| 1998 in Ireland Return to Years in Irish History |
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 Ireland and Europe |
January: The Vocational Educational Committees of Bray, Drogheda, Tralee, Sligo and Wexford were abolished. On the 12th, the British and Irish governments published The Propositions of Heads of Agreement in attempt to push foward peace talks in Northern Ireland. On the 14th, the Planning Tribunal opened at Dublin Castle. February: The Republic of Ireland qualified for the Economic and Monetary Union of the European Union. |
| March: On the 15th, former Fine Gael TD Hugh Coveney died after falling from a cliff in Cork. April: On the 10th of April, the Good Friday Agreement was signed by all parties in Northern Ireland with the exception of the DUP, together with the British and Irish governments. Six days later, an opinion poll in Northern Ireland indicated that 73% approved of the Agreement. The Northern Ireland Forum held its final meeting on the 24th. |
 Taoiseach Bertie Ahern with British PM Tony Blair |
  Campaigning for and against the Good Friday Agreement |
May:
On the 7th it was confirmed that a new republican group, opposed to the
GFA, had been formed: the Real IRA. Three days later, Sinn Féin ended their abstentionism from the British House of Commons. On the 20th, Tony Blair pledged that there would be no change in the status of Northern Ireland without the consent of its people. The Good Friday Agreement was endorsed by a referendum in both the North and the Republic on the 22nd. June: Elections were held on the 25th for the Northern Ireland Assembly. The UUP won 28 seats, the SDLP 24, the DUP 20 and Sinn Féin 18. The UUP's relatively weak showing caused divisions with the party. |
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July: On
the 1st, the first meeting of the 'Shadow Assembly' took place. David
Trimble was elected First Minister designate of Northern Ireland, with the SDLP's Seamus Mallon as Deputy First Minister.
The Drumcree Parade led to violence for the fourth year in a row. Three Catholic children, Richard, Mark and Jason Quinn, were killed in a sectarian petrol bombing by Loyalists. August: On the 15th the Real IRA exploded a bomb in Omagh which killed 28 civilians outright, a 29th dying later. The RIRA suspended military operations and the INLA declared a ceasefire later that month. British Prime Minister Tony Blair visited Omagh, promising harsh measures against paramilitaries. Sinn Féin called this 'internment in another guise'. |
 The aftermath of the Omagh bomb |
 Secretary of State for NI Mo Mowlam with Bill Clinton |
September: US President Bill Clinton made his second official visit to Ireland.
New emergency legislation was passed. In the UK, the Criminal Justice (Terrorism and Conspiracy) Bill went through, while in the Republic of Ireland the Offences Against The State (Amendment) Bill passed into law. Gerry Adams and David Trimble held talks on the 10th. The following day saw the first paramilitary prisoners released under the Good Friday Agreement. TV3 went on air on the 20th. October: At the end of the month, the deadline was missed for the formation of the Executive Committee of the Northern Ireland Assembly and the North-South Ministerial Body. |
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November: On the 26th, Tony Blair became the first British Prime Minister to address the Oireachtas.
It was announced that unemployment had fallen by 20%. December: Members of the Labour Party and Democratic Left agreed to merge. Six new North-South administrative bodies were agreed after 18 hours of negotiations between the political parties of Northern Ireland. On Boxing Day, Hurricane Stephen hit the west of Ireland causing disruption of services. On the 31st, the Punt was traded for the last time as the Euro was launched. |
 The Punt: 1998 was its final year |
| Notable Deaths in Ireland |
||||||
| Name | Date of death | Age |
Details | |||
| Dermot Morgan | February 28th | 45 | Actor and Comedian (Father Ted actor) | |||
| Hugh Coveney | March 15th | 62 | Fine Gael TD and Cabinet Minister | |||
| Sybil Connolly | May 6th | 77 | Fashion Designer | |||
| Jim Power | May 22nd | [103] | Former Galway hurler | |||
| Kate Cruise O'Brien |
May 26th |
[49] |
Writer |
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| Maureen O'Sullivan | June 23rd | 87 | Actress, film star | |||
| Paul O'Dwyer | June 23rd | 90 | Irish-born American politician and lawyer | |||
| Robert Malachy Burke | September 20th | [91] | Christian Socialist and philanthropist | |||
| Tommy Quaid | October 10th | 41 | Sportsman | |||
| Paddy Clancy | November 11th | 76 | Folk singer | |||
| Valerie Hobson | November 13th | 81 | Actress | |||
| John David Gwynn | November 21st | 91 | Cricketer | |||
| Cathal Goulding | December 26th | 75 | Chief of Staff of the IRA and Official IRA | |||
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