Reeling in the Years

Charles Haughey leads his first Ard Fheis as Taoiseach. PAYE workers stage the largest labor protest in Irish history. A Boomtown Rats concert is banned in Dublin but later held in Leixlip. The Soviet occupation of Afghanistan leads to a U.S.-led boycott of the Moscow Olympics. Johnny Logan wins Eurovision for Ireland. A metal detectorist discovers the Derrynaflan Chalice. Dermot Morgan debuts as ‘Father Trendy.’ Thatcher visits Ireland for Anglo-Irish talks. The SAS ends the Iranian Embassy siege. A failed U.S. rescue in Iran worsens tensions, and war erupts between Iran and Iraq. Archbishop Oscar Romero is assassinated. Irish TV sees new drama and Gabriel Byrne's rise. "Who Shot JR?" captivates audiences. Poland’s Solidarity movement gains traction. Seventeen die in the Buttevant train disaster. John Lennon is murdered. Hunger-striking IRA prisoners gain no concessions. An IRA landmine raises the Troubles’ death toll to 2,000.

In 1981, Ronald Reagan is sworn in as U.S. President, sparking celebrations in his ancestral Ballyporeen, Ireland. A fire at Dublin’s Stardust Club kills 44. Protests fail to stop the IRFU’s controversial rugby tour of South Africa. Ireland hosts Eurovision, with Sheeba representing and Buck’s Fizz winning. Republican prisoners, led by Bobby Sands, go on hunger strike for political status. Sands is elected MP but dies, triggering mass protests. An Aer Lingus jet is hijacked over the Third Secret of Fatima. A turbulent general election sees Garret Fitzgerald form a short-lived coalition. Prince Charles weds Lady Diana. Riots erupt over the hunger strikes, and Kieran Doherty, a newly elected TD, dies. The strike ends after ten deaths, with prisoners’ demands later met. 1981 also sees assassination attempts on Reagan and the Pope, while Egyptian President Anwar Sadat is killed.

Ireland experiences its worst winter in 50 years. A controversial Budget leads to the collapse of the Fine Gael–Labour government, triggering an election. Charles Haughey survives a leadership challenge and becomes Taoiseach. Independent TD Tony Gregory secures a £90m deal for Dublin’s inner city. Poland remains under martial law, banning ‘Solidarity,’ though Lech Walesa is freed. Ireland wins the Triple Crown after 33 years. Argentina invades the Falklands, sparking a British military response; 255 Britons and 652 Argentinians die. Belfast’s DeLorean plant shuts down, costing 1,500 jobs. The IRA bombs London, killing eight. Two brutal murders lead to Malcolm MacArthur’s arrest at the Attorney General’s home, forcing the AG’s resignation. Fianna Fáil debates Haughey’s leadership; he wins an open vote. In November, the government loses a confidence vote, prompting Ireland’s third election in 18 months. Fine Gael and Labour return to power.