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The International Body on Arms Decommissioning was appointed as part of the twin-track process. It was led by the people who would later become the Independent Chairmen of the 1996-1998 peace talks. They produced the Mitchell report, which set out, amongst other recommendations, a list of principles which all parties signed up to as the basis for the talks.
Cite as: Harriet Carter, Ruth Murray, Ian McBride and Nicholas P. S. Cole, Northern Ireland International Body on Arms Decommissioning 1995-1996, Quill Project at Pembroke College (Oxford, 2024).
Date | Time | Type | Committee / External Event | Description |
---|---|---|---|---|
1995-02-15 | 09:30:00 | session_event | Alliance-Mitchell Meetings | Meeting between John Alderdice and Senator Mitchell at US Consulate |
1995-06-29 | 15:00:00 | session_event | Alliance-Mitchell Meetings | Meeting between John Alderdice and Senator Mitchell at City Hall |
1995-12-16 | 16:00:00 | session_event | Alliance-Mitchell Meetings | Alliance meeting with Mitchell Commission [?] |
1996-01-11 | 00:00:00 | session_event | Mitchell Committee | Version 1 of the Mitchell Principles. Date of creation unknown |
1996-01-12 | 00:00:00 | session_event | Mitchell Committee | Version 2 of the Mitchell Principles. Date of creation unknown |
1996-01-13 | 00:00:00 | session_event | Mitchell Committee | Version 3 of the Mitchell Principles. Date of creation unknown |
1996-01-14 | 00:00:00 | session_event | Mitchell Committee | Version 4 of the Mitchell Principles. Date of creation unknown |
1996-01-14 | 17:00:00 | session_event | Alliance-Mitchell Meetings | Alliance meeting with Mitchell Commission |
1996-01-15 | 00:00:00 | session_event | Mitchell Committee | Version 5 of the Mitchell Principles. Date of creation unknown |
1996-01-16 | 00:00:00 | session_event | Mitchell Committee | Version 6 of the Mitchell Principles. Date of creation unknown |
1996-01-17 | 00:00:00 | session_event | Mitchell Committee | Version 7 of the Mitchell Principles. Date of creation unknown |
1996-01-18 | 00:00:00 | session_event | Mitchell Committee | Version 8 of the Mitchell Principles. Date of creation unknown |
1996-01-18 | 00:00:30 | session_event | Mitchell Committee | Version 9 of the Mitchell Principles. Date of creation unknown |
1996-01-19 | 00:00:00 | session_event | Mitchell Committee | Version 10 of the Mitchell Principles. Date of creation unknown |
1996-01-20 | 00:00:00 | session_event | Mitchell Committee | Version 11 of the Mitchell Principles. Date of creation unknown |
1996-01-21 | 00:00:00 | session_event | Mitchell Committee | Version 12 of the Mitchell Principles. Date of creation unknown |
1996-01-21 | 00:00:30 | session_event | Mitchell Committee | Version 13 of the Mitchell Principles. Date of creation unknown |
1996-01-21 | 01:00:00 | session_event | Mitchell Committee | Version 13(b) of the Mitchell Principles. Date of creation unknown |
1996-01-22 | 00:00:00 | session_event | Mitchell Committee | Version 14 of the Mitchell Principles. Date of creation unknown |
1996-01-22 | 00:00:00 | session_event | Mitchell Committee | Draft 15 of the Mitchell Principles. Annotation at top reads: 'XVII - Version Seventeen' |
1996-01-22 | 00:01:00 | session_event | Mitchell Committee | Version 16 of the Mitchell Principles. Date of creation unknown |
1996-01-22 | 00:01:30 | session_event | Mitchell Committee | Version 17 of the Mitchell Principles. Date of creation unknown |
1996-01-22 | 00:02:00 | session_event | Mitchell Committee | Version 18 of the Mitchell Principles. Date of creation unknown |
1996-01-22 | 04:00:00 | session_event | Mitchell Committee | Version 19 of the Mitchell Principles. Date of creation unknown. |
1996-01-22 | 09:00:00 | session_event | Mitchell Committee | Final version of the Report of the International Body on Arms Decommissioning |
1996-01-24 | N/A | external_event | Mitchell Report published | The Mitchell Report, a report of the International Body on arms decommissioning, was published in Belfast. Its main conclusion was that decommissioning would not be possible before political talks. |
1996-01-30 | N/A | external_event | Gino Gallagher killed | Gino Gallagher, a reputed INLA leader, was shot dead in a social security office. The IRSP denied an internal feud. On the 11th of April 1996, the 'GHQ grouping' of the INLA admitted to killing Gallagher. |
1996-01-09 | N/A | external_event | Man attacked by Loyalists Against Thuggery | A group called 'Loyalists Against Thuggery' beat a man in Bangor. |
1996-02-02 | N/A | external_event | RUC man's home attacked | The home of a RUC man in Moy, County Tyrone, had sixty shots fired into it. |
1996-02-09 | N/A | external_event | Docklands bombing | A PIRA bomb exploded in Canary Wharf, in the Docklands area of London. Two men were killed and more than 100 people were injured, with damages of more than £85 million being incurred. This followed the announcement of the end of the PIRA ceasefire at 7pm. |
1996-02-12 | N/A | external_event | Women Together peace rally | Several thousand people attended a Women Together peace rally in Belfast. |
1996-02-13 | N/A | external_event | Derry/Londonderry peace rally | A peace rally took place in Derry/Londonderry. |
1996-02-14 | N/A | external_event | Charing Cross Road bomb | A PIRA bomb was defused on Charing Cross Road, in London. |
1996-02-15 | N/A | external_event | Peace rallies across Northern Ireland | Peace rallies occurred in Belfast, Omagh, Cookstown, Armagh, Enniskillen and Magherafelt. |
1996-02-18 | N/A | external_event | IRA member Edward O'Brien (21) killed by premature bomb explosion | "Edward O'Brien (21), later claimed as one of their members by the Irish Republican Army (IRA), was killed by the premature explosion of the bomb he was carrying. The bomb accidentally detonated in the bus he was traveling in as it passed along Aldwych, London. A number of passengers were injured in the explosion." |
1996-02-25 | N/A | external_event | Peace rallies in UK and Ireland | Peace rallies took place in Dublin, Derry, Belfast, Cork, Warrington, Birmingham, London and many other British and Irish towns. |
1996-03-05 | N/A | external_event | Former INLA member killed | A former INLA member was found beaten to death in Bundoran, County Donegal. The IRSP denied a feud. |
1996-03-07 | N/A | external_event | PIRA interview | An Phoblacht interview a senior PIRA member who says there will be no decommissioning of arms before a final settlement. |
1996-03-12 | N/A | external_event | CLMC message to PIRA | The CLMC urged the PIRA to 'return from the brink' in a statement. |
1996-03-15 | N/A | external_event | Girl (9) killed in INLA feud | A nine-year-old girl was shot dead at home in North Belfast during an INLA feud. |
1996-03-19 | N/A | external_event | Two men shot at in West Belfast | Two men were shot at in West Belfast, which was claimed by the 'GHQ staff of the INLA'. |
1996-03-22 | N/A | external_event | INLA ended ceasefire | The INLA announced the end of its de facto ceasefire which had been in place since July 1994. |
1996-04-02 | N/A | external_event | PTA (Additional Powers) Bill | The PTA (Additional Powers bill) passed Commons, giving police in Britain and Northern Ireland the right to 'stop and search' suspected terrorists and premises. It became law on April 3rd. |
1996-04-08 | N/A | external_event | Ormeau Road rioting | After the RUC prevented the Apprentice Boys from marching along the lower section of Ormeau Road, rioting broke out. |
1996-04-09 | N/A | external_event | West Belfast home petrol bombed | The home of a west Belfast family, which had been targeted over eighty times by loyalists, was petrol-bombed by loyalists. |
1996-04-13 | N/A | external_event | Anthony Duncase case | The Anthony Duncan extradition case collapsed with the judge ruling that the application was 'fundamentally flawed'. However, Duncan was subsequently rearrested and charged with IRA membership following scuffles between his supporters and the gardaí. |
1996-04-16 | N/A | external_event | NI (Entry to Negotiations) Bill | The Entry to Negotiations Bill was published for the May 30th 1996 elections and June all-party talks. The number of parties allowed to stand was extended to thirty-nine to include individuals who had requested entry. |
1996-04-17 | N/A | external_event | PIRA West London van bomb | A PIRA bomb exploded at a vacant house in West London. |
1989-07-24 | N/A | external_event | Appointment of Peter Brooke as Secretary of State for Northern Ireland | Peter Brooke was appointed as the new Secretary of State for Northern Ireland. John Cope became Minister of State, and Lord Skelmersdale and Peter Bottomley were appointed as Under-Secretaries. |
1989-07-31 | N/A | external_event | Peter Brooke visit to Belfast | Peter Brooke visited Belfast for the first time as Secretary of State and made a statement on his new role. |
1989-08-09 | N/A | external_event | Seamus Duffy killed by a plastic bullet fired by RUC | Seamus Duffy (15) was killed by a plastic bullet fired by a member of the RUC. |
1989-08-25 | N/A | external_event | Loughlin Maginn killed by the UFF | Loughlin Maginn was shot and killed by the UFF. |
1996-04-24 | N/A | external_event | Patrick Mayhew denied Dispatches claims | Claims made by Channel 4's Dispatches that government-approved talks with Sinn Féin commenced as early as 1990 were denied by Patrick Mayhew. |
1996-04-24 | N/A | external_event | Hammersmith bomb attempt | A PIRA bomb failed to explode under London's Hammersmith Bridge. It was the largest PIRA bomb planted in Britain. |
1996-05-05 | N/A | external_event | Dublin airport bomb threat | A warning from Mid-Ulster UVF of three bombs placed in Dublin airport forced its closure, but nothing was found. |
1996-05-10 | N/A | external_event | PIRA bombing convictions questioned | The Home Office admitted that forensic testing equipment had been contaminated by Semtex, putting into question twelve PIRA bombing convictions. |
1996-05-19 | N/A | external_event | RIR soldier attack | Two men were shot dead and a woman was seriously injured by a RIR soldier, who later shot himself. |
1996-05-25 | N/A | external_event | INLA member Dessie McCleery killed | Dessie McCleery, then a member of the 'GHQ' INLA faction was shot dead in central Belfast as part of a continuing INLA feud. |
1996-06-03 | N/A | external_event | PIRA ceasefire statement | In a statement by the PIRA, the possibility of a ceasefire before the 10th of June 1996 talks was ruled out. |
1996-06-04 | N/A | external_event | Mary Robinson visit to UK | Mary Robinson made an official state visit to Britain, this being the first ever official state visit of an Irish head of state to Britain. |
1996-06-07 | N/A | external_event | Garda detective Gerry McCabe killed in attempted robbery | An attempted post office van robbery in Adare, County Limerick, resulted in a Garda detective Gerry McCabe being shot dead and a colleague being seriously injured. The PIRA admitted to its members involvement in this 'unauthorised action'. |
1996-06-09 | N/A | external_event | INLA member Fra Shannon killed in Turf Lodge | A 'GHQ' INLA faction member, Fra Shannon, was shot dead in Turf Lodge, West Belfast. |
1996-06-10 | N/A | external_event | Opening of Stormont talks | Multi-party talks at Stormont were opened by John Major and John Bruton. The DUP and UKUP refused to accept George Mitchell as chairman. The talks began without Sinn Féin. |
1996-06-15 | N/A | external_event | Manchester bombing | An IRA bomb exploded in Manchester, England. It destroyed much of the Arndale Centre and injured 200 people. In response, the UFF stated that it was putting members 'on alert'. |
1996-06-18 | N/A | external_event | Dublin bomb hoax | A bomb hoax believed to be instigated by the UFF caused parts of Dublin to be evacuated. |
1996-07-07 | N/A | external_event | 1996 Drumcree stand-off | After the RUC prevented an Orangeman march returning from Drumcree Church, leading to a four-day stand-off. Protests and roadblocks by loyalists spread across Northern Ireland. On the 10th of July 1996, the RUC stated that 156 arrests, over 100 incidents of intimidation, 90 civilian and 50 RUC injuries, 758 attacks on police and the firing of 662 plastic baton rounds had been reported since Sunday the 7th of July. |
1996-07-13 | N/A | external_event | Continuity IRA bombing in Enniskillen | The Continuity IRA exploded a bomb outside the Killyhevlin Hotel in Enniskillen, causing severe damage. |
1996-10-07 | N/A | external_event | Thiepval Barracks bombing | Two PIRA car bombs exploded at Thiepval Barracks in Lisburn, the British army's HQ,. Thirty-one people were injured, with one soldier dying of his injuries four days later. This was the first PIRA bomb attack in Northern Ireland since August 1994. |
1997-02-12 | N/A | external_event | Stephen Restorick killed | Stephen Restorick, a British soldier, was shot dead by the PIRA at an army checkpoint in County Armagh. |
1997-04-03 | N/A | external_event | Motorways in England disrupted by PIRA bombs | The PIRA issued warnings of bombs on the M1, M5 and M6, causing significant disruption on English motorways. Two small bombs were uncovered by the police. |
1997-04-05 | N/A | external_event | Aintree Grand National cancelled due to bomb hoax | The Aintree Grand National horserace in Liverpool was cancelled after bomb threats were issued by the PIRA, to be later revealed as a hoax. |
1989-08-27 | N/A | external_event | Reports of a video circulating showing leading Republican politicians engaged in acts of terrorism | The Sunday Times published an article by Liam Clarke, alleging that a video had been circulated showing leading Republican politicians including Gerry Adams engaged in acts of terrorism. |
1997-05-01 | N/A | external_event | British general election 1997 | Polling day in Northern Ireland opened with a series of bomb alerts in Belfast which were attributed to loyalists. The Labour Party were elected to power in the British General Election with Tony Blair as Prime Minister. Marjorie (Mo) Molam, was appointed as Secretary of State for Northern Ireland. Gerry Adams, President of Sinn Féin, was elected for West Belfast and Martin McGuinness, the Vice-President of Sinn Féin, was elected to Mid-Ulster. |
1989-09-02 | N/A | external_event | Patrick McKenna (43) and Brian Robinson (27) killed on Crumlin Road, Belfast | Patrick McKenna (43), a Catholic civilian, was killed by the Ulster Volunteer Force on Crumlin Road in Belfast. Brian Robinson (27) of the Ulster Volunteer Force was killed immediately after the attack by undercover members of the British Army. |
1989-09-07 | N/A | external_event | Heidi Hazell (26) killed by the PIRA in Germany | Heidi Hazell (26), the wife of a British Army soldier, was killed by the PIRA in Dortmund, West Germany. |
1989-09-12 | N/A | external_event | Margaret Thatcher visit to Northern Ireland | Margaret Thatcher, then British Prime Minister, visited Northern Ireland. She met with industrialists and on a visit to Lisanelly Barracks, described the soldiers of the UDR were a “very *[very]* brave group” of men. |
1989-09-22 | N/A | external_event | Bombing at Deal Barracks | The PIRA exploded a bomb in Deal Barracks ('The Depot'), Kent, England, which killed ten musicians who were part of the staff band of the Royal Marines . Another Royal Marines musican died on 18 October 1989 from wounds received in the bombing] The explosion occurred at 8.22am in the concert hall on Canada Road which formed part of the Royal Marines' School of Music. |
1989-10-08 | N/A | external_event | Arrest of 28 members of the UDR | Twenty-eight members of the UDR were arrested by the RUC as part of the Stevens inquiry into the leaking of security force documents to Loyalist paramilitary groups. |
1997-05-16 | N/A | external_event | Tony Blair visit to Northern Ireland | Tony Blair, the British Prime Minister, visited Northern Ireland to give an important speech. Blair announced that exploratory contacts between government officials and Sinn Féin would be possible provided that 'events on the ground' did not make it impossible. |
1997-06-06 | N/A | external_event | Irish general election 1997 | In the Irish general elections, Fianna Fáil and the Political Democrats replaced the Rainbow Coalition. They relied on the support of Independents. |
1997-06-16 | N/A | external_event | RUC officers killed by the IRA | The IRA shot and killed two RUC officers in Lurgan, Roland John Graham (34) and David Andrew Johnston (30). As a result, Tony Blair banned contact between senior civil servants and Sinn Féin. |
1997-07-06 | N/A | external_event | 1997 Drumcree parade | The RUC and British Army sealed off Garvaghy Road so that Orangemen could march through on their annual Drumcree parade. Catholics were prevented from attending mass by the RUC, who had the support of hundreds of British soldiers. This led to widespread rioting in nationalist areas over the following days. |
1997-08-26 | N/A | external_event | Independent Commission on Decommissioning established | The Independent Commission on Decommissioning (ICD) was established regarding the decommissioning of paramilitary weapons. |
1997-08-29 | N/A | external_event | Sinn Féin entered multi-party talks | It was announced by Mo Mowlam, Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, that Sinn Féin could enter the multi-party talks as the IRA ceasefire had been adhered to. |
1997-09-09 | N/A | external_event | Sinn Féin signed Mitchell Principles | In a plenary session at Stormont, Sinn Féin signed a pledge that the party would abide by the Mitchell Principles. None of the Unionist parties were in attendance due to the presence of Sinn Féin. |
1989-10-26 | N/A | external_event | A member of the RAF and his six-month old daughter killed in an PIRA attack in Germany | Maheshkumar Islania (34), a member of the Royal Air Force (RAF) and Niurati Islania, his six-month old daughter were killed in an PIRA gun attack in Wildenrath, West Germany. |
1997-10-13 | N/A | external_event | Tony Blair visit to Northern Ireland | During Tony Blair's visit to Northern Ireland, he met in private with Gerry Adams, President of Sinn Féin, for the first time. |
1997-12-27 | N/A | external_event | Billy Wright (37) killed in Maze Prison | Billy Wright, leader of the Loyalist Volunteer Force (LVF), was shot and killed by members of INLA while sitting in a prison van in the Maze Prison. Following this, a number of Catholics were killed across Northern Ireland, to be later blamed on the UFF/UDA. |
1989-11-03 | N/A | external_event | Peter Brooke 100 days interviews | In interviews to mark 100 days in office, Peter Brooke made a number of statements that caused controversy, including that the PIRA could not be defeated militarily, and comparing Northern Ireland to Cyprus: ‘it is difficult to envisage a military defeat [of the IRA] . . . if, in fact, the terrorists were to decide that the moment had come when they wished to withdraw from their activities, then I think the government would need to be imaginative . . . as to how that process should be managed . . . Let me remind you of the move towards independence in Cyprus and a British minister stood up in the House of Commons and used the word ‘never’ in a way which within two years there had been a retreat from that word.’ |
1989-11-18 | N/A | external_event | Three British soldiers killed at Mayobridge | The PIRA detonated a landmine killing three British Army soldiers near Mayobridge, County Down. Stephen WIlson (23), Donald Macauley (20), and Matthew Marshall (21) were members of the parachute regiment. |
1989-11-29 | N/A | external_event | Liam Ryan (39) and Michael Devlin (33) killed by the UVF in Coagh | The UVF shot and killed two Catholic men in Coagh, County Tyrone, Liam Ryan and Michael Devlin. Michael Devlin was a civilian; although Liam Ryan was later said to be a member of the PIRA, but it is unlikely that he was specifically targeted on that basis. |
1989-12-13 | N/A | external_event | PIRA attack on Derryard border post | The PIRA launched an attack on a border post at Derryard, County Fermanagh. Two British Army soldiers, Michael Patterson (21) and James Houston (23), were killed. |
1990-01-09 | N/A | external_event | Peter Brooke Bangor Speech | Peter Brooke gave a speech in Bangor, County Down, in which he sought to start new round of talks, and laying out some of the issues to be addressed: 'There need to be devised workable and acceptable arrangements for the exercise of devolved powers over a range of matters. There needs to be agreement on democratic institutions which would give appropriate weight to majority and minority aspirations and views. There is the question which is addressed by the Anglo-Irish Agreement: how the legitimate interest of the Irish Government in matters within Northern Ireland, particularily as regards the minority community, are to be acknowledged, without dilution of UK sovereignty or the status of Northern Ireland as part of the United Kingdom. And there is the question of a local political contribution to security matters.' |
1990-01-13 | N/A | external_event | Three men shot dead by the British Army at a betting shop in West Belfast | Three men, Edward Hale (25), Peter Thompson (23), and John McNeill (43), were shot dead by a British Army undercover unit. The men were in the process of robbing a betting shop in West Belfast and two were in possession of imitation guns. The shootings renewed claims that there was a 'shoot to kill' policy among the security forces. |
1990-02-19 | N/A | external_event | BBC Panorama programme on the UDR | A BBC Panorama programme on the UDR, alleging collusion with loyalist death squads, provoked controversy and questions in the House of Commons. |
1990-02-21 | N/A | external_event | Ian Paisley and William McCrea petition in support of the UDR | Ian Paisley and William McCrea handed in a petition to Downing Street in protest about the UDR Panorma programme and in defence of the UDR. |
1990-02-24 | N/A | external_event | UUP announced that its councillors would resume meetings with NIO | The UUP announced that its councillors would resume meetings with NIO. |
1990-02-27 | N/A | external_event | Irish Times leak of Unionist proposals | The Irish Times published an article which outlined a set of proposals on Northern Ireland which were purported to have been handed to Tom King, then Secretary of Sate for Northern Ireland, in January 1988 by James Molyneaux, then leader of the UUP, and Ian Paisley, then leader of the DUP. These proposals contained suggestions about the future governance of Northern Ireland. Whilst claiming that the report was not entirely accurate Molyneaux also stressed that Unionists were prepared to discuss the ideas further in future negotiations, if and when the Anglo-Irish Agreement (AIA) was suspended. |
1990-03-01 | N/A | external_event | Irish Supreme Court ruling on Articles 2 and 3 | In a case brought by the McGimpsey brothers, the Irish Supreme Court ruled that Articles 2 and 3 of the Irish Constitution were a 'claim of legal right' over 'national territory'. |
1990-03-07 | N/A | external_event | Sam Marshall shot dead by the UVF in Lurgan | Sam Marshall (31), a former Republican prisoner, was shot dead by the UVF in Lurgan, County Armagh. He, and two other Republicans, had earlier been to the RUC police station in the town to sign in as part of their bail conditions. The attack on the three men happened minutes after they had left the police station. Republicans claimed that there had been police collusion in the attack because only the men, their solicitors, and the police knew when they would be at the police station. They also claimed that the men were under security force surveillance at the time. The RUC rejected both allegations. |
1997-01-03 | N/A | external_event | Loyalist prisoners withdrew talks support | Loyalist prisoners representing the UVF, UDA, and UFF voted to withdraw their support for the peace process on the basis of concessions being made to Republicans. Despite this, political leaders of Loyalist paramilitary groups insisted the 1994 ceasefire was still in effect. |
1998-01-09 | N/A | external_event | Mowlam visit to Maze Prison | Mo Mowlam met with UDA and UFF prisoners in Maze Prison, succeeding in getting them to reinstate support for the peace process. |
1998-01-22 | N/A | external_event | RUC blamed UDA/UFF for recent Catholic killings | Ronnie Flanagan, then Chief Constable of the RUC, alleged that the UFF were involved in the recent murders of three Catholics, despite their ongoing ceasefire. The UFF was a cover name for the UDA. David Adams, spokesperson for the UDP, denied Flanagan's allegations, however there was calls for the UDP to be expelled from the talks. |
1998-01-23 | N/A | external_event | UFF reinstated ceasefire | In a statement, the UFF (a cover name for the UDA) reinstated their ceasefire following a 'measured military response' to INLA actions. This was seen as an admission of guilt to the recent killings of Catholics. |
1998-02-20 | N/A | external_event | Sinn Féin expelled from talks | In light of an assessment by the RUC stating that the IRA had been involved in the deaths of two men, Sinn Féin was expelled from the multi-party talks. They could re-enter talks after two weeks on the condition that there was no further breach of the IRA ceasefire. |
1998-02-23 | N/A | external_event | UDP rejoined talks | Following the party's suspension, the UDP rejoined the multi-party talks. |
1998-04-10 | N/A | external_event | Good Friday Agreement | The Belfast/Good Friday Agreement was signed and the talks were brought to an end by George Mitchell, independent chairman of the talks. |
1800-08-01 | N/A | external_event | Union with Ireland Act | One of the two parallel Acts of Union 1800 which united the Kingdom of Great Britain and Kingdom of Ireland to create the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. Prior to the Act, the two kingdoms existed in personal union. When the Act came into force on 1 January 1801 it dissolved the old Irish Parliament and created an amalgamated Parliament, with an Irish minority, at Westminster. The Act remained in force until the Government of Ireland Act (1920) when Ireland was partitioned. |
1800-08-01 | N/A | external_event | Act of Union (Ireland) | One of the two parallel Acts of Union 1800 which united the Kingdom of Great Britain and Kingdom of Ireland to create the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. Prior to the Act, the two kingdoms existed in personal union. When the Act came into force on 1 January 1801 it dissolved the old Irish Parliament and created an amalgamated Parliament, with an Irish minority, at Westminster. The Act remained in force until the Government of Ireland Act (1920) when Ireland was partitioned. |
1870-08-01 | N/A | external_event | The Landlord and Tenant (Ireland) Act | This Act was published under the liberal government of William Gladstone in 1870 with a goal being to provide some safeguards to Irish tenant farmers and give legal force to the Ulster custom of tenure. |
1990-04-09 | N/A | external_event | Four members of the UDR killed near Downpatrick | Four members of a UDR patrol unit were killed by a landmine detonated near Downpatrick, County Down: John Bradley (25), John Birch (28), Steven Smart (23), and Michael Adams (23). |
1914-09-18 | N/A | external_event | Government of Ireland Act 1914: An Act to Amend the Provision for the Government of Ireland | Also known as the Home Rule Act, this Act provided for a devolved government in Ireland. It was first introduced in 1912 and debated in Parliament for two years before passing. However, on the same day it was given Royal Assent, a Suspensory Act was passed, formally suspending the Government of Ireland Act for twelve months due to the outbreak of WWI. Following the Easter Rising 1916 and the Irish Civil War, the Government of Ireland Act was further postponed and never came into effect. It was superseded in 1920 by the Government of Ireland Act, 1920, and in turn, the Anglo-Irish treaty in 1921 and the partition of Ireland into Northern Ireland and the Irish Free State. |
1920-12-23 | N/A | external_event | Government of Ireland Act 1920: an Act to Provide for the Better Government of Ireland | Also known as the Fourth Home Rule Bill, this Act was passed amidst the Irish War of Independence. The Act repealed the Government of Ireland Act 1914 and granted Home Rule to Ireland by establishing two devolved parliaments, one seated in Dublin for Southern Ireland, and one seated in Belfast for Northern Ireland. It also provided for a Council of Ireland. The Government of Ireland Act, 1920 commenced on 3 May 1921. The first Parliament of Northern Ireland formed in June 1921, but in Southern Ireland, where Dáil Members supported independence, only 4 of the 128 parliamentary members showed up to the opening session; the new legislature was suspended. The Act was superseded by the establishment of the Anglo-Irish Treaty signed in December that year and which provided for an Irish Free State, today the Republic of Ireland. |
1921-12-06 | N/A | external_event | Anglo-Irish Treaty: Articles of Agreement for a Treaty between Great Britain and Ireland | Also known as An Conradh Angla-Éireannach, the Anglo-Irish Treaty (officially the Articles of Agreement for a Treaty Between Great Britain and Ireland), was an agreement between the government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and representatives of the Irish Republic. Its signing concluded the Irish War of Independence. The Treaty provided for the establishment of the Irish Free State as a self-governing dominion within the "community of nations known as the British Empire", the same as that of the Dominion of Canada. It also provided that Northern Ireland, created by the Government of Ireland Act 1920, had the right to opt out of the Irish Free State. |
1985-11-15 | N/A | external_event | Anglo-Irish Agreement | Signed at Hillsborough Castle by Taoiseach Garret Fitzgerald and Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, the Anglo-Irish Agreement was a treaty between the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland which aimed to help end the Troubles in Northern Ireland. Among other provisions, the Treaty gave the Irish Government an advisory role in Northern Ireland's government and established the Anglo-Irish Intergovernmental Conference, which was eventually superseded by the British-Irish Intergovernmental Conference established in the Good Friday Agreement. The Treaty also promoted the Principle of Consent as the basis of fundamental change in Northern Ireland's status; asserted that no change in the constitutional position of Northern Ireland would happen without the consent of the majority of its citizens - something which would become a bedrock of the Good Friday Agreement. |
1993-12-15 | N/A | external_event | Joint Declaration: Downing Street Declaration | A joint declaration issued on 15 December 1993 by the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, John Major, and the Taoiseach of the Republic of Ireland, Albert Reynolds. The declaration reaffirmed both the right of the people of Ireland to self-determination, and that a constitutional change in Northern Ireland such as forming a United Ireland was subject to the consent of a majority of the people of Northern Ireland. This Principle of Consent was a bedrock for the Good Friday Agreement. |
1948-12-10 | N/A | external_event | Universal Declaration of Human Rights | 'The is a milestone document in the history of human rights. Drafted by representatives with different legal and cultural backgrounds from all regions of the world, the Declaration was proclaimed by the United Nations General Assembly in Paris on 10 December 1948 as a common standard of achievements for all peoples and all nations. It sets out, for the first time, fundamental human rights to be universally protected and it has been translated into over 500 languages. The UDHR is widely recognized as having inspired, and paved the way for, the adoption of more than seventy human rights treaties, applied today on a permanent basis at global and regional levels (all containing references to it in their preambles).' |
1973-01-01 | N/A | external_event | Treaty of Accession of Denmark, Ireland and the United Kingdom (1972) | The 1972 Treaty of Accession was an international agreement which saw the accession of Denmark, Ireland, Norway and the United Kingdom to the European Communities. The treaty was signed in Brussels by Edward Heath, then prime minister, on the 22nd of January 1972. Denmark, Ireland and the United Kingdom all became EC member states on the 1st of January 1973. |
1990-04-11 | N/A | external_event | Charles Haughey visit to Belfast | Taoiseach Charles Haughey visited Northern Ireland. It was the first official visit from a Taoiseach since 1965. Four hundred loyalists protested against the visit during his address to a conference of the Institute of Directors in Belfast. |
1990-04-15 | N/A | external_event | Gerry Adams speech | Gerry Adams addressed an Easter Rising commemoration and stated that the 'struggle' in Northern Ireland would continue as long as there was a British presence in Ireland. |
1990-05-08 | N/A | external_event | Death of Tomás Ó Fiaich | Tomás Ó Fiaich, then a Cardinal and Catholic Primate of All Ireland, died aged 66 from a heart attack while on a visit to Lourdes, France. |
1990-05-27 | N/A | external_event | Stephen Melrose and Nicholas Spanos shot dead by PIRA in the Netherlands | In a gun attack in Roermond, Netherlands, the PIRA shot and killed two Australian lawyers on holiday, Stephen Melrose (24) and Nicholas Spanos (28). It was claimed that the men were mistaken for off-duty British Army soldiers. |
1990-06-01 | N/A | external_event | Two British soldiers killed by PIRA in separate incidents | Two British soldiers were killed by the PIRA in separate incidents: Robert Davies (19) was shot at a railway station in Lichfield, England; Michael Dillon-Lee (34) was shot in Dortmund, West Germany. |
1990-06-06 | N/A | external_event | James and Ellen Sefton killed by car bomb | James Sefton (65), a former member of the RUC, and his wife, Ellen Sefton (65) were killed when a PIRA booby trap bomb attached to their car exploded.. |
1990-06-30 | N/A | external_event | RUC officers John Beckett and Gary Meyer shot dead by the PIRA | John Beckett (47) and Gary Meyer (36), both members of the RUC, were shot dead in Belfast by the PIRA. |
1990-07-02 | N/A | external_event | Nelson Mandela visit to Dublin | While on a visit to Dublin Nelson Mandela, then Vice-President of the African National Congress (ANC), said that there should be talks between the British Government and the PIRA. |
1990-07-05 | N/A | external_event | Peter Brooke statement to the House of Commons | Peter Brooke made a statement to the House of Commons reporting a lack of progress in agreeing talks and putting in place new institutions in Northern Ireland. Ian Gow, who would be killed by the PIRA later in July, spoke during the debate. |
