The age of eligibility to receive the State pension rose to 66 years.[4]
The exceptionally stormy season begun in December continued with violent gales, heavy rain, high tides, and heavy flooding all over the country, with power supplies cut off to as many as 5,000 customers.[5][6]
2 January – The Chief of Staff of the Defence Forces, Lieutenant General Conor O'Boyle, apologised to the President and Commander-in-Chief, Michael D. Higgins, following a call-in radio programme which discussed a Christmas Eve homily by the Army's head chaplain, Monsignor Eoin Thynne, who noted the absence of Christian remarks in the President's Christmas message, broadcast on 22 December.[7][8]
4 January – A very large Irish trade and diplomatic mission travelled to the Persian Gulf region. Over 80 firms sending 100 people on a five-day Enterprise Ireland mission to Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Dubai and Abu Dhabi were led by the Taoiseach, Enda Kenny, accompanied by the Minister for Enterprise, Jobs and Innovation, Richard Bruton.[9][10]
6–7 January – The most prolonged and destructive Irish storm in almost two decades, Superstorm Christine, struck Ireland and did considerable damage, particularly in western and southern coastal parts of the country, on the 175th anniversary of the Night of the Big Wind. The initial assessment of the value of destruction was up to €300m.[13][14][15]
25–29 January – A large fire broke out after 3am on 25 January in the recycling plant at the Merrywell Industrial Estate in Ballymount, Dublin. Fifteen units of the Dublin Fire Brigade and 75 firefighters responded. The blaze was visible in Blessington, 23 kilometres away. Smoke reduced visibility and affected traffic, while residents of surrounding suburbs were advised to shut their doors and windows because of poisons released into the air. The occurrence of a second fire at the same time in a nearby carpet centre raised the question of arson being the cause.[18] The fire was finally extinguished after five days. Three investigations were conducted by the Environmental Protection Agency, by the Gardaí, and by the Fire Service.[19]
30 January – An Coimisiún le Rincí Gaelacha, the Irish Dancing Commission, announced a ban effective from 1 March on the use of make-up, false eyelashes, and fake tan on the faces of Irish dancers aged under 10. Artificial carriage aids used to enforce a rigid posture were also banned for safety reasons. Wigs and the use of fake tan on legs were not prohibited.[20]
31 January–1 February – Storm Brigid blew winds reaching 120 km/h and caused flooding along the west coast including in Tralee, Limerick, and Galway. Power supplies to thousands of homes were severed, flights from Dublin Airport were cancelled, as were ferry sailings from Rosslare.[21]
11 February – Billionaire American property developer Donald Trump bought the five-star Doonbeg golf and hotel complex in County Clare, restyling it the Trump International Golf Links, Ireland.[23]
12 February – Storm Darwin blew down between 5,000 and 7,000 hectares of forest, including as many as 7.5 million trees, according to the Department of Agriculture. This represents less than one per cent of Ireland's forest volume. Just over ten percent of Ireland is covered by forest.[24]
24 April – President Higgins received the Freedom of Cork in the City Hall from Lord Mayor Catherine Clancy.[32][33][34]
Late April – The Molly Malone statue was removed from its original location at the base of Grafton Street to make way for the new Luas tracks which skirt around Trinity College.[35] It was relocated in July.
6 May – The appointment of 36 new ambassadors, 12 of them women, was announced by the Government, including the appointment of an official of the Department of Foreign Affairs as Irish ambassador to the Vatican, an embassy due to reopen in the next few months, following its closure in 2011. This increased the number of Irish ambassadors to 80.[38]
16 May – The Committee of Social Rights of the Council of Europe ruled that, for the first time since the formation of the police force, members of the Garda Síochána could join a labour union and would be allowed to strike.[44]
20 May – The Rosie Hackett Bridge across the River Liffey in Dublin was opened to connect Marlborough Street and Hawkins Street. It is dedicated to public transport including buses and the Luas tram, as well as cyclists and pedestrians.[45]
25 May – The story of the unrecorded burials of 796 children who died at the Bon Secours Mother and Baby Home in Tuam, County Galway between 1925 and 1961, which was reported by The Tuam Herald over the previous two years, gained sensational national and, later, international coverage following publication of a new article in a Sunday newspaper.[47][48][49]
26 May – Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs, Eamon Gilmore, announced his intention to resign his position as leader of the Labour Party following the serious collapse of public support for his party in the local and European elections three days before. The resignation takes effect when his successor is chosen.[50][51][52]
7 June – British viewers were amazed, confused and impressed when Sky Sports broadcast a hurling match for the first time.[56][57][58]
13 June – The Public Health (Standardised Packaging of Tobacco) Bill 2014 was published, making Ireland the first European Union (EU) country to introduce plain cigarette packaging legislation. Stiff tobacco industry resistance to the law is expected and United States business and political lobbies have approached the Taoiseach to warn that its enactment would affect foreign investment in Ireland. Some EU countries are also expected to fight the legislation.[59]
It was confirmed that planned concerts at Croke Park by the United States singer Garth Brooks were cancelled following the refusal to grant an event licence by Dublin City Council for a five-concert series owing to the existence of a binding signed agreement between local residents, the Gaelic Athletic Association, and the promoter, that concerts at the venue would be limited to three per year. This limit was already reached during a three-concert series earlier in the year.[63]
Undated in July – The Molly Malone statue was placed in its new location outside the Dublin Tourist Office (formerly St. Andrew's Church) on Suffolk Street in Dublin.[64]
5 August – A state of emergency was declared at Letterkenny General Hospital as torrential rain caused flooding for the second consecutive year.[66]
21 August – The post-mortem room of Letterkenny General Hospital was sealed off when the body of a man with suspected Ebola virus disease, who had been working in Sierra Leone, was brought there.[67]
Revised Irish Water charges were announced. The cap on charges will now be €60 for a one-adult household and €160 for all other households.[72]
The five-metre cross on the summit of Ireland's highest mountain, Carrauntoohil, was found by climbers to have been cut down with an angle grinder. The steel cross, erected by 100 people in 1976, replaced an older wooden one erected during the 1950s. The cross was re-erected by a large party a week later, on the 29th, against the objections of environmentalists and members of Atheist Ireland. The anonymous fellers of the cross sent video of their action to TheJournal.ie news provider on 2 December indicating that the incident was a protest against the number of Irish primary schools being run by the Catholic Church.[73]
2 December – 350,000 second-level students were out of school as teachers placed pickets in the row over reform of the Junior Cert.[75]
7 December – President Higgins began a nine-day state visit to China where he was scheduled to have meetings with the President, Xi Jinping, the Prime Minister, Li Keqiang, and the Chairman of the National People's Congress, Zhang Dejiang.[76][77]
10 December – Between 30,000 and 100,000 people marched in Dublin to protest against water charges being introduced.[78][79]
April – Tramp Press launched in Dublin by Lisa Coen and Sarah Davis-Goff as an independent publisher specialising in Irish fiction with the publication of Oona Frawley's debut novel Flight.[82]
^Tipperary County CouncilArchived 6 June 2014 at the Wayback Machine Tipperary County Council, 2014-05-29. Quote: "Tipperary County Council will become an official unified authority on Tuesday, 3rd June 2014. The new authority combines the existing administration of North Tipperary County Council and South Tipperary County Council."
