2005 in Ireland - Definition and Overview

See also: 2004 in Ireland, other events of 2005, 2006 in Ireland and the list of 'years in Ireland'.

Events

• January 1 - Cork officially becomes the European Capital of Culture for 2005.
• January 6 - The Irish Farmers Association celebrates its 50th anniversary.
• January 8 - The Minister for Foreign Affairs, Dermot Ahern TD, begins a visit to the area in South-East Asia that was devastated by the recent tsunami.
• January 18 - An Taoiseach Bertie Ahern begins a trade mission to China. He is accompanied by one third of the Cabinet, including the Minister for Enterprise, Trade & Employment, Micheál Martin, the Minister for Education, Mary Hanafin, the Minister for Agriculture, Mary Coughlan and the Minister for Communications, Noel Dempsey.
• January 20 - The Republic of Ireland officially changes all road signage and regulations to use kilometres per hour (km/h). Distance and speed in Northern Ireland remain in miles per hour.
• January 24 - The former Minister for Justice Ray Burke is jailed for six months for tax evasion. He is the first Cabinet minister to be jailed as a result of the tribunals of inquiry.
• February 7 - An Taoiseach Bertie Ahern lays the foundation stone of a new town called Adamstown, just outside Lucan, County Dublin.

Arts and literature

Sports

Deaths

• January 4 - Paul Darragh, showjumper
• January 7 - Eileen Desmond, former Cabinet Minister and Labour TD.