1990-07-15 | N/A | external_event | Two civilians, William Sloss and Martin Hughes shot in separate incidents | Two civilians were shot dead in separate incidents in Belfast and Lisburn. William Sloss (31) was killed by the IPLO in Belfast and Martin Hughes (33) was killed by the UFF in Lisburn. |
1990-07-20 | N/A | external_event | London Stock Exchange bomb | The stock exchange was damaged by a PIRA bomb, but no one was injured after the building was successfully evacuated followed a telephoned warning. |
1990-07-24 | N/A | external_event | Four people killed in PIRA bomb near Armagh | Catherine Dunn (37), a Catholic nun, was killed when a PIRA land mine, targeting an RUC vehicle, exploded on Killylea Road. Three RUC men (Joshua Willis (35), William Hanson (37), and David Sterritt (34) were also killed. |
1990-07-30 | N/A | external_event | Ian Gow (MP) killed by PIRA | Ian Gow (53), a Conservative politician and Member of Parliament, was killed by a PIRA car bomb outside his home in East Sussex. |
1990-08-30 | N/A | external_event | ECHR ruling in the Fox, Campbell and Hartley case | The European Court of Human Rights ruled that the arrests of Fox, Campbell and Hartley in 1986 had contravened the 'reasonable suspicion' requirement. |
1990-09-19 | N/A | external_event | Margaret Thatcher description of PIRA's campaign as 'guerilla warfare' | British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher made remarks in Budapest concerning PIRA's 'guerilla warfare' against Britain, following an attack on Sir Peter Terry. |
1990-09-23 | N/A | external_event | Three deaths in separate shootings | The PIRA shot and killed off-duty Ulster Defence Regiment (UDR) soldier Colin McCullough at Oxford Island, Lough Neagh, County Armagh. William All-star (46) and George Friars (28), both Protestant civilians, were killed by the UFF in a pub shooting in Lisburn, County Down. |
1990-09-30 | N/A | external_event | Martin Peake (17) and Karen Reilly (18) shot by the British Army | Martin Peake (17) and Karen Reilly (18), both Catholic civilians, were shot dead by British Army paratroopers in Belfast. The two teenagers were 'joy riding' in a stolen car. At the time it was claimed that the stolen car had failed to stop at an army check point and struck a member of the army foot patrol. Later it was revealed that the injuries suffered by the soldier were deliberately inflicted after the incident by another soldier. In June 1993 Lee Clegg, a private in the Parachute Regiment, was sentenced to life imprisonment. |
1990-10-06 | N/A | external_event | Denis Carville (19) shot dead by PAF at Oxford Island | Denis Carville (19), a Catholic civilian, was shot dead by the Protestant Action Force (PAF) at Oxford Island, Lough Neagh, County Armagh. |
1990-10-09 | N/A | external_event | Two PIRA members shot dead by British Army | A British Army undercover team shot dead PIRA members Desmond Grew (37) and Martin McCaughey (23) on a farm near Loughgall, County Armagh. |
1990-10-13 | N/A | external_event | Two RUC officers shot by PIRA in Belfast | Two RUC officers were shot by the PIRA in the center of Belfast. Samuel Todd (40) died from his wounds two days later on 15 October 1990. |
1972-08-01 | N/A | external_event | Disappearance of Joseph Lynskey | Joseph Lynskey was a former Cistercian monk from the Beechmount area of west Belfast. He went missing during the summer of 1972. His remains have never been found. [Editors' Note: As we have not found a record of the precise day of the disappearance of Joseph Lynskey, it has been entered as the first of the month.] |
1996-06-10 | N/A | external_event | Joint statement regarding the exclusion of Sinn Féin from talks | The British and Irish Governments gave a joint statement to the press outside Castle Buildings regarding Sinn Féin's exclusion from the talks, on account of the absence of a PIRA ceasefire. |
1972-10-02 | N/A | external_event | Disappearance of Seamus Wright | Seamus Wright, an asphalt layer from Belfast, disappeared on the 2nd of October 1972, along with Kevin McKee. He was married and 25 years old at the time. |
1972-10-02 | N/A | external_event | Disappearance of Kevin McKee | Kevin McKee, a 17-year-old from Belfast, disappeared on the 2nd of October 1972, along with Seamus Wright. |
1972-12-07 | N/A | external_event | Disappearance of Jean McConville | Jean McConville was a widow and mother of ten from west Belfast. She was 37 years old when she was abducted and killed on the 7th of December 1972. |
1973-01-01 | N/A | external_event | Disappearance of Seamus Maguire | Seamus Maguire was around 26 years old when he disappeared from the Lurgan area of County Armagh in or around 1973/74. In February 2022, the Commission announced that it was adding Seamus Maguire to the list of the Disappeared. His remains have never been found. [Editor's Note: As we have not found a record of the precise date of the disappearance of Seamus Maguire, it has been entered as the 1st January 1973..] |
1973-08-01 | N/A | external_event | Disappearance of Peter Wilson | Peter Wilson, a 21-year-old from west Belfast, disappeared from his home on the 1st of August 1973. His name was added to the list of the Disappeared in 2009 after new information became available. |
1975-07-01 | N/A | external_event | Disappearance of Eamon Molloy | Eamon Molloy was abducted from his home in the Ardoyne area of Belfast on the 1st of July 1975. He was named by the IRA as one of "the disappeared" in a 1999 statement. [Editor's Note: As we have not found a record of the precise day of the disappearance of Eamon Molloy, it has been entered as the first of the month.] |
1975-10-31 | N/A | external_event | Disappearance of Columba McVeigh | Columba McVeigh from Donaghmore, County Tyrone was 19 years old when he was abducted and killed on the 31st of October 1975. Although extensive searches, based on information received, have been carried out at Bragan bog in County Monaghan, his remains have never been found. |
1977-05-14 | N/A | external_event | Disappearance of Robert Nairac | Captain Robert Nairac was an officer with the Grenadier Guards on a tour of duty in Northern Ireland when he was abducted in County Armagh on the 14th of May 1977 and murdered. He was 29 years old. His remains have never been found. A man was convicted of the murder of Captain Nairac in 1977. Captain Nairac received a posthumous George Cross. |
1978-04-08 | N/A | external_event | Disappearance of Brendan Megraw | Brendan Megraw was a 23-year-old married man from west Belfast. His wife was expecting their first baby when he was abducted from his home on the 8th of April 1978. |
1978-05-25 | N/A | external_event | Disappearance of John McClory | On the 25th of May 1978, John McClory, an 18-year-old from west Belfast, was abducted and killed alongside his friend Brian McKinney. |
1978-05-25 | N/A | external_event | Disappearance of Brian McKinney | Brian McKinney was a Housing Executive Worker from Andersonstown in west Belfast. He was 22 years old when he disappeared on the 25th of May 1978, alongside John McClory. |
1979-03-25 | N/A | external_event | Disappearance of Gerard (Gerry) Evans | Gerry Evans was a 24-year-old painter who disappeared on the 25th of March 1979 as he was on his way home to Crossmaglen, County Armagh. |
1981-01-01 | N/A | external_event | Disappearance of Eugene Simons | Eugene Simons disappeared on New Year’s Day 1981. |
1981-07-01 | N/A | external_event | Disappearance of Danny McIlhone | Danny McIlhone was from West Belfast and went missing on the 1st of July 1981. He was 21 years old at the time. |
1981-08-15 | N/A | external_event | Disappearance of Charlie Armstrong | Charlie Armstrong was a married father of five from Crossmaglen in County Armagh. He was 54 years old when he was abducted and killed on the 15th of August 1981 while on his way to collect a neighbour to go to mass. |
1984-05-24 | N/A | external_event | Body of Eugene Simons recovered | Eugene Simons disappeared on New Year’s Day 1981. His body was found three years later (prior to the establishment of the Commission) on 24 May 1984 in a bog in Knockbridge, Dundalk, County Louth. |
1984-05-09 | N/A | external_event | Disappearance of Seamus Ruddy | Seamus Ruddy, from Newry, was a 33-year-old teacher of English in Paris, France when he disappeared on the 9th of May 1985. In December 1995, the INLA admitted responsibility for his death. |
1999-04-27 | N/A | external_event | Establishment of the Independent Commission for the Location of Victims' Remains | On the 27th of April 1999, a treaty was signed between the Government of Ireland and the Government of the United Kingdom in order to establish an Independent Commission for the Location of the Victims' Remains. The Commission was primarily tasked with locating the remains of 'victims of violence', indicating people killed prior to the 10th of April 1998 by or in connection with an 'unlawful organization', namely paramilitary organisations. |
1999-06-29 | N/A | external_event | Body of John McClory recovered | John McClory was abducted in May 1978 with Brian McKinney. Following information received by the Commission in 1999 a search of the bogland at Colgagh, Iniskeen, County Monaghan was undertaken. After 30 days of searching, a double grave containing the remains of John McClory and Brian McKinney was discovered on the 29th June 1999. |
1999-06-29 | N/A | external_event | Body of Brian McKinney recovered | Brian McKinney was abducted in May 1978 with John McClory. Following information received by the Commission in 1999 a search of the bogland at Colgagh, Iniskeen, County Monaghan was undertaken. After 30 days of searching, a double grave containing the remains of John McClory and Brian McKinney was discovered on the 29th June 1999. |
1999-05-28 | N/A | external_event | Body of Eamon Molloy recovered | Eamon Molloy went missing in July 1975. Following information received by the Commission in 1999, his body was discovered in a coffin left in a cemetery near Dundalk, County Louth, on the 28th of May 1999. |
1990-10-16 | N/A | external_event | Two people killed in separate incidents | The UFF shot dead a Catholic man, Dermot McGuinness (42), in north Belfast. Later the PIRA killed a former police reservist, Steven Craig (24), in the same area. |
1990-10-23 | N/A | external_event | William Aitken (53) shot dead in Belfast | The PIRA shot and killed a Protestant taxi driver, William Aitken, near the Royal Victoria Hospital in Belfast. |
1990-10-24 | N/A | external_event | Proxy bomb attacks | The PIRA launched three bomb attacks at British Army check points. The attacks became know as 'proxy bombs' or 'human bombs' because three Catholic men, whom the PIRA claimed had worked for the security forces, were tied into cars or vans which had been loaded with explosives and ordered to drive to the check points. At the Coshquin checkpoint near Derry five soldiers and the man who was forced to drive the car were all killed. In a second attack, at Killeen near Newry, a soldier was killed. The third bomb, that had been driven to Omagh, County Tyrone, failed to detonate. Those killed were Patrick Gillespie (42), the civilian forced to drive one of the vans, and British service personnel, Stephen Burrows (30), Stephen Beacham (38), Paul Worrall (23), Scott Vincent (21), David Sweeney (19), and Cyril Smith (21). |
1990-10-24 | N/A | external_event | Francis Hughes shot by PAF | Francis Hughes (61), a Catholic taxi driver, was shot dead by the PAF near Moy in County Tyrone. |
1990-11-09 | N/A | external_event | Whitbread Speech | Secretary of State Peter Brooke gave a speech at the Whitbread Brewery in London in which he stated Britain had no 'selfish economic or strategic interest' in Northern Ireland and would accept unification by consent. |
2003-08-27 | N/A | external_event | Body of Jean McConville recovered | Jean McConville went missing in December 1972. On the 27th of August 2003 her remains were found at Shelling Hill beach in County Louth and recovered by An Garda Síochána. |
2008-11-12 | N/A | external_event | Body of Danny McIlhone recovered | Danny McIlhone went missing in July 1981. Two searches for his remains in 1999 and 2000 proved unsuccessful. However, following information received by the Commission, his remains were recovered in bogland near the Blessington Lakes in County Wicklow in November 2008. |
2010-07-29 | N/A | external_event | Body of Charlie Armstrong recovered | Charlie Armstrong went missing in August 1981. In July 2010 the Commission recovered his remains in County Monaghan. Charlie Armstrong was not included on the list of missing people issued by the IRA in 1999 and, to date, no group has admitted responsibility for his murder. |
2010-10-15 | N/A | external_event | Body of Gerard (Gerry) Evans recovered | Gerry Evans went missing in March 1979. On the 15th of October 2010, following information received by the Commission, his remains were recovered from a site in Carrickrobin, County Louth. Gerard Evans was not included on the list of missing people issued by the IRA in 1999 and, to date, no group has admitted responsibility for his murder. |
2010-11-02 | N/A | external_event | Body of Peter Wilson recovered | Peter Wilson went missing in August 1973. His remains were found at Waterfoot beach in County Antrim on the 2nd of November 2010. |
2014-10-01 | N/A | external_event | Body of Brendan Megraw recovered | Brendan Megraw went missing in April 1978. Extensive searches, based on information received by the Commission, were carried out at a location in Oristown, County Meath and his remains were finally recovered on the 1st of October 2014. |
2015-06-25 | N/A | external_event | Body of Seamus Wright recovered | Seamus Wright went missing in October 1972. His remains, together with those of Kevin McKee, were found in extensive searches undertaken by the Commission at Coghalstown, County Meath on the 25th of June 2015. |
2015-06-25 | N/A | external_event | Body of Kevin McKee recovered | Kevin McKee went missing in October 1972. His remains, together with those of Seamus Wright, were found in extensive searches undertaken by Commission at Coghalstown, County Meath on the 25th of June 2015. |
2017-05-06 | N/A | external_event | Body of Seamus Ruddy recovered | Seamus Ruddy had disappeared in May 1985. In February 1999 information emerged to suggest that his body was buried in Rouen, France. His remains were recovered on the 6th of May 2017 following a search in France. |
1990-11-15 | N/A | external_event | Gerry Adams statement in response to Whitbread Speech | Gerry Adams issued a lengthy press statement in response to Peter Brooke's Whitbread speech. He called for a careful examination and testing of Brooke's words, affirmed the right of the Irish people to use armed struggle in pursuit of Irish independence, and offered unconditional talks with the British government. |
1990-11-16 | N/A | external_event | Margaret Thatcher visit to Fermanagh | Margaret Thatcher visited Enniskillen during a brief visit to Northern Ireland. |
1990-11-22 | N/A | external_event | Margaret Thatcher resignation | Margaret Thatcher announced her intention to resign as Prime Minister and Conservative party leader. |
1990-11-28 | N/A | external_event | John Major became Prime Minister | On 27 November 1990, John Major was elected as leader of the Conservative party; he formally became Prime Minister of the United Kingdom the following day after being appointed by the Queen at Buckingham Palace. |
1990-12-01 | N/A | external_event | Hubert Gilmore shot dead near Kilrea | Hubert Gilmore, a former Ulster Defence Regiment (UDR) soldier was shot dead by the PIRA near Kilrea, County Derry. |
1990-12-19 | N/A | external_event | Kenneth Baker continued the broadcasting ban | Kenneth Baker, Home Secretary, continued the broadcasting ban which restricted 'the broadcasting of direct statements by representatives of terrorists' organisations connected with Northern Ireland and their supporters'. |
1996-01-01 | N/A | external_event | Ian Lyons (31) killed by DAAD | Direct Action Against Drugs (DAAD) shot and killed Ian Lyons, aged 31, in Lurgan, County Armagh. |
1996-01-03 | N/A | external_event | Protestant Action Force issued death threats | Families Against Intimidation and Terror said the Protestant Action Force had issued death threats against fourteen people. |
1996-01-11 | N/A | external_event | WP and PUP met for talks | The Workers' Party (WP) and the Progressive Unionist Party (PUP) met for talks for the first time. |
1996-01-14 | N/A | external_event | Sunday Tribune poll on ceasefires and decommissioning | A poll in the Sunday Tribune found that 52% of people believed the ceasefires to be permanent and that 70% approved of all-party talks at the same time as arms decommissioning. |
1996-01-14 | N/A | external_event | PIRA halted DAAD killings | Newspaper reports claimed that the PIRA had decided to halt killings carried out under the DAAD cover name. |
1996-01-16 | N/A | external_event | Belfast Telegraph poll on ceasefires, decommissioning, talks, and RUC reform | A poll in the Belfast Telegraph revealed that 60% of respondents wanted weapons to be decommissioned before talks, 58% believed the ceasefires would last, 70% supported an elected Assembly as a step towards all-party talks, and 45% favoured RUC reform. |
1996-01-19 | N/A | external_event | UFF admitted to attacking wrong man | After a beating in north Belfast, the UFF admitted to attacking the wrong man. |
1996-01-29 | N/A | external_event | Judges and Unionists protested withdrawal of RUC protection | Judges and Unionist politicians protested against plans to withdraw their RUC protection. |
1990-02-22 | N/A | external_event | Martin McGuinness Speech | Martin McGuinness delivered a speech to a Republican rally, asking what 'imaginative steps' the British government would take if the IRA were to end the 'armed struggle'. |
1996-01-29 | N/A | external_event | SDLP met with UDP and PUP | The SDLP held its first meetings with the UDP and the PUP under the twin-track process. |
1996-01-29 | N/A | external_event | John Hume nominated for Nobel Peace Prize by US senators | Four US senators nominated John Hume for the 1996 Nobel Peace Prize. |
1990-12-23 | N/A | external_event | IRA Christmas ceasefire 1990 | The PIRA announced a 3-day ceasefire, the first in fifteen years. The Secretary of State welcomed their announcement. |
1996-02-02 | N/A | external_event | Publication of Forum for Peace and Reconciliation report | The Forum for Peace and Reconciliation published its report in Dublin. |
1990-12-30 | N/A | external_event | Fergal Caraher killed by British Army | Fergal Caraher, a member of Sinn Féin, was shot and killed and his brother wounded when British Army troops opened fire on their car at a check point at Cullyhanna, County Armagh. |
1996-02-03 | N/A | external_event | ECHR found against NI emergency legislation | The European Court of Human Rights found against the British Government's Northern Ireland emergency legislation for denying John Murray access to a solicitor for forty-eight hours. |
1990-01-26 | N/A | external_event | Raid of An Phoblacht | Republican paper *An Phoblacht* raided by RUC in Belfast, who removed computer and disks. |
1996-02-10 | N/A | external_event | Taoiseach suspended ministerial contact with Sinn Féin | John Bruton, then Taoiseach, suspended ministerial contact with Sinn Féin pending a new ceasefire, following the Canary Wharf bombing. |
1996-02-10 | N/A | external_event | Taoiseach rescinded release of PIRA prisoners | John Bruton, then Taoiseach, rescinded the release of nine PIRA prisoners, following the Canary Wharf bombing. |
1996-02-19 | N/A | external_event | RUC dropped plans to reduce protection | The RUC dropped plans to reduce the personal protection of senior politicians and judges. |
1996-02-21 | N/A | external_event | Hume and Adams met PIRA army council | John Hume and Gerry Adams met the PIRA army council in Dublin. |
1996-02-28 | N/A | external_event | Irish Times/Guardian poll on the peace process | An Irish Times/Guardian poll found that a large majority in Britain and Ireland believed the peace process could be renewed. |
1996-03-08 | N/A | external_event | PIRA bomb in restaurant bin | A small PIRA bomb was found in a restaurant bin in London. |
1996-03-19 | N/A | external_event | Loyalists and RUC clashed on Shankill Road | Loyalists and the RUC clashed on Shankill Road over alleged police harassment. |
1991-02-03 | N/A | external_event | Proxy bomb attack in Magherafelt | The PIRA carried out a 'proxy bomb' attack on a Ulster Defence Regiment (UDR) base in Magherafelt, County Derry. A man, who was employed by a company that carried out work for the security forces, was forced to drive his van containing a bomb, estimated at 500 pounds, into the UDR base. He managed to get away from the vehicle before the bomb exploded. The bomb caused extensive damage to the UDR base and also damaged approximately 50 nearby houses. |
1991-02-07 | N/A | external_event | Downing Street mortar bomb attack | The PIRA carried out a mortar attack on 10 Downing Street while a British Cabinet meeting was in session. There were no injuries but one of the mortars fell in the garden and caused damage. |
1991-02-14 | N/A | external_event | Peter Brooke statement | Peter Brooke updated the House of Commons on progress towards talks. |
1991-02-18 | N/A | external_event | David Corner killed in Victoria Station bombing in London | The PIRA exploded a bomb at Victoria Station in London. An inadequate warning was given and one person, David Corner (36) was killed and over 40 people injured in the attack. |
1991-03-03 | N/A | external_event | Four killed in Cappagh shooting | John Quinn (23), Dwayne O'Donnell (17), and Malcolm Nugent (20) were killed by the UVF at a shooting outside Boyle's Bar, Cappagh, County Tyrone. When the gunmen were prevented from entering the pub, they shot through a window killing local civilian Thomas Armstrong (50). It was later established that Quinn, O'Donnell, and Nugent were PIRA members, although the original target of the attack was thought to be PIRA commander Brian Arthurs who was inside the pub. |
1991-03-26 | N/A | external_event | Peter Brooke statement on basis for talks | On 25 March, agreement was reached with the UUP, the SDLP, the DUP, and Alliance on arrangements for political talks on the future of Northern Ireland. The following day, Peter Brooke spelled out the basis for talks in a statement to the House of Commons, outlining the three-strand approach and that 'nothing [would be] agreed until everything [was] agreed'. The statement would be frequently referred to during the course of the talks. |
1996-04-13 | N/A | external_event | Belfast banknote heist | £1 million in used banknotes was stolen from a security van in Belfast, reportedly by loyalists. |
1996-04-13 | N/A | external_event | INLA shot at two men outside IRSP office | 'GHQ staff' of the INLA shot at two men outside the Belfast office of the IRSP. |
1996-04-28 | N/A | external_event | Orangemen prevented from marching on Ormeau Road | Orangemen were again prevented from marching through the lower Ormeau Road area of Belfast. |
1996-04-29 | N/A | external_event | Labour meetings with Sinn Féin | Labour MP Roger Stott claimed that seven Labour MPs had held meetings with Sinn Féin since the Canary Wharf bomb. |
1996-05-05 | N/A | external_event | Bobby Sands rally | A rally marking the fifteenth anniversary of Bobby Sand's death took place in West Belfast. |
1996-05-10 | N/A | external_event | Shots fired at car in Belfast | Shots were fired at a car in the New Lodge area of Belfast in the continuing INLA feud. |
1996-05-16 | N/A | external_event | Maghaberry Prison car bomb | A bomb placed under a car outside Maghaberry Prison was attributed to the 'INLA army council'. |
1996-05-19 | N/A | external_event | Cars and property attacked in North Belfast | Cars and property were attacked in North Belfast, an area of regular sectarian confrontation. |
1996-05-19 | N/A | external_event | Scuffles during Apprentice Boys march (May 1996) | There were scuffles between the RUC and nationalists in Dunloy, County Antrim, during an Apprentice Boys' march. |
1996-06-05 | N/A | external_event | PIRA decommissioning statement | The PIRA released a statement saying that none of its weapons would be handed over until there was an overall political settlement. |
1996-06-09 | N/A | external_event | Catholic attacked by loyalist mob | A Catholic from the Short Strand area of East Belfast was beaten and stabbed by a loyalist mob. |
1996-06-15 | N/A | external_event | Catholic stabbed to death outside Dungannon | A Catholic man was stabbed to death outside Dungannon, County Tyrone. |
1996-06-20 | N/A | external_event | PIRA bomb factory uncovered | Gardaí found a PIRA bomb factory with up to 60kg of Semtex in County Laois and arrested five men. |
1996-06-20 | N/A | external_event | Irish government cut all contacts with Sinn Féin | The Irish government cut all contacts with Sinn Féin. |
1996-06-21 | N/A | external_event | RUC escorted Orange march | Some 1600 RUC officers escorted an Orange march through North Belfast. |
1996-06-21 | N/A | external_event | Catholic Gareth Parker (23) beaten to death | Gareth Parker (23), a Catholic man, died following a beating he received near the Shaftesbury Inn in north Belfast. |
1996-06-21 | N/A | external_event | Catholic beaten to death | A Catholic man died after being beaten outside a bar in North Belfast. |
1996-06-28 | N/A | external_event | PIRA bombs fired at British army barracks | Three PIRA mortar bombs were fired at a British army barracks in Osnabrück, Germany. |
1996-07-07 | N/A | external_event | Catholic Michael McGoldrick (31) killed outside Lurgan | "Michael McGoldrick (31), a Catholic man, was shot dead outside Lurgan. The attack bore the hallmarks of a paramilitary killing but no group claimed responsibility. [Suspicion for the killing fell on a 'maverick group' from the mid-Ulster brigade of the Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF). This group, believed to have been led by Billy Wright (then a leading Loyalist in Portadown), went on to form the Loyalist Volunteer Force (LVF).]" |
1996-07-08 | N/A | external_event | Unionists pulled out of talks in protest at Drumcree | The UUP, DUP and UKUP pulled out of the multi-party talks at Stormont in protest at Drumcree. |
1996-07-09 | N/A | external_event | Loyalist roadblocks in response to Drumcree incident | Hundreds of roads were blocked by loyalists and Orangemen, including the motorway to Dublin and the Craigavon Bridge in Derry/Londonderry. |
1996-07-11 | N/A | external_event | Widespread rioting sparked by Drumcree incident | In the days surrounding and following the Drumcree incident, there was widespread rioting. On the 11th of July 1996, rioting began in West and North Belfast, Derry/Londonderry, Armagh and other nationalist areas. On the 12th of July 1996, over 1000 petrol bombs were thrown and over 1000 plastic bullets were fired in Derry/Londonderry alone. On the same day, twenty-two people were seriously injured and a Catholic man died after being run over by an army personnel carrier. |
1996-07-13 | N/A | external_event | SDLP withdrew from Northern Ireland Forum | The SDLP announced its withdrawal from the Northern Ireland Forum. |
1996-07-14 | N/A | external_event | Nationalist marching in response to Drumcree incident | Thousands of nationalists marched in Derry/Londonderry, Belfast and Lurgan. Loyalist leaders warned that the CLMC ceasefire was 'at breaking point'. |
1996-07-16 | N/A | external_event | UUP accused Mark Durkan of inciting violence | The UUP reported the SDLP to George Mitchell for breach of the Mitchell Principles, accusing Mark Durkan of inciting violence at a riot in Derry/Londonderry. |
1996-07-18 | N/A | external_event | UFF bomb hoax on O'Connell Street | O'Connell Street in Dublin was sealed off for six hours after a UFF bomb hoax. |
1996-07-29 | N/A | external_event | Closing of Stormont talks | The multi-party talks at Stormont ended with agreement on the procedure for talks but no deal on arms decommissioning. |
1996-08-02 | N/A | external_event | Nationalist boycott in response to Drumcree incident | Sinn Féin defended a nationalist boycott of Protestant businesses in Lisnaskea, County Fermanagh. There were claims of other boycotts in Armagh, Omagh, Pomeroy and Castlederg, which were said to be a response to Drumcree. |
1996-08-02 | N/A | external_event | UVF disbanded 'the Portadown unit of the mid Ulster brigade' | The UVF disbanded 'the Portadown unit of the mid Ulster brigade'. The UFF later denied that some of its members were joining a new paramilitary organisation formed by a disbanded UVF unit. |
1996-08-07 | N/A | external_event | Patrick Mayhew banned Apprentice Boys from marching full route | Patrick Mayhew banned the Apprentice Boys from marching their full route, with the British army sealing off parts of the walls of Derry/Londonderry. |
1996-08-10 | N/A | external_event | Apprentice Boys march (August 1996) | A last-minute compromise by the ABD averted trouble. Compromises were also reached in Newtownbutler and Roslea, County Fermanagh, but there was a four-hour stand-off in Dunloy, County Antrim. |
1996-08-10 | N/A | external_event | Catholic John Molloy (18) killed in North Belfast | John Molloy (18), a Catholic man, was stabbed to death in Belfast. |
1996-08-11 | N/A | external_event | Royal Black Preceptory march stand-off | A Royal Black Preceptory march in Bellaghy, County Derry, was blocked by 300 residents, leading to a twenty-hour stand-off. |
1996-08-12 | N/A | external_event | RUC officers suspended for participation in Orange parades | Four RUC officers were suspended from duty for their participation in Orange parades. |
1996-08-15 | N/A | external_event | Hugh Lewsley's home attacked | Hugh Lewsley, SDLP councillor, had his West Belfast home attacked after appearing on a Channel 4 programme where he criticised punishment beatings. |
1996-08-28 | N/A | external_event | CLMC ordered expulsion of Billy Wright and Alex Kerr | The CLMC ordered the expulsion from Northern Ireland of two Portadown loyalists, Billy Wright and Alex Kerr. |
1996-09-01 | N/A | external_event | Alex Kerr's family targeted by bombing | A pipe bomb was thrown into the Dunmurry home of Alex Kerr's parents. |
1996-09-04 | N/A | external_event | Billy Wright rally | Billy Wright defied the CLMC deadline for his expulsion. A Portadown rally in support of Wright was held and addressed by Orangeman Harold Gracey and Rev. William McCrea, DUP MP. |
1996-09-02 | N/A | external_event | Troops deployed in North Belfast | Troops were deployed in North Belfast following sectarian rioting. |
1996-09-03 | N/A | external_event | Hugh Torney killed in Lurgan | Hugh Torney, former INLA chief of staff, was shot dead in Lurgan. This made him the sixth victim of a feud started when Torney's faction killed Gino Gallagher in January 1996. |
1996-09-09 | N/A | external_event | Irish Times poll on Stormont talks | An Irish Times poll revealed that two-thirds of Northern Ireland voters believed that the Stormont talks would fail. |
1996-09-10 | N/A | external_event | DUP and UKUP attempted to eject PUP and UDP from resumed talks | The DUP and UKUP attempted to eject the PUP and UDP from the resumed talks for breaching the Mitchell Principles, citing the CLMC threats against Billy Wright and Alex Kerr. The following day, the British and Irish governments decided that the PUP and UDP had not breached the Principles and could stay in the talks. |
1996-09-12 | N/A | external_event | Mary Robinson visit to Belfast | Mary Robinson visited Belfast, addressing a Methodist conference and opening community initiatives in Short Strand, Springfield Road and Donegall Road. |
1996-09-12 | N/A | external_event | Donegall Road women's centre attacked | The same day as Mary Robinson's visit to Donegall Road, the Donegall Road women's centre was attacked by arsonists in the evening. |
1996-09-15 | N/A | external_event | Catholic masses picketed by loyalists | Catholic masses across Northern Ireland were picketed by loyalists. The actions were condemned by Church leaders, Sir Patrick Mayhew, the SDLP, and the UUP. |
1996-09-16 | N/A | external_event | Seán Devlin (30) killed by DAAD | "Seán Devlin (30), a Catholic man, was shot dead in the Markets area of Belfast. Responsibility for the killing was later claimed by Direct Action Against Drugs (DAAD) which was believed by many people to be a cover name used by the Irish Republican Army (IRA)." |
1996-09-16 | N/A | external_event | Alliance complained that DUP and UUP had breached Mitchell Principles | Alliance made a formal complaint that the DUP and UUP had breached the Mitchell Principles during Drumcree. They also complained that McCrea had by attending a Portadown rally in support of Billy Wright. On the 24th of September 1996, the complaint was rejected by the British and Irish governments. |
1996-09-23 | N/A | external_event | Police raids in London and Sheffield | A PIRA member, Diarmuid O'Neill, was killed and five men were arrested in police raids in London and Sheffield. Large quantities of arms and explosives were discovered. |
1996-09-24 | N/A | external_event | Belfast Appeal Court quashed conviction of Colin Duffy | The Appeal Court in Belfast quashed conviction of Colin Duffy for the 1993 murder of a former UDR soldier. |
1996-09-30 | N/A | external_event | UFF and UVF prisoners withdrew support for peace process | UFF and UVF prisoners in the Maze Prison withdrew their support for the peace process, blaming 'IRA activity and politicians' inactivity'. |
1996-09-30 | N/A | external_event | Continuity Army Council car bomb in Belfast | The Continuity Army Council left a small car bomb in a Belfast side street. |
1996-09-30 | N/A | external_event | UUP released 'Addressing Decommissioning' document | The UUP released their 'Addressing Decommissioning' document, outlining its view on how and when Sinn Féin could be admitted to talks. |
1996-10-11 | N/A | external_event | Lisburn bombing peace rally | Some 1000 people attended a peace rally in Belfast following the Lisburn bombing. |
1996-10-19 | N/A | external_event | Loyalists attacked Cliftonville supporters' buses | Loyalists attacked Cliftonville supporters' buses outside Portadown football ground. |
1996-10-19 | N/A | external_event | Apprentice Boys march (October 1996) | The Apprentice Boys march around the walls of Derry/Londonderry passed off with little incident. |
1996-10-19 | N/A | external_event | David Trimble spoke at UUP conference | David Trimble spoke at the annual UUP conference. He blamed the Anglo-Irish Secretariat for Drumcree and criticised the BBC's coverage. He also called for SDLP to return to the Northern Ireland Forum and said that the Stormont talks should continue without Sinn Féin. |
1996-10-22 | N/A | external_event | Irish News poll on PIRA ceasefire | An Irish News poll showed that 94% of the Northern Irish population, including 70% of Sinn Féin supporters, wanted an immediate PIRA ceasefire. |
1996-10-23 | N/A | external_event | Orange hall destroyed in arson attack | An Orange hall in County Armagh was destroyed in an arson attack. |
