Events in the year 1974 in Ireland. Incumbents President: Erskine H. Childers (until 17 November 1974) Cearbhall Ó Dálaigh (from 19 December 1974) Taoiseach: Liam Cosgrave (FG) Tánaiste: Brendan Corish (Lab) Minister for Finance: Richie Ryan (FG) Chief Justice: William FitzGerald (until 17 October 1974) Tom O'Higgins (from 17 October 1974) Dáil: 20th Seanad: 13th Events 2 January – The Northern Ireland Executive began its first day in office. 15 February – A 600-pound bomb exploded in Dungannon in Northern Ireland. 24 April – The Electricity Supply Board announced that Carnsore Point on the County Wexford coast would be the site of its planned nuclear power station (which, ultimately, was not built). 26 April – Nineteen Old Master paintings from the Beit collection were stolen from Russborough House by a Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA) gang that included English heiress Rose Dugdale. 8 May – The great hall of University College Dublin was to become a 900-seat concert hall and home of the RTÉ Symphony Orchestra. 14 May – Northern Ireland ground to a halt as the Ulster Workers' Council called a strike following the defeat of an anti-Sunningdale Agreement motion. 17 May – Dublin and Monaghan bombings: Thirty-three civilians were killed and almost 300 wounded in four car-bomb explosions in Dublin and Monaghan by the Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF), the highest number of casualties in any one day during The Troubles. 21 May – The Ulster Workers' Council Strike in Northern Ireland came to an end. 28 May – The five-month-old Northern Ireland Executive collapsed. Late May – President Erskine Childers paid the first state visit by an Irish head of state to Europe when he visited Belgium with his wife, Rita. This followed the three-day state visit to Ireland by King Baudouin and Queen Fabiola of Belgium in May 1968. 14 June – Anatoli Kaplin, the first Soviet Ambassador to Ireland, visited President Childers at Áras an Uachtaráin, the President's residence. 17 July – The Coalition Government's Contraceptive Bill was defeated in a vote in Dáil Éireann. The Taoiseach, Liam Cosgrave, was one of seven Fine Gael party Teachtaí Dála (members of parliament) who voted against their own bill. 18 July – Ladies' Gaelic Football Association founded in Thurles. 20 July – About ten women, styled as the "Dublin City Women's Invasion Force", including journalist Nell McCafferty, politician and activist Nuala Fennell, and poet Mary D'Arcy, entered the