# 1912 in Ireland

Events in the year 1912 in Ireland.

## Events

* 8 February – The First Lord of the Admiralty Winston Churchill addressed a pro-Home Rule meeting in Belfast despite Ulster Unionist attempts to prevent him speaking. He shared the platform with John Redmond, the leader of the Irish Parliamentary Party.
* 31 March – John Redmond, Eoin MacNeill, Patrick Pearse, Tim Healy and others addressed a monster meeting of 200,000 people in favour of Home Rule at the General Post Office, Dublin.
* 9 April – 250,000 Orangemen converged on Balmoral Showground in Belfast, declaring that under no circumstances would they accept Home Rule.
* 11 April – The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom H. H. Asquith introduced the Third Home Rule Bill in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom.
* 12 April – A convention of Sinn Féin delegates led by Arthur Griffith opposed the Home Rule Bill.
* 14 April – The RMS Titanic, the largest vessel in the world, built in Belfast and making her last call at Queenstown, collided with an iceberg and sank.
* 22 April – Englishman Denys Corbett Wilson completed the first aeroplane crossing of the Irish Sea, from Goodwick in Wales to Crane near Enniscorthy.
* 26 April – English-born Vivian Hewitt made an aeroplane crossing of the Irish Sea from Holyhead to the Phoenix Park in Dublin.
* 30 April – Winston Churchill moved the second reading of the Home Rule Bill at Westminster.
* 9 May – The second reading of the Home Rule Bill was accepted in the British House of Commons. A Unionist amendment rejecting the Bill was defeated.
* 10 May – At the Royal Albert Hall in London, Bonar Law spoke of Conservative opposition to the Home Rule Bill. Elsewhere Edward Carson also voiced his opposition.
* 1 July – A serious outbreak of foot and mouth disease occurred in Counties Dublin, Meath, Kildare and Wicklow.
* July – Prime Minister of the United Kingdom H. H. Asquith travelled to Dublin (the first sitting Prime Minister to do so in over a century; Gladstone had visited Dublin in November 1877 whilst out of office, whilst Arthur Balfour had been Chief Secretary for Ireland) to make a speech, criticising Unionist demands.
* 17 July - "A hatchet (around which a text reading 'This symbol of the extinction of the Liberal Party for evermore' was wrapped) was thrown [by a suffragette] at [Asquith's] moving carriage as it passed over O’Connell Bridge", striking John Redmond on the arm.
* 18 July – Suffragettes attempted an arson attack on the Theatre Royal, Dublin, during Asquith's visit.
* 27 July – Bonar Law, leader of the British Conservative Party in opposition, made a defiant speech at a massive Unionist rally at Blenheim Palace against Home Rule, implying support for armed resistance to it in Ulster.
* 28 September – 'Ulster Day' – the Ulster Covenant to resist Home Rule was signed by almost 250,000 men throughout Ulster; 229,000 women signed a parallel declaration.
* 23 October – Large numbers of cattle were slaughtered in Mullingar due to the outbreak of foot and mouth disease in the area.
* The golden eagle became extinct in Ireland (prior to reintroduction).

## Arts and literature

* 11 April – Lennox Robinson's play Patriots was first performed, at the Abbey Theatre in Dublin.
* 20 April – Bram Stoker, author of Dracula and theatrical manager, died in London.
* November – Lord Dunsany's short story collection The Book of Wonder was published.
* Peadar Kearney and Patrick Heeney's A Soldier's Song (which later became Amhrán na bhFiann, the Irish national anthem) was first published in Irish Freedom by Bulmer Hobson.
* Eleanor Hull published The Poem-Book of the Gael: translations from Irish Gaelic poetry into English prose and verse and first versified the traditional Irish hymn Be Thou My Vision in English.
* Forrest Reid's coming-of-age novel Following Darkness was published.
* James Stephens' novel The Crock of Gold was published.
* The popular song "When Irish Eyes Are Smiling" is written and published in the United States for the show The Isle O' Dreams.

## Sport
### Association football
#### International

    10 February – Ireland 1–6 England (in Dublin).
    6 March – Ireland 1–4 Scotland (in Belfast)–
    13 April – Wales 2–3 Ireland (in Cardiff)

#### Irish League

    Winners: Glentoran F.C.

#### Irish Cup

    Winners: Linfield F.C. (last club remaining after several others withdrew)
* Bohemian F.C. were re-admitted to the Irish Football League after resigning the previous year. Tritonville F.C., another Dublin team, joined the League, but lasted just one season.

### Gaelic games

* All-Ireland Senior Football Championship 1912 Winners: Louth
* All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship 1912 Winners: Kilkenny

### Olympics

* Ken McArthur, born in Dervock, County Antrim, won the marathon race for South Africa at the 1912 Summer Olympics.

## Births

* 8 January – James Brophy, cricketer (died 1994).
* 5 February – Desmond Surfleet, cricketer (died 2006).
* 14 February – Joseph Brennan, Fianna Fáil party Teachta Dála (TD), Cabinet minister and Ceann Comhairle of Dáil Éireann (died 1980).
* 22 March – Wilfrid Brambell, actor (died 1985).
* 12 April – Gerald Goldberg, lawyer, Fianna Fáil party politician and first Jewish Lord Mayor of Cork (died 2003).
* 27 April – Tommy Breen, international association football player (died 1988).
* 29 April – Terence de Vere White, lawyer, novelist, and biographer (died 1994).
* 9 June – Patrick Mulligan, Bishop of Clogher 1970–1979 (died 1990).
* 12 July – Mick Mackey, Limerick hurler and first recipient of the All-Time All Star Award (hurling) (died 1982).
* 26 July – Niall Sheridan, poet, fiction writer and broadcaster (died 1998).
* 9 August – Alex Stevenson, association football player (died 1985).
* 18 September – Denis Farrelly, Fine Gael party TD and senator (died 1974).
* 12 November – Donagh MacDonagh, writer and judge (died 1968).
* 1 December – Micheál Cranitch, Fianna Fáil party politician, Cathaoirleach of Seanad Éireann in 1973 (died 1999).
* 25 December – Mícheál Ó Móráin, Fianna Fáil party TD and Cabinet minister (died 1983).

### Full date unknown

** Brendan Menton Snr, association football administrator and president of the Football Association of Ireland (died 2002).
** Denis O'Conor Don, hereditary chief of the O'Conor Don sept (died 2000).
** Tommy Potts, fiddle player (died 1988).
** Jimmy Warnock, boxer (died 1987).

## Deaths

* 30 January – John Philip Nolan, soldier, landowner, and politician (born 1838).
* 21 February – Osborne Reynolds, engineer and prominent innovator in the understanding of fluid dynamics (born 1842).
* 20 April – Bram Stoker, writer and author of Dracula (born 1847).
* 24 April – Justin McCarthy, politician, historian, and novelist (born 1830).
* 28 April – Michael Thomas Stenson, politician in Canada (born 1838).
* 19 December – Thomas Brennan, a founder and joint first secretary of the Irish National Land League (born 1853).

### Full date unknown

** Henry Allan, painter (born 1865).