1996-10-28 | N/A | external_event | Committee on the Administration of Justice released report 'The Misrule of Law' | The Committee on the Administration of Justice released a report 'The Misrule of Law' criticising the RUC handling of the Drumcree crisis, particularly the use of plastic bullets. |
1996-10-29 | N/A | external_event | Thomas Stewart killed | Thomas Stewart was shot dead in North Belfast. He had been removed as a UVF commander the previous week. |
1996-11-01 | N/A | external_event | Call for release of Neil Latimer | All parties in the Northern Ireland Forum called for the release of Neil Latimer, the last of the UDR Four, jailed in 1983 for the murder of Armagh nationalist Adrian Carroll. |
1996-11-06 | N/A | external_event | Release of Peter McMullen | Peter McMullen, a former member of the Parachute Regiment, was sentenced to fourteen years' imprisonment for the 1974 PIRA bombing of a Yorkshire barracks. He was however released considering the time he had spent in custody in the US fighting extradition. |
1996-11-06 | N/A | external_event | Release and rearrest of Republican prisoners | Sixteen high-security Republican prisoners were released and rearrested after their cases were heard by a judge who was no longer officially a member of the Dublin Special Criminal Court. There were widespread calls for the resignation of Justice Minister Nora Owen. |
1996-11-10 | N/A | external_event | Methodist church attacked in Belfast | A Methodist church on Belfast's Springfield Road was attacked by arsonists. |
1996-11-21 | N/A | external_event | Attempted car bomb in Derry/Londonderry | The Continuity IRA claimed responsibility for a car bomb which failed to explode in Derry/Londonderry. |
1996-11-24 | N/A | external_event | Orangemen prevented from marching to Dunloy Presbyterian church | Orangemen were prevented from marching to Dunloy Presbyterian church. Loyalists said their suspended Saturday pickets of Harryville Catholic church would resume, which they did, on the 30th of November 1996, when 500 loyalists attacked Mass-goers. |
1996-11-29 | N/A | external_event | Peter Robinson claimed being targeted by PIRA | Peter Robinson, deputy leader of the DUP, claimed that he was targeted by PIRA in London. |
1996-12-04 | N/A | external_event | Catholic families moved after petrol-bombing | Two Catholic families moved out of Ballykeel estate after being petrol-bombed, with a third moving on the 6th of December 1996. |
1991-04-04 | N/A | external_event | Banbridge bombing | The PIRA exploded a bomb in the centre of Banbridge, County Down, causing widespread damage and injuring a police officer. |
1991-03-28 | N/A | external_event | Three shot dead in Craigavon | The UVF carried out a gun attack on a mobile shop in Craigavon, County Armagh, killing Eileen Duffy (19), Katrina Penny (16), and Brian Frissell (29). |
1991-04-10 | N/A | external_event | Column Marks shot | Colum Marks (29), a member of the PIRA, was shot and mortally wounded by an undercover RUC officer. The shooting took place close to Downpatrick RUC station during an attempted mortar attack. |
1991-04-13 | N/A | external_event | Ian Sproule killed by PIRA | Ian Sproule (23) was shot by the PIRA in Castlederg. |
1991-04-13 | N/A | external_event | Samuel McCrum shot dead by the PIRA | Samuel McCrum (62), an RUC officer, was shot dead by the PIRA in Lisburn, County Antrim. |
1991-04-14 | N/A | external_event | Archbishop Desmond Tutu remarks on Sinn Féin | At an Anglican conference in County Down, Archbishop Desmond Tutu remarked that Sinn Féin should be invited to the forthcoming talks. |
1991-04-22 | N/A | external_event | CLMC ceasefire announcement | The CLMC announced that a ceasefire would be in place for the duration of the talks. It began on 29 April and ended on 4 July 1991. |
1991-04-30 | N/A | external_event | Political talks began | The Alliance, DUP, SDLP, and UUP parties met under the chairmanship of Peter Brooke for political talks. Although the talks formally began on 30 April 1991, the initial meetings were in bilateral rather than plenary session. |
1991-05-10 | N/A | external_event | Unionist press statement during the talks | The Unionist parties issued a press statement setting out their position on the venue for Strand 2 talks. |
1991-05-25 | N/A | external_event | Eddie Fullerton killed by UFF | Sinn Féin councillor Eddie Fullerton (56) was shot by the UFF in Buncrana, County Donegal. This was a breach of the CLMC ceasefire. |
1991-05-25 | N/A | external_event | Terence O'Neill killed by grenade attack | Terence O'Neill (44) was killed by PIRA grenade attack on a British Army base in Belfast. |
1991-05-26 | N/A | external_event | Cookstown bomb | The PIRA planted a car bomb in Cookstown, injuring thirteen people and damaging over 100 houses in the subsequent explosion. |
1991-05-31 | N/A | external_event | Three UDR soldier killed at the Glenanne barracks | Paul Blakeley (30), Robert Crozier (46), and Sydney Hamilton (44) were killed by a PIRA bomb attack on a Ulster Defence Regiment (UDR) base at Glenanne, County Armagh. The bomb, estimated at 2,000 pounds, was placed in a lorry that was then rolled down a hill into the perimeter fence. |
1996-12-05 | N/A | external_event | Police Authority report on RUC | A Police Authority report claimed that 80% of Catholics and 30% of Protestants wanted the RUC reformed or replaced. |
1996-12-06 | N/A | external_event | Catholic schools attacked in North Antrim | Two Catholic schools were attacked by arsonists in North Antrim. |
1996-12-10 | N/A | external_event | Patrick Mayhew announced public services cuts | Sir Patrick Mayhew announced public services cuts of £120 million to pay for the extra security bill caused by the PIRA resumption of violence and by Drumcree. |
1996-12-17 | N/A | external_event | Michael Howard refused to reopen PIRA prisoner cases despite evidence | Home Secretary Michael Howard refused to reopen the cases of fourteen PIRA prisoners despite a critical report finding that scientific evidence from the forensic explosives laboratory may have been contaminated. |
1996-12-20 | N/A | external_event | Assassination attempt on Nigel Dodds | An RUC man was shot and injured when the PIRA attempted to assassinate DUP councillor Nigel Dodds during his visit to his son at the Royal Victoria Hospital in Belfast. |
1996-12-22 | N/A | external_event | Republican Eddie Copeland injured in bomb | Republican Eddie Copeland was injured in a bomb left under his car. The UFF was blamed for the attack, but neither it nor the CLMC claimed responsibility. |
1996-12-23 | N/A | external_event | UDP and PUP claimed CLMC ceasefires still active | Gary McMichael (UDP) and Billy Hutchinson (PUP) claimed that the CLMC ceasefires were still active following the previous day's bombing. |
1996-12-28 | N/A | external_event | Bomb found under Sinn Féin activist's car | A bomb was found under the car of a Sinn Féin activist in Derry/Londonderry. |
1997-01-01 | N/A | external_event | Bombs found in Belfast Castle | Two 500-lb bombs were left in the grounds of Belfast Castle, causing a wedding party to be evacuated. |
1997-01-05 | N/A | external_event | Bomb defused in South Armagh | A 250-lb bomb was defused near Cullyhanna, South Armagh. |
1997-01-06 | N/A | external_event | PIRA grenade attack in Belfast | An RUC man was slightly injured in a PIRA grenade attack in Belfast |
1997-01-10 | N/A | external_event | Belfast bomb alerts caused disruption | Twenty bomb alerts around Belfast caused massive disruption. |
1997-01-11 | N/A | external_event | Senior Orangemen supported Catholics attending mass | Ten senior Orangemen, including Grand Master Robert Saulters, went to Harryville, Ballymena, to support Catholics braving a loyalist picket to attend mass. |
1997-01-11 | N/A | external_event | PIRA bombed RUC station | The PIRA mortar-bombed Tempo RUC station in Fermanagh. |
1997-01-13 | N/A | external_event | PIRA rocket attack on RUC patrol | The PIRA launched a rocket attack on an RUC patrol in West Belfast. |
1997-01-13 | N/A | external_event | DUP and UKUP attempted to expel PUP and UDP from talks | The DUP and UKUP attempted to expel the PUP and UDP from the Stormont talks. |
1997-01-16 | N/A | external_event | Whitemoor escapees trial collapsed | The London High Court trial of the six Whitemoor escapees, including five PIRA men, collapsed as a result of 'prejudicial publicity' by the London Evening Standard. |
1997-01-17 | N/A | external_event | New evidence emerged concerning Bloody Sunday 1972 | New evidence concerning Bloody Sunday in 1972 was reported by Channel 4 News. It was revealed that the Royal Anglian Regiment shot dead three of the fourteen victims, undermining the Widgery tribunal's contention that the First Parachute Regiment was responsible for all the killings. |
1997-01-18 | N/A | external_event | PIRA fired mortars at RUC patrol | The PIRA fired two mortars at an RUC patrol in Downpatrick |
1997-01-20 | N/A | external_event | Loyalists blamed for Larne bomb | Loyalists were blamed for a bomb which exploded under a van in Larne. |
1997-01-20 | N/A | external_event | Coffee-jar bombs thrown at RUC station | Two coffee-jar bombs were thrown at Mountpottinger RUC station in Belfast. |
1997-01-25 | N/A | external_event | British soldiers escaped bomb explosion | Three off-duty British soldiers escaped injury when a bomb exploded under their car in Ballynahinch. |
1997-01-27 | N/A | external_event | Northern Ireland Office compared current situation to Nazi Germany | BBC Newsnight reported that the Northern Ireland Office had produced a TV advertisement comparing the current situation in Northern Ireland to Nazi Germany. The advert was later dropped after complaints that it was an inaccurate comparison. |
1997-01-28 | N/A | external_event | PIRA rocket attack on RUC patrol | The PIRA fired two rockets at an RUC patrol in Belfast, making it the second rocket attack in two days. |
1997-01-30 | N/A | external_event | North Report published | Peter North, then Chairman of the Independent Review of Parades and Marches, released the North Report, which advised the creation of an independent commission to review parades. Though Nationalists welcomed the review, Unionists opposed the main recommendations. |
1997-02-02 | N/A | external_event | March commemorated 25 years since Bloody Sunday | A march in Derry attracted between 30,000 and 40,000 people in commemoration of 25 years since 'Bloody Sunday'. |
1997-02-02 | N/A | external_event | Claims in Fortnight that Gerry Adams had suggested killing John Hume | An IRA informer, Sean O'Callaghan, claimed in Fortnight magazine that Gerry Adams had suggested killing John Hume in the past. Though Sinn Féin dismissed the claims, they were widely reported in both national and international media. |
1997-02-10 | N/A | external_event | Bomb defused in Strabane | A large PIRA bomb was defused by the British Army outside a hotel in Strabane, County Tyrone. |
1997-02-15 | N/A | external_event | Patrick Mayhew ruled out apology or inquiry into Bloody Sunday | Sir Patrick Mayhew ruled out the possibility of an official apology or a new inquiry into Bloody Sunday 1972. The relatives of victims killed on the 30th of January 1972 communicated their outrage and disappointment. |
1997-02-26 | N/A | external_event | Irish News poll on parades | A UMS poll for the Irish News showed that 62% of people in Northern Ireland wanted a compromise on contentious parades; 21% favoured the Orange Order proceeding as usual while 9% wanted to stop contentious parades. |
1997-02-26 | N/A | external_event | Judith Boylan (16) faced IRA 'punishment' attack | Judith Boylan, 16 years old, was the victim of a 'punishment' style attack by two members of the IRA in Armagh. |
1997-03-03 | N/A | external_event | Bomb found outside Sinn Féin office | The UVF was blamed for a bomb found outside Sinn Féin's office in Monaghan town. |
1997-03-08 | N/A | external_event | LVF admitted to planting bombs in Tourist Board offices | The LVF admitted to planting two fire bombs which caused extensive damage in the Northern Ireland Tourist Board offices in Banbridge and Newcastle. |
1997-03-13 | N/A | external_event | PIRA bombed Short Strand | A soldier and an RUC man were injured in a PIRA bomb attack in Short Strand, East Belfast. |
1997-03-14 | N/A | external_event | Catholic John Slane (44) killed by loyalists | John Slane, a 44-year-old Catholic man and father to nine children, was killed by loyalists in his West Belfast home. |
1997-03-16 | N/A | external_event | Sunday Business Post published Bloody Sunday allegations | The Sunday Business Post published allegations by a former paratrooper of the British Army that his colleagues had deliberately killed unarmed civilians on Bloody Sunday in 1972. |
1997-03-17 | N/A | external_event | Billy Hutchinson received assassination warning | Billy Hutchinson of the PUP was warned by the RUC that the INLA had plans to assassinate him. |
1997-03-18 | N/A | external_event | Derrylin bomb threat | After an IRA bomb warning, the village of Derrylin, County Fermanagh, was sealed off. |
1997-03-18 | N/A | external_event | Robert Saulters expressed support for parades compromise | Grand Master of the Orange Order Robert Saulters expressed support for the 'Dromore initiative' which aimed to find compromises between local village residents and Orangemen. |
1997-03-19 | N/A | external_event | Orange halls fire-bombed | Orange halls in Ballymena and Bellaghy were targeted by arsonists. |
1997-03-24 | N/A | external_event | David Templeton (43) died after loyalist 'punishment' attack | A Presbyterian minister at Trinity Church in Greyabbey, David Templeton (43), died six weeks after a loyalist 'punishment' attack. |
1997-03-26 | N/A | external_event | Gareth Doris (19) shot by SAS | A Special Air Service (SAS) undercover unit shot at and seriously wounded Gareth Doris, 19, while he was allegedly throwing a bomb at an RUC station. |
1997-03-26 | N/A | external_event | PIRA bombs caused disruption in north-west England | Two PIRA bombs at Windslow Railway Station caused major disruption to the rail network in the north-west of England. |
1997-03-27 | N/A | external_event | Loyalist 'punishment' shootings in north Belfast | Loyalist paramilitaries targeted two men in separate 'punishment' shootings in north Belfast. |
1997-03-27 | N/A | external_event | Spirit of Drumcree disrupted Orange Order meeting | The Spirit of Drumcree (SOD) group disrupted an Antrim County Orange meeting. They heckled Grand Master Robert McIlroy while he explained the compromise found between the Lodge and residents of Dunloy as agreed by the Mediation Network. |
1997-03-29 | N/A | external_event | PIRA bomb found near British Army base | A large PIRA bomb, weighing up to 1000-lbs, was found near a British Army base at Ballykinlar, in County Down. It was then defused by the army. |
1997-03-29 | N/A | external_event | RUC man shot in County Armagh | An RUC man was shot in the leg at Forkhill, County Armagh. |
1997-03-29 | N/A | external_event | Republican 'punishment' attacks in west Belfast | Two men were targeted in separate 'punishment' attacks by Republican paramilitaries in west Belfast. One man was shot in the leg; the other man, a teenager, was beaten. |
1997-03-29 | N/A | external_event | Loyalist 'punishment' shootings in Belfast | Two men were targeted in separate 'punishment' shootings by loyalist paramilitaries in Belfast. On Ormeau Road, one man was shot in the leg. Close to Shore Road, another man was shot in both hands. |
1997-03-30 | N/A | external_event | Loyalist car bomb outside Sinn Féin office | A car bomb left by loyalists outside a Sinn Féin office in north Belfast was defused. |
1997-04-01 | N/A | external_event | Arson attacks in Tyrone and east Belfast | Arson attacks in Tyrone and east Belfast damaged several Protestant homes, including that of Joel Patton (head of the Spirit of Drumcree) and the Mountpottinger Baptist Tabernacle. The Tabernacle attack was initially blamed on Catholics. On the 20th of April 1997, though, a spokesperson for the PUP revealed that dissident Loyalists had carried out the attack. |
1997-04-05 | N/A | external_event | Series of attacks on Catholic and Anglican churches | On the 5th of April 1997, two Catholic churches in Randalstown and Antrim Town, and an Anglican church in Donoghmore, were targeted by arsonists. On the 7th of April 1997, a Catholic church in County Armagh was destroyed by an arson attack, and an Anglican church in County Derry was damaged. |
1997-04-09 | N/A | external_event | Catholic shot by loyalists near Belfast | In Newtownabbey, close to Belfast, a Catholic man from north Belfast was shot by loyalist paramilitaries. |
1997-04-10 | N/A | external_event | RUC officer shot by IRA in Derry | An RUC officer, Alice Collins, was shot and seriously wounded outside Derry/Londonderry courthouse. |
1997-04-12 | N/A | external_event | Catholic families left homes following loyalist intimidation | In the Limestone Road area of north Belfast, eight Catholic families left their home after a series of attacks by loyalists. |
1997-04-14 | N/A | external_event | St Peter's Catholic church targeted by arsonists | St Peter's Catholic church in Stoneyford, County Antrim, was targeted by arsonists, inflicting significant damage on the chapel. |
1997-04-14 | N/A | external_event | Man (24) injured in Loyalist 'punishment' shooting | In Ballysally estate in Coleraine, County Derry, a 24-year-old man was seriously injured in an alleged Loyalist 'punishment' shooting. |
1997-04-16 | N/A | external_event | St Coleman's Catholic church targeted by arsonists | St Coleman's Catholic church in Annaclone, County Armagh, was targeted by arsonists, inflicting significant damage on the chapel. |
1997-04-18 | N/A | external_event | UK road and rail network disrupted by IRA bombs | Much of Britain's road and rail network was disrupted by two PIRA bombs and a series of hoaxes. |
1997-04-21 | N/A | external_event | IRA bomb hoaxes in central London | Significant disruption followed a series of IRA bomb hoax warnings in central London. |
1997-04-25 | N/A | external_event | St Nicholas's Catholic church targeted by arsonists | St Nicholas's Catholic church in Carrickfergus, County Antrim, was damaged after an arson attack, believed to have been by Loyalists. |
1997-04-28 | N/A | external_event | Loyalist car bomb outside Sinn Féin office | A Loyalist car bomb left outside a Sinn Féin office on Falls Road was defused. |
1997-04-28 | N/A | external_event | UVF and UFF riots in Maze Prison | Prisoners who were members of the UVF and UFF protested and rioted on the roofs of blocks H1 and H2 in Maze Prison. They protested new prison conditions which included stricter security rules. They argued that the new rules should only apply to Republican prisoners. |
1997-05-08 | N/A | external_event | Robert Hamill (25) died after sectarian attack | A Catholic civilian, Robert Hamill (25) died in hospital following an attack by a loyalist mob in Portadown. The attack took place despite RUC officers being thirty metres from the scene in a police vehicle. The Independent Commission for Police Complaints later launched an investigation into the incident. |
1997-05-10 | N/A | external_event | RUC officer killed by INLA | A suspended RUC officer, Darren Bradshaw (24), was shot and killed by the INLA while drinking with friends in Belfast's Parliament Bar (which was known to be frequented by Belfast's gay community). |
1997-05-12 | N/A | external_event | Catholic Sean Brown (61) abducted and killed by LVF | A Catholic civilian and well-known member of the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA), Sean Brown (61), was abducted by the LVF. The next day, his body was found next to his burnt-out car in Randalstown, County Antrim. On the 19th of January 2004, a report released by the Police Ombudsman for Northern Ireland was highly critical of the police investigation surrounding Brown's killing. |
1997-05-21 | N/A | external_event | British local elections 1997 | Elections took place for the twenty-six district councils across Northern Ireland. Though the UUP remained the largest party with 27.9% of the vote, the Unionists lost control of Belfast City Council for the fist time. The SDLP also lost overall control of Derry City Council due to Sinn Féin's gains. |
1997-05-24 | N/A | external_event | LVF Bomb planted in Dundalk, Ireland | A bomb found in Dundalk, in the Republic of Ireland, was defused by Gardaí. It had been planted by the LVF, who threatened further no-warning bombs in the Republic. |
1997-05-24 | N/A | external_event | Loyalists attacked RUC officers during church picket | RUC officers who were protecting Catholics attending mass in Harryville, County Antrim, were attacked by loyalists. |
1997-05-26 | N/A | external_event | Gransha High School targeted by arsonists | Gransha High School in Bangor, County Down, was targeted by an arson attack which inflicted serious damage. |
1997-05-28 | N/A | external_event | Human Rights Watch published report criticising RUC | Human Rights Watch, a civil liberties group, published a report criticising the behaviour of the RUC during the 1996 Drumcree crisis. The main criticisms were the RUC's use of excessive force, plastic bullets, and their failure to remove illegal Orange roadblocks. The RUC rejected these claims. |
1997-05-29 | N/A | external_event | Bill Clinton visit to UK | Bill Clinton, then President of the United States of America, visited London and met with Tony Blair. Clinton called for the renewal of an IRA ceasefire and for Sinn Féin to be included in all-party talks. |
1997-05-30 | N/A | external_event | South Africa conference | A conference took place in South Africa with representatives of all the Northern Ireland political parties and those who had negotiated the peace settlement in that country. |
1997-06-01 | N/A | external_event | RUC Constable died after loyalist beating | Gregory Taylor (41), a RUC Constable, was off-duty when he was beaten to death by a loyalist mob outside a pub in Ballymoney, County Antrim. Taylor had been attacked after a dispute over the RUC's position on an Apprentice Boys of Derry parade. |
1997-06-02 | N/A | external_event | Alban Maginness elected as first Nationalist Mayor of Belfast | Alban Maginness (SDLP), a Catholic and nationalist, was elected Mayor of Belfast. |
1997-06-05 | N/A | external_event | LVF prisoners went on hunger strike | 15 LVF prisoners began a hunger strike at Maze Prison, protesting maltreatment by prison authorities. They claimed that they were denied church services, education, and weekend visits for opposing the peace process. |
1997-06-11 | N/A | external_event | 'Shankill Butcher' Robert Bates (48) killed | Robert 'Basher' Bates, a former leading member of the UVF 'Shankill Butchers' gang, was shot and killed in Belfast while opening the Ex-Prisoners Information Centre. While Republicans were initially blamed for the killing, it was later revealed to be the action of Loyalist paramilitaries. |
1997-06-11 | N/A | external_event | Queen visit to Northern Ireland 1997 | The Queen visited Northern Ireland and travelled to Dungannon, Belfast, and Hillsborough Castle. |
1997-06-13 | N/A | external_event | Martin Gavin (21) attacked by loyalists | 21-year-old Martin Gavin, a Catholic civilian, was attacked by five loyalists who beat him, fractured his skull, cut his throat, head, and hand. The sectarian attack was similar to those of the UVF 'Shankill Butchers' gang of the 1970s, and happened in the days following the killing of Robert Bates, a former leading member of the gang. |
1997-06-20 | N/A | external_event | Patrick Kane of the 'Casement Three' freed | Patrick Kane of the 'Casement Three', charged for the murders of corporals Derek Wood and David Howes in 1998, was freed by the Belfast Court of Appeal. |
1997-06-21 | N/A | external_event | Loyalist bomb attack in south Belfast | On Claremont Street in south Belfast, Loyalist paramilitaries carried out a booby-trap bomb attack on a car in which three men were injured. |
1997-07-02 | N/A | external_event | LVF issued death threats if Drumcree parade compromised | The LVF issued death threats to those living in the Republic of Ireland if the Drumcree parade planned for the 6th of July 1997 was not allowed to pass through the nationalist Garvaghy Road. |
1997-07-03 | N/A | external_event | Petition for inquiry into Bloody Sunday killings | Relatives of victims killed on Bloody Sunday presented a 40,000 signature petition to Marjorie Mowlam, calling for a new inquiry into the killings. |
1997-07-06 | N/A | external_event | Nationalist rioting in response to Drumcree parade | From the 6th to the 11th of July, there was widespread rioting and violence in nationalist areas of Northern Ireland in response to the Drumcree parade and the actions of the RUC and British Army. Eventually, the Orange Order decided to reroute and cancel other parades. |
1997-07-08 | N/A | external_event | NIO document on Drumcree leaked | A Northern Ireland Office document on the Drumcree parade was leaked to the press. The document implied that the decision to allow the parade to pass down Garvaghy Road had been taken by Marjorie Mowlam and security leaders as early as the 21st of June 1997, despite Mowlam's claims that the decision was made on the eve of the march. |
1997-07-15 | N/A | external_event | Catholic Bernadette Martin (18) killed | A Catholic civilian, 18-year-old Bernadette Martin, was shot dead while sleeping at her Protestant boyfriend's house. Despite no organisation taking responsibility for the killing, there was consensus between the RUC and nationalists that the LVF was responsible. |
1997-07-20 | N/A | external_event | PIRA ceasefire renewed | In a statement, the PIRA announced 'a complete cessation of military operations from 12 midday, Sunday, 20 July 1997'. |
1997-07-22 | N/A | external_event | Mo Mowlam published an article on the IRA ceasefire | Mo Mowlam published an article in the Irish Times responding to the renewal of the IRA ceasefire on the 20th of July 1997. |
1997-07-24 | N/A | external_event | Catholic James Morgan (16) abducted and killed | A Catholic civilian, 16-year-old James Morgan, was abducted after hitchhiking. His body was found on the 27th of July 1997 and showed signs of having being tortured. While no group claimed responsibility for his killing, it was widely believed to have been the action of the LVF. |
1997-07-31 | N/A | external_event | Large CIRA bomb defused near Lisballaw | A massive CIRA bomb, weighing between 500 and 1000-lbs, was defused in the grounds of Carrybridge Hotel, near Lisballaw, County Fermanagh. |
1997-08-01 | N/A | external_event | Protestant Stewart Hunter (24) found dead | A Protestant civilian, 24-year-old Stewart Hunter, was found dead near Larne, County Antrim. It was believed that Loyalist paramilitaries were responsible for his death. |
1997-08-03 | N/A | external_event | Nationalist residents protested Royal Black Preceptory march | In Newtownbutler, County Fermanagh, Nationalist residents protested a Royal Black Preceptory march, which was escorted by RUC officers in riot gear. Six people were injured. |
1997-08-06 | N/A | external_event | Hoax bomb sent to PUP offices | A hoax bomb was sent to PUP offices on Shankill Road. Loyalist paramilitaries were believed to be responsible. |
1997-08-05 | N/A | external_event | Hoax bomb sent to DUP councillor | Sammy Wilson, a DUP councillor, received a hoax bomb at Belfast City Hall. |
1997-08-06 | N/A | external_event | Loyalist 'punishment' attack in north Belfast | In North Belfast, a loyalist 'punishment' attack was carried out on a 18-year-old man. |
1997-08-06 | N/A | external_event | 'Punishment' style attack on taxi driver | In a 'punishment' style attack in Belfast, alleged to have been carried out by the OIRA, a taxi driver was shot in the legs. |
1997-08-06 | N/A | external_event | Orange hall targeted by arsonists near Caledon | Near Caledon, County Tyrone, an Orange Order hall was attacked by arsonists. |
1997-08-09 | N/A | external_event | Apprentice Boys parade disrupted by bomb hoax | The CIRA planted a hoax van bomb on Craigavon Bridge in Derry in order to disrupt the Apprentice Boys's march. The RUC also rerouted an ABD parade. |
1997-08-09 | N/A | external_event | Royal Black Preceptory march cancelled | Following protests from residents in Newtownbutler, County Fermanagh, the Royal Black Preceptory decided to cancel their march. |
1997-08-11 | N/A | external_event | Orange hall targeted by arsonists in south Belfast | An Orange Order Hall in Purdysburn in south Belfast was targeted by arsonists. |
1997-08-12 | N/A | external_event | BBC Newsnight debate between UUP and Sinn Féin | Marking the first time that a member of the UUP agreed to appear alongside a member of Sinn Féin on British television, Ken Maginnis and Martin McGuinness appeared in a BBC Newsnight debate. |
1997-08-14 | N/A | external_event | Attacks on homes of prison wardens | Four serving and former prison wardens had their homes attacked amidst instances of rioting in Maze Prison by loyalist prisoners. The LVF was believed to have been responsible for the attacks. |
1997-08-27 | N/A | external_event | Gun attack on Kenny McClinton's house | Pastor Kenny McClinton moved to Portadown after a gun attack on his house. He had recently mediated on behalf of LVF prisoners in Maze Prison. |
1997-08-30 | N/A | external_event | RUC station in west Belfast attacked | In west Belfast, the New Barnsley RUC station was attacked by a crowd of people throwing petrol bombs and setting a lookout post on fire. The RUC responded by firing plastic baton rounds. |
1997-08-31 | N/A | external_event | Tony Blair Sunday Times interview | In an interview published in the Sunday Times, Tony Blair said there was a plan for the future of Northern Ireland involving devolution, an Assembly, and some sort of North-South cooperation. He pledged a referendum on whatever settlement was available by May 1998. |
1997-09-16 | N/A | external_event | CIRA bomb exploded in Markethill | In Markethill, County Armagh, a bomb of 400-lbs exploded and caused significant damage. The bombing was later claimed by the CIRA. |
1997-09-20 | N/A | external_event | Harryville picket resumed | After a summer break, roughly 170 loyalists recommenced their picket of the Catholic church in Harryville, County Antrim. |
1997-09-24 | N/A | external_event | Bomb sent to Robert McCartney | Robert McCartney, leader of the UKUP, received a second bomb in two months by post. The British Army defused the bomb. |
1997-09-29 | N/A | external_event | Anti-talks rally in Belfast | In the Ulster Hall in Belfast, a rally in protest at the Stormont talks drew up to 1000 people. |
1997-10-07 | N/A | external_event | Substantive negotiations began at Stormont | The Northern Ireland talks at Stormont began substantive negotiations, with delegates from eight parties and two governments represented. |
1997-10-07 | N/A | external_event | Jeffrey Donaldson received a letter bomb | Jeffrey Donaldson, a UUP MP, received a letter bomb to his office which was defused by the British Army. |
1997-10-08 | N/A | external_event | US State Department removed IRA from list of terrorist organisations | The US State Department removed the IRA from its list of the thirty most dangerous terrorist organisations , which attracted criticism. |
1997-10-12 | N/A | external_event | Loyalists held rally at Belfast City Hall | Up to 5000 people attended a UDA-organised rally at Belfast City Hall to commemorate the third anniversary of the CLMC ceasefire. |
1997-10-16 | N/A | external_event | David Trimble received letter bomb | David Trimble, then leader of the UUP, received a letter bomb at his office, which was defused by the British Army. |
1997-10-20 | N/A | external_event | UUP temporarily walked out of talks in protest | In protest at the Irish government's refusal to change Articles Two and Three of the Irish constitution, the UUP temporarily walked out of the talks at Stormont. |
1997-10-25 | N/A | external_event | Protestant Glen Greer (28) killed in car-bomb | A Protestant man, 28-year-old Glen Greer, died in a car-bomb in Bangor, County Down. The killing was thought to have been part of a Loyalist feud. |
1997-10-26 | N/A | external_event | Protestant parish hall in Belfast targeted by arsonists | In Millfield, Belfast, a Protestant parish hall was damaged after an arson attack. |
1997-10-27 | N/A | external_event | Parades Commissions published guidance booklets | Three booklets, with the aim of acting as a guide to the issue in Northern Ireland, were published by the Parades Commission. These were: Procedural Rules, Guidelines, and Code of Conduct. |
1997-10-27 | N/A | external_event | News Letter poll on Unionist leadership | A telephone poll in News Letter, a paper with mainly unionist readership, revealed that 47% of 13,000 readers supported Ian Paisley (DUP), while only 24% supported David Trimble (UUP). The UUP criticised the poll for its unscientific nature. |
1997-10-30 | N/A | external_event | CIRA bombed Derry government offices | The CIRA claimed responsibility for attempting to bomb the vehicle licensing office in Derry. |
1997-10-31 | N/A | external_event | Hillary Clinton visit to Northern Ireland | Hillary Clinton visited Northern Ireland. |
1997-10-31 | N/A | external_event | Mary McAleese elected President of Ireland | Following the election, Mary McAleese was elected as the first Northern Ireland-born President of Ireland. |
1997-11-06 | N/A | external_event | Sinn Féin split 1997 | In protest at Sinn Féin's acceptance of the Mitchell Principles, twelve members of the party resigned. |
1997-11-09 | N/A | external_event | Protestant Raymond McCord (22) killed | A Protestant civilian, 22-year-old Raymond McCord was killed and his body was found at Ballyduff quarry, near Belfast. Loyalist paramilitaries had carried out the killing. |
1997-11-17 | N/A | external_event | LVF planted bombs in Dundalk | The LVF claimed to have planted four bombs in Dundalk, Republic of Ireland. The Garda Síochána removed 'suspicious devices' for examination. |
1997-11-18 | N/A | external_event | Riots following arrest of Colin Duffy | Nationalist riots occurred in Lurgan and Armagh following the arrest of prominent Republican Colin Duffy, who had been charged with assaulting RUC officers. |
1997-11-20 | N/A | external_event | CIRA bomb defused near PUP offices | In Belfast City Hall, a small CIRA was defused near the PUP offices. |
1997-12-05 | N/A | external_event | Catholic Gerry Devlin (36) killed by loyalists | A Catholic civilian, 36-year-old Gerry Devlin, was killed by loyalist paramilitaries in the car park of St Enda's GAA club in Glengormley. |
1997-12-08 | N/A | external_event | Bertie Ahern visit to Northern Ireland | Bertie Ahern, then Taoiseach of Ireland, visited Northern Ireland, and among other things visited the multi-party talks at Stormont. |
1997-12-11 | N/A | external_event | Sinn Féin visited Downing Street | For the first time in 76 years, talks took place at Downing Street between a British Prime Minister and leaders of Sinn Féin. |
