Events from the year 1978 in Ireland.

• President: Patrick Hillery
• Taoiseach: Jack Lynch (FF)
• Tánaiste: George Colley (FF)
• Minister for Finance: George Colley (FF)
• Chief Justice: Tom O'Higgins
• Dáil: 21st
• Seanad: 14th

• 18 January – The European Court of Human Rights found Britain guilty of inhuman and degrading treatment of republican internees in Northern Ireland.
• 19 January – The Fianna Fáil government dismissed the Garda Commissioner Edmund Garvey. No explanation was given.
• 21 January – Johnny Giles resigned as manager of the Republic of Ireland national football team.
• 23 March – The state funeral of former President Cearbhall Ó Dálaigh took place in Sneem, County Kerry.
• 31 March – Six thousand people marched through Dublin to Wood Quay to protest against the building of civic offices above an ancient Viking settlement.
• 27 May – Brittany Ferries inaugurated a regular Cork–Roscoff service.^[1]
• 1 June – David Cook of the Alliance Party became the first non-Unionist Lord Mayor of Belfast.
• 21 June – Rosemary Smith established an Irish land speed record of 156.101 mph on the Carrigrohane Straight in Cork, driving a seven-litre Jaguar XJ6.^[2]
• 10 August – A new £10 note bearing an image of the writer Jonathan Swift was introduced.
• 19 August – Over 5,000 people took part in a rally against a proposed nuclear power station in Carnsore Point, County Wexford.
• 1 September – Dublin Institute of Technology was created on an ad hoc basis by the City of Dublin Vocational Education Committee.
• 2 November – Ireland's second national television channel, RTÉ 2, opened with a live broadcast from the Cork Opera House.
• November – Cork Regional Hospital officially opened in Cork.
• Undated – The first Supermac's fast food restaurant opened.

• Iris Murdoch is awarded the Booker Prize for her novel The Sea, The Sea.
• Peter Sheridan is awarded the Rooney Prize for Irish Literature.^[3]
• Seán Ó Ríordáin's posthumous poetry collection Tar éis mo Bháis is published.^[4]
• First broadcast of craft TV series Hands.

• 11 January – Adrian O'Connor, backstroke swimmer.
• 12 January – David Worrell, soccer player.
• 19 January – Simon Webb, soccer player.
• 30 January – John Doyle, Kildare Gaelic footballer.
• 21 February – Damien English, Fine Gael TD for Meath West.
• 23 February – Jason Byrne, soccer player.
• 7 March – John Miskella, Cork Gaelic footballer.
• 9 March – Derek O'Connor, soccer player.
• 16 March – Jemma Redmond, biochemist, pioneer of 3D bioprinting (died 2016).
• 2 April – John Hoyne, Kilkenny hurler.
• 4 April – Alan Mahon, soccer player.
• 5 April – Stephen Murphy, soccer player.
• 19 April – Geordan Murphy, International rugby player.
• 23 April – Nicholas Murphy, Cork Gaelic footballer.
• 24 April – Jimmy Coogan, Kilkenny hurler.
• 29 April – David O'Loughlin, cyclist.
• 4 May – Stanerra, racehorse.
• 5 May – Paul Byrne, broadcast journalist.
• 10 June – Karl Scully, tenor.
• 21 June – Wayne Sherlock, Cork hurler.
• 25 June – Kieran Kelly, jump jockey (killed in racing accident 2003).
• 4 July – Derek Lyng, Kilkenny hurler.
• 18 July
  • Shane Horgan, International rugby player.
  • Annie Mac(Manus), DJ and broadcast presenter.
• 27 July – Brian Barry-Murphy, soccer player.
• July – Diarmuid O'Sullivan, Cork hurler.
• 8 August – Alan Maybury, soccer player.
• 21 August – Alan Lee, soccer player.
• 28 August – Barry Ryan, soccer player.
• 27 September – John Paul Phelan, Fine Gael Senator.
• 1 October – Barry Conlon, soccer player.
• 2 October – Eddie Brennan, Kilkenny hurler.
• 5 October – Shane Ryan, Gaelic footballer.
• 9 October – Nicky Byrne, entertainer, singer with Westlife & TV host.
• 17 October – Jerry Flannery, international rugby player.
• 25 October – Chris Keane, rugby player.
• 31 October – Ella McSweeney, radio and television producer
• 9 November – Martin Comerford, Kilkenny hurler.
• 15 December – Edele and Keavy Lynch, members of B*Witched.
• 22 December – Eugene Cloonan, Galway hurler.

Full date unknown

• Caoimhe Butterly, human rights activist.
• Julie Feeney, singer songwriter.
• Mike FitzGerald, Limerick hurler.
• Richie Mullally, Kilkenny hurler.
• Mike O'Brien, Limerick hurler.

• 23 January – Cormac Breslin, Fianna Fáil TD and Ceann Comhairle of Dáil Éireann (born 1902).
• 4 March – Emmet Dalton, Republican activist, soldier and film producer (born 1898 in the United States).
• 6 March – Micheál MacLiammóir, actor and dramatist (born 1899 in London).
• 21 March – Cearbhall Ó Dálaigh, Attorney-general, Chief Justice of Ireland and fifth President of Ireland (born 1911).
• 7 July – Mary Swanzy, painter (born 1882; died in London).
• 28 August – Robert Shaw, actor and novelist (born 1927 in England).
• 12 September – Wilfred Hutton, cricketer (born 1901).
• October – Moss (Maurice) Twomey, chief of staff of the Irish Republican Army (born 1897).
• 5 November – Denis O'Dea, actor (born 1905).
• 13 December – Jack Doyle, boxer, actor and singer (born 1913; died in London).
• Full date unknown – Gabriel Hayes, sculptor, designer of Irish coins (born 1909).

• 1978 in Irish television