• Johnny McKenna, footballer (born 1926).

References