1997-12-13 | N/A | external_event | Rioting in Derry following ABD march | Serious rioting in Derry by nationalist youths took place following an Apprentice Boys march through the city centre. No compromise had been found between the Bogside Residents Association and the Apprentice Boys prior to the parade. |
1997-12-27 | N/A | external_event | Catholic Seamus Dillon (45) killed by LVF | A Catholic, 45-year-old Seamus Dillon, was shot dead by the LVF in County Tyrone. The attack was considered retaliation for the killing of Billy Wright. |
1997-12-31 | N/A | external_event | Catholic Eddie Traynor (31) killed by LVF | A Catholic, 31-year-old Eddie Traynor, was shot dead by the LVF in north Belfast. The LVF published a statement claiming responsibility for the attack, which was considered retaliation for the killing of Billy Wright. They warned of further attacks, though it was questioned whether the LVF was acting alone. |
1998-01-01 | N/A | external_event | Shots fired at Catholic home in north Belfast | In the Greymount area of Greencastle, north Belfast, shots were fired at the home of a Catholic family. There were no injuries and no Loyalist paramilitary group claimed responsibility for the shooting. |
1998-01-02 | N/A | external_event | Shots fired at Protestant home in Fermanagh | In Newtownbutler, County Fermanagh, nine bullets were fired at a Protestant home. A member of the INLA claimed the shooting, however no recognised code words were used during the claim. |
1998-01-03 | N/A | external_event | Community building destroyed in arson attack | A building in the grounds of a Catholic church, used by a community playgroup, was destroyed by arsonists in an attack believed to have been by Loyalists. |
1998-01-06 | N/A | external_event | CIRA bomb defused in County Down | In the centre of Banbridge, County Down, a VIRA car bomb estimated at 500-lbs was defused. |
1998-01-10 | N/A | external_event | Catholic Terence Enwright (28) killed by LVF | A Catholic civilian and cross-community worker, 28-year-old Terence (Terry) Enwright, was shot dead by the LVF outside a Belfast nightclub. |
1998-01-12 | N/A | external_event | 'Heads of Agreement' published by British and Irish governments | The British and Irish governments released a document, 'Heads of Agreement', which they described as 'the best guess of what might be generally acceptable' in terms of the peace process. |
1998-01-18 | N/A | external_event | Catholic Fergal McCusker (28) killed by LVF | A Catholic civilian, Fergal (Rick) McCusker, was abducted and shot dead by the LVF in County Derry. |
1998-01-19 | N/A | external_event | Catholic Larry Brennan (51) killed by UFF | A Catholic civilian, 51-year-old Larry Brennan, was shot dead by the UFF in Belfast. However, the LVF initially claimed responsibility for the attack. Brennan's Protestant girlfriend was later told she would be shot if she went to his funeral, and that she had to leave her home in a Loyalist area of Belfast. |
1998-01-19 | N/A | external_event | UDA commander Jim Guiney (38) killed | UDA commander Jim Guiney (38) was shot dead by two members of INLA in Belfast. |
1998-01-21 | N/A | external_event | Catholic Benedict Hughes (55) killed by UFF | A Catholic civilian, Benedict (Ben) Hughes (55) was shot dead by the UFF in south Belfast. No group claimed responsibility for the killing, until Ronnie Flanagan (Chief Constable of the RUC) attributed it to the UFF on the 22nd of January 1998. |
1998-01-21 | N/A | external_event | Catholic John McFarland shot by Loyalist paramilitaries | Catholic civilian John McFarland was shot by a Loyalist paramilitary group, however he was able to drive himself to hospital. |
1998-01-21 | N/A | external_event | Protestant Steven Paul shot by Loyalist paramilitaries | A Protestant man, Steven Paul, was shot by unidentified Loyalist paramilitaries in Belfast. |
1998-01-21 | N/A | external_event | IRA rejected Heads of Agreement | The IRA released a statement rejecting the proposed Heads of Agreement document on the basis that it was pro-Unionist. |
1998-01-22 | N/A | external_event | Catholic Chris McMahon (29) shot by Loyalist paramilitaries | A Catholic man, Chris McMahon (29), was seriously wounded after being shot by Loyalist paramilitaries near Belfast. |
1998-01-23 | N/A | external_event | Catholic Liam Conway (39) killed by LVF | A Catholic civilian, Liam Conway (39) was shot dead by the LVF in north Belfast. The shooting occurred just hours after the UFF had reinstated its ceasefire. The UFF/UDA denied responsibility for the killing. |
1998-01-23 | N/A | external_event | Man injured after Loyalist 'punishment' attack | A man was injured after a Loyalist 'punishment' attack in which he was shot in the legs. |
1998-01-24 | N/A | external_event | Catholic John McColgan (33) killed by LVF | A Catholic man, John McColgan (33), was shot dead in Belfast. The LVF claimed responsibility for the killing though there were doubts about who was responsible. |
1998-01-24 | N/A | external_event | Bomb exploded outside Enniskillen 'River Club' | A car bomb exploded outside an entertainment club, the 'River Club' in Enniskillen, County Fermanagh, causing extensive damage to the building but inflicting no injuries. The CIRA was thought to be responsible. |
1998-01-25 | N/A | external_event | Catholic man shot by LVF in Lurgan | In Taghnevan Estate in Lurgan, a Catholic man was shot and injured by the LVF. |
1998-01-25 | N/A | external_event | Man beaten in paramilitary 'punishment' attack in Derry | A man was beaten by five masked men in a paramilitary 'punishment' attack in the Drummard Park area of Derry. |
1998-01-25 | N/A | external_event | Peace vigil protested Catholic killings | Roughly 1000 people attended a peace vigil in Belfast to protest the recent killings of Catholics by Loyalist paramilitary groups. |
1998-01-26 | N/A | external_event | UDP expelled from talks | In light of the UFF (cover name for the UDA) breaking its ceasefire, the British and Irish governments decided to expel the UDP from the talks, by which time the UDP had already left the talks venue. A document released on UDP participation indicated that the UDP could re-enter talks if the UFF maintained its ceasefire. |
1998-02-01 | N/A | external_event | Derry march to commemorate 26 years since Bloody Sunday | Up to 30,000 people took part in a march in Derry to commemorate the 26th anniversary of Bloody Sunday. |
1998-02-09 | N/A | external_event | Catholic Brendan Campbell (30) killed by DAAD | A Catholic civilian and alleged drug dealer, Brendan Campbell (30) was shot dead in Belfast by the DAAD. Many believed that the DAAD was a cover name for the IRA. |
1998-02-10 | N/A | external_event | Leading Loyalist Robert Dougan (38) killed | Believed to be a leading member of the UDA, Robert Dougan (38) was shot dead near Belfast. Though no group claimed responsibility, the RUC later blamed the IRA for the death. |
1998-02-10 | N/A | external_event | Leading Loyalist Mark Fulton attacked | a leading Loyalist, Mark Fulton, was attacked by a gunman in Portadown. Fulton escaped injury but blamed the UVF for the attack, a claim which was denied by David Ervine of the PUP. |
1998-02-12 | N/A | external_event | IRA claimed ceasefire was still intact | In a statement, the IRA said that the ceasefire was still in place. This was considered an attempt to avoid Sinn Féin from being expelled from the talks. |
1998-02-19 | N/A | external_event | Catholic Kevin Conway (39) found dead | The body of 39-year-old Kevin Conway was found in County Antrim. Conway had been abducted from his home on the 17th of February 1998. The RUC later blamed the IRA for the killing. |
1998-02-20 | N/A | external_event | CIRA bomb exploded in County Down | The CIRA exploded a large car bomb of roughly 500-lbs outside the RUC station in the centre of Moria, County Down. The bomb caused significant damage to commercial and private properties; eleven people were injured. |
1998-02-23 | N/A | external_event | CIRA bomb exploded in Portadown | The CIRA exploded a large car bomb of roughly 300-lbs in the centre of Portadown, County Armagh. Many businesses were damaged with two buildings being completely demolished, though there were no injuries. |
1998-02-25 | N/A | external_event | Letter-bomb exploded in Belfast centre | Four people were injured when a letter-bomb exploded in a Belfast centre Royal Mail sorting office. |
1998-02-28 | N/A | external_event | INLA grenade attack on RUC officers | The INLA carried out a hand grenade attack on RUC officers who were investigating a break-in and arson attack on a college in north Belfast. |
1998-03-03 | N/A | external_event | Loyalists paramilitaries killed lifelong friends | Two lifelong friends, Catholic Damien Trainor (26) and Protestant Philip Allen (34) were shot dead by Loyalist paramilitaries in the Railway Bar in Poyntzpass, County Armagh. Two other men were injured. The LVF was believed to be responsible. |
1998-03-05 | N/A | external_event | LVF attack on family in Antrim | The LVF were believed to be responsible for a gun attack on a family in the predominately Protestant Parkhill Estate in Antrim. A 3-year-old girl and her Protestant mother were injured while her Catholic husband escaped injury. |
1998-03-08 | N/A | external_event | Loyalist paramilitaries bombed Larne home | Loyalist paramilitaries bombed the home of a Catholic man and his Protestant partner in Larne, County Antrim. He blamed the UDA for the attack. |
1998-03-08 | N/A | external_event | LVF published document against the peace process | The LVF released a ten-page 'policy document' threatening Church leaders, politicians, industry and commerce leaders and paramilitaries whom it claimed were 'collaborating and colluding in a peace/surrender process designed to break the Union'. The LVF supported Ian Paisley's rejection of the peace process. |
1998-03-07 | N/A | external_event | Taoiseach confirmed new definition of Irish citizenship | Taoiseach Ahern outlined a new definition of Irish citizenship through a change to the wording of Article 2, whereby the Irish nation would be defined in terms of its people rather than its territory. |
1998-03-06 | N/A | external_event | Loyalist rally in Portadown | Prominent DUP politicians as well as LVF members attended a 2000-strong loyalist rally in Portadown. Ian Paisley called for the IRA to be 'exterminated' and said the 'only good IRA man was a dead one'. |
1998-03-08 | N/A | external_event | Ireland on Sunday poll on unification | An Ireland on Sunday opinion poll revealed that 71% of people in the Republic of Ireland wished to see a united Ireland. |
1998-03-09 | N/A | external_event | Decision not to extradite Roísín McAliskey | The British government took the decision not to extradite Roísín McAliskey to Germany due to medical reasons. McAlinskey had been arrested while five months pregnant relating to a charge of an IRA mortar attack on the British Army Osnabruck barracks in Germany on the 28th of June 1996. McAliskey was five months pregnant at the time of her arrest. There had been a strong campaign to secure her release in Britain, Ireland, Europe and the USA. |
1998-03-10 | N/A | external_event | RUC attacked by Republican paramilitaries in Armagh | The RUC base on Newry Road in Armagh faced a mortar attacked by Republican paramilitaries, believed to have been the CIRA. |
1998-03-15 | N/A | external_event | David Keys (26) found dead in Maze Prison | David Keys (26), one of the four men charged with the Poyntzpass murders of the 3rd of March 1998, was found hanged in his cell in Maze Prison. Both of Key's wrists were slashed. It was believed to have been a murder carried out by the LVF. |
1998-03-17 | N/A | external_event | St. Comgall's parish centre bombed by Loyalist paramilitaries | St. Comgall's parish centre in Larne, County Antrim, was bombed by Loyalist paramilitaries, believed to have been the LVF. |
1998-03-17 | N/A | external_event | First St Partick's Day parade in Belfast | For the first time since the establishment of the state, a St. Patrick's day parade received backing from Belfast City Council. Intended as a cross-community celebration, certain Unionists claimed that IRA slogans had been shouted and objected to the Irish national flag. These objections resulted in Belfast City Council withdrawing funds for future parades. |
1998-03-20 | N/A | external_event | Bomb defused in Derry centre | A bomb, believed to have been of the CIRA, was defused in the centre of Derry. |
1998-05-22 | N/A | external_event | Referendum on Good Friday Agreement | The people of Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland voted on the Good Friday Agreement. The results were as follows: Northern Ireland - Yes 71.12%, No 28.88% (turnout 81.10%); Republic of Ireland - Yes 94.39%, No 5.61% (turnout 56.26%); Ireland overall - Yes 85.46%, No 14.54%. |
1998-03-23 | N/A | external_event | Sinn Féin rejoined talks | Sinn Féin rejoined the multi-party talks at Stormont following their expulsion on the 20th of February 1998. |
1998-03-24 | N/A | external_event | Mortar bombs fired at Forkhill barracks | Four mortar bombs were fired at Forkhill police barracks. |
1998-03-26 | N/A | external_event | DUP published leaked NIO document | The DUP published a leaked NIO document which set out a plan to try to gain public support for any agreement reached during the talks. Unionists attacked the document, claiming the government was using deceit to manipulate public opinion. |
1998-03-27 | N/A | external_event | Former RUC member killed by INLA | Cyril Stewart, a former RUC member, was shot dead by Republican paramilitaries believed to be the INLA in Armagh centre. |
1998-03-29 | N/A | external_event | Catholic family left home after Loyalist petrol-bomb | A Catholic family living in north Belfast was forced to leave their home after it was petrol-bombed by Loyalists. The house was badly damaged in the attack and the family had faced extensive sectarian intimidation. |
1998-03-31 | N/A | external_event | MRNI poll on peace deal | An MRNI poll showed that 77% of people were in favour of a peace deal. |
1998-03-31 | N/A | external_event | UN report criticising RUC | A report by the United Nations Commission on Human Rights was published in which the RUC was accused of the widespread intimidation of lawyers involved in defending Republican and Loyalist paramilitaries. The report also called for an independent investigation into the death of solicitor Pat Finucane in February 1989. |
1998-04-03 | N/A | external_event | Parades Commission banned ABD march from Ormeau Road | The Parades Commission ruled against allowing the Apprentice Boys of Derry's Easter Monday parade to go down the lower Ormeau Road in Belfast, which was a mainly Catholic area. |
1998-04-03 | N/A | external_event | Bloody Sunday inquiry opened | The new inquiry into the events surrounding 'Bloody Sunday' in Derry on the 30th of January 1972 was opened in the Guildhall in the city. |
1998-04-08 | N/A | external_event | Trevor Deeny (34) killed by INLA | A former UVF prisoner, Trevor Deeny (34), was shot dead by the INLA in Derry. |
1983-11-14 | N/A | external_event | UDR member Charles Armstrong (54) killed | Charles Armstrong (54), a part-time member of the UDR and UUP chairman of Armagh District Council, was killed by a booby trap bomb under his car. |
1975-02-10 | N/A | external_event | IRA truce 1975 | A renewed IRA ceasefire began, with the agreement to last until the 23rd of January 1976. Despite this, there were a number of incidents during 1975 which involved members of the IRA. |
1972-06-26 | N/A | external_event | IRA truce 1972 | The IRA began a 'bi-lateral truce' as at midnight, which ended on the 9th of July 1972. The move was made as a prelude to secret talks with the British Government. |
1970-01-11 | N/A | external_event | Sinn Féin split 1970 | During an Ard Fheis (party conference) in Dublin, Sinn Féin split between those who were in favour of ending the policy of abstentionism - of not taking any seats won in the parliaments of Dublin, Belfast, and London - and those where against. A majority of delegates (although not the two-thirds required under the party's rules to change policy) were in favour of ending the abstentionist policy. Those opposed to the move, 257 supporters of the 'Provisional Army Council', walked out of the meeting and left the organisation to set up 'Provisional Sinn Féin' (PSF). The majority who remained were the 'Official Sinn Féin' (OSF). |
1991-06-03 | N/A | external_event | SAS killed three PIRA men | Undercover British Army soldiers, believed to be members of the Special Air Service (SAS), shot dead three PIRA men as they travelled in a car near Coagh, County Tyrone. Approximately 200 shots were fired by the SAS soldiers at the car. Two rifles were later recovered from the car. |
1991-06-05 | N/A | external_event | Statement on beginning of plenary talks | The party leaders met and agreed to commence plenary talks on the 17th of June 1991. |
1991-06-09 | N/A | external_event | PIRA bombed Protestant housing estate | The PIRA exploded a large bomb, estimated at 600-lbs, in a Protestant housing estate in Donacloney, County Down. |
1991-06-12 | N/A | external_event | US law limited companies working with Northern Ireland | David Dinkins, then Mayor of New York, USA, signed a law which would stop companies in the State of New York from doing business with Northern Ireland firms that did not comply with the MacBride principles. |
1991-06-17 | N/A | external_event | Inter-party talks began | Formal inter-party talks between the UUP, DUP, APNI, and SDLP began at Stormont. |
1991-06-26 | N/A | external_event | Maguire Seven freed | The convictions of the Maguire Seven for the Guilford and Woolrich bombs were quashed by the London Court of Appeal. |
1991-06-29 | N/A | external_event | Cecil McKnight (UDP) killed by PIRA | Cecil McKnight, then an Ulster Democratic Party member and a former senior member of the UDA, was shot dead by the PIRA at his home in Derry. |
1991-06-29 | N/A | external_event | Alleged informer killed by INLA | An alleged informer was shot dead by the Irish National Liberation Army (INLA) in Belfast. |
1991-07-03 | N/A | external_event | Inter-party talks suspended | The talks were suspended by Peter Brooke to try and prevent the complete collapse of the negotiations. |
1991-07-04 | N/A | external_event | CLMC announced end of ceasefire | The CLMC announced the end of its ceasefire, which had begun on the 29th of April 1991, at midnight. |
1991-08-09 | N/A | external_event | Garry Lynch (28) killed | Garry Lynch (28), who was an election worker with the UDP, was shot dead in an attack at his workplace in Derry. |
1991-07-12 | N/A | external_event | Public opinion survey on talks | A survey of public opinion on the talks, carried out by Ulster Marketing Surveys, Irish Marketing Surveys, and Gallup, showed a high level of support for the resumption of the talks. This was supported by 73% of people questioned in Northern Ireland; 87% in the Republic of Ireland; and 79% in Britain. |
1991-07-19 | N/A | external_event | Thomas Oliver (43) killed by IRA | Thomas Oliver (43), a civilian from Dundalk, Republic of Ireland, was shot dead by the Irish Republican Army (IRA) who claimed that he had been a Garda Síochána informer, a claim denied by the man's family. |
1991-08-12 | N/A | external_event | Pádraig Ó Seanacháin (33) killed by UFF | Pádraig Ó Seanacháin (33), a Sinn Féin election worker, was shot dead by the UFF, a cover name used by the UDA, in Killen, County Tyrone. |
1991-08-16 | N/A | external_event | Thomas Donagh (38) killed | Thomas Donagh (38), a Sinn Féin member, was shot dead by the UFF, a cover name used by the UDA, in Kilrea, County Derry. |
1991-08-16 | N/A | external_event | Martin O'Prey (28) killed by UVF | Martin O'Prey (28), a member of the Irish People's Liberation Organisation (IPLO), was shot dead by the UVF in the lower Falls area of west Belfast. |
1991-08-21 | N/A | external_event | PIRA bomb in Kilrea | The PIRA exploded a large bomb, estimated at 500-lbs, near an RUC station in Kilrea, County Derry. The explosion caused damage to nearby homes and churches. |
1991-08-21 | N/A | external_event | Gerry Adams sought 'open-ended discussions' | Gerry Adams, then President of Sinn Féin, wrote a letter, seeking 'open-ended discussions', to the British and Irish governments and to political and Church leaders in Northern Ireland. |
1991-08-26 | N/A | external_event | Northern Ireland Emergency Provision Act came into force | The Northern Ireland Emergency Provisions Act came into force in Northern Ireland. |
1991-09-01 | N/A | external_event | US delegation visit to Northern Ireland | A delegation to Northern Ireland led by Democrat Tom Foley, Speaker of the US House of Representatives, visited Northern Ireland. Foley called for an end of financial support for NORAID and refused to meet Sinn Féin until it renounced violence. |
1991-09-16 | N/A | external_event | Bernard O'Hagan (37) killed by UFF | Bernard O'Hagan (37), a Sinn Féin Councillor, was shot dead by the UFF, a cover name used by the UDA, at his place of work, Magherafelt College of Further Education, County Derry. |
1991-09-27 | N/A | external_event | Irish Times interview with Peter Brooke | The Irish Times carried a report of an interview with Peter Brooke, then Secretary of State for Northern Ireland. Brooke was reported as stating that Articles 2 and 3 of the Republic of Ireland's constitution were 'not helpful' in finding an agreement in Northern Ireland. He also warned that people should not seek to stretch the Anglo-Irish Agreement. |
1991-10-02 | N/A | external_event | Dispatches alleged RUC and UDR collusion with paramilitaries | The Channel 4 programme Dispatches aired a documentary called 'The Committee' which alleged an inner circle of collusion in the RUC and UDR with Loyalist paramilitaries in the killing of Catholics. |
1991-10-08 | N/A | external_event | UFF attacked GAA club in Kircubbin | The UFF, a cover name used by the UDA, set fire to a Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) hall in Kircubbin, County Down. |
1991-10-10 | N/A | external_event | Protestant civilian killed by IPLO | The Irish People's Liberation Organisation (IPLO) shot dead a Protestant civilian during a gun attack on a public house on the Shankill Road in west Belfast. |
1991-10-10 | N/A | external_event | Catholic civilian killed by UFF | The UFF, a cover name used by the UDA, shot dead a Catholic civilian near the Oldpark Road in west Belfast. A further four Catholic civilians were killed by the UFF over the following six days. |
1991-10-21 | N/A | external_event | BBC Panorama blamed talks breakdown on Unionists | The BBC Panorma programme blamed the breakdown of talks on Unionists. |
1991-11-02 | N/A | external_event | PIRA bombed Musgrave Park Hospital | The PIRA exploded a bomb at the military wing of Musgrave Park Hospital in Belfast killing two British soldiers. Eighteen people were also injured in the attack. |
1991-11-05 | N/A | external_event | UFF attacked Cliftonville team supporters | At a football match at Windsor Park in Belfast, the UFF, a cover name used by the UDA, threw a grenade at the supporters of the Cliftonville team, who were perceived to be mostly Catholic. |
1991-11-09 | N/A | external_event | Catholics Kathleen Lundy (40) and Colin Lundy (16) killed | Two Catholic civilians, Kathleen Lundy (40) and her son Colin Lundy (16), were burned to death when Loyalists carried out a petrol-bomb attack on their home in Glengormley, County Antrim. |
1991-11-13 | N/A | external_event | Series of PIRA attacks in Belfast | The PIRA carried out a series of attacks in Belfast and killed four Protestant civilians. |
1991-11-13 | N/A | external_event | UN criticised British government's refusal to videotape suspect interviews | The British government's refusal to videotape paramilitary suspect interviews was criticised by a report by the UN Committee on Torture. |
1991-11-14 | N/A | external_event | Three people killed in UVF attack near Lurgan | The UVF shot dead three people in an attack near Lurgan, County Armagh. Two Catholic civilians and one Protestant civilian were killed as they were travelling home from work. |
1991-11-15 | N/A | external_event | Irish Supreme Court blocked extradition of Sloan, Magee, and McKee | Irish Supreme Court ruling blocked the extradition of Sloan, Magee, and McKee |
1991-11-21 | N/A | external_event | British Attitudes Survey on troops in Northern Ireland and reunification | The report of the British Attitudes Survey showed that, of those questioned, 60% were in favour of the withdrawal of British troops from Northern Ireland, and 56% were in favour of the reunification of Ireland. |
1991-11-24 | N/A | external_event | Loyalist prisoners killed inside Crumlin Road Prison | Two Loyalist paramilitary prisoners were killed by an explosion inside Crumlin Road Prison in Belfast. The explosives had been smuggled into the prison, and fabricated into a bomb, by Republican paramilitary prisoners. |
1991-12-04 | N/A | external_event | PIRA bombed Glengall Street in Belfast | The PIRA exploded a bomb, estimated at 1,200-lbs, in Glengall Street in Belfast. The bomb caused extensive damage to the Grand Opera House which is close to the headquarters of the UUP. |
1991-12-04 | N/A | external_event | Joint statement on meeting of John Major and Charles Haughey | A joint communique was issued following the meeting of John Major and Charles Haughey. |
1991-12-08 | N/A | external_event | PIRA attacks in Blackpool and Manchester | The PIRA exploded a number of incendiary devices in shops in Blackpool and Manchester, England. |
1991-12-12 | N/A | external_event | PIRA bombed Craigavon police station | The PIRA exploded a bomb, estimated at 2,000-lbs, outside a police station in Craigavon, County Armagh. Nearby buildings were also damaged in the attack. |
1991-12-15 | N/A | external_event | PIRA bombed London shopping centre | The PIRA exploded a number of incendiary devices in a shopping centre in London. |
1991-12-16 | N/A | external_event | PIRA bombed south London railway | The PIRA exploded a bomb on a railway line in south London causing disruption to the rail service. |
1991-12-18 | N/A | external_event | PIRA bombed Belfast law courts | The PIRA exploded a bomb, estimated at 500-lbs, at the Belfast law courts. The buildings were damaged in the attack. |
1991-12-12 | N/A | external_event | Series of killings by Republican and Loyalist paramilitaries | The Irish People's Liberation Organisation (IPLO) killed two Protestant civilians in a gun attack on a public house in the Village area of Belfast. Hours later a Catholic civilian was shot dead by the UFF, a cover name used by the UDA, in the same area. The INLA killed a Protestant civilian in Moy, County Tyrone. |
1991-12-23 | N/A | external_event | PIRA planted incendiary devices in London train stations | The PIRA planted a series of incendiary devices at train stations in London and caused disruption to rails services. |
1991-12-23 | N/A | external_event | IRA Christmas ceasefire 1991 | The PIRA announced a three-day Christmas ceasefire. |
1992-01-05 | N/A | external_event | PIRA bombed Bedford Street in Belfast | The PIRA exploded a bomb, estimated at 600-lbs and contained in a van, close to Windsor House in Bedford Street, in the centre of Belfast. The bomb caused extensive damage to property in the area. A warning of approximately 30 minutes was given. Two RUC officers, and a British Army (BA) soldier, were slightly injured by the explosion. |
1992-01-03 | N/A | external_event | Catholic civilians killed by UVF in Moy | Two Catholic civilians were shot dead at their butcher's shop in Moy, County Tyrone, by the Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF). |
1992-01-06 | N/A | external_event | PIRA bombed High Street in Belfast | The PIRA exploded a bomb, estimated at 500-lbs, in High Street in the centre of Belfast. The bomb caused extensive damage to property in the area. A warning of approximately 30 minutes was given. The bomb had been left outside River House where the Northern Ireland Police Authority (NIPA) had office space. |
1992-01-10 | N/A | external_event | PIRA bomb near Downing Street | The PIRA exploded a small bomb, estimated at 5 pounds, that was concealed in a briefcase and left approximately 300 meters from Downing Street in London. |
1992-01-17 | N/A | external_event | Teebane bombing | The PIRA exploded a bomb killing eight Protestant civilians who had been travelling in a minibus past Teebane crossroads between Cookstown and Omagh, County Tyrone. The men had been working at a military base in County Tyrone and were travelling home when the attack occurred. |
1992-01-17 | N/A | external_event | Peter Brooke sang 'My Darling Clementine' on 'Late Late' | Peter Brooke sang 'My Darling Clementine' during an appearance on Radio Telefis Éireann's 'Late Late', just hours after the Teebane Bombing, and was accused of gross insensitivity by the Unionists |
1992-01-20 | N/A | external_event | John Major visit to Northern Ireland 1992 | John Major met security chiefs on a visit to Northern Ireland. |
1992-01-22 | N/A | external_event | Brian Nelson pleaded guilty to charges | Brian Nelson, who had operated as a British Army agent and a UDA intelligence officer, pleaded guilty to five charges of conspiracy to murder and 14 charges of possessing information useful to terrorists. Nelson was sentenced to 10 years' imprisonment. His decision to plead guilty meant that the security services did not have to justify their actions in court. |
1992-01-30 | N/A | external_event | Charles Haughey announced resignation | Charles Haughey announced his resignation as Taoiseach and leader of Fianna Fáil after 1982 phone-tapping allegations re-surfaced. |
1992-02-04 | N/A | external_event | Sinn Féin office shooting | An off-duty RUC officer, Allen Moore, walked into the Falls Road office of Sinn Féin and shot dead three Catholic civilians. Moore drove away from the scene and later shot himself. Two of those killed were members of SF. |
1992-02-05 | N/A | external_event | Bookmaker's shop shooting on Ormeau Road | The UFF, a cover name used by the UDA, shot dead five Catholic civilians, including a 15 year old boy, in a gun attack on Sean Graham's Bookmaker's shop on the lower Ormeau Road in Belfast. The UDA at this time was a legal organisation and there were calls for it to be proscribed. A statement from the UFF concluded with the words "Remember Teebane". |
1992-02-05 | N/A | external_event | PIRA member killed by UDR in County Fermanagh | A member of the PIRA was shot dead by the UDR in County Fermanagh. |
1992-02-06 | N/A | external_event | Albert Reynolds elected as leader of Fianna Fáil and Taoiseach | Albert Reynolds was elected as leader of Fianna Fáil and also became Taoiseach. |
1992-02-15 | N/A | external_event | Bomb exploded in Belfast centre | A bomb, estimated at 250-lbs, exploded in the centre of Belfast. |
1992-02-16 | N/A | external_event | PIRA members killed in Dernagh | Four members of the PIRA were shot dead by undercover soldiers of the British Army in the car park of St Patrick's Catholic church in Dernagh, near Coalisland, County Tyrone. The shooting took place after an earlier gun attack on the joint RUC/British Army base in Coalisland. |
1992-02-28 | N/A | external_event | PIRA bombed London Bridge station | The PIRA exploded a bomb at London Bridge railway station in London and injured 28 people. |
1992-03-05 | N/A | external_event | PIRA bombed centre of Lurgan and Belfast | The PIRA exploded a bomb, estimated at 1,000 pounds, in the centre of Lurgan, County Armagh. The bomb caused extensive damage of commercial properties in the town. The PIRA exploded another bomb in the centre of Belfast that also caused extensive damage. |
1992-03-09 | N/A | external_event | Plenary sessions of talks in Stormont | Plenary sessions of talks took place between the four main political parties. |
1992-03-24 | N/A | external_event | PIRA bombed Donegall Pass RUC station | Donegall Pass RUC station in Belfast was bombed by the PIRA, with the area extensively damaged. |
1992-03-25 | N/A | external_event | Times poll on Northern Ireland | The Times published an opinion poll of those living in Britain. Of those questioned, 31 % said they were in favour of Northern Ireland becoming independent, 29% favoured the region remaining part of the UK, and 23% were in favour of a united Ireland. |
1992-04-05 | N/A | external_event | Bill Clinton speech to American-Irish Presidential Forum | Bill Clinton gave a speech to the American-Irish Presidential Forum in New York, USA. He undertook, if elected President, to: reverse the ban on Gerry Adams, then President of Sinn Féin, entering the USA; support the 'MacBride Principles'; appoint a peace envoy to Northern Ireland; and raise the issue of human rights violations with the British government. |
1992-04-09 | N/A | external_event | British general election 1992 | A general election was held in the UK. The Conservative Party won the election with a reduced majority of 21 seats in the House of Commons. In Northern Ireland, Gerry Adams, then President of Sinn Féin, lost his seat in West Belfast to Joe Hendron (Dr) of the SDLP. |
1992-04-10 | N/A | external_event | Baltic Exchange Bombing | The IRA exploded two bombs at the Baltic Exchange in the centre of London and killed three people including a 15 year old girl. The IRA warning proved to be inadequate and added to the confusion as it mentioned the Stock Exchange. |
1992-04-11 | N/A | external_event | Patrick Mayhew appointed Secretary of State for Northern Ireland | Sir Patrick Mayhew, former Attorney-General, replaced Peter Brooke as Secretary of State for Northern Ireland. |
1996-02-28 | N/A | external_event | Anglo-Irish Communique - 28 February 1996 | John Major and John Bruton released a statement condemning the end of the PIRA ceasefire. They also noted that they were going to conduct consultations in advance of the launch of the talks. |
1968-08-24 | N/A | external_event | First civil rights march in Northern Ireland | The first civil rights march was held in Northern Ireland from Coalisland to Dungannon. |
1969-08-12 | N/A | external_event | Serious violence after Apprentice Boys' parade 1969 | Serious violence occurred after an Apprentice Boys' parade in Derry. Taoiseach Jack Lynch sent 'field hospitals' to border areas. RUC stations were attacked in nationalist areas and there was widespread rioting in the days surrounding this event. This was one of the key events marking the beginning of the Troubles. |
1988-01-11 | N/A | external_event | Opening of Sinn Féin/SDLP Talks | In January 1988 just eight months after Sinn Féin produced its document Scenario for Peace which called for dialogue on the political situation in the North, the party received a letter from a third party asking it if it were willing to formally meet the SDLP. On January 11th 1988, Gerry Adams and John Hume met for several hours. They exchanged analyses and it was emphasised by both afterwards that there was 'no military agenda'. |
