Events from the year 1981 in Ireland. Incumbents President: Patrick Hillery Taoiseach: Charles Haughey (FF) (until 30 June 1981) Garret FitzGerald (FG) (from 30 June 1981) Tánaiste: George Colley (FF) (until 30 June 1981) Michael O'Leary (Lab) (from 30 June 1981) Minister for Finance: Gene Fitzgerald (FF) (until 30 June 1981) John Bruton (FG) (from 30 June 1981) Chief Justice: Tom O'Higgins Dáil: 21st (until 21 May 1981) 22nd (from 30 June 1981) Seanad: 14th (until 16 July 1981) 15th (from 8 October 1981) Events 6 February – Attacks on shipping in Lough Foyle (1981-1982): Liverpool-registered coal ship Nellie M was bombed and sunk by a Provisional Irish Republican Army unit using a hijacked pilot boat in Lough Foyle. 14 February – Forty-eight young people died in a fire at the Stardust Ballroom in Artane, Dublin. 1 March – Bobby Sands began a hunger strike in the Maze Prison (Long Kesh) near Lisburn (Northern Ireland). 5 March – The petrol strike ended when 800 tanker drivers resumed work. 10 April – Hunger striker Bobby Sands was elected Member of Parliament (MP) for Fermanagh and South Tyrone in the Parliament of the United Kingdom. 2 May – Aer Lingus Flight 164, a Boeing 737 en route from Dublin to London was hijacked and ordered to fly to Tehran. The flight was diverted to Paris and the hijacker, Laurence Downey, was arrested. 5 May – Bobby Sands died on the 66th day of his hunger strike in the Maze Prison. 12 May – Francis Hughes, previously the most wanted man in Northern Ireland, died on the 59th day of his hunger strike in the Maze Prison. 21 May – Raymond McCreesh and Patsy O'Hara both died on the 61st day of their hunger strike in the Maze Prison. 11 June – 1981 Irish general election. Fianna Fáil lost seats and a Fine Gael–Labour Party coalition government was formed. Kieran Doherty, on hunger strike in the Maze Prison, was elected Teachta Dála (TD) for Cavan–Monaghan. 30 June – Fine Gael leader Garret FitzGerald was elected Taoiseach as the 22nd Dáil Éireann assembled. 8 July – Provisional Irish Republican Army member Joe McDonnell died on the 61st day of his hunger strike. 25 July – During a fire at Portlaoise Prison, Irish Army Pte Thomas Metcalfe scaled a forty-foot (12 m) high drainpipe in darkness and rescued a comrade trapped on a blazing rooftop.