Events in the year 1969 in Ireland. Incumbents President: Éamon de Valera Taoiseach: Jack Lynch (FF) Tánaiste: Frank Aiken (FF) (until 2 July 1969) Erskine H. Childers (FF) (from 2 July 1969) Minister for Finance: Charles Haughey (FF) Chief Justice: Cearbhall Ó Dálaigh Dáil: 18th (until 22 May 1969) 19th (from 2 July 1969) Seanad: 11th (until 24 July 1969) 12th (from 5 November 1969) Events 1 January – The People's Democracy civil rights march left Belfast for Derry. 4 January – Militant loyalists, including off-duty Ulster Special Constabulary ("B-Specials"), attacked civil rights marchers in County Londonderry. 10 January – Protestors in Northern Ireland defied police orders to abandon a planned march. 27 January – Ian Paisley was jailed for three months for illegal assembly in Northern Ireland. 4 March – The Lichfield Report was issued. It proposed the creation of a "University of Limerick" which would be "orientated towards technological subjects". 19 March – Ireland received its first loan from the World Bank. 22 March – Civil rights demonstrations took place all over Northern Ireland. 17 April – Bernadette Devlin, the 21-year-old student and civil rights campaigner, won the Mid-Ulster by-election. She was the youngest-ever female Member of Parliament in the United Kingdom. 20 April – British troops arrived in Northern Ireland as a back-up to the Royal Ulster Constabulary. 28 April – The Prime Minister of Northern Ireland, Terence O'Neill, resigned. 1 May – Major James Chichester-Clark succeeded Terence O'Neill as the Northern Irish Prime Minister. 7 May – The Minister for Finance, Charles Haughey, announced tax exemptions for painters, sculptors, writers, and composers on earnings gained from works of cultural merit. June – Penneys, predecessor of multinational fast fashion retailer Primark, was established by Arthur Ryan on behalf of the Weston family at 47 Mary Street in Dublin. 18 June – The 1969 Irish general election for Dáil Éireann was held. 20 July – Telefís Éireann departed from its usual nightly schedule to broadcast its first programme late into the following morning when the first men landed on the moon at 21:17, Irish time. The moonwalk began at 03:39 the next morning and ended at 06:11. The entire broadcast was hosted live by Kevin O'Kelly, working alone in front of the camera, and he won a Jacob's Award for his performance. 21 July – President de Valera sent U.S. President Richard Nixon a telegram of congratulations and