1988-03-06 | N/A | external_event | Gibraltar Killings | Three unarmed IRA members were shot dead by undercover members of the SAS in Gibraltar. The episode sparked intense controversy and began a chain of events that lead to a series of deaths in Northern Ireland on the 16th of March 1988 and 19th of March 1988. The British government claimed that the SAS shot the IRA members because they thought a bomb was about to be detonated though eye-witnesses claimed that those shot were given no warning. |
1988-03-16 | N/A | external_event | Milltown Cemetery killings | During the funerals, at Milltown Cemetery in Belfast, for the three IRA members killed in Gibraltar (6 March 1988), a Loyalist gunman, Michael Stone, launched a grenade and gun attack on mourners. Three people were killed and 50 injured. Stone was chased to a nearby motorway were he was attacked by a number of mourners. The police arrived in time to save his life. |
1988-03-19 | N/A | external_event | Army corporals killed during Kevin Brady funeral | During the funeral of Kevin Brady, killed at Milltown Cemetery (16 March 1988), a car approached the funeral procession at high speed. It was claimed by some present that they feared another attack by Loyalist gunmen. The car's passage was blocked and a group of the mourners attacked the two passengers. The two men in the car were later identified as corporals Derek Wood and David Howes of the British Army. One of the soldiers fired a warning shot but both were beaten and overpowered. The two soldiers were driven to waste ground and shot dead. |
1986-11-02 | N/A | external_event | Sinn Féin split 1986 | During the second day of the Sinn Féin (SF) Ard Fheis in Dublin, a majority of delegates voted to end the party's policy of abstentionism (that of refusing to take seats in Dáil Éireann). The change in policy led to a split in SF and Ruairí Ó Brádaigh, a former President of SF, Dáithí Ó Conaill, a former vice-President of SF, and approximately 100 people staged a walk-out. Ó Brádaigh and Ó Conaill went on to establish a new organisation called Republican Sinn Féin (RSF). |
1972-03-28 | N/A | external_event | Prorogation of Stormont | Brian Faunkner, the then Prime Minister of Northern Ireland, was summoned to London on 24 March 1972. Edward Heath, the then British Prime Minister, informed Faulkner that security policy would be transferred to Westminster. This was unacceptable to the Unionist controlled Northern Ireland Government and it prompted the British Government to suspend the Northern Ireland parliament at Stormont and assume "full and direct responsibility". |
1974-11-21 | N/A | external_event | Birmingham pub bombings | The IRA planted bombs in two public houses, the Mulberry Bush and the Tavern in the Town in Birmingham and killed a total of 21 civilians (two of whom died in the weeks following the explosions). Six Irish men, the 'Birmingham Six', were arrested and convicted of causing the explosions and served 16 years in prison before being freed on appeal on 14 March 1991. |
1991-03-14 | N/A | external_event | 'Birmingham Six' freed | Six men, known as the 'Birmingham Six', who had spent 16 years in jail were freed by the Court of Appeal in London. The six were: Hugh Callaghan, Paddy Hill, Gerry Hunter, Richard McIlkenny, Billy Power, and Johnny Walker. The men had been convicted for the bombings that occurred in two public houses in Birmingham on 21 November 1974. The six had been found guilty on the basis of forensic evidence and confessions that the men claimed were beaten out of them. The forensic evidence was shown to be unreliable and there was evidence that the police had forged notes of interviews and had given false evidence at the original trial. |
1886-05-18 | N/A | external_event | (1886) The Home Rule Bill | The home rule Bill granted Ireland limited self-rule within the British Empire, with the UK Parliament maintaining sovereignty over an Irish parliament and executive based in Dublin. Irish representation in the Westminster Parliament would end. |
1973-12-09 | N/A | external_event | Sunningdale agreement | Sunningdale agreement, under the Northern Ireland Assembly Act of May 1973, aimed to restore devolved government in Northern Ireland. In the general election of February 1974, 11 out of 12 constituencies in Northern Ireland were won by the United Ulster Unionist Council, a coalition of anti-Sunningdale Unionists. The Ulster Workers Council then called a general strike, and on the 28th of May 1974, the Northern Ireland Assembly and Executive collapsed. |
1983-08-09 | N/A | external_event | Thomas 'Kidso' Reilly (22) killed by British soldier | Thomas 'Kidso' Reilly (22) was shot by a member of the Light Infantry on Springfield Road on the 9th of August 1983. Ian Thain, the soldier responsible for the killing, was convicted in December 1984, making him the first British Army soldier to be convicted of murdering a civilian in Northern Ireland. However, Thain was released in January 1987 and allowed to rejoin his regiment and resume active service. |
1984-12-14 | N/A | external_event | First British Army soldier convicted of murder | Ian Thain, a Private in the British Army, was convicted of the murder of civilian Thomas 'Kidso' Reilly (22). He was the first British Army soldier to be convicted of murdering a civilian in Northern Ireland. However, Thain was released in January 1987 and allowed to rejoin his regiment and resume active service. |
1984-05-24 | N/A | external_event | Stalker affair | In May 1984, John Stalker, Deputy Chief Constable of the Manchester police force, was appointed by the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) to investigate three incidents in 1982 when 6 unarmed people were killed by undercover policemen. This did not result in the uncovering of the full facts surrounding these murders. The administrative cover-up became known as the Stalker Affair. |
1974-11-29 | N/A | external_event | Prevention of Terrorism (Temporary Provisions) Bill | The Prevention of Terrorism (Temporary Provisions) Bill allowed the police to detain people for up to seven days without any charge being brought against them. The Act also allowed the authorities to 'exclude' people from entering Britain. Although it was initially viewed as a temporary measure, the Prevention of Terrorism Act was renewed each year and made permanent by a Conservative government in 1988. |
1916-04-24 | N/A | external_event | Proclamation of the Irish Republic | The 'Proclamation of the Republic' on Easter Monday, 24th of April 1916, was a 'formal assertion of the Irish Republic as a sovereign, independent state, and also a declaration of rights'. |
1972-01-30 | N/A | external_event | 'Bloody Sunday' 1972 | 'Bloody Sunday' refers to the shooting dead by the British Army of 13 civilans (and the wounding of another 14 people, one of whom later died) during a Civil Rights march in Derry. |
1987-11-08 | N/A | external_event | Enniskillen (Remembrance Day) bombing | During the annual Remembrance Day ceremony in Enniskillen, County Fermanagh, a bomb planted by the Irish Republican Army (IRA) exploded at the War Memorial killing 11 people and injuring another 63, many seriously. |
1989-11-29 | N/A | external_event | Two Catholics killed by UVF | The Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) shot and killed two Catholic men in Coagh, County Tyrone. One of the men was a member of the IRA. |
1979-09-29 | N/A | external_event | Pope's visit to Ireland | Pope John Paul II visited Drogheda, County Louth, Republic of Ireland. The Pope spoke to an estimated crowd of 250,000 people and appealed for an end to violence in Northern Ireland, "On my knees I beg of you to turn away from the paths of violence and to return to the ways of peace". |
1973-07-18 | N/A | external_event | Northern Ireland Constitution Act 1973 | The 'Northern Ireland Constitution Act' officially abolished the Stormont Parliament and laid the foundations for the new assembly with devolved powers to take effect. |
1981-05-05 | N/A | external_event | Death of Bobby Sands | Bobby Sands (27), an IRA member and Member of Parliament, died on 5 May 1981 on hunger strike, after 66 days without food. |
1993-11-01 | N/A | external_event | Maastricht Treaty | The Treaty on European Union, known as the Maastricht Treaty, was signed on the 7th of February 1992 and came into force on the 1st of November 1993. It was the foundation treaty of the European Union. |
1982-07-20 | N/A | external_event | Hyde Park and Regent's Park bombings | The IRA exploded two bombs in London, one at South Carriage Drive, close to Hyde Park and the other at the Bandstand in Regent's Park, resulting in the deaths of 11 British Soldiers. Various civilians who had been watching the parade were also injured. The second bomb, which exploded at lunch time, had been planted under the bandstand in Regent's Park. The explosion killed 7 bandsmen of the Royal Green Jackets as they were performing a concert at the open-air bandstand. Approximately two dozen civilians who had been listening to the performance were injured in the explosion. |
1991-11-15 | N/A | external_event | St Albans bombing | 'Patricia Black and Frankie Ryan were killed on 15 November 1991, when a bomb they were carrying detonated early. [...] The bomb exploded in the doorway of the old Barclays Bank next to the Alban Arena. The Blues and Royals military band were playing in the venue at the time.' |
1990-11-29 | N/A | external_event | Irish Times article by Fr Alec Reid | The Redemptorist priest Fr Alex Reid wrote an article in The Irish Times entitled 'Priest feels Church must provide talks channel for IRA'. He outlined his belief that the 'the Republican movement could be persuaded to end its strategy of armed force in favour of a strategy of political force', and that the 'tragic and violent dimensions of what is essentially a political conflict could be ended, as far as the nationalist side of it is concerned, within any given six-month period, provided it were handled properly'. |
1992-04-14 | N/A | external_event | British Army recruiting sergeant killed by INLA | A British Army recruiting sergeant died after being shot by the Irish National Liberation Army (INLA) in Derby, England, making it the first killing by the INLA in Britain since 1979. |
1992-04-27 | N/A | external_event | Suspension of Anglo-Irish Intergovernmental Conference | There was an announcement at the Anglo-Irish Intergovernmental Conference (AIIC) that there would be a three-month suspension of its meetings to allow the political talks to recommence. |
1992-04-28 | N/A | external_event | Philomena Hanna (26) killed by UFF | Philomena Hanna (26), a Catholic civilian, was shot dead by the Ulster Freedom Fighters (UFF), a cover name (pseudonym) used by the Ulster Defence Association (UDA), at her place of work - a chemist shop on the Springfield Road, west Belfast. |
1992-05-01 | N/A | external_event | IRA bombed border post in Armagh | The Irish Republican Army (IRA) exploded a bomb, estimated at 1,000 pounds, at a border post in County Armagh and killed one British Army soldier and injured a number of others. |
1992-05-12 | N/A | external_event | British soldiers damaged public houses in Tyrone | British soldiers of the Parachute Regiment entered two public houses in Coalisland, County Tyrone, and caused considerable damage to both properties. This incident followed an earlier Irish Republican Army (IRA) attack during which a Paratrooper lost both legs in an explosion. The commanding officer of the regiment was later removed from his post. |
1992-05-17 | N/A | external_event | British soldiers involved in fist-fight in Tyrone | British soldiers of the King's Own Scottish Borderers becamed involved in a fist-fight with local people in Coalisland, County Tyrone. Soon after members of the Parachute Regiment arrived and fired on a crowd of people standing outside a public house in the town, and shot and wounded three civilians and injured a further four others. |
1992-06-01 | N/A | external_event | First DUP mayor of Derry elected | A Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) councillor was elected Mayor in Derry with the backing of the Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP) |
1992-06-04 | N/A | external_event | Appeal of Judith Ward upheld | The Court of Appeal in London upheld the appeal of Judith Ward against her conviction for involvement in a bomb attack on 4 February 1974. The court quashed her conviction and accused the original forensic scientists of having concealed evidence. |
1992-06-25 | N/A | external_event | Molyneaux-Paisley motion opposed by government | James Molyneaux, then leader of the Ulster Unionist Party (UUP), together with Ian Paisley, then leader of the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), put a motion before the House of Commons which called for the setting up of a Northern Ireland Select Committee. The motion was supported by the Liberal Democrats, and the Welsh and Scottish Nationalist parties. However the government opposed the motion. |
1992-07-01 | N/A | external_event | Bodies of IRA members found in south Armagh | The bodies of three Irish Republican Army (IRA) members were found in different parts of south Armagh. The three men were shot dead by the IRA which alleged that the men had acted as informers for the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) and MI5 (British Security Service). |
1992-07-06 | N/A | external_event | Strand Two talks began | Strand 2 of the talks began with discussions in London between the British and Irish Governments and the Northern Ireland political parties. The Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) also attended the discussions although three members of the party resigned in protest at the development. |
1992-07-29 | N/A | external_event | Three of 'UDR Four' released from prison | Three of the four people known as the 'UDR Four' were released from prison following the quashing of their convictions. The court had heard that RUC notes of the confessions had been tampered with. The fourth member, Neil Latimer, was not released because there was other evidence against him. |
1992-08-02 | N/A | external_event | Bedford Street in Belfast bombed | Two bombs, each estimated at 200 pounds, exploded in Bedford Street, Belfast. Extensive damage was done to buildings in the area. |
1992-08-10 | N/A | external_event | UDA banned by Patrick Mayhew | Patrick Mayhew, announced that the Ulster Defence Association (UDA) was to be proscribed (banned) from midnight. The move was welcomed by Nationalist politicians who felt the decision was long overdue. |
1992-08-18 | N/A | external_event | IPLO member Jimmy Brown (36) killed in internal feud | Jimmy Brown (36), then a member of the Irish People's Liberation Organisation (IPLO), was shot dead in Belfast at the start of an internal IPLO feud. |
1992-08-21 | N/A | external_event | IPLO member Hugh McKibben (21) killed in internal feud | Hugh McKibben (21), then a member of the Irish People's Liberation Organisation (IPLO), was shot dead at the Lámh Dhearg Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) social club on the outskirts of Belfast. His was killed by the Belfast Brigade of the IPLO during an internal IPLO feud. Two other men were wounded in the attack. |
1992-05-13 | N/A | external_event | SDLP submission leaked | A submission made to Strand One of the political talks by the SDLP was leaked to the media. The main element of the submission was a proposal for a six-member Commission that would act as the cabinet of any future government. |
1992-06-12 | N/A | external_event | Strand One talks deadlocked | Deadlock was reached on Strand 1 of the talks, though the parties agreed to begin working on Strand 2 and 3. |
1992-09-07 | N/A | external_event | Catholic husband and wife killed by loyalists | A husband and wife, both Catholic civilians, were shot dead by Loyalists near Moy, County Armagh. |
1992-09-07 | N/A | external_event | Mary Robinson visit to Northern Ireland | Mary Robinson, then President of the Republic of Ireland, paid a visit to Derry and Enniskillen, County Fermanagh. |
1992-09-09 | N/A | external_event | Ian Paisley and Peter Robinson walked out of talks | Ian Paisley (then leader of the DUP) and Peter Robinson (then deputy leader of the DUP) walked out of Strand 2 of the talks as Articles 2 and 3 of the Irish Constitution were not the first item on the talks agenda. |
1992-09-12 | N/A | external_event | Confidential discussion paper leaked | A confidential discussion paper believed to have been prepared by Patrick Mayhew was leaked from the talks. The paper was heavily criticised by Unionists and was later withdrawn when James Molyneaux, then leader of the Ulster Unionist Party (UUP), threatened to leave the talks. |
1992-09-17 | N/A | external_event | Firebomb attacks in London | The IRA carried out three firebomb attacks in London at around 1am, targeting Madame Tussaud's, The Planetarium, and the Imperial War Museum. |
1992-09-20 | N/A | external_event | Further discussion paper leaks | Further leaks of discussion papers relating to the political talks were leaks, including an an Irish government paper that indicated there would be no change on Articles 2 and 3 of the Irish Constitution unless there was some movement on the Unionist side. |
1992-09-21 | N/A | external_event | UUP delegation began three-day Strand Two talks | James Molyneaux, then leader of the UUP, led a delegation from the UUP to talks in Dublin Castle, Dublin, with the Irish Government. These were the first formal discussions by Unionists in Dublin since 1922. |
1992-09-23 | N/A | external_event | IRA bombed forensic science laboratories | The IRA exploded a huge bomb, estimated at 2,000 pounds, at the Northern Ireland forensic science laboratories in south Belfast. Twenty people were injured, the laboratories destroyed, and approximately 700 houses were damaged in the blast. |
1992-09-30 | N/A | external_event | DUP rejoined talks | The Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) returned to the resumed political talks at Stormont as the main business was Articles 2 and 3 of the Irish Constitution. |
1992-10-12 | N/A | external_event | IRA bombed Sussex Public House | The Irish Republican Army (IRA) exploded a small bomb in the Sussex Public House, in London. One person died later from injuries received during the explosion; a further four people were also injured. |
1992-10-16 | N/A | external_event | Sheena Campbell (29) killed by UVF | Sheena Campbell (29), a law student who had been a Sinn Féin (SF) candidate in the Upper Bann by-election in 1990, was shot dead by the Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) while in the York Hotel, Botanic Avenue, Belfast. |
1992-10-20 | N/A | external_event | Robert Irvine (43) killed by IRA | Robert Irvine (43), then a member of the Royal Irish Regiment (RIR) - an amalgamation of the UDR and Royal Irish Rangers - was shot dead by the Irish Republican Army (IRA) at his home in Rasharkin, County Antrim. |
1992-10-21 | N/A | external_event | Bangor bombing | The Irish Republican Army (IRA) exploded a bomb, estimated at 200 pounds, in the main street of Bangor, County Down, causing extensive damage to property in the area. |
1992-10-30 | N/A | external_event | IRA bombed Glengormley RUC station | The IRA bombed Glengormley RUC station, injuring 13 people and damaging over 100 houses. |
1992-10-30 | N/A | external_event | London taxi driver forced to transport IRA bomb | A London taxi driver was forced to transport an IRA bomb to a location near Downing Street, where it later exploded. |
1992-10-31 | N/A | external_event | Samuel Ward (30) killed by IRA | Samuel Ward (30), a member of the 'Belfast Brigade' of the IPLO, was killed by the IRA, and a further eight members were injured. |
1992-11-03 | N/A | external_event | 'Belfast Brigade' of IPLO disbanded | The 'Belfast Brigade' of the Irish People's Liberation Organisation (IPLO) announced that it would disband, following an internal feud and intervention by the IRA. |
1992-11-06 | N/A | external_event | UFF extended campaign to 'the entire Republican community' | The Ulster Freedom Fighters (UFF), a cover name (pseudonym) used by the Ulster Defence Association (UDA), announced that it was extending its campaign to include "the entire Republican community". |
1992-11-06 | N/A | external_event | Irish coalition government collapsed | The coalition government in the Republic of Ireland collapsed and a general election was called for 25 November 1992. |
1992-11-07 | N/A | external_event | 'Army Council' of IPLO disbanded | The 'Army Council' faction of the Irish People's Liberation Organisation (IPLO) that was based in Dublin announced that it was disbanding. |
1992-11-09 | N/A | external_event | UUP tabled proposals to stop talks collapse | The UUP tabled a series of proposals to stop the talks process from collapsing. |
1992-11-10 | N/A | external_event | Brooke/Mayhew talks ended | Unionists withdrew from the political talks (later known as the Brooke / Mayhew talks) and brought the process to an end. Patrick Mayhew said that informal party contacts would continue. |
1992-11-13 | N/A | external_event | Coleraine bombing | The Irish Republican Army (IRA) exploded a large van bomb in the centre of Coleraine, County Derry. The bomb caused extensive damage to the commercial heart of the town. |
1992-11-14 | N/A | external_event | Oldpark Road shooting | Three Catholic civilians were shot dead during a gun and grenade attack carried out by the UFF. The attack took place in a bookmaker's shop on the Oldpark Road, Belfast. |
1992-11-14 | N/A | external_event | IRA attempted to plant large bomb in London | The Metropolitan Police stopped the IRA from planting a large bomb in London. A policeman was shot and wounded and one man arrested during the incident. |
1992-11-25 | N/A | external_event | IRA member Pearse Jordan (21) killed by RUC | Pearse Jordan (21), a member of the Irish Republican Army (IRA), was shot dead by members of an undercover Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) mobile patrol. Although Jordan was unarmed the RUC claimed that he had just left a 'bomb-making factory'. |
1992-12-01 | N/A | external_event | Central Belfast bombing | The IRA exploded two small bombs in the centre of Belfast injuring 27 people. |
1992-12-03 | N/A | external_event | IRA exploded two bombs in Manchester | The IRA exploded two bombs in Manchester, injuring over 60 people. |
1992-12-10 | N/A | external_event | Series of paramilitary attacks | The UFF carried out a series of seven incendiary bomb attacks on shops in Dublin and in other Irish towns near to the border. The INLA carried out a gun attack and wounded a man who worked for Belfast City Council. The IRA planted three incendiary bombs in an industrial estate in Belfast and damaged three buildings. The IRA also carried out two bomb attacks at a shopping centre in Wood Green in London. Eleven people including a number of police officers were injured in the attack. |
1992-12-13 | N/A | external_event | Sinn Féin member killed by Loyalists in Antrim | A Sinn Fein member was shot dead by Loyalists in Ballymoney, County Antrim. |
1992-12-13 | N/A | external_event | Catholic civilian died following 'punishment' shooting in Derry | A Catholic civilian died five days after being the subject of a 'punishment' shooting in Derry. |
1992-12-13 | N/A | external_event | Loyalist paramilitary group attacked Crumlin Road Prison | An unidentified Loyalist paramilitary group launched a rocket attack at an area of Crumlin Road Prison that was believed to be occupied by Republic prisoners. There were no injuries in the attack. he attack was believed to be in retaliation for the killing of two Loyalist inmates on 24 November 1991 when the IRA planted a bomb inside the prison. |
1992-12-15 | N/A | external_event | Reports of John Hume's phone being bugged | There were reports in the press that alleged that a telephone belonging to John Hume, then leader of the Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP), had been bugged. |
1992-12-16 | N/A | external_event | Patrick Mayhew Speech at Coleraine | Patrick Mayhew at the Coleraine campus of the University of Ulster. In the speech Mayhew said that the British government had no "pre-selected constitutional outcome" in political talks. Mayhew also said that Sinn Féin could be included in future talks if the IRA ended its violent campaign. |
1992-12-16 | N/A | external_event | IRA exploded two small bombs in London | The IRA exploded two small bombs in London and injured four people. |
1992-12-24 | N/A | external_event | IRA Christmas ceasefire 1992 | The Irish Republican Army (IRA) called a three-day ceasefire. |
1992-12-31 | N/A | external_event | UDA announced increase in campaign of violence | The Ulster Defence Association (UDA) issued a statement in which the organisation threatened to increase its campaign of violence "to a ferocity never imagined". |
1993-01-03 | N/A | external_event | Patrick Shields (51) and Diarmuid Shields (20) killed by UVF | Patrick Shields (51) and his son Diarmuid Shields (20), both Catholic civilians, were shot dead by the Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) at Lisnagleer, near Dungannon, County Tyrone. A number of weeks later the girlfriend of Diarmuid committed suicide because she was unable to come to terms with his death. |
1993-01-05 | N/A | external_event | IRA firebombed Oxford Street shops | Incendiary bombs planted by the IRA exploded in four stores in Oxford Street in London. |
1993-01-11 | N/A | external_event | Patrick Mayhew interview on Articles 2 and 3 | Patrick Mayhew gave an interview to the BBC in which he stated that Articles 2 and 3 of the Irish Constitution were "unhelpful" and would be a central element of any future talks. |
1993-01-12 | N/A | external_event | UDA planned to target 'pan-Nationalist front' | It was reported in The Times that the UDA was planning to target those who were considered to be part of the 'pan-Nationalist front', taken to mean those who were members of the SDLP, Sinn Féin, the Irish government, the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA), and the IRA. |
1993-01-22 | N/A | external_event | Patrick Mayhew met Dick Spring in Dublin | Patrick Mayhew, then Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, travelled to Dublin for informal talks with Dick Spring, the Tánaiste (deputy Irish Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs). Mayhew agreed to informal discussions with the Irish government in advance of any new political talks in Northern Ireland. |
1993-01-23 | N/A | external_event | RUC officer Michael Ferguson (21) killed by RUC | Michael Ferguson (21), a Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) officer, was shot dead by the Irish Republican Army (IRA) on Shipquay Street, Derry. |
1993-01-30 | N/A | external_event | Bloody Sunday 21st anniversary rally | 5000 people attended a rally in Derry to commemorate 21 years since 'Bloody Sunday' in 1972. |
1993-02-02 | N/A | external_event | Eugene Martin (28) killed by UVF | Eugene Martin (28), a Catholic civilian, was shot dead by the Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) at his home in Ballyronan, County Derry. |
1993-02-02 | N/A | external_event | UDA attacked homes of SDLP councillors | Two incendiary bombs were planted outside the homes of two Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP) councillors. The Ulster Defence Association (UDA) was responsible for the attacks. |
1993-02-03 | N/A | external_event | IRA bomb attacks in London | The Irish Republican Army (IRA) carried out two bomb attacks in London. |
1993-02-12 | N/A | external_event | IRA member Christopher Harte (24) killed by IRA | Christopher Harte (24), a member of the Irish Republican Army (IRA), was found dead near Castlederg, County Tyrone. He had been shot dead by the IRA who claimed that he had been an informer. |
1993-02-16 | N/A | external_event | Gerry Adams Irish News interview (February 1993) | Gerry Adams, then President of Sinn Féin, gave an interview to the *Irish News* (a Northern Ireland newspaper) in which he called for "inclusive dialogue" and a new Irish-British agreement that would bring an end to partition. |
1993-02-26 | N/A | external_event | IRA exploded three bombs in Warrington | The Irish Republican Army (IRA) exploded three bombs at a gas works in Warrington, England. The bombs caused a large explosion. Two men were later arrested. |
1993-03-02 | N/A | external_event | Patrick Mayhew Bangor speech | Patrick Mayhew gave a speech in Bangor, County Down, in which he said that Britain was "neutral" with regard to Northern Ireland's position within the UK. Mayhew stressed that the union between Britain and Northern Ireland would only be changed if a majority of the population voted for some new constitutional arrangement. |
1993-03-05 | N/A | external_event | Dick Spring Irish Association speech | Dick Spring, then Tánaiste (deputy Irish Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs), gave a speech at a meeting of the Irish Association in which he acknowledged that changes to the Irish Constitution would be required in any future settlement. |
1993-03-07 | N/A | external_event | IRA exploded bomb in Bangor | The IRA exploded a large bomb, estimated at 500 pounds, in Main Street in Bangor, County Down. Four RUC officers were injured in the explosion. |
1993-03-10 | N/A | external_event | Prevention of Terrorism Act renewed | The Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) was renewed in Commons, 329 votes to 202. |
1993-03-20 | N/A | external_event | Warrington bombings | The IRA exploded two small bombs in litter bins in Bridge Street, Warrington, England, killing Johnathan Ball aged 3 years and mortally wounding Timothy Parry aged 12 years who died on 25 March 1993. The IRA had provided inadequate warnings which resulted in the deaths and the 56 injuries. |
1993-03-24 | N/A | external_event | Sinn Féin member Peter Gallagher (44) killed by UFF | Peter Gallagher (44), a Sinn Féin, member was shot dead by the UFF, a cover name used by the Ulster Defence Association (UDA), at his place of work on Grosvenor Road, Belfast. |
1993-03-25 | N/A | external_event | Castlerock killings | The UFF (cover name for the UDA) hot dead four Catholics as they arrived at a building site in Castlerock, County Derry. A fifth person was injured in the attack. Later in the day the UFF shot dead Damien Walsh (17), a Catholic civilian, and injured another young Catholic. |
1993-04-01 | N/A | external_event | News Letter poll on Loyalist paramilitary violence | The News Letter (a Northern Ireland newspaper) published a poll of its readers which showed that, of those who took part, 42 per cent agreed with Loyalist paramilitary violence. |
1993-04-10 | N/A | external_event | Gerry Adams visited home of John Hume | Gerry Adams, then President of Sinn Féin, was seen visiting the home of John Hume, then leader of the SDLP, in Derry. The two men met for "extensive discussions" in their capacities as leaders of their respective parties. The subsequent revelation of the two's secret talks aroused criticism. |
1993-04-21 | N/A | external_event | Albert Reynolds visit to United States | Albert Reynolds, then Taoiseach (Irish Prime Minister), travelled to the United States of America (USA). While in Boston he said that the suggestion of a 'peace envoy' was "not appropriate at present". |
1993-04-23 | N/A | external_event | IRA bombed oil terminal in North Shields | The IRA bombed an oil terminal in North Shields, England, damaging a large storage tank. |
1993-04-23 | N/A | external_event | Patrick Mayhew Institute of Irish Studies speech | Patrick Mayhew made a major speech on Northern Ireland to an audience at the Institute of Irish Studies in Liverpool. Mayhew stated that the British government was against the notion of "joint sovereignty" but did want to see a devolved government with wide powers. |
1993-04-24 | N/A | external_event | Bishopsgate bombing | The IRA exploded a large bomb, estimated at over a ton of home-made explosives, at Bishopsgate in London. One person was killed and over 30 people injured in the explosion. |
1993-04-24 | N/A | external_event | John Hume and Gerry Adams issued first joint statement | John Hume and Gerry Adams issued their first joint statement, excluding an internal settlement and asserting the right to 'national self-determination' of the Irish people. |
1993-04-30 | N/A | external_event | UFF attacked Belfast bookmaker's shop | The UFF, a cover name used by the UDA, carried out a gun attack on a bookmaker's shop in Belfast. Five people were wounded in the attack. |
1993-05-01 | N/A | external_event | Sinn Féin member Alan Lundy (39) killed by UFF | Alan Lundy (39), a Sinn Féin member, was shot dead by the UFF, a cover name used by the UDA. |
1993-05-05 | N/A | external_event | Gerry Adams refused US visa | Gerry Adams, then President of Sinn Féin, was refused a visitor's visa to enter the United States of America. |
1993-05-09 | N/A | external_event | UVF issued death threat to Irish politicians | The Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) issued a death threat against politicians in the Republic of Ireland, if Republican violence increased. |
1993-05-12 | N/A | external_event | IRA exploded bomb in Oxford | The IRA exploded a bomb in the Reject Shop on Cornmarket Street, Oxford. There were no injuries. |
1993-05-19 | N/A | external_event | British local elections 1993 | There were district council elections to choose 582 councillors for the 26 District Councils in Northern Ireland. The results showed an increase in the percentage share of the vote for the Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP), Sinn Féin, and the Alliance Party of Northern Ireland (APNI). |
1993-05-20 | N/A | external_event | Glengall Street bombing | The IRA exploded a bomb, estimated at 1,000 pounds, in Glengall Street, Belfast. Thirteen people were injured in the explosion. The bomb was placed outside the Grand Opera House and close to the Headquarters of the Ulster Unionist Party (UUP). |
1993-05-22 | N/A | external_event | Portadown bombing | The IRA exploded a bomb, estimated at 1,000 pounds, in Portadown, County Armagh. Six people were injured in the explosion. |
1993-05-23 | N/A | external_event | Magherafelt bombing | The IRA exploded a bomb, estimated at 1,500 pounds, in Magherafelt, County Derry. There was also another IRA bomb in Belfast. |
1993-05-26 | N/A | external_event | ECHR rejected appeal against use of seven-day detention | The European Court of Human Rights considered an appeal against the use, within the United Kingdom (UK), of a period of seven-day detention under the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA). The Court rejected the appeal on the grounds that the situation in Northern Ireland justified the detention of suspects for longer than four days. |
1993-05-27 | N/A | external_event | Mary Robinson met Queen | Mary Robinson, then President of the Republic of Ireland, travelled to London to attend a meeting with Queen Elizabeth at Buckingham Palace. The meeting was the first official contact between an Irish president and a British monarch. |
