1998 in Ireland

1998
in
Ireland

Decades:	1970s • 1980s • 1990s • 2000s • 2010s
Centuries:	18th • 19th • 20th • 21st
See also:	1998 in Northern Ireland Other events of 1998 List of years in Ireland

Events

1 January - The VECs of the towns of Bray, Drogheda, Sligo, Tralee and Wexford are abolished.
14 January - The Planning Tribunal opens in Dublin Castle.
27 February - Republic of Ireland qualifies for entry into the Economic and Monetary Union of the European Union.
15 March - Former Fine Gael Minister Hugh Coveney dies in a fall from a cliff in County Cork.
10 April - Good Friday: the British and Irish governments and all the political parties in the Northern Ireland (except the Democratic Unionist Party sign the Belfast Agreement.
22 May - The Good Friday Agreement is endorsed in a referendum by people north and south of the border.
15 August - 29 people die in a bomb explosion near the centre of Omagh, County Tyrone, caused by the Real IRA.
20 September - TV3 goes on the air.
30 November - Unemployment falls by 20% with the number of people in work rising by 100,000.
12 December - Members of the Labour Party and Democratic Left agree to merge.
31 December - The Punt is traded for the last time as the Euro currency is launched.

28 February - the actor and comedian Dermot Morgan dies suddenly in London.
24 December - Gay Byrne broadcasts his final radio show from St. Stephen's Green.

St Patrick's Athletic won the Football League of Ireland
Cork City FC won the FAI Cup
Shelbourne's home UEFA Cup tie against Rangers is moved to England due to fears of sectarian trouble. Despite taking a 3-0 lead, Shels lose 3-5.
7 May - The Irish under-16 football team wins the European Championship.

6 August - Olympic gold medalist Michelle Smith is banned from competition for four years for tampering with a drug test.