See also: 1952 in Ireland, other events of 1953, 1954 in Ireland and the list of 'years in Ireland'.

Events

• January 18 - Sinn Féin decides to contest all 12 constituencies in the next Westminster election.
• March 15 - Up to 10,000 civil servants march down O'Connell Street, Dublin demanding a just wage.
• March 16 - Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Jr. asks the American Congress to favour a United Ireland.
• April 27 - Maud Gonne MacBride dies at her home in Dublin aged 88.
• June 3 - 500 unemployed men march at Kildare Street demanding employment not dole.
• July 6 - 1,000 unemployed people sit on O'Connell Bridge for 15 minutes in protest.
• August 2 - Murlough Bay in the Antrim Glens is chosen as the future grave of Roger Casement. An Taoiseach Eamon de Valera calls for the return of his remains.
• August 29 - Kilmainham Gaol is to be preserved as a national monument.
• September 21 - The Irish Ploughing Team leaves Dublin for the World Ploughing Championships in Canada.
• October 28 - Three of Dáil Éireann's Independent TDs become members of Fianna Fáil.
• December 18 - The Censorship Board bans almost 100 publications on the grounds that they are indecent or obscene.

Arts and literature

Sports

Births

• March 1 - Richard Bruton, Deputy-Leader of Fine Gael and former Cabinet Minister.
• March 11 - Mary Harney, current Tánaiste and leader of the Progressive Democrats.
• May 16 - Pierce Brosnan, actor.
• May 30 - Colm Meaney, actor.
• July 29 - Frank McGuinness, playwright and poet.

Deaths