1993-06-09 | N/A | external_event | Opsahl Commission report published | The report of the Opsahl Commission, entitled *A Citizens' Inquiry*, was published. The Commission had been established as part of Initiative '92 with the intention of seeking a wide range of views on the future of Northern Ireland. |
1993-06-11 | N/A | external_event | Queen visit to Northern Ireland 1993 | Queen Elizabeth visited Northern Ireland. |
1993-06-11 | N/A | external_event | Amnesty International criticised emergency powers in NI | Amnesty International criticised aspects of emergency powers in Northern Ireland. |
1993-06-15 | N/A | external_event | SACHR argued for changes to legislation concerning NI | The Standing Advisory Commission on Human Rights (SACHR) argued for changes to the way in which the House of Commons dealt with legislation on Northern Ireland matters. The main criticism was that the legislation could not be amended in the House of Commons given the Order-in-Council procedure. |
1993-06-16 | N/A | external_event | John Major and Albert Reynolds met regarding talks | John Major, then British Prime Minister, and Albert Reynolds, then Taoiseach (Irish Prime Minister), held a meeting in London and both called for talks between the Northern Ireland political parties to be resumed. |
1993-06-18 | N/A | external_event | Mary Robinson met Gerry Adams | During an unofficial visit to community groups in Belfast, Mary Robinson (then President of the Republic of Ireland) met Gerry Adams and shook his hand, arousing criticism from Unionists. |
1993-06-26 | N/A | external_event | John Major visit to Northern Ireland 1993 | John Major, then British Prime Minister, began a two-day visit to Northern Ireland, calling for a resumption of political talks between the constitutional parties. |
1993-06-26 | N/A | external_event | Rioting followed Orange Order parade in Belfast | The RUC moved to prevent an Orange Order parade close to the peace line in the Springfield area of Belfast. The action led to rioting. Brian McCallum (26), a member of the Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF), was mortally wounded when a grenade he was handling exploded prematurely. Eighteen other people were injured. |
1993-07-01 | N/A | external_event | SACHR published annual report | The annual report of the Standing Advisory Commission on Human Rights (SACHR) was published. SACHR called for a review of the legislation that covered the use of lethal force by the security forces. The report also supported the use of video recording of Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) interviews of people suspected of paramilitary related offences. |
1993-07-02 | N/A | external_event | Rioting followed funeral of Brian McCallum (26) | There was serious rioting in Belfast, Bangor, and Lurgan, following the funeral of Brian McCallum (26), a member of the Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF). McCallum had been fatally wounded on 26 June 1993 while handling a grenade which exploded prematurely. |
1993-07-05 | N/A | external_event | IRA bombed centre of Newtownards | The IRA exploded a bomb, estimated at 1,500 pounds, in the centre of Newtownards, County Down. |
1993-07-15 | N/A | external_event | UVF announced sole responsibility for Dublin and Monaghan bombs | The Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) released a statement in which the organisation admitted sole responsibility for the Dublin and Monaghan bombs on 17 May 1974, following speculation in a documentary on whether the organised was aided by security forces. |
1974-05-17 | N/A | external_event | Dublin and Monaghan bombings | 33 civilians and an unborn child were killed in the Republic of Ireland when four car bombs planted by Loyalist paramilitaries went off in Dublin and Monaghan. Roughly 258 people were also injured. No-one was ever arrested or convicted for the explosion. The UVF claimed responsibility in July 1993. |
1993-08-08 | N/A | external_event | Catholic Sean Lavery (21) killed by UFF | Sean Lavery (21), a Catholic civilian, was shot dead by the UFF, a cover name for the UDA, in a gun attack on the Lavery home. Sean's father, Bobby Lavery, was a Sinn Féin councillor. |
1993-08-11 | N/A | external_event | Catholic Seamus Hopkins (24) beaten to death | Seamus Hopkins (24), a Catholic civilian, was found beaten to death in the Shankill area of Belfast. |
1993-08-12 | N/A | external_event | RUC intercepted 3000-lb bomb | The Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) prevented a bomb attack when officers intercepted a van bomb, estimated at 3,000 pounds, in Portadown, County Armagh. |
1993-08-13 | N/A | external_event | IRA firebombed Bournemouth | The Irish Republican Army (IRA) carried out a series of fire-bomb attacks on the pier at Bournemouth, England, and a number of shops. |
1993-08-16 | N/A | external_event | IRA bombed centre of Strabane | The Irish Republican Army (IRA) carried out a bomb attack in the centre of Strabane, County Tyrone. |
1993-09-01 | N/A | external_event | Catholic James Bell (49) killed by UVF | James Bell (49), a Catholic civilian, was shot dead by the Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) at his place of work near to Newtownards Road in east Belfast. |
1993-09-01 | N/A | external_event | Prison officer James Peacock (44) killed by UVF | James Peacock (44), a prison officer, was shot dead at his home in Belfast by the UVF. |
1993-09-01 | N/A | external_event | Belfast City Council voted to ban Mary Robinson from council owned properties | The Unionist controlled Belfast City Council voted to ban Mary Robinson, then President of the Republic of Ireland, from entering any council owned property including the City Hall |
1993-09-03 | N/A | external_event | IRA exploded bomb in centre of Armagh | The Irish Republican Army (IRA) exploded a bomb, estimated at 1,000 pounds, in the centre of Armagh. The explosion caused extensive damage to property in the area. |
1993-09-04 | N/A | external_event | IRA activity suspended during fact-finding visit | There was a suspension in IRA attacks for one week. Commentators believed this was done to coincide with a visit by an Irish-American fact-finding group to Ireland led by Bruce Morrison (former United States Democratic congressman). The group requested a meeting with Sinn Féin. |
1993-09-12 | N/A | external_event | Patrick Mayhew speech to British Irish Association | Patrick Mayhew gave a speech to the British Irish Association, calling on flexibility on the part of political parties. |
1993-09-21 | N/A | external_event | UFF planted bombs at houses of SDLP councillors | The UFF, a cover name used by the UDA, placed bombs at the homes of four SDLP councillors. No one was injured in the attacks. |
1993-09-25 | N/A | external_event | John Hume and Gerry Adams released second joint statement | John Hume, then leader of the SDLP, and Gerry Adams, then President of Sinn Féin, issued a second joint statement. The statement outlined the Hume-Adams Initiative which "aimed at the creation of a peace process". |
1993-09-27 | N/A | external_event | IRA exploded bombs in Belfast | The Irish Republican Army (IRA) exploded a large bomb, estimated at 300 pounds, in the centre of Belfast and caused extensive damage. The IRA exploded a second bomb, estimated at 500 pounds, in south Belfast. |
1993-09-29 | N/A | external_event | Patrick Mayhew re-asserted right to self-determination and need for end to violence | In a speech, Patrick Mayhew, then Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, asserted the right of "self-determination of the people living in Northern Ireland". Mayhew also stated that Sinn Féin could only join political talks when IRA violence had ended "for real". |
1993-10-02 | N/A | external_event | IRA exploded bombs in Hampstead | The IRA exploded three bombs in Hampstead, north London and injured six people and damaged a number of shops and flats. |
1993-10-04 | N/A | external_event | IRA exploded bombs in north London | The IRA exploded five bombs in north London and injured four people. |
1993-10-06 | N/A | external_event | UFF attacked Belfast pub | The UFF, a cover name used by the UDA, carried out a gun attack on a pub in Twinbrook, Belfast, and killed one Catholic civilian and injured two others. The UFF later claimed that the attack was carried out because of the Hume-Adams Initiative and the pan-Nationalist front. |
1993-10-04 | N/A | external_event | IRA expressed support for Hume-Adams initiative | The IRA issued a statement welcoming the Hume-Adams Initiative. |
1993-10-06 | N/A | external_event | UVF exploded bomb outside Belfast Sinn Féin office | The Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) exploded a bomb outside a Sinn Féin (SF) office on the Falls Road, Belfast. |
1993-10-06 | N/A | external_event | Unionists criticised Hume-Adams initiative | James Molyneaux, then leader of the UUP, made a speech at a fringe meeting of the Conservative Party conference in Blackpool, England. Molyneaux stated that the Hume-Adams Initiative had wrecked any prospect of future inter-party talks. Ian Paisley, then leader of the DUP, wrote a letter to John Major, then British Prime Minister, in which he stated that the Hume-Adams Initiative was "aimed at Ulster's destruction". |
1993-10-08 | N/A | external_event | John Major called for end to IRA violence | John Major, then British Prime Minister, delivered a speech to the Conservative Party conference in Blackpool, England. Major stated that the only message he wanted from the IRA was one indicating that the organisation was finished with its campaign of violence for good. |
1993-10-07 | N/A | external_event | John Hume met Albert Reynolds and Dick Spring to report on initiative | John Hume, then leader of the SDLP, travelled to Dublin to meet Albert Reynolds, then Taoiseach (Irish Prime Minster), and Dick Spring, then Tánaiste (deputy Irish Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs). Hume gave them a report on the meetings he had held with Gerry Adams, then President of Sinn Féin. Adams, who was also in Dublin, said that a declaration by the British government on the right of Irish self-determination would lead to an end of the campaign of violence by the IRA. |
1993-10-12 | N/A | external_event | Catholic Joseph Reynolds (40) killed by UFF | Joseph Reynolds (40) a Catholic civilian, was shot dead by the UFF, a cover name for the UDA, as he walked to work at Shorts. Five other workers were also injured in the attack. |
1993-10-10 | N/A | external_event | Sunday Independent poll on Hume-Adams initiative | The Sunday Independent (a Republic of Ireland newspaper) published the results of a poll of opinion in the Republic of Ireland. The result showed that, of those questioned, 72 per cent supported the talks that led to the Hume-Adams Initiative. |
1993-10-10 | N/A | external_event | Albert Reynolds met Nelson Mandela | Albert Reynolds, then Taoiseach (Irish Prime Minister), held a meeting in Dublin with Nelson Mandela, then leader of the African National Congress. Mandela gave his endorsement to the Hume-Adams Initiative. |
1992-10-15 | N/A | external_event | News Letter poll on Sinn Féin involvement in talks | A News Letter telephone poll found that 62% of people questioned opposed Sinn Féin involvement in talks, even after a genuine ceasefire. |
1993-10-15 | N/A | external_event | Protest meeting following killing of Joseph Reynolds | Around 1000 people attended a protest meeting after the UFF's killing of Catholic civilian Joseph Reynolds on the 12th of October 1993. |
1993-10-19 | N/A | external_event | Home Secretary signed exclusion order against Gerry Adams | Michael Howard, then British Home Secretary, signed an 'exclusion order' which banned Gerry Adams, then President of Sinn Féin, from entering Britain. |
1993-10-21 | N/A | external_event | Protestant John Gibson (51) killed by IRA | John Gibson (51), a Protestant civilian, was shot dead by the IRA in Glengormley near Belfast. Gibson was believed to have been targeted because he was doing building work for the RUC. |
1993-10-23 | N/A | external_event | Shankill Road bombing | Ten people were killed when an IRA bomb exploded prematurely as it was being planted in a fish shop on Shankill Road in Belfast. With the exception of one of the bombers who was also killed, the rest of those who died were Protestant civilians, and 57 people were injured. |
1993-10-23 | N/A | external_event | Series of Loyalist attacks following Shankill Road bombing | Immediately following the Shankill Road bombing, Loyalist paramilitaries shot two Catholic men, one of whom died later from his wounds. In the week following the attack, 12 Catholic civilians were killed by Loyalist paramilitaries. |
1993-10-25 | N/A | external_event | Catholic Sean Fox (72) killed by UVF | The UVF shot and killed Sean Fox (72), a Catholic pensioner, at his home in Harmin Park, Glengormley, near Belfast. |
1993-10-26 | N/A | external_event | Two Catholics killed in UFF gun attack | Two Catholic civilians were shot dead and five others injured, in a UFF - a cover name used by the UDA - gun attack at Kennedy Way in west Belfast. |
1993-10-27 | N/A | external_event | Peace rallies held in aftermath of Shankill Road bombing and other attacks | Peace rallies occurred across the Republic of Ireland, including Dublin and Galway. |
1993-10-28 | N/A | external_event | Catholic brothers killed by UVF | Two brothers, both Catholic civilians, were shot dead at their home near Lurgan by the UVF. |
1993-10-30 | N/A | external_event | Greysteel killings | The UFF (cover name for the UDA) killed six Catholic civilians and one Protestant civilian in an attack on the Rising Sun bar in Greysteel, County Derry. 13 more were injured, one of whom died of his injuries on 14 April 1994. |
1993-11-07 | N/A | external_event | Greysteel peace rally | Approximately 3,000 people attended a peace rally at Greysteel, County Derry, the site of the Greysteel Killings on 30 October 1993. |
1993-11-20 | N/A | external_event | John Hume and Gerry Adams released third joint statement | John Hume, then leader of the SDLP, held another meeting with Gerry Adams, then President of Sinn Féin. The two leaders issued a third joint statement. |
1993-11-21 | N/A | external_event | Rally held supporting Hume-Adams initiative | About 2000 people attended a rally in support of the Hume-Adams initiative on Falls Road in west Belfast. |
1993-11-22 | N/A | external_event | Patrick Mayhew speech at Queen's University Belfast | Patrick Mayhew, then Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, gave a speech at the Queen's University of Belfast in which he stated that the British government would not talk with Sinn Féin until the IRA had ended its campaign of violence. |
1993-11-28 | N/A | external_event | Secret talks revealed between British and Republicans | The Observer reported details of secret talks that had taken place between the British Government and the Republican movement over the last three years. Patrick Mayhew said that the IRA had initiated the contacts with an oral message on the 22nd of February 1993, though Sinn Féin denied having sent the message. |
1993-12-03 | N/A | external_event | Irish Times poll on political settlement in NI | The Irish Times reported the results of a poll on the options for a political settlement in Northern Ireland. Among Catholic respondents 33% favoured the option of joint authority while 32% wanted to see a United Ireland. Of those Protestants asked 35% favoured closer integration with the UK. |
1993-12-05 | N/A | external_event | Two Catholics killed by UFF in Belfast | Two Catholic civilians were shot dead by the UFF, a cover name for the UDA, in Ligoniel, Belfast. |
1993-12-11 | N/A | external_event | Irish Times poll on Anglo-Irish relations | The Irish Times reported the results of a poll on Anglo-Irish relations. Of those questioned 59% were in favour of talks between John Major, then British Prime Minister, and Albert Reynolds, then Taoiseach. The figure for Catholic respondents was 88% in favour while the figure for Protestants was 37%. |
1993-12-12 | N/A | external_event | Two RUC officers killed by IRA in Fivemiletown | Two RUC officers were shot dead by the IRA while travelling in an unmarked car in Main Street, Fivemiletown, County Tyrone. |
1993-12-14 | N/A | external_event | Patrick Mayhew revealed offer of resignation | Patrick Mayhew, then Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, revealed that he had offered to resign over the errors in the documents dealing with the British government's contacts with the Republican movement, which had been released on 29 November 1993. |
1993-12-18 | N/A | external_event | Ian Paisley promised rallies against Downing Street Declaration | Ian Paisley, then leader of the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), announced that he would organise a series of rallies against the Downing Street Declaration. |
1993-12-18 | N/A | external_event | Ian Paisley promised rallies against Downing Street Declaration | Ian Paisley, then leader of the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), announced that he would organise a series of rallies against the Downing Street Declaration. |
1993-12-20 | N/A | external_event | James Molyneaux argued Downing Street Declaration was not 'sell out' | James Molyneaux, then leader of the Ulster Unionist Party (UUP), gave a radio interview in which he argued that the Downing Street Declaration was not a "sell out" of Unionists. |
1993-12-22 | N/A | external_event | John Major visit to Northern Ireland December 1993 | John Major, then British Prime Minister, travelled to Northern Ireland and held a series of meetings with the leaders of the main constitutional parties. |
1993-12-22 | N/A | external_event | Ulster Marketing Surveys poll on Downing Street Declaration | Ulster Marketing Surveys carried out a poll of opinion in Northern Ireland on the Downing Street Declaration; of those questioned 56% said that they were in favour of the declaration. |
1993-12-23 | N/A | external_event | British Army marines acquitted of Fergal Caraher murder | Two British Army marines were acquitted of the murder of Fergal Caraher (20) on 30 December 1990, on the grounds of 'reasonable doubt'. The acquittal was criticised. |
1993-12-23 | N/A | external_event | IRA announced Christmas ceasefire 1993 | The IRA announced a three-day ceasefire beginning at midnight. There was widespread criticism that the ceasefire was only three days. |
1993-12-30 | N/A | external_event | British Army soldier killed by IRA in Crossmaglen | A British Army soldier on patrol in Crossmaglen, County Armagh, was shot dead by an IRA sniper. |
1992-09-25 | N/A | external_event | Anglo-Irish Summit 1992 | John Major met with Albert Reynolds in London. The two leaders set the 16 November 1992 as the date for the next meeting of the Anglo-Irish Intergovernmental Conference (AIIC), as Unionists refused to take part in political talks while the AIIC was operating. |
1992-11-16 | N/A | external_event | Anglo-Irish Intergovernmental Conference 1992 | A meeting of the Anglo-Irish Intergovernmental Conference (AIIC) in Dublin reviewed the procedures used in the political talks, and favoured bilateral talks over the previous large conference and three-strand process. |
1992-09-04 | N/A | external_event | Peter McBride (18) killed by Scots Guards | Peter McBride (18), a father of two young daughters, was shot dead minutes after being stopped and searched by members of a patrol of Scots Guards in the New Lodge area of Belfast. Two soldiers, Mark Wright and James Fisher, were charged with murder but were subsequently released in 1998, sparking a years-long case headed by the McBride family and the Pat Finucane Centre. |
1989-07-27 | N/A | external_event | Fair Employment (Northern Ireland) Act 1989 | The Fair Employment (Northern Ireland) Act 1989 aimed to reinforce the existing 1976 act which promoted the equality of opportunity in employment for both Protestants and Catholics and established a Fair Employment Tribunal. |
1974-05-14 | N/A | external_event | Beginning of Ulster Workers' Council (UWC) Strike | "The Ulster Workers' Council (UWC) strike took place between Wednesday 15 May 1974 to Tuesday 28 May 1974. The strike was called in protest at the political and security situation in Northern Ireland and more particular at the proposals in the Sunningdale Agreement which would have given the government of the Republic of Ireland a direct say in the running of the region. The strike lasted two weeks and succeeded in bringing down the power-sharing Northern Ireland Executive. Responsibility for the government of Northern Ireland then reverted to the British Parliament at Westminster under the arrangements for 'Direct Rule'." |
1993-05-12 | N/A | external_event | James Bolger visit to Northern Ireland | James Bolger, then prime minister of New Zealand, visited Northern Ireland and met with Patrick Mayhew, then Secretary of State for Northern Ireland. |
1924-11-06 | N/A | external_event | Irish Boundary Commission, 1924-1925 | "The Irish Boundary Commission was set up to determine the boundary between the Irish Free State and Northern Ireland. It met for the first time on 6 November 1924. [...] The final report of the Commission, completed in November 1925, was never published, after disagreements about its recommendations led to the resignation of the Irish Commissioner. As a result, no alterations were made to the border." |
1924-11-06 | N/A | external_event | Irish Boundary Commission, 1924-1925 | "The Irish Boundary Commission was set up to determine the boundary between the Irish Free State and Northern Ireland. It met for the first time on 6 November 1924. [...] The final report of the Commission, completed in November 1925, was never published, after disagreements about its recommendations led to the resignation of the Irish Commissioner. As a result, no alterations were made to the border." |
1984-05-02 | N/A | external_event | New Ireland Forum report published | The Report of the New Ireland Forum was published. The authors of the report criticised Britain's policy of 'crisis management' since 1968. The report set out three possible options for the future of Northern Ireland: join with the Republic in a United Ireland; joint authority over the region by the Republic of Ireland and Britain; a federal or confederal arrangement. The report rejected the use of violence to achieve political change in Northern Ireland. |
1984-05-02 | N/A | external_event | New Ireland Forum report published | The Report of the New Ireland Forum was published. The authors of the report criticised Britain's policy of 'crisis management' since 1968. The report set out three possible options for the future of Northern Ireland: join with the Republic in a United Ireland; joint authority over the region by the Republic of Ireland and Britain; a federal or confederal arrangement. The report rejected the use of violence to achieve political change in Northern Ireland. |
1981-03-01 | N/A | external_event | 1981 Hunger Strike began | Bobby Sands, then leader of the Irish Republican Army (IRA) in the Maze Prison, refused food and so began a new hunger strike. The main aim of the new strike was to achieve the reintroduction of political status for Republican prisoners. |
1985-11-23 | N/A | external_event | Unionist rally against Anglo-Irish Agreement | A huge Unionist rally, estimated at over 100,000 people, took place at Belfast City Hall to protest against the Anglo-Irish Agreement. |
1993-06-20 | N/A | external_event | Martin McGuinness Bodenstown speech 1993 | Sinn Féin politician Martin McGuinness gave the annual Bodenstown Speech in 1993. |
1993-07-23 | N/A | external_event | John Major denied claim of Unionist deal for Maastricht debate | John Major, then British Prime Minister, told the House of Commons that there was no truth in the rumour that he had entered into a deal with the UUP in return for support during the debate on the 'Social Chapter' of the Maastricht Treaty. |
1993-07-23 | N/A | external_event | Martin Smyth (UUP) stated expectation of Select Committee | Martin Smyth (Rev), then a UUP MP, stated his expectation of a Select Committee on Northern Ireland to be established in the near future. |
1980-12-08 | N/A | external_event | Anglo-Irish Summit 1980 | The British government, represented by Margaret Thatcher, then British Prime Minister, Lord Carrington, then Foreign Secretary, Geoffrey Howe, then Chancellor of the Exchequer, and Humphrey Atkins, then Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, met with Charles Haughey, then Taoiseach, and senior members of the Irish government in Dublin. This meeting saw the first use of the phrase 'totality of relationships', though Northern Ireland's constitutional position had not been touched upon during the meeting. |
1952-03-25 | N/A | external_event | Foyle Fisheries Act (Northern Ireland) 1952 | "An Act to authorise the making of a certain agreement with respect to fishing rights in the tidal waters of the Lough and River Foyle and its tributaries, to provide for the management, conservation, protection and improvement of the fisheries in the Foyle Area, to establish a Foyle Fisheries Commission and to define its functions, to dissolve the board of conservators for the Londonderry district, and to provide for other matters (including the charging of fees on certain fishing licences) connected with the matters aforesaid." |
1993-12-10 | N/A | external_event | John Major met Albert Reynolds at European Community summit | John Major, then British Prime Minister, met with Albert Reynolds, then Taoiseach, at a European Community summit in Brussels. |
1993-10-23 | N/A | external_event | Anglo-Irish Intergovernmental Conference postponed following Shankill Road bombing | It was announced that the Anglo-Irish Intergovernmental Conference (AIIC) meeting planned for 27 October would be postponed as a mark of respect following the Shankill Road bombing. |
1993-10-29 | N/A | external_event | John Major and Albert Reynolds released joint statement | "John Major, then British Prime Minister, and Albert Reynolds, then Taoiseach (Irish Prime Minister), issued a joint *statement* from a meeting they held in Brussels. The statement contained six points and outlined the governments' determination that there would be no secret deals with the paramilitary groups. However the statement also made clear that if there were an end to violence then the governments would respond imaginatively. The governments stated that they would not adopt or endorse the proposals contained in the Hume-Adams Initiative." |
1993-10-29 | N/A | external_event | European Council meeting in Brussels (29 October 1993) | A European Council meeting took place in Brussels. |
1993-10-10 | N/A | external_event | Martin Smyth (UUP) supported possibility of Sinn Féin involvement in talks | Rev. Martin Smyth, then UUP MP and Grand Master of the Orange Lodge, gave an interview to the BBC. He stated that Sinn Féin could be included in political talks on what was best for "Northern Ireland within the United Kingdom" if they ended their support for the IRA. Smyth was criticised by some UUP members and other Unionists for this statement. |
1992-06-21 | N/A | external_event | Jim Gibney Bodenstown address | During Sinn Féin's annual Wolfe Tone commemoration in County Kildare, Jim Gibney stated that a British withdrawal from Northern Ireland would have to be preceded by a period of peace and negotiations involving Nationalists and Unionists, with some taking this as a sign that the 'armed struggle' may possibly come to an end. |
1993-09-18 | N/A | external_event | Martin McGuinness Guardian interview | Martin McGuinness, then Vice-President of Sinn Féin was interviewed by *The Guardian*, and stated that any political settlement should be decided by the people of Ireland and spoke of the "right to self-determination of the Irish people". |
1993-10-08 | N/A | external_event | Robin Eames condemned UFF threat to Catholic community | Robin Eames (Dr), then Church of Ireland Primate, condemned the UFF's threat to the Catholic community. Ten Catholic civilians had been killed since 8 August 1993 by the UFF and the UVF. |
1993-10-13 | N/A | external_event | Taoiseach declined requests for Northern Ireland debate | In the Dáil Albert Reynolds, then Taoiseach, declined opposition requests for a debate on Northern Ireland, due to the matter being at a delicate stage. |
1993-10-19 | N/A | external_event | John Major and James Molyneaux met | John Major, then Prime Minister, and James Molyneaux (UUP) met in London. Molyneaux re-iterated his party's opposition to the Hume-Adams initiative. John Major told the House of Commons that he "knew nothing" of the initiative's details. |
1993-10-22 | N/A | external_event | Northern Ireland Questions and Adjournment Debate | A debate on Northern Ireland took place in the House of Commons. While addressing Commons, John Hume, then leader of the SDLP, said that he thought the Hume-Adams Initiative was the best chance of achieving peace that he had seen in 20 years. |
1993-10-27 | N/A | external_event | Dick Spring outlined proposals for peace | Dick Spring, then Tánaiste, speaking in the Dáil outlined proposals for sustainable peace that involved six "democratic principles". |
1993-10-25 | N/A | external_event | Patrick Mayhew speech on 25 October 1993 | Patrick Mayhew gave a speech to the House of Commons in the wake of the Shankill Road bombing. |
1993-10-24 | N/A | external_event | Gerry Adams BBC interview (24 October 1993) | Gerry Adams gave an interview to the BBC, during which he spoke about "his understanding of there being a legitimate Unionist position and the impossibility of coercion of the Unionist people". |
1993-11-01 | N/A | external_event | John Major statement on European Council and on Northern Ireland | John Major addressed the House of Commons with a statement on the European Council and on Northern Ireland. |
1993-11-07 | N/A | external_event | Albert Reynolds 'On the Record' interview | Albert Reynolds gave an interview for BBC's "On the Record". |
1993-11-15 | N/A | external_event | John Major Lord Mayor's Banquet speech/Guildhall speech | John Major gave a speech at the Lord Mayor's Banquet. |
1993-11-19 | N/A | external_event | Irish Press published Irish report on Northern Ireland | The Irish Press published a secret framework document by the Irish Department of Foreign Affairs intended for the British government but never provided. |
1993-11-20 | N/A | external_event | UUP statement (20 November 1993) | The UUP released a statement on 20 November 1993. |
1993-11-21 | N/A | external_event | Albert Reynolds Breakfast with Frost interview | Albert Reynolds was interviewed by David Frost on *Breakfast with Frost*. |
1993-12-02 | N/A | external_event | Sinn Féin released further information regarding secret talks | Sinn Féin released further information regarding the secret talks that had taken place between the British government and the Republican Movement. Martin McGuinness claimed that these contacts had begun in 1990. |
1993-11-29 | N/A | external_event | Sinn Féin released documents relating to secret talks | Sinn Féin publicly released documents that provided details of the party's secret talks with the British government. These revealed differences from those released later that day by Patrick Mayhew in Commons. Martin McGuinness, then Vice-President of Sinn Féin, said that the message of the 22 February 1993 was a fake and he accused the British of "counterfeiting their own documents to meet their current needs". |
1993-12-01 | N/A | external_event | Patrick Mayhew admitted errors in secret talks documents | Patrick Mayhew admitted that there were 22 errors in the documents the British government had released on 29 November 1993 concerning secret talks with the Republican movement. |
1994-07-24 | N/A | external_event | Gerry Adams speech to Sinn Féin Conference in Letterkenny | 'Sinn Féin (SF) held a special conference in Letterkenny, County Donegal to consider the Downing Street Declaration (DSD). The conference was addressed by Gerry Adams, then President of SF. He is reported to have said that the DSD "suggests a potentially significant change in the approach of the [two] governments to resolving the conflict in Ireland, and we welcome this. But it does not deal adequately with some of the core issues, and this is crucial."' |
1994-08-31 | N/A | external_event | PIRA ceasefire announcement | The PIRA issued a statement announcing 'a complete cessation of military operations', on the basis that they believed conditions now faciliated 'an opportunity to secure a just and lasting settlement' through 'inclusive negotiations'. |
1996-06-12 | N/A | external_event | Independent Chairmen appointed | The Talks narrowly avoided collapse when the Irish government and the UUP came to an agreement late on 11 June 1996. Early in the morning on 12 June 1996, the Independent Chairmen were seated and the Opening Plenary Session of the Talks began. |
1994-01-01 | N/A | external_event | IRA planted firebombs around Belfast | 11 firebombs were planted by the IRA around Belfast, including in the Linen Hall Library which was slightly damaged by the attack. |
1994-01-01 | N/A | external_event | UFF announced right to respond militarily | The UFF (cover name for the UDA) released a statement that they retained the right to respond militarily in 1994. |
1994-01-02 | N/A | external_event | Home of Alex Maskey (Sinn Féin) attacked by UFF | The home of Alex Maskey, a Sinn Féin councillor, was targeted by the UFF in a gun attack. Roughly 30 shots were fired but no-one was hurt. |
1994-01-04 | N/A | external_event | UFF sent parcel bombs to Sinn Féin and An Phoblacht | The UFF sent two parcel bombs to Sinn Féin and An Phoblacht offices in Dublin. Two members of a bomb disposal team were injured when one of the devices exploded. |
1994-01-05 | N/A | external_event | National Committee on American Foreign Policy invited Northern Ireland politicians to New York | The National Committee on American Foreign Policy invited the leaders of the main political parties in Northern Ireland to attend a conference in New York, including an invitation for Gerry Adams. Adams' US visa was approved on 29 January 1994. |
1994-01-06 | N/A | external_event | Catholic man (21) injured in UFF gun attack | A Catholic man (21) was injured in a UFF gun attack in West Belfast. |
1994-01-06 | N/A | external_event | Catholic man (21) injured in UFF gun attack | A Catholic man (21) was injured in a UFF gun attack in West Belfast. |
1994-01-07 | N/A | external_event | IRA bombed RUC/British Army patrol in Andersontown | The IRA carried out a bomb attack on a joint RUC and British Army patrol in the Andersonstown area of Belfast. |
1994-01-08 | N/A | external_event | UFF carried out rocket and gun attack on Falls Road pub | The UFF carried out a rocket and gun attack on a pub on the Falls Road in Belfast and injured three people. |
1994-01-08 | N/A | external_event | UFF carried out rocket and gun attack on Falls Road pub | The UFF carried out a rocket and gun attack on a pub on the Falls Road in Belfast and injured three people. |
