Chronology of the Northern Ireland Troubles

Considering that the Province of Northern Ireland was ravaged by conflict for over 30 years, it would be simply impossible to include every single event that took place during that time. Listed are the most important incidents of The Troubles and subsequent peace process.

January 1967: Northern Ireland Civil Rights Association formed.

October 1968: Clashes between NICRA and Royal Ulster Constabulary in Derry, during civil rights marches. This is considered by many as the beginning of the Troubles.

March / April 1969: Loyalist bombers targeted local amenities, including water and electricity supplies.

July 1969: 67 year old Francis McCloskey was killed by an RUC officer. Many consider this as the first death of the Troubles. In the following 30 years, over 3500 people died as a result of the conflict.

August 1969: Serious rioting erupted in Bogside, Derry. After two days of continuous battle, British troops were deployed on the streets of Northern Ireland for the first time.

October 1969: 29 year old Victor Arbuckle became the first RUC officer to die in the Troubles.

December 1969: A split forms in the Irish Republican Army, creating the Official IRA and Provisional IRA.

June 1970: Major gun battle between the IRA and Loyalists. Seven people were killed.

August 1970: Leading Nationalist party, the Social Democratic Labour Party (SDLP) was formed.

February 1971: Gunner Robert Curtis became the first British Soldier to die in the Troubles when he was shot by the IRA.

March 1971: Brian Faulkner became the Prime Minister of Northern Ireland.

August 1971: Internment introduced in Northern Ireland

December 1971: 15 people were killed by a loyalist bomb in a Belfast bar.

January 1972: Bloody Sunday - 13 men were shot and killed by the British Army in Derry.

February 1972: Funerals of 11 of those killed on Bloody Sunday. Prayer services held across Ireland. In Dublin, over 30,000 marched to the British Embassy, carrying 13 coffins and black flags. They attacked the Embassy with stones and bottles, then petrol bombs. The building was eventually burnt to the ground.

Seven people were killed by an IRA bomb at Aldershot barrack, England. It was thought to be in retaliation for Bloody Sunday. Most of those killed were ancillary workers, including a Catholic priest.

March 1972: Stormont government ended. Direct rule from Westminster introduced.

May 1972: The Official IRA announced a ceasefire. This marked the end of OIRA's military campaign. The Provisional IRA continued its campaign right up until 1997.

July 1972: Bloody Friday - nine people were killed and 130 seriously injured when the IRA exploded 22 bombs in Belfast in the space of 75 minutes.

December 1972: Two people were killed and 127 injured by tow IRA car bombs in Dublin, Republic of Ireland.

June 1973: Northern Ireland Assembly elections took place.

February 1974: Eleven people killed by an IRA bomb planted on a coach carrying British soldiers and their families.

May 1974: Beginning of Ulster Workers Council strike.

4 bombs (3 in Dublin, 1 in Monaghan) planted by the Ulster Volunteer Force in the Republic of Ireland. They killed 33 people and an unborn child.

The Northern Ireland Assembly collapsed. As a result, direct rule was re-introduced.

October 1974: Five people were killed by IRA bombs in pubs in Guildford, Surrey, England.

November 1974: 21 people were killed by IRA bombs in pubs in Birmingham, England.

December 1974: IRA announced Christmas ceasefire. Prior to ceasefire, they carried out a bomb attack on the home of former Prime Minister Edward Heath. Mr Heath was not in the building at the time.

July 1975: Three members of the Miami Showband were shot and killed by the UVF following a concert in Co. Down.

October 1975: The UVF killed 12 people in a series of attacks across Northern Ireland.

December 1975: End of internment.

The Red Hand Commandos, a group associated with the UVF, killed five people in a bomb attack in Dundalk, Co. Louth, Republic of Ireland.

January 1976: Ten protestant civilians were killed by the Republican Action Force (believed to be a cover name for the IRA).

March 1976: End of special category status for prisoners convicted of terrorist crimes.

July 1976: 54 year old Christopher Ewart Biggs, the British Ambassador to Ireland, and his secretary Judith Cook, were killed by a bomb planted in Mr Biggs' car in Dublin.

August 1976: Mairead Corrigan and Betty Williams formed the Peace People, a group of Catholics and Protestants, who joined forces on the streets of Northern Ireland to call for peace.

September 1976: Blanket protests began in the Maze prison, in protest at the end of special category status. The term ‘blanket protest' comes from the fact that the protestors refused to wear prison uniforms, instead wrapping blankets around themselves.

October 1977: Mairead Corrigan and Betty Williams received the Nobel Peace Prize.

November 1978: 12 people were killed by an IRA bomb at a hotel near Belfast.

February 1979: Eleven loyalists known as the ‘Shankhill Butchers' were sentenced to life in prison for 19 murders. The infamous group got their name from the fact that they tortured and mutilated their victims with butcher's knives.

March 1979: Conservative spokesman on Northern Ireland, Airey Neave was killed by a bomb planted in his car by the Irish National Liberation Army. If he had lived, he would have become Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, when the Conservatives won the UK general election two months later.

August 1979: 18 British soldiers were killed by an IRA bomb at Warrenpoint, Co. Down. On the same day, four people, including the Queen's cousin Lord Louis Mountbatten, were killed by an IRA bomb on board a boat off the coast of Co. Sligo, Republic of Ireland.

September 1979: During a visit to the Republic of Ireland, Pope John Paul II appealed for an end to the violence in Northern Ireland.

October 1980: Republican prisoners began a hunger strike in protest against the end of special category status.

December 1980: Hunger strike called off.

March 1981: Prisoners began a second hunger strike.

April 1981: Hunger striker Bobby Sands won a by-election to be elected as a MP at Westminster. The law was later changed to prevent prisoners standing in elections.

