1980

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.