1994-01-08 | N/A | external_event | UFF carried out rocket and gun attack on Falls Road pub | The UFF carried out a rocket and gun attack on a pub on the Falls Road in Belfast and injured three people. |
1994-01-08 | N/A | external_event | Gerry Adams Irish News interview (January 1994) | Gerry Adams, then President of Sinn Féin, said in an interview with the *Irish News* , that the 'Republican struggle' could go on for another 25 years. He also criticised statements made by Patrick Mayhew, then Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, since the publication of the Downing Street Declaration. Mayhew had said that talks between the British government and SF would concern the decommissioning of IRA weapons. |
1994-01-17 | N/A | external_event | Sinn Féin released 'Setting the Record Straight' on contacts with British government | Sinn Féin issued a document, 'Setting the Record Straight', which contradicted British government accounts of contacts between the party and representatives of the government. |
1994-01-19 | N/A | external_event | Sinn Féin Irish broadcast ban lifted | At midnight the broadcasting ban under section 31 of the Broadcasting Act was lifted in the Republic of Ireland, thus allowing Sinn Féin access to the Irish media. |
1994-01-24 | N/A | external_event | UFF incendiary devices uncovered in Republic of Ireland | Incendiary devices that had been planted by the UFF were found at a school in Dundalk, Republic of Ireland, and at a postal sorting office in Dublin. |
1994-01-27 | N/A | external_event | Cormac Mac Dermott (31) killed by UVF | The UVF shot dead Cormac Mac Dermott (31), a Catholic civilian, and wounded his wife in a gun attack in Ballymena, County Antrim. |
1994-01-27 | N/A | external_event | John Desmond (51) killed by UFF | The UFF shot dead John Desmond (51), a Catholic civilian, in his home on Ormeau Road, Belfast. |
1994-01-27 | N/A | external_event | IRA planted three incendiary devices in Oxford Street shops | The IRA planted three incendiary devices in stores in Oxford Street, London. |
1994-01-28 | N/A | external_event | IRA exploded device in Oxford Street shop | The IRA exploded an incendiary device in a store in Oxford Street, London. A second device was defused. |
1994-02-01 | N/A | external_event | UVF bombed Catholic home in Portadown | The UVF carried out a bomb attack on the home of a Catholic family in Portadown, County Armagh, injuring an RUC officer in the explosion. |
1994-02-01 | N/A | external_event | IRA attacked British Army post at Cloghoge | The IRA carried out a mortar attack on a British Army observation post at Cloghoge, County Armagh. |
1994-02-01 | N/A | external_event | Hume, Adams, and Alderdice visit to New York | John Hume, Gerry Adams, and John Alderdice attended the National Committee on American Foreign Policy in New York. This was a major publicity coup for Sinn Féin. |
1994-02-03 | N/A | external_event | Mark Sweeney (31) killed by UFF | The UFF shot dead Mark Sweeney (31), a Catholic civilian, on the outskirts of Newtownards, County Down. |
1994-02-03 | N/A | external_event | UVF attacked west Belfast minibus | The UVF carried out a gun attack in west Belfast on a minibus used by relatives of Republican prisoners. The driver of the minibus and a woman passer-by were both injured in the attack. |
1994-02-03 | N/A | external_event | IRA planted bomb outside RUC Assistant Chief Constable's home | The IRA planted a small Semtex bomb outside the home of an RUC Assistant Chief Constable in Derry. |
1994-02-07 | N/A | external_event | Patrick Mayhew visit to Derry | Patrick Mayhew, then Secretary of Sate, paid a visit to Derry and stated that inter-party talks were on target. |
1994-02-10 | N/A | external_event | Former INLA leader Dominic McGlinchey shot dead | Dominic McGlinchey, former leader of the INLA, was shot dead by three gunmen in Drogheda, Republic of Ireland. It is not clear which organisation was responsible for the killing. |
1994-02-11 | N/A | external_event | UFF attacked homes of SDLP members | The UFF carried out gun attacks on the homes of two SDLP members. In one attack the son of one SDLP member was shot and wounded. |
1994-02-12 | N/A | external_event | UFF attacked Sinn Féin headquarters | The UFF carried out rocket attack on the headquarters of Sinn Féin in west Belfast. |
1994-02-17 | N/A | external_event | William Beacom (30) killed in IRA rocket attack | William Beacom (30), an RUC officer, was killed and two other officers injured when the IRA carried out a rocket attack on a police Land Rover in the Markets area of Belfast. |
1994-02-17 | N/A | external_event | Sean McParland (55) killed by UVF | Sean McParland (55), a Catholic civilian, was mortally wounded in a gun attack carried out by the Red Hand Commando (RHC), a cover name used by the UVF, while baby-sitting his four grandchildren in north Belfast. He died on 24 February 1994. |
1994-02-18 | N/A | external_event | UFF attacked Sinn Féin headquarters and injured three | The UFF carried out a gun attack injuring three workmen outside the headquarters of Sinn Féin in west Belfast. |
1994-02-21 | N/A | external_event | IRA attacked RUC station in Beragh | The IRA carried out a mortar attack on an RUC station in Beragh, County Tyrone. The attack caused extensive damage to the police station and to the surrounding village. |
1994-02-21 | N/A | external_event | Patrick Mayhew confirmed 'unauthorised' IRA meetings | In a BBC programme Patrick Mayhew, then Secretary of State, confirmed that two "unauthorised" meetings had taken place between representatives of the IRA and British officials in 1993. However, Mayhew stated that no official had been given permission to say that Britain intended to withdraw eventually from Northern Ireland. |
1994-02-24 | N/A | external_event | Jack Smyth (23) killed by INLA | Jack Smyth (23), a Protestant civilian, was shot dead by the INLA as he worked as a doorman at a public house on the Lisburn Road, Belfast. |
1994-03-09 | N/A | external_event | First IRA mortar attack on Heathrow Airport | The IRA carried out a mortar attack on the perimeter of Heathrow Airport. Although the five mortars fell inside the airport grounds none of them exploded. This was the first in a series of three carefully planned attacks on the airport; the others happened on 11 March 1994 and 13 March 1994. |
1994-03-09 | N/A | external_event | Commons voted for Northern Ireland select committee and PTA renewal | The House of Commons voted to set up a select committee on Northern Ireland affairs and also voted to renew the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA). |
1994-03-10 | N/A | external_event | James Haggan (33) killed by IRA | RUC officer James Haggan (33) was shot dead by the IRA while he was off-duty at a greyhound track in north Belfast. |
1994-03-11 | N/A | external_event | Francis Brown (38) killed by UVF bomb | Francis Brown (38), a Catholic civilian, was killed by a bomb planted by the UVF in Portadown, County Armagh. |
1994-03-11 | N/A | external_event | Second IRA mortar attack on Heathrow Airport | In a second attack on Heathrow Airport the IRA launched four mortars over the perimeter fence, none of which exploded. This was the second in a series of three attacks on the airport. |
1994-03-13 | N/A | external_event | Third IRA mortar attack on Heathrow Airport | Heathrow Airport was closed for two hours following a third IRA mortar attack. None of the mortars exploded. This was the last in a series of three attacks on the airport. |
1994-03-17 | N/A | external_event | Bill Clinton told IRA to "lay down their arms" | Bill Clinton, then President of the USA, attended a St Patrick's Day conference in Washington and called upon the IRA to "lay down their arms". |
1994-03-20 | N/A | external_event | IRA attacked British Army base in Crossmaglen | The IRA fired a mortar at a British Army base in Crossmaglen, south Armagh, causing an army helicopter to crash. |
1994-03-21 | N/A | external_event | Loyalists targeted SDLP Joe Hendron's car | Loyalists set alight the car belonging to Joe Hendron, then SDLP MP, which was parked outside his south Belfast home. |
1994-03-24 | N/A | external_event | SDLP councillor John Fee beaten by Republicans | John Fee, then a SDLP councillor, was severely beaten by Republicans outside his home in Crossmaglen, south Armagh. |
1994-03-29 | N/A | external_event | UFF attacked Sinn Féin office on Falls Road | The UFF launched a rocket and gun attack on a Sinn Féin office on the Falls Road, west Belfast. |
1994-03-31 | N/A | external_event | UFF carried out two attacks on Catholics | The UFF carried out two gun attacks on Catholics. Two Catholic men were injured in Belfast and a third was injured in Antrim. |
1994-04-06 | N/A | external_event | IRA announced three-day ceasefire (April 1994) | The IRA called a three-day ceasefire (Wednesday 6 April 1994 to Friday 8 April 1994). |
1994-04-07 | N/A | external_event | Protestant Margaret Wright (31) killed by Loyalists | "Margaret Wright (31), a Protestant civilian, was badly beaten by a group of men, and then finally shot four times in the head, in a Loyalist band-hall in the Donegal Road area of Belfast. She had been invited to the hall on the evening of 6 April 1994 and was then killed by Loyalists who believed that she was a Catholic." |
1994-04-09 | N/A | external_event | IRA carried out attacks on security forces | The IRA carried out a number of attacks on security forces in Aughnacloy, County Tyrone, Newtownbutler, County Fermanagh, and in Belfast. The attacks marked the end of a three-day IRA ceasefire. |
1994-04-12 | N/A | external_event | Ian Hamiltion (21) killed by UVF over Wright death | Ian Hamiltion (21) of the UVF was shot dead by the UVF because they claimed he had admitted killing Margaret Wright on 7 April 1994. |
1994-04-14 | N/A | external_event | Teresa Clinton (34) killed by UFF | Teresa Clinton (34), a Catholic Civilian, was shot dead by the UFF during a gun attack on her home, off Ormeau Road, Belfast. Her husband had been a former Sinn Féin election candidate. |
1994-04-14 | N/A | external_event | UFF attacked and wounded two Catholic civilians | The UFF carried out another gun attack and wounded of two Catholic civilians. |
1994-04-20 | N/A | external_event | Gregory Pollock (23) killed by IRA | The IRA killed Gregory Pollock (23), a RUC officer, and wounded two other officers, in an attack on a RUC mobile patrol in Derry. |
1994-04-24 | N/A | external_event | Alan Smith (40) and John McCloy (28) killed by IRA | The IRA shot dead Alan Smith (40) and John McCloy (28), both Protestant civilians, while they were sitting in a stationary car, on Main Street, Garvagh, County Derry. |
1994-04-25 | N/A | external_event | Francis Rice (23) killed by IRA | The IRA shot dead Francis Rice (23), a Catholic Civilian, beside Half Moon Lake, off Suffolk Road, Suffolk, Belfast. The IRA alleged that Rice was a criminal and drug dealer. |
1994-04-25 | N/A | external_event | Sixteen alleged drug dealers kneecapped by IRA | The IRA kneecapped 16 men whom it alleged were drug dealers. A number of other men were ordered to leave the country. |
1994-04-26 | N/A | external_event | Joseph McCloskey (52) killed by UFF | Joseph McCloskey (52), a Catholic Civilian, was killed by the UFF at his home on Lepper Street, New Lodge, Belfast. |
1994-04-27 | N/A | external_event | Gerald Evans (43) killed by INLA | Gerald Evans (43), a Protestant civilian, was shot dead by the INLA at his shop in Northcott Shopping Centre, Ballyclare Road, Glengormley, near Belfast. |
1994-04-27 | N/A | external_event | Paul Thompson (25) killed by UFF | Paul Thompson (25), a Catholic civilian, was shot dead by the UFF while he sat in a stationary taxi, outside his house in Springfield Park, Ballymurphy, Belfast. |
1994-04-28 | N/A | external_event | James Brown (47) killed by UVF | James Brown (47), a Catholic civilian, was shot dead by the UVF at his shop on Garmoyle Street, Docks, Belfast. |
1994-04-28 | N/A | external_event | Ex-UDR Eric Smyth (40) killed by IRA | Eric Smyth (40), an ex-member of the UDR, was shot dead by the IRA outside his home on Salters Grange Road, near Armagh. |
1994-05-08 | N/A | external_event | Roseanne Mallon (76) killed by UVF | Roseanne Mallon (76), a Catholic civilian, was shot dead by the UVF at her relative's home on Cullenramer Road, Greystone, near Dungannon, County Tyrone. On 27 July 1994 a neighbour discovered, in a nearby field, two security force surveillance cameras pointing at the house where the shooting took place. On 29 July 1994 the RUC issued a statement saying there was no video evidence of the shooting. There were subsequent claims of collusion between the security forces and Loyalist paramilitaries. On 10 April 2002, the family of Mallon claimed that six undercover British soldiers witnessed the shooting but were ordered not to intervene or apprehend the gunmen. In January 2004, the PSNI and British Army finally agreed to allow the East Tyrone coroner to view the security camera footage under police supervision. |
1994-05-11 | N/A | external_event | Peaceline erected to separate Springfield and Springmartin | Following a meeting between the SDLP and RUC, the police agreed erect a 20 feet high wall (peaceline) to separate the Springfield and Springmartin areas of Belfast. |
1994-05-12 | N/A | external_event | Martin Bradley (23) killed by UFF | Martin Bradley (23), a Catholic civilian, was shot dead by the UFF at his relative's home on Crumlin Road, Ardoyne, Belfast. |
1994-05-12 | N/A | external_event | Martin Bradley (23) killed by UFF | Martin Bradley (23), a Catholic civilian, was shot dead by the UFF at his relative's home on Crumlin Road, Ardoyne, Belfast. |
1994-05-13 | N/A | external_event | Fred Anthony (38) killed by IRA | Fred Anthony (38), a Protestant civilian, was killed an IRA booby trap bomb attached to his car. Anthony's wife and two children were injured in the explosion which happened as the car travelled along Hill Street, Lurgan, County Armagh. Anthony had been employed as a civilian cleaner by RUC. |
1994-05-14 | N/A | external_event | David Wilson (27) killed by IRA | David Wilson (27), a British Army soldier, was killed by the IRA during a bomb attack on a permanent Vehicle Checkpoint on Castleblaney Road, Keady, County Armagh. |
1994-05-16 | N/A | external_event | Full acceptance of Downing Street Declaration not necessary for Sinn Féin involvement in talks | A statement was released by Downing Street which indicated that a full acceptance of the Downing Street Declaration was not a necessary condition for Sinn Féin involvement in talks. |
1994-05-17 | N/A | external_event | Eamon Fox (42) and Gary Convie (24) killed by UVF | Eamon Fox (42) and Gary Convie (24), both Catholic civilians, were shot dead by the UVF at a building site on North Queen Street, in the Tiger Bay area of Belfast. |
1994-05-19 | N/A | external_event | Northern Ireland Office responded to Sinn Féin questions on Downing Street Declaration | The Northern Ireland Office published a 21-page British government response to Sinn Féin questions that arose from the Downing Street Declaration. Sinn Féin had submitted a series of 20 questions via the Irish government. |
1994-05-18 | N/A | external_event | Gavin McShane (17) and Shane McArdle (17) killed by UVF | Gavin McShane (17) and Shane McArdle (17), both Catholic civilians, were killed when the UVF carried out a gun attack on people in a taxi depot on Lower English Street, Armagh. |
1994-05-20 | N/A | external_event | Rioting in Protestant areas of Belfast following court appearance | There was serious rioting in Protestant areas of Belfast following the appearance in Belfast Magistrates' Court of a man accused of 'directing the activities' of the UFF. |
1994-05-21 | N/A | external_event | Reginald McCollum (19) killed by IRA | The IRA abducted and then shot dead Reginald McCollum (19), an off-duty member of the Royal Irish Regiment (RIR). His body was found in a field beside Mullaghcreevie housing estate, Armagh. |
1994-05-21 | N/A | external_event | Martin Doherty (35) killed by UVF | Martin Doherty (35), a member of the IRA, was shot dead by the UVF as he attempted to stop a bomb attack on The Widow Scallans Bar on Pearse Street, Dublin, where a Sinn Féin function was taking place. Another man was seriously wounded in the attack. |
1994-05-23 | N/A | external_event | Nigel Smith (19) killed by IRA | Nigel Smith (19), a Protestant civilian, was shot dead by the IRA at his place of work in the Anderson and McAuley building, Castle Street, Belfast. |
1994-05-23 | N/A | external_event | UVF bombed Sin Féin office in Belfast City Hall | The UVF carried out a bomb attack on the Sinn Féin office in Belfast City Hall, injuring two workmen. |
1994-06-02 | N/A | external_event | Mull of Kintyre Chinook crash | "A Royal Air Force (RAF) Chinook helicopter travelling from Northern Ireland to Scotland crashed in fog into a hillside on the Mull of Kintyre, Argyll, Scotland, killing all 29 people on board. Of those killed, 10 were senior officers in RUC Special Branch, 6 were senior officers in the Security Service (MI5), and 9 were senior officers in British Army intelligence. The 4 members of the RAF crew were also killed. The 25 security personnel had been travelling to a security conference in Inverness. |
1994-06-09 | N/A | external_event | Maurice O'Kane (50) killed by UVF | The body of Maurice O'Kane (50), a Catholic civilian, was found shot at his workplace, Harland and Wolff shipyard, Harbour Estate, Belfast. The UVF claimed responsibility for the killing. |
1994-06-09 | N/A | external_event | European Elections 1994 | European Elections were held in Northern Ireland. Once the votes were counted, Ian Paisley (DUP) narrowly topped the poll ahead of John Hume SDLP. Jim Nicholson of the UUP took the third seat. |
1994-06-09 | N/A | external_event | Seán Hick, Paul Hughes, and Donna Maguire acquitted for murder of British Army soldier | Seán Hick, Paul Hughes, and Donna Maguire, were acquitted in a court in Germany of the murder of a British Army officer in Dortmund in 1990. Hick and Hughes were released but Maguire was held on other charges. |
1994-06-10 | N/A | external_event | Shipyard workers protested O'Kane murder | 2000 workers from the Harland and Wolff shipyard stopped work for a period in protest at the killing at the shipyard on 9 June 1994. |
1994-06-16 | N/A | external_event | Three Loyalists killed by INLA | The INLA carried out a gun attack on a group of Loyalists on the Shankill Road, west Belfast. Two members of the UVF were shot. One died at the scene, and the second died on 9 July 1994. A Protestant civilian was also mortally injured and died on 17 June 1984. A fourth man was injured in the attack. |
1994-06-16 | N/A | external_event | Three Loyalists killed by INLA | The INLA carried out a gun attack on a group of Loyalists on the Shankill Road, west Belfast. Two members of the UVF were shot. One died at the scene, and the second died on 9 July 1994. A Protestant civilian was also mortally injured and died on 17 June 1984. A fourth man was injured in the attack. |
1994-06-17 | N/A | external_event | Three civilians killed by UVF | Gerald Brady (27), a Catholic civilian, was shot dead by the UVF in Blackthorn Park, Sunnylands, Carrickfergus. Cecil Dougherty (30), a Protestant civilian, was shot dead by the UVF during a gun attack on a worker's hut in Newtownabbey, County Antrim. In the same attack, William Corrigan (32), a Protestant civilian, was also shot and mortally wounded and died 10 July 1994. Both men were assumed to have been Catholics. |
1994-06-18 | N/A | external_event | Loughlinisland killings | The UVF killed six Catholic men and wounded five others in a gun attack on a bar in Loughlinisland, County Down. The people in the bar were watching a televised World Cup football match when the gunmen entered. |
1994-06-18 | N/A | external_event | Catholic home in Lisburn attacked | Shots were fired into the home of a Catholic family in Lisburn, County Antrim. |
1994-07-07 | N/A | external_event | Prince Charles visit to Derry | Prince Charles visited Derry. There were protests against the visit because of Charles' role as Colonel-in-Chief of the Parachute Regiment (soldiers of the regiment were responsible for the killings on Bloody Sunday, 30 January 1972). |
1994-07-09 | N/A | external_event | Joseph Donaghy (33) killed by UFF | Joseph Donaghy (33), a Catholic civilian, was found shot dead at Killymoon Golf Club, Cookstown, County Tyrone. The UFF claimed responsibility for the killing. |
1994-07-10 | N/A | external_event | IRA attacked home of Rev. William McCrea (DUP) | The IRA carried out a gun attack on the home of Rev. William McCrea, then DUP MP, in Magherafelt, County Derry. Forty shots were fired into the house which was empty at the time. |
1994-07-11 | N/A | external_event | Raymond Smallwoods (44) killed by IRA | Raymond Smallwoods (44), a member of the UDP and UDA, was shot dead by the IRA outside his home on Donard Drive, Tonagh, Lisburn, County Antrim. |
1994-07-16 | N/A | external_event | Loyalist prisoners rioted in Crumlin Road prison | Almost 100 Loyalist paramilitary prisoners rioted in Crumlin Road prison, Belfast, causing extensive damage. |
1994-07-22 | N/A | external_event | Robert Monaghan (44) killed by UFF | Robert Monaghan (44), a Catholic civilian, was shot dead by the UFF while at a friend's home in Rathcoole, Newtownabbey, County Antrim. |
1994-07-24 | N/A | external_event | Sinn Féin conference on Downing Street Declaration | Sinn Féin held a special conference in Letterkenny, County Donegal to consider the Downing Street Declaration (DSD). Gerry Adams was reported as having said that the DSD "suggests a potentially significant change in the approach of the [two] governments to resolving the conflict in Ireland, and we welcome this. But it does not deal adequately with some of the core issues, and this is crucial." |
1994-07-29 | N/A | external_event | IRA attacked RUC station in Newry | The IRA carried out a mortar attack on an RUC station in Newry, County Down. Over 40 people were injured in the attack. |
1994-07-29 | N/A | external_event | IRA attacked RUC station in Newry | The IRA carried out a mortar attack on an RUC station in Newry, County Down. Over 40 people were injured in the attack. |
1994-07-31 | N/A | external_event | Joe Bratty (33) and Raymond Elder (32) killed by IRA | Joe Bratty (33) and Raymond Elder (32), both members of the UDA, were shot and killed by the IRA while they were walking along Ormeau Road, Ballynafeigh, Belfast. |
1994-08-07 | N/A | external_event | Kathleen O'Hagan (38) killed by UVF | Kathleen O'Hagan (38), a Catholic civilian who was pregnant at the time, was shot dead by the UVF at her home, Barony Road, Greencastle, near Omagh, County Tyrone. |
1994-08-08 | N/A | external_event | Trelford Withers (46) killed by IRA | Trelford Withers (46), a part-time member of the Royal Irish Regiment (RIR), was shot dead by the IRA. He was off duty at the time and was killed at his shop, Downpatrick Street, Crossgar, County Down. |
1994-08-10 | N/A | external_event | Harry O'Neill (60) killed by UFF | Harry O'Neill (60), a Catholic civilian, was shot dead by the UFF while working as security man at a supermarket in Orby Link, Castlereagh, Belfast. |
1994-08-11 | N/A | external_event | Martin L'Estrange (36) killed by UFF | Martin L'Estrange (36), a Catholic civilian, was shot dead by the UFF. He was a printer and was killed at his workplace on William Street, Lurgan, County Armagh. |
1994-08-13 | N/A | external_event | IRA incendiary device damaged shops in Bognor Regis | An IRA incendiary device caused damage to shops in Bognor Regis, England and a similar device was defused in Brighton. |
1994-08-14 | N/A | external_event | Sean Monaghan (20) killed by UFF | Sean Monaghan (20), a Catholic civilian, was abducted and killed by the UFF. His body was found shot dead on waste ground off Ottawa Street, Woodvale, Belfast. |
1994-08-17 | N/A | external_event | IRA bombed Belfast public houses | The IRA carried out two bomb attacks on public houses in Belfast. One bomb exploded and badly damaged a bar on York Road. The second bomb in a pub on the Shankill Road was defused. |
1994-08-18 | N/A | external_event | IRA incendiary device damaged Protestant pub in Belfast | An IRA incendiary device exploded in a Protestant public house in Belfast. |
1994-08-18 | N/A | external_event | Martin Cahill (45) killed by IRA | Martin Cahill (45), alleged to be a leading Dublin criminal, was shot dead by the IRA. He was killed while driving his car, at the junction of Oxford Road and Charleston Road in Ranelagh, Dublin. |
1994-08-20 | N/A | external_event | Loyalists bombed Catholic public house in Belfast | Loyalists carried out a bomb attack on a Catholic public house in the Markets area of Belfast. |
1994-08-20 | N/A | external_event | 'Time for Peace - Time to Go' rally held in Dublin | An estimated 10,000 people attended a Republican 'Time for Peace - Time to Go' rally in Dublin, Republic of Ireland. |
1994-08-28 | N/A | external_event | John Hume and Gerry Adams released fourth joint statement | John Hume and Gerry Adams issued a fourth joint statement. The statement read: " A just and lasting peace in Ireland will only be achieved if it is based on democratic principles. ... If a lasting settlement is to be found there must be a fundamental and thorough-going change, based on the right of the Irish people as a whole to national self-determination." |
1994-08-31 | N/A | external_event | IRA announced cessation of military operations | The IRA issued a statement announcing a complete cessation of military activities: "Recognising the potential of the current situation and in order to enhance the democratic process and underlying our definitive commitment to its success, the leadership of the IRA have decided that as of midnight, August 31, there will be a complete cessation of military operations. All our units have been instructed accordingly." Unionists and the British government reacted with scepticism to the announcement on the basis that the statement did not contain the word 'permanent'. Albert Reynolds, then Taoiseach accepted the IRA statement as implying a permanent ceasefire. |
1994-08-31 | N/A | external_event | Sean McDermott (37) killed by UVF | Sean McDermott (37), a Catholic civilian, was abducted and killed by the UVF. He was found shot, in his car, off Old Ballynoe Road, near Antrim. |
1994-09-01 | N/A | external_event | John O'Hanlon (32) killed by UFF | John O'Hanlon (32), a Catholic civilian, was shot dead by the UFF outside a friend's home on Skegoneill Avenue, Skegoneill, north Belfast. |
1994-09-02 | N/A | external_event | Belfast Telegraph poll on IRA ceasefire | The *Belfast Telegraph* published an opinion poll conducted by Ulster Marketing Surveys (UMS). Of those asked, 56% believed that the IRA ceasefire had come about as a result of a secret deal. When asked about the permanence of the ceasefire only 30% thought it would be permanent. |
1994-09-04 | N/A | external_event | UVF left car bomb outside west Belfast Sinn Féin office | The UVF left a car bomb which exploded outside a Sinn Féin office in west Belfast. |
1994-09-06 | N/A | external_event | Albert Reynolds met with John Hume and Gerry Adams | Albert Reynolds, John Hume, and Gerry Adams publicly shook hands following a meeting in Dublin. The three leaders issued a joint statement. This move attracted criticism. |
1994-09-12 | N/A | external_event | UVF planted bomb on Belfast-Dublin train | The UVF planted a 1.5kg bomb on the Belfast to Dublin train. Only the detonator exploded and two people were injured. |
1994-09-12 | N/A | external_event | UVF planted bomb on Belfast-Dublin train | The UVF planted a 1.5kg bomb on the Belfast to Dublin train. Only the detonator exploded and two people were injured. |
1994-09-13 | N/A | external_event | Sectarian clashes outside Crumlin Road Courthouse | "There were sectarian clashes outside Crumlin Road Courthouse, Belfast, which were connected to a case being heard at the time. Later in the evening there was serious rioting in Loyalist areas of Belfast. Shots were fired, and petrol bombs were thrown, at the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC)." |
1994-09-16 | N/A | external_event | Sinn Féin British broadcasting ban lifted | John Major announced the end of the broadcasting ban on prescribed organisations including Sinn Féin. The broadcasting ban had been introduced on 19 October 1988. |
1994-09-17 | N/A | external_event | Clashes between Nationalists and RUC in Ballymurphy | There were clashes between Nationalists and RUC officers in Ballymurphy, west Belfast. |
1994-09-22 | N/A | external_event | 18-year-old targeted in paramilitary 'punishment' attack in Derry | A man (18) had a leg broken during a paramilitary 'punishment' attack in Derry. The IRA was thought to have been responsible for beating the man. |
1994-09-23 | N/A | external_event | UVF attacked Republican in west Belfast | The UVF attempted to kill a Republican in the lower Falls area of west Belfast. |
1994-09-24 | N/A | external_event | Second Gerry Adams visit to US | Gerry Adams, then President of Sinn Féin, flew to the United States of America for a second visit and was received with enthusiasm. |
1994-09-27 | N/A | external_event | European Parliament passed motion calling for paramilitary ceasefires | The European Parliament passed a motion which called for all paramilitary groups in Northern Ireland to begin ceasefires. |
1994-09-27 | N/A | external_event | John Hume nominated for Nobel Peace Prize by Socialist Group | John Hume, then leader of the SDLP, was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize by the Socialist Group of the European Parliament. |
1994-10-03 | N/A | external_event | US government ended Sinn Féin no-contact policy | Anthony Lake, then US National Security Adviser, announced that the US government had ended its policy prohibiting contact with Sinn Féin. Sinn Féin met with US officials in Washington on 4 October 1994. |
1994-10-13 | N/A | external_event | Loyalists announced conditional ceasefire | "The Combined Loyalist Military Command (CLMC), speaking on behalf of all Loyalist paramilitary organisations, announced in a statement a ceasefire as from midnight: "... the CLMC will universally cease all operational hostilities as from 12 midnight on Thursday the 13th October 1994. The permanence of our cease-fire will be completely dependent upon the continued cessation of all nationalist/republican violence; ..." Thus the Loyalist ceasefire was made conditional on no return to violence by the Irish Republican Army (IRA). [...] The CLMC offered "abject and true remorse" to "innocent" victims of Loyalist violence. [It was unclear which victims of Loyalist paramilitaries were considered "innocent".] John Major, then British Prime Minister, said the announcement was, "another important part of the jigsaw falling into place". Albert Reynolds, then Taoiseach (Irish Prime Minister), made a statement in the Daíl about the ceasefire: "This decision effectively signifies the end of twenty-five years of violence, and the closure of a tragic chapter in our history"." |
1994-10-21 | N/A | external_event | John Major visit to Northern Ireland (October 1994) | During a two-day visit to Northern Ireland, John Major spoke in Belfast saying that he was making a "working assumption" that the IRA intended its ceasefire to be permanent. He also announced that exclusion orders on Gerry Adams, then President of Sinn Féin and Martin McGuinness, then Vice-President of Sinn Féin, would be lifted, all border roads would be reopened, and that exploratory talks between the British Government and Sinn Féin would begin before Christmas. Major also promised to review the role of the British Army in Northern Ireland. |
1994-10-24 | N/A | external_event | British Army ceased patrolling in Derry | British Army soldiers stopped patrolling in Derry. Troops had been patrolling the city since August 1969. |
1994-10-28 | N/A | external_event | Albert Reynolds opened Forum for Peace and Reconciliation | Albert Reynolds, then Taoiseach, opened the Forum for Peace and Reconciliation in Dublin. The British ambassador to Ireland refused to attend the event because Sinn Féin representatives were present. |
1994-10-28 | N/A | external_event | Catholic Reaction Force announced ceasefire | The Catholic Reaction Force (CRF), considered to be a cover name for the INLA, announced a ceasefire. |
1994-10-30 | N/A | external_event | Scuffles between residents and RUC on Ormeau Road | There were scuffles on the Ormeau Road, Belfast, between RUC officers and local residents who were protesting against an Orange Order parade passing through their area. |
1994-11-10 | N/A | external_event | Frank Kerr (54) killed by IRA during robbery | Frank Kerr (54), a Catholic civilian who was a Post Office worker in a sorting office, was shot dead during a robbery. The shooting happened on Clanrye Street, Newry, County Down. On 20 November 1994 the IRA admitted that its members had been responsible though it claimed the killing had not been sanctioned by the Army Council of the IRA. Reacting to the killing, the Irish government suspended the release of nine Republican prisoners due on 11 November 1994. |
1994-11-17 | N/A | external_event | Albert Reynolds resigned as Taoiseach | "Albert Reynolds, then Taoiseach (Irish Prime Minister), and his Fianna Fáil (FF) ministers were forced to resign ending the coalition Government of FF and the Labour Party (LP). The resignation followed a controversy surrounding the appointment of Harry Whelehan to the position of President of the Supreme Court." |
1994-11-30 | N/A | external_event | John Hume and Gerry Adams issued statement on demilitarisation | John Hume and Gerry Adams issued a statement saying: "The demilitarisation process should be accelerated and inclusive negotiations ... should begin without further delay." |
1994-12-01 | N/A | external_event | George Mitchell appointed as special economic adviser on Ireland | "Bill Clinton, then President of the United States of America (USA), announced that he was appointing George Mitchell, the former Senate majority leader, as a special economic adviser on Ireland from January 1995. [Regardless of title, Mitchell was in effect the 'peace envoy' Clinton had promised on 5 April 1992.]" |
1994-12-15 | N/A | external_event | John Bruton appointed Taoiseach | "A new coalition Government was formed in the Republic of Ireland. The coalition was comprised of Fine Gael (FG), the Labour Party (LP), and Democratic Left (DL). John Bruton, leader of FG, was elected Taoiseach (Irish Prime Minister). Dick Spring retained his position of Tánaiste (deputy Irish Prime Minister) and Minister for Foreign Affairs." |
1994-12-16 | N/A | external_event | John Bruton shook hands with Gerry Adams | "John Bruton, then Taoiseach (Irish Prime Minister), shook hands with Gerry Adams, then President of Sinn Féin (SF), at the Forum for Peace and Reconciliation." |
