1896 in Ireland

← 1895 1894 1893 1892 1891 1896 in Ireland → 1897 1898 1899 1900 1901
Centuries:	17th 18th 19th 20th 21st
Decades:	1870s 1880s 1890s 1900s 1910s
See also:	1896 in the United Kingdom Other events of 1896 List of years in Ireland

Events from the year 1896 in Ireland.

Events

• February - The Broighter Gold hoard of prehistoric objects is discovered near Limavady by Tom Nicholl while ploughing.
• 16 May - The first electric tram runs on the Dublin tramways system.
• 28 March - Tom Gallaher incorporates the Gallaher tobacco business and opens the world's largest tobacco factory in Belfast.
• James Connolly founds the Irish Republican Socialist Party.
• John Dillon assumes the leadership of the anti-Parnellite wing of the Home Rule Party.
• An extension is made to Arthur Balfour's Land Act. 1,500 bankrupt estates are made available for sale to tenants.
• Ireland's first motor vehicle laws are introduced.
• Restoration of the Church of Ireland's Kildare Cathedral is completed.

Arts and literature

• 20 April - First cinema show in Ireland, at Dan Lowry's Star of Erin Variety Theatre in Dublin.^[1]
• The lyrics of The Mountains of Mourne are written by Percy French with Dr. W. Houston Collision.^[2]
• Charles Villiers Stanford's comic opera Shamus O'Brien is first performed.

Sport

Cricket

• International

February: Tim O'Brien becomes the first Irish captain of the England cricket team in a match won against South Africa at Port Elizabeth^[3]

Football

• International

29 February Wales 6 - 1 Ireland (in Wrexham)^[4]

7 March Ireland 0 - 2 England (in Belfast)^[4]

28 March Ireland 3 - 3 Scotland (in Belfast)^[4]

• Irish League

Winners: Distillery

• Irish Cup

Winners: Distillery 3 - 1 Glentoran

Tennis

• The Championships, Wimbledon

Harold Mahony wins the gentleman's singles Championship

• Olympic Games

John Pius Boland wins gold medals in the men's singles and doubles at the first modern Summer Olympics in Athens (Greece)

Births

• 15 February - Arthur Shields, actor (died 1970).
• March - Martin Joseph Sheehan, soldier and Royal Air Service Observer in World War I, killed in action (died 1918).
• 4 April - Sir Osmond Esmonde, 12th Baronet, diplomat and politician (died 1936).
• 24 April - F. R. Higgins, poet and theatre director (died 1941).
• 9 May - Austin Clarke, poet, playwright and writer (died 1974).
• 22 May - Cyril Fagan, astrologer (died 1970).
• 28 August - Liam O'Flaherty, novelist and short story writer (died 1984).
• 10 November - Sophie Catherine Theresa Mary Peirce-Evans, later Mary, Lady Heath, aviator, athlete and writer (died 1939).
• 25 December - Sister Philippa Brazill, nurse in Australia (died 1988).

Full date unknown

• Monk Gibbon, poet and author (died 1987).
• Mark Killilea, Snr, Fianna Fáil TD, member of the Seanad (died 1970).

Deaths

• 10 January - Denis Dempsey, soldier, recipient of the Victoria Cross (born 1826).
• 3 February - Jane Wilde, poet ("Esperanza"; born 1821).
• 4 March - Peter Richard Kenrick, first Catholic archbishop west of the Mississippi River (born 1806).
• 4 May - Timothy Anglin, politician in Canada and Speaker of the Canadian House of Commons (born 1822).
• 18 May - Patrick Buckley, soldier, lawyer, statesman, and judge in New Zealand (born 1841).
• 8 August - William Pery, 3rd Earl of Limerick, peer (born 1840).
• 10 August - Jeremiah O'Sullivan, Roman Catholic Bishop of Mobile (born 1842).
• 15 August - Patrick Duggan, Roman Catholic Bishop of Clonfert (born 1813).
• 22 September - Edward Selby Smyth, British General, commanded Militia of Canada from 1874 to 1880 (born 1819).
• 1 November - Jack (Nonpareil) Dempsey, boxer (born 1862).
• 31 December - Leland Hone, cricketer (born 1853).

Full date unknown

• Canon James Goodman, Irish music collector (born 1828).

References