1943 in Ireland facts for kids

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See also:	Other events of 1943 List of years in Ireland

This article explores the main events that happened in Ireland during the year 1943. It was a time when Ireland was neutral during World War II, known in Ireland as The Emergency. Despite being neutral, the war still affected daily life and events across the country.

Leaders of Ireland in 1943

• President: Douglas Hyde was the head of state.
• Taoiseach: Éamon de Valera from the Fianna Fáil party was the head of government.

Important Events of 1943

Key Moments in February

• In February, a famous scientist named Erwin Schrödinger gave a series of public talks at Trinity College Dublin. These talks were later published as a book called What Is Life?, which explored important ideas about biology and physics.
• On February 1, the Currency Commission, which managed Ireland's money, was renamed the Central Bank of Ireland. This was a big step, but it didn't immediately get all the powers a central bank usually has.

Major Events in March

• On March 17, Éamon de Valera and his government celebrated St. Patrick's Day with a traditional Irish dance party, called a céilí, at Dublin Castle. De Valera gave a famous speech that day, often called the "comely maidens" speech, where he talked about the kind of Ireland he hoped for.
• Also on March 17, a British military plane crashed in County Cavan. Luckily, both the pilot and the navigator survived the crash.

Events from May to June

• On May 1, Sir Basil Brooke became the Prime Minister of Northern Ireland.
• On June 23, Ireland held a general election. Fianna Fáil, led by Éamon de Valera, stayed in power. However, they lost some of their seats and no longer had a clear majority in parliament. Other parties like the Labour Party and Clann na Talmhan, a party for farmers, gained more support. The new members of parliament met on July 1.

Industry and Rescues

• On October 5, the Irish Sugar Company in Carlow started its biggest manufacturing effort ever. Seven hundred workers at the sugar beet factory worked non-stop in three shifts for 18 weeks. Their goal was to process all the sugar beet harvested from 230,000 acres of land.
• On December 29, an Irish ship called the MV Kerlogue, with a crew of 11, performed a brave rescue. They saved 164 German people from the Bay of Biscay during a storm.
• In the winter of 1943, the very first Irish coffee was served at Foynes. This popular drink, made with coffee, Irish whiskey, sugar, and cream, was created to warm up passengers arriving by flying boat.

Arts and Literature in 1943

• On April 26, the play Old Road by M. J. Molloy was performed for the first time at the Abbey Theatre in Dublin.
• On May 25, Christine Longford's play Patrick Sarsfield, which was about history, premiered at the Gate Theatre in Dublin.
• The Irish Exhibition of Living Art was started. This group aimed to show new and modern art in Ireland.
• The National Film Institute was founded. This organization, which later became the Irish Film Institute, was created to help guide what films were shown in Ireland.
• Cecil Day-Lewis published his book of poems called Word Over All.
• Mary Lavin released her first book, Tales from Bective Bridge. It was a collection of ten short stories about life in the countryside of Ireland and won an award called the James Tait Black Memorial Prize for fiction.
• Kate O'Brien published her novel The Last of Summer.
• Cathal Ó Sándair published his first novels, An t-eiteallán do-fheicthe and Triocha písa airgid.

Sports in 1943

Football

• The winner of the League of Ireland was Cork United.
• The winner of the FAI Cup was Drumcondra, who beat Cork United 2–1 in the final.

Golf

• The Irish Open golf tournament was not played in 1943 because of The Emergency (World War II).

People Born in 1943

• January 17 – Thomas John Curry, who became an Auxiliary Bishop in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles.
• January 27 – Seán Ryan, a politician who served as a TD and a member of Seanad Éireann for the Labour Party (Ireland).
• January 30 – Pat Henderson, a famous hurler and manager for Kilkenny.
• February 9 – Pat Dunne, a soccer player.
• April 7 – Francis O'Brien, a Fianna Fáil Senator.
• April 10 – Patrick Hughes, a cricketer.
• May 1 – Joe Walsh, a Fianna Fáil TD and government minister.
• May 7 – Donal McCann, an actor.
• May 10 – John L. Murray, who became the Chief Justice of Ireland.
• May 21 – Michael Noonan, a Fine Gael TD for Limerick East and government minister.
• June 14 – Maurice Manning, a Fine Gael politician.
• September 22 – Robert Ballagh, a painter and designer.
• September 30 – Ray Burke, a Fianna Fáil TD and government minister.
• September – Hugh Byrne, a Fianna Fáil TD.
• November 30 – Louis Belton, a Fine Gael TD.
• December – Mick Roche, a hurler for Tipperary.
• Full date unknown:
  • Paul Carney, a criminal lawyer and judge of the High Court.
  • Eoghan Harris, a journalist and Senator.

Notable Deaths in 1943

• January 10 – Jamesy Kelleher, a hurler for Cork.
• January 28 – Hugo Flinn, a Fianna Fáil TD.
• January 29 – Geoffrey Taylour, 4th Marquess of Headfort, a peer (a member of the nobility).
• February 22 – Wentworth Allen, a cricketer.
• May 20 – P. J. Brady, an Irish Nationalist Member of the UK Parliament.
• June 11 – Thomas O'Donnell, a lawyer, judge, and Irish Nationalist MP.
• July 19 – Robert Alexander, a sportsman.
• July 27 – William Cummins, a teacher and member of the Seanad.
• August 7 – Sarah Purser, a painter and maker of stained-glass art.
• September 27 – Willoughby Hamilton, a tennis player who won the Wimbledon Championship in 1890.
• September 28 – Moya Llewelyn Davies, a Republican activist and Gaelic scholar.
• November 20 – P. T. Daly, a trade union leader.
• December 31 – John Mahony, a hurler for Kerry.

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