1994-12-19 | N/A | external_event | Bomb defused at shop in Enniskillen | A bomb, estimated at 1.5kg of commercial (Semtex) explosives, was defused at a shop in Enniskillen, with the IRA denying responsibility for the bomb. |
1994-12-22 | N/A | external_event | Catholic Noel Lyness (47) killed by Loyalists | Noel Lyness (47), a Catholic civilian, was found beaten to death off Ebor Street, Village, Belfast. Lyness, a mature student at Queen's University Belfast, had been killed by Loyalists but no paramilitary group claimed responsibility. In the following years there were to be a number of Catholics killed by both Loyalists gangs and Loyalist paramilitary groups which were followed by the policy of 'no claim, no blame'. This meant that if no Loyalist paramilitary group claimed the killing the could be no political sanctions taken against them. |
1995-01-16 | N/A | external_event | Sinn Féin met with Northern Ireland Office officials | Representatives from Sinn Féin held a meeting with Northern Ireland Office officials at Stormont. Sinn Féin accepted that the party had an "influence" on paramilitary weapons. |
1995-01-12 | N/A | external_event | Daytime Belfast army patrols to be ended | There was an announcement that army patrols of Belfast streets during the day would end the following weekend. |
1995-01-27 | N/A | external_event | John Bruton and Dick Spring formally met with Sinn Féin | John Bruton, then Taoiseach, and Dick Spring, then Tánaiste, held their first formal meeting with representatives of Sinn Féin. |
1995-01-30 | N/A | external_event | Bertie Ahern met with UUP, SDLP and Sinn Féin | Bertie Ahern, then leader of Fianna Fáil, held a meeting with the UUP at its headquarters in Glengall Street, Belfast. Ahern also met with SDLP and Sinn Féin members later in the day. |
1994-12-22 | N/A | external_event | Nine paramilitary prisoners given early release by Irish government | In the Republic of Ireland, nine paramilitary prisoners were given early releases, and thirty were granted Christmas parole. The British government also granted Christmas parole to 97 prisoners. |
1995-02-01 | N/A | external_event | The Times published extracts from Framework Documents | *The Times* published what it claimed to be extracts from the 'Framework Documents' which the British and Irish governments had drawn up. |
1995-02-03 | N/A | external_event | Five IRA prisoners released by Irish government | <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> A further five IRA prisoners were released by the Irish government. <br> <br> |
1995-02-07 | N/A | external_event | Bomb defused in Newry, County Down | A bomb comprised of commercial explosives was defused in Newry, County Down. The IRA later denied responsibility for planting the bomb. |
1995-02-07 | N/A | external_event | Dáil agreed to lift state of emergency | John Bruton, then Taoiseach, proposed to the Daíl in Dublin that the state of emergency (declared in the Republic in 1939 and renewed in 1976) should be lifted. The proposal was accepted. Dick Spring, then Tánaiste, called on the British government to limit or repeal its emergency legislation. |
1995-02-08 | N/A | external_event | Andrew Clarke (27) sentenced for attempted murder of Eddie Copeland | Andrew Clarke (27), a private in the British Army, was sentenced at Belfast Crown Court to 10 years' imprisonment for the attempted murder of Eddie Copeland in Belfast in October 1993. |
1995-02-17 | N/A | external_event | Patrick Mayhew lifted 10 exclusion orders | Patrick Mayhew, then Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, lifted the exclusion orders against 10 people, imposed to prevent people travelling from Northern Ireland to Britain. |
1995-02-20 | N/A | external_event | Clashes between Republicans and RUC at Derry Sinn Féin offices | There were clashes between Republicans and RUC officers at the Sinn Féin offices in Derry, with seven members of the party being arrested. |
1995-02-22 | N/A | external_event | Framework Documents published | "John Major, then British Prime Minister, and John Bruton, then Taoiseach (Irish Prime Minister), held a press conference in Belfast to launch the Framework Documents: 'A New Framework For Agreement' and 'A Framework For Accountable Government In Northern Ireland'. The 'Framework for Accountable Government' proposed a single-chamber Assembly elected by proportional representation and containing 90 members. The 'Framework for Agreement' dealt with, among other things, North/South institutions. Major tried to reassure Unionists by referring to the safeguards built into the documents however most Unionists opposed the development." |
1995-03-01 | N/A | external_event | British Army patrols in east Belfast and Belfast centre ended | The British Army ended patrols in east Belfast and Belfast city centre. |
1995-03-02 | N/A | external_event | James Seymour died 21 years after being shot by IRA | James Seymour, formerly an RUC officer, died nearly 22 years after being shot by the IRA, outside Coalisland RUC base, County Tyrone. He had been shot on 4 May 1973 and was paralysed and partly comatose since the incident. |
1995-03-07 | N/A | external_event | 'Washington Three' conditions established | In Washington D.C., Patrick Mayhew outlined a three-point plan for decommissioning the IRA which would allow for Sinn Féin to join political discussions. These three points became known as the 'Washington 3' conditions. |
1995-03-08 | N/A | external_event | Michael Howard lifted 16 exclusion orders | Michael Howard, then British Home Secretary, lifted exclusion orders made under the Prevention of Terrorism Act against 16 people. |
1995-03-09 | N/A | external_event | Anglo-American relations damaged by US government attitude towards Gerry Adams | The White House announced that Gerry Adams would be permitted to raise funds in the US on behalf of Sinn Féin and that he would be invited to attend the President's St Patrick's Day reception. This aroused widespread criticism from the British government, with John Major refusing to accept a call from Bill Clinton for several days. The two met on 4 April 1995 to repair the damage to relations between the two administrations. |
1995-03-09 | N/A | external_event | Queen visit to Northern Ireland 1995 | On a one-day visit to Northern Ireland, the Queen met Cardinal Cahal Daly, then Catholic Primate. |
1995-03-14 | N/A | external_event | UVF prisoners at Maze Prison rioted | Following searches at Maze Prison for 'illicit material', 150 UVF prisoners rioted. |
1995-03-16 | N/A | external_event | Bomb partially exploded while being defused in Newry | A small bomb containing Semtex explosives partially exploded while being defused by British Army technical officers in Newry, County Down. The IRA denied responsibility for the device. |
1995-03-17 | N/A | external_event | Gerry Adams attended White House reception | Gerry Adams, then President of Sinn Féin, attended the St Patrick's Day reception hosted by Bill Clinton at the White House. item mark A delegation from the UDP also attended the reception. |
1995-03-24 | N/A | external_event | British Army patrols of greater Belfast area suspended | British Army patrols of the greater Belfast area were suspended at midnight. |
1995-03-31 | N/A | external_event | Statistics released on 'punishment' attacks since ceasefires (March 1995) | "Statistics were released on the level of paramilitary 'punishment' attacks since the ceasefires on 31 August and 13 October 1994. Republican paramilitaries had been responsible for 51 'punishment' beatings while Loyalist paramilitaries had carried out 39 such attacks." |
1995-04-01 | N/A | external_event | Incendiary device in Belfast grocery shop defused | "British Army technical officers defused an incendiary device that had been found in a grocery shop in Belfast. [This was the third such device in a week.]" |
1995-04-04 | N/A | external_event | Bill Clinton met John Major to repair Anglo-American relations | Bill Clinton met John Major in Washington to repair the damage to relations between the two administrations following the decision on 9 March 1995 to allow Sinn Féin to raise funds in the USA. |
1995-04-11 | N/A | external_event | Seven IRA prisoners released by Irish government | The Irish government granted early release to seven IRA prisoners. |
1995-04-12 | N/A | external_event | UUP, DUP, and SDLP leaders met for talks | The leaders of the UUP, DUP, and SDLP met in preparation for a new round of talks. |
1995-04-15 | N/A | external_event | Gerry Adams Radio Ulster interview on decommissioning | In a Radio Ulster interview, Gerry Adams ruled out the possibility of the IRA decommissioning arms. |
1995-04-17 | N/A | external_event | Apprentice Boys march rerouted due to protest (April 1995) | The RUC rerouted an Apprentice Boys of Derry parade away from the lower Ormeau Road area of Belfast. Approximately 200 people had joined a protest against loyal order parades passing through the area. |
1995-04-23 | N/A | external_event | Sunday Tribune published internal IRA document | "The Sunday Tribune (a Dublin based newspaper) published what it claimed to be an internal Irish Republican Army (IRA) document. The document had been circulated within the Republican movement before being leaked and was believed to have dated from prior to the 1994 ceasefire." |
1995-04-23 | N/A | external_event | Further protest against Apprentice Boys parade (April 1995) | About 500 protesters demonstrated against an Apprentice Boys parade in the lower Ormeau Road area, leading it to be rerouted by police. |
1995-04-25 | N/A | external_event | Catholic taxi driver shot near Lurgan | "A Catholic man, who was a taxi driver, was shot and seriously injured near Lurgan, County Armagh." |
1995-04-26 | N/A | external_event | Irish News claimed secret talks between Northern Ireland Office and IRSP | The *Irish News* claimed there had been secret talks between the Northern Ireland Office and the Irish Republican Socialist Party (IRSP), thought to be closely aligned with the INLA. |
1995-04-28 | N/A | external_event | Catholic Michael Mooney (34) allegedly killed by IRA | Michael Mooney (34), a Catholic civilian, was shot dead while in the '18 Steps Bar', Ann Street, Belfast. Despite no organisation claiming responsibility it was believed that the IRA had carried out the killing. Mooney was allegedly involved in drug dealing and this was apparently the reason he had been shot. |
1995-05-03 | N/A | external_event | Rioting during John Major visit to Derry | Sinn Féin supporters protested John Major's visit to Derry with up to 100 people rioting. |
1995-05-04 | N/A | external_event | Orange Order march caused clashes on Newtownards Road | Clashes on Newtownards Road, Belfast occurred as Orange Order members marched past a Nationalist area. The rioting continued the following day. |
1995-05-07 | N/A | external_event | Gerry Adams began US tour | Gerry Adams began a three-week tour of the US. He said that there was no split in the Republican movement and that the ceasefire was secure. |
1995-05-10 | N/A | external_event | Sinn Féin met with Northern Ireland Office Minister | Martin McGuinness, then Vice-President of Sinn Féin, led a delegation to Stormont for a meeting with Michael Ancram, then Political Development Minister at the Northern Ireland Office. This was the first official meeting between Sinn Féin and the British Government in 23 years. |
1995-05-11 | N/A | external_event | Loyalist paramilitary organisations threatened drug dealers | "Leaders of Loyalist paramilitary organisations warned that action would be taken against any members who were found to be dealing in drugs." |
1995-05-24 | N/A | external_event | Patrick Mayhew met Gerry Adams informally | "Patrick Mayhew, then Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, had an 'informal' private meeting with Gerry Adams, then President of Sinn Féin (SF), at an investment conference in Washington, USA. The meeting lasted about 35 minutes." |
1995-05-25 | N/A | external_event | Bill Clinton addressed Washington investment conference | "Bill Clinton, then President of the United States of America (USA), addressed the investment conference in Washington, USA. He called for an end to paramilitary violence, 'punishment' beatings, and intimidation, in Northern Ireland. Clinton also announced a number of economic initiatives." |
1995-05-28 | N/A | external_event | 17 RUC officers injured during Shankill Road rioting | Serious rioting broke out on Shankill Road, west Belfast. During the disturbances 17 RUC officers were injured. A shot was also fired at the RUC. |
1995-05-31 | N/A | external_event | Prince Charles visit to Republic of Ireland | Prince Charles began a two-day visit to the Republic of Ireland, this being the first official visit by a member of the British royal family since Irish independence. A protest of about 3000 people took place while the Prince attended a reception in Dublin Castle. |
1995-06-01 | N/A | external_event | Alasdair McDonnell elected as first Nationalist Deputy Lord Mayor of Belfast | Alasdair McDonnell, then an SDLP councillor, was elected Deputy Lord Mayor of Belfast. McDonnell was the first Nationalist councillor to hold this position. |
1995-06-06 | N/A | external_event | Michael Ancram and Gerry Adams shook hands publicly | "Michael Ancram, then Political Development Minister at the Northern Ireland Office (NIO), and Gerry Adams, then President of Sinn Féin (SF), shook hands in public at an international conference on peace and reconciliation in Belfast." |
1995-06-12 | N/A | external_event | Anti-terrorism legislation renewed at Westminster | "Anti-terrorism legislation was renewed for another year at Westminster. During the debate Patrick Mayhew, then Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, announced that an independent review into emergency legislation would be established." |
1995-07-04 | N/A | external_event | John Major retained Conservative Party leadership | Following continuing internal Conservative Party opposition to his leadership, John Major resigned as leader and entered the resulting leadership contest on 22 June 1995. He went on to overcome his opponent John Redwood and reinstate his leadership. |
1995-06-24 | N/A | external_event | Sinn Féin supporters and RUC clashed over Orange Order parade | Sinn Féin supporters and RUC clashed over an Orange Order parade in the Whiterock area of Belfast. |
1995-06-27 | N/A | external_event | John Major and John Bruton agreed that European Commission officials investigate decommissioning | "John Major, then British Prime Minister, and John Bruton, then Taoiseach (Irish Prime Minister), agreed to ask European Commission officials to look at ways in which the Commission might assist with the issue of decommissioning of paramilitary weapons." |
1995-06-28 | N/A | external_event | Patrick Mayhew warned talks would continue without paramilitaries with no decomissioning | "Patrick Mayhew, then Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, said that if Republican and Loyalist paramilitaries did not decommission their weapons then political talks would proceed without their political representatives." |
1995-07-03 | N/A | external_event | Lee Clegg released following imprisonment for murder of Karen Reilly | "Lee Clegg, a paratrooper with the British Army, was released from prison on the orders of Patrick Mayhew, then Secretary of State for Northern Ireland. Clegg had received a life sentence and been imprisoned in June 1993 for the murder of Karen Reilly (18), a Catholic civilian, on 30 September 1990. The decision to release Clegg sparked serious rioting in Nationalist areas of Northern Ireland. [Rioting continued for a second night. Clegg was accepted back into the British Army and later promoted.] Sinn Féin (SF) and representatives of Loyalist paramilitaries called for the immediate release of all political prisoners. Breidge Gadd, then Chief Probation Officer for Northern Ireland, resigned from the Life Sentence Review Board in protest at the decision. John Bruton, then Taoiseach (Irish Prime Minister), said that he expected the British authorities to apply the same rules "to other similar prisoner cases"." |
1995-07-05 | N/A | external_event | Protests over Loyal Order parades in Belfast and Derry | "Protests about Loyal Order parades led to a number of disturbances. There were confrontations between Loyalists and Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) officers in the Ormeau Road area of Belfast. There were also confrontations between RUC officers and Nationalists in Bellaghy, County Derry." |
1995-07-08 | N/A | external_event | Hugh Lewsley (SDLP) attacked outside Belfast pub | Hugh Lewsley, Lisburn SDLP councillor, was attacked and beaten outside a Belfast pub by eight men. |
1995-07-09 | N/A | external_event | 1995 Drumcree stand-off | The RUC prevented Orangemen from marching along Garvaghy Road, Portadown, leading to a two-day stand-off which featured repeated and widespread clashes between the RUC and Orangemen. A comprise was reached which allowed the Drumcree parade to proceed down the Garvaghy Road in Portadown. |
1995-07-12 | N/A | external_event | Attacks and clashes followed Orange Order parades across Northern Ireland | Orange Order parades took place across Northern Ireland. Clashes between Nationalist residents on lower Ormeau Road and the RUC saw a number of vehicles hijacked and burned. In the evening, there were attacks on Catholic and Protestant homes, and arson attacks on five Orange Halls. |
1995-07-12 | N/A | external_event | Irish government accused RUC of bias favouring Orange Order | Orange Order parades took place across Northern Ireland. Hundreds of police officers prevented Nationalist residents from protesting on lower Ormeau Road, Belfast, leaving many blocked in their homes. The Irish government later accused the RUC of bias in favour of the Orange Order and made a complaint to the Anglo-Irish Secretariat at Maryfield. |
1995-07-14 | N/A | external_event | Hume, Adams, Spring, and Bruton released joint statement calling for talks | John Hume (SDLP), Gerry Adams (Sinn Féin), John Bruton, then Taoiseach, and Dick Spring, then Tánaiste, met in Dublin. The four men issued a joint statement calling for all-party talks as soon as possible. |
1995-07-16 | N/A | external_event | Orange Order picketed Catholic church in Belfast following attacks | Members of the Orange Order picketed a Catholic Church in north Belfast as a protest following attacks on Orange Halls and Protestant businesses in the area. |
1995-07-17 | N/A | external_event | Catholic primary school on Shore Road targeted in arson attack | There was an arson attack on a Catholic primary school on the Shore Road, Belfast. |
1995-07-18 | N/A | external_event | Secret meeting between British and Sinn Féin | Patrick Mayhew, then Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, and Michael Ancram, then Political Development Minister at the Northern Ireland Office, held a secret meeting in Derry with Gerry Adams, then President of Sinn Féin, and Martin McGuinness, then Vice-President of Sinn Féin. News of the meeting was not broken until 24 July 1995 in the *Irish Times*. |
1995-07-23 | N/A | external_event | Three Loyalists arrested in Scotland under PTA | "Three Loyalists were arrested in Scotland under the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA). A number of weapons were also discovered. [One of those held was Lindsay Robb, a member of the Progressive Unionist Party (PUP), who had met Michael Ancram, then Political Development Minister at the Northern Ireland Office (NIO), on 22 March 1995.]" |
1995-07-30 | N/A | external_event | Sinn Féin march prevented given Loyalist counter-demonstration | The RUC prevented a Sinn Féin march from entering the centre of Lurgan, County Armagh given was the presence of a counter-demonstration of 1,500 Loyalists. Three RUC officers and one civilian were injured. |
1995-07-30 | N/A | external_event | 12 Republican prisoners released by Irish government | The Irish government ordered the early release of 12 Republican prisoners, bringing the total number of early releases in the Republic of Ireland to 33. |
1995-08-08 | N/A | external_event | Apprentice Boys threatened to prevent Catholics from attending church | Members of the Apprentice Boys of Derry (ABD) threatened to prevent Catholics from attending church if Loyal Order parades were rerouted away from Nationalist area |
1995-08-12 | N/A | external_event | Apprentice Boys parade 1995 | The Apprentice Boys of Derry (ABD) held their annual parade in Derry and went around the walls for the first time in 25 years. However, Republicans staged a sit-down demonstration before the parade began and were forcibly removed by the RUC. Rioting in Derry followed the parade and police fired 40 plastic bullets. There were also disturbances on Ormeau Road, Belfast, and at Dunloy and Rasharkin, County Antrim. |
1995-08-13 | N/A | external_event | Gerry Adams remarked that the IRA 'haven't gone away' | Gerry Adams addressed a demonstration at Belfast City Hall. During his speech a member of the crowd called out to Adams to, "bring back the IRA". In an unscripted reply Adams said: "They haven't gone away, you know". Despite being cheered by the crowd Adams was criticised for the remark. |
1995-08-14 | N/A | external_event | Belfast civilian search unit ended | The civilian search unit, which searched cars and people entering Belfast centre, ceased to operate. |
1995-08-22 | N/A | external_event | Irish News poll on talks and decommissioning | The *Irish News* published an opinion poll on issues related to all-party talks. Of those who responded, 52% supported the setting of a date for all-party talks whether or not weapons had been decommissioned. |
1995-08-25 | N/A | external_event | Patrick Mayhew announced British government consideration of RUC reform and emergency legislation | "Patrick Mayhew, then Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, announced that the British government would produce a White Paper on reform of the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) and an independent review of emergency legislation. He also announced that the remission of sentence for paramilitary prisoners would be returned to 50 per cent." |
1995-08-26 | N/A | external_event | Scuffles between RUC and protesters at Royal Black Institution parade | "There were scuffles between protesters and Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) officers at a Royal Black Institution parade in Bellaghy, County Derry." |
1995-08-28 | N/A | external_event | James Molyneaux announced party resignation | James Molyneaux, then leader of the UUP, announced that he would resign from the leadership of the party following a challenge to his leadership. |
1995-08-31 | N/A | external_event | Pickets and vigils marked anniversary of IRA ceasefire | "Republicans held a number of pickets and vigils across Northern Ireland to mark the first anniversary of the Irish Republican Army (IRA) ceasefire and also to increase the pressure for all-party talks." |
1995-09-05 | N/A | external_event | Tony Kane (29) allegedly killed by IRA | "Tony Kane (29), a Catholic civilian, was shot dead, while sat in his stationary car, St. Agnes Drive, Andersonstown, Belfast. The Irish Republican Army (IRA) was believed to be responsible for the killing. [It was alleged that Kane was a drugs dealer and this was the reason why he had been killed.]" |
1995-09-06 | N/A | external_event | Johnny Adair sentenced for directing UFF activities | "Johnny Adair, believed to be a leader of one of the six brigades of the Ulster Defence Association (UDA), was sentenced to 16 years imprisonment for directing the activities of the Ulster Freedom Fighters (UFF), a cover name (pseudonym) used by the UDA." |
1995-09-08 | N/A | external_event | David Trimble elected leader of UUP | The Ulster Unionist Council (UUC) held a meeting to choose a new leader following the resignation of James Molyneaux on 28 August, with David Trimble winning the contest |
1995-09-10 | N/A | external_event | Disturbances involved GAA supporters and Orange Order members in Dunloy | "There were disturbances involving Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) supporters and Orange Order members at a parade in the village of Dunloy, County Antrim. Four Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) officers and several civilians were injured during the clashes." |
1995-09-18 | N/A | external_event | Mitchel McLaughlin (Sinn Féin) and Gary McMichael (DUP) debated in Glasgow | Mitchel McLaughlin (Sinn Féin) and Gary McMichael (DUP) took part in a debate during the Liberal Democrats' conference in Glasgow, Scotland, making this the first time representatives of the two parties shared a platform. |
1995-09-22 | N/A | external_event | Loyalists and RUC clashed over parade reroute in Downpatrick | "Loyalists clashed with Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) officers following a decision to reroute an Orange Order parade in Downpatrick, County Down." |
1995-09-27 | N/A | external_event | Ruling on Gibraltar Killings | "In Strasbourg the European Court of Human Rights ruled that the shooting on 6 March 1988 of three unarmed Irish Republican Army (IRA) members in Gibraltar by undercover members of the Special Air Service (SAS) breached the Human Rights Convention in relation to the right to life. The court found that the SAS killings were "unnecessary" and that the three IRA members could have been arrested. No damages were awarded but the British government was ordered to pay the legal costs of the families. [On 24 December 1995 the British government paid £38,700 to cover the legal costs.]" |
1995-09-28 | N/A | external_event | William Elliott (31) killed in relation to Margaret Wright death | "William Elliott (31), a member of Red Hand Commando (RHC), was shot dead by members of his own Loyalist paramilitary group, while leaving a friends' house, Primacy Park, Bangor, County Down. [The killing was the result of an internal RHC dispute. It was alleged that he had been killed because of his part in the killing of Margaret Wright (31) on 7 April 1994.]" |
1995-10-01 | N/A | external_event | Gerry Adams visit to Scotland | On his first visit to Scotland, Gerry Adams was met with a Loyalist protest. Police arrested five protesters. |
1995-10-14 | N/A | external_event | Scuffles between Sinn Féin supporters and RUC over demonstration | There were scuffles between Sinn Féin supporters and RUC officers when Sinn Féin attempted to hold a demonstration in the centre of Lurgan, County Armagh. |
1995-10-14 | N/A | external_event | Last 'peace train' travelled between Dublin and Belfast | The last 'peace train' travelled between Dublin and Belfast. |
1995-10-26 | N/A | external_event | Oath of allegiance to Queen by Queen's Councils to be repealed | "The Northern Ireland Office (NIO) announced that the oath of allegiance to the Queen made by Queen's Councils (QCs) in Northern Ireland would be repealed. Unionists criticised the decision." |
1995-11-01 | N/A | external_event | Gerry Adams stated that British-Sinn Féin talks had failed | Gerry Adams stated that British-Sinn Féin talks had failed. |
1995-11-02 | N/A | external_event | Gerry Adams published 'Peace Process in Very Serious Difficulty' | Gerry Adams, then President of Sinn Féin, published an article entitled 'Peace Process in Very Serious Difficulty', in An Phoblacht (Republican News). |
1995-11-03 | N/A | external_event | Northern Ireland Office published 'Building Blocks' paper | The Northern Ireland Office published a document referred to as the 'Building Blocks' paper. The paper suggested that: "all-party preparatory talks and an independent international body to consider the decommissioning issue will be convened in parallel by the two governments", hence the term 'twin-track' process. |
1995-11-08 | N/A | external_event | Remission of paramilitary sentences returned from 33% to 50% | The act of parliament which returned remission of sentence for paramilitary prisoners from 33 per cent to 50 per cent became law. The new rules did not apply to life sentences. |
1995-11-10 | N/A | external_event | Gardaí arrested two men after seizing explosives | Garda Síochána arrested two men after seizing explosives, estimated at 1,500 pounds (700kgs), about one mile from the County Armagh border. |
1995-11-14 | N/A | external_event | Spirit of Drumcree held rally in Ulster Hall | "The 'Spirit of Drumcree' group held a rally in the Ulster Hall, Belfast. The group called for sweeping changes in the Orange Order including the resignation of Martin Smyth (Rev.), then Grand Master, and the breaking of the traditional link between the Order and the Ulster Unionist Party (UUP)." |
1995-11-17 | N/A | external_event | 83 prisoners released following remission law change | Following the change in the law regarding remission of sentence for paramilitary prisoners on 7 November, 83 people were released from jails in Northern Ireland. |
1995-11-24 | N/A | external_event | Small bomb exploded outside Omagh courthouse | "A small bomb, described as a "crude device", exploded outside the courthouse in Omagh, County Tyrone." |
1995-11-24 | N/A | external_event | Republic of Ireland referendum on divorce | There was a referendum in the Republic of Ireland on a change to the constitution with a narrow majority, 50.2%, voting in favour of the right to divorce. |
1995-11-27 | N/A | external_event | Catholic Norman Harley (46) beaten to death by Protestants | "Norman Harley (46), a Catholic civilian, was found beaten to death at the Waterworks, off Cavehill Road, Belfast. [Harley was going through the park to visit his mother when two Protestant men beat him to death with an iron bar before going to a public house. This sectarian killing appears not to have been carried out by Loyalist paramilitaries (McKitterick, 1999; p1383).]" |
1995-11-28 | N/A | external_event | Joint Anglo-Irish communiqué (28 November 1996) | "The British and Irish Governments issued a [Joint Communiqué](https://cain.ulster.ac.uk/events/peace/docs/com281195.htm) stating that: "the two governments have agreed to launch a "twin-track" process to make progress in parallel on the decommissioning issue and on all-party negotiations". The governments hoped to have all-party negotiations begin by the end of February 1996. They also invited the parties to intensive preparatory talks. The governments also undertook to: "... establish an international body to provide an independent assessment of the decommissioning issue". [George Mitchell, a former American Senator, was asked to lead this body.]" |
1995-11-30 | N/A | external_event | Bill Clinton visit to Northern Ireland (November 1995) | Bill Clinton, then President of the United States, visited Northern Ireland, making him the first serving US president to do so. Clinton visited Belfast and Derry, and spoke in support of the twin-track talks process. |
1995-11-30 | N/A | external_event | European Court of Justice ruled that exclusion orders under PTA contravened EU law | The European Court of Justice ruled that exclusion orders issued under PTA contravened EU law by breaching freedom of movement. |
1995-12-04 | N/A | external_event | Catholic family home attacked by Loyalists in west Belfast | A Catholic family home attacked by Loyalists for the 56th time in nine years in west Belfast. |
1995-12-01 | N/A | external_event | INLA shot a man in Falls Road area of Belfast | The Irish National Liberation Army (INLA) shot and wounded a man in the Falls Road area of west Belfast. |
1995-12-05 | N/A | external_event | Statistics released on 'punishment' beatings since ceasefires (December 1995) | "Statistics revealed that in the 14 months following the Irish Republican Army (IRA) ceasefire there had been 223 paramilitary 'punishment' beatings - 148 by Republicans and 75 by Loyalists. These figures compared with 45 incidents in the 14 months prior to the ceasefire - 8 by Republicans and 37 by Loyalists." |
1995-12-08 | N/A | external_event | Catholic Paul Devine (35) killed by IRA | "Paul Devine (35), a Catholic civilian, was shot dead by the Irish Republican Army (IRA) in Claremont Street, off Lisburn Road, Belfast. [It was alleged that Devine was a drug dealer and this was the reason why he was shot. On 11 December 1995 Joe Hendron, then SDLP MP, said that the killing of Devine constituted a breach of the IRA ceasefire.]" |
1995-12-18 | N/A | external_event | Francis Collins (40) killed by DAAD | Francis Collins (40), a former member of the IRA, was shot dead at his shop in Lepper Street, New Lodge, Belfast. Responsibility for the killing was claimed by Direct Action Against Drugs (DAAD), a cover name for the IRA. |
1995-12-19 | N/A | external_event | Chris Johnston (38) killed by DAAD | Chris Johnston (38), a Catholic civilian, was shot dead outside his home in Cooke Street, off Ormeau Road, Belfast. Responsibility for the killing was claimed by Direct Action Against Drugs (DAAD), a cover name for the IRA. |
1995-12-19 | N/A | external_event | PUP member Lindsay Robb sentenced for conspiring to obtain guns | "In a court in Glasgow, Lindsay Robb, then a Progressive Unionist Party (PUP) member, was sentenced to 10 years imprisonment for conspiring to obtain guns for the Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF)." |
1995-12-20 | N/A | external_event | RUC statement on recent killings of alleged drug dealers | A senior RUC officer said that the police believed that that the killing of five alleged drugs dealers was carried out by, or on behalf of, the IRA. Due to the recent killings attributed to the IRA the Irish government decided not to give permanent release to 10 Republican prisoners. |
1995-12-24 | N/A | external_event | Sunday Times report on Libya/IRA link | "The *Sunday Times* (a London based newspaper) claimed that Libya had provided the British government with details of its assistance to the Irish Republican Army (IRA). [It was claimed that: over 130 tonnes of arms were shipped from Tripoli to Ireland; £9 million in cash had been handed over; and 20 IRA members had been trained in Libya.]" |
1995-12-27 | N/A | external_event | Martin McCrory (30) killed by DAAD | Martin McCrory (30), a Catholic civilian was shot dead at his home, Norglen Parade, Turf Lodge, Belfast. The killing was claimed by Direct Action Against Drugs (DAAD), a cover name for the IRA. |
1973-06-26 | N/A | external_event | Paddy Wilson (39) and Irene Andrews (29) killed by the UFF | SDLP Stormont Senator Paddy Wilson, aged 39, and his secretary Irene Andrews, aged 29, were stabbed to death in Belfast by members of the UFF. John White was later convicted for his part in their killing. |
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3 historical records used for this dataset.
2 committees met in 25 sessions.
Average 8.33 sessions each.
Dates from Wednesday, 15 February 1995 to Monday, 22 January 1996.
24 people in 12 voting delegations.
Top 5 most active people are:
Summary of person events:
procedural motions considered.
Summary of procedural events:
1 documents considered with 27 amendments presented.
Summary of document events:
28 number of decisions made.
Summary of decision made:
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