May 1981: After 66 days on hunger strike, 26 year old Bobby Sands MP died in the Maze. Nine further hunger strikers died in the following 3 months.

June 1981: Eight IRA prisoners escaped from the Crumlin Road prison, Belfast.

September 1981: Northern Ireland's first religiously integrated secondary school opened.

October 1981: Hunger strike ended.

July 1982: Eleven British soldiers and seven military horses died in IRA bomb attacks on Hyde Park, London.

December 1982: 17 people were killed by an INLA bomb at the Droppin' Well Bar, Co. Derry.

May 1983: New Ireland Forum set up.

October 1984: The IRA carried out a bomb attack on the Grand Hotel, Brighton, which was being used as a base for the Conservative Party Conference. Five people, including MP Anthony Berry, were killed. Margaret and Denis Thatcher narrowly escaped injury.

December 1984: Ian Thain became the first British soldier to be convicted of murdering a civilian during the troubles.

November 1985: Margaret Thatcher and Garret FitzGerald signed the Anglo-Irish Agreement.

December 1985: All 15 unionist MPs resigned in protest against the Anglo-Irish agreement.

June 1986: Northern Ireland Assembly officially dissolved.

May 1987: Eight IRA members killed by the SAS in Loughall, Co. Armagh.

November 1987: Eleven people were killed by an IRA bomb during a remembrance day service in Enniskillen, Co. Fermanagh.

January 1988: SDLP leader John Hume and Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams held a meeting. Many consider this meeting as the beginning of the Peace Process.

March 1988: Three IRA members killed by the SAS in Gibraltar. At the funeral of those killed in Gibraltar, loyalist Michael Stone launched a grenade, killing three. Most of the action was filmed by Television News crews.

At the funeral of Michael Brady, killed at the funeral by Michael Stone, two British soldiers in plain clothes were killed after being mistaken for loyalist gunmen.

June 1988: Six off-duty British soldiers were killed by an IRA bomb in Lisburn.

August 1988: Eight British soldiers were killed by an IRA bomb at Ballygawley, Co. Tyrone.

October 1988: The British Government introduced the broadcasting ban.

February 1989: Prominent Republican solicitor Pat Finucane was shot and killed by the Ulster Freedom Fighters.

September 1989: Eleven military bandsmen were killed by the IRA at Deal Barracks, Kent, England.

March 1990: The Taoiseach (Irish Prime Minister) Charles Haughey became the first serving Taoiseach to visit Northern Ireland since 1965.

July 1990: The IRA bombed the Stock Exchange, London.

Conservative MP for Eastbourne, Ian Gow, was killed by an IRA bomb planted in his car.

September 1990: Two Catholic teenagers were killed by British soldier in Belfast.

November 1990: Margaret Thatcher resigned as British Prime Minister.

December 1990: The IRA held its first Christmas ceasefire for 15 years.

February 1991: Three mortars were fired into gardens at 10 Downing Street, the official residence of the British Prime Minister.

January 1992: Eight people were killed by an IRA bomb at Teebane, Co. Tyrone. Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, Peter Brooke was accused by unionists of gross insensitivity, after he was persuaded to sing ‘My Darling Clemintine' on RTE's Late Late Show.

RUC officer Allen Moore killed three Sinn Fein members in Belfast. He later shot himself.

February 1992: The UFF shot and killed five Catholics at a bookmaker's shop on Ormeau Road.

April 1992: Three people were killed by an IRA bomb at Baltic Exchange, London.

March 1993: The IRA exploded 2 bombs in Warrington, Cheshire, England, killing 3 year old Jonathan Ball and injuring 56 others. 12 year old Tim Parry died of his injuries five days later. There was widespread protesting in Britain and Ireland following the deaths of the two innocent boys.

April 1993: The IRA exploded a large bomb at Bishopsgate, London. It killed one person, injured 30 others, and caused an estimated £350 million in damage.

June 1993: President of the Republic of Ireland, Mary Robinson, visited community groups in Belfast. She publicly shook hands with Gerry Adams, provoking criticism amongst unionists.

September 1993: The IRA observed a ceasefire to coincide with a visit to Northern Ireland by prominent Irish Americans.

October 1993: Ten people were killed by an IRA bomb at a fish shop on Shankhill Road, Belfast.

The UFF shot and killed six people at the Rising Sun bar, Greysteel, Co. Derry. One gunman was hear to say ‘trick or treat' before he fired into the crowded room, a reference to the Halloween party taking place.

January 1994: The broadcasting ban lifted in the Republic of Ireland.

Bill Clinton granted a ‘limited duration' visa to Gerry Adams.

March 1994: The IRA carried out a mortar attack on Heathrow Airport, London. Further attacks were carried out later in the month, but on each occasion, the mortars failed to explode.

June 1994: 29 people, including ten senior RUC officers, died when their helicopter crashed at Mull of Kintyre, Scotland. They were travelling from Belfast to a security conference in Inverness.

Six men were shot and killed by the UVF at a bar in Loughinisland, Co. Down.

August 1994: The IRA issued a statement which announced a complete cessation of military activities. This ceasefire was broken less than two years later.

September 1994: John Major lifted the broadcasting ban in the UK.

October 1994: Loyalist groups announced a ceasefire.

December 1994: Former US Senator, George Mitchell, was appointed by Bill Clinton as special economic advisor on Ireland. In effect, Mitchell was the ‘peace envoy' promised by Clinton in 1992.

January 1995: A delegation from Sinn Fein met with officials from the Northern Ireland Office.

February 1995: The British and Irish governments released the Joint Framework document.

March 1995: Gerry Adams attended a reception held by Bill Clinton at the white House.

July 1995: Lee Clegg, a paratrooper with the British Army was released from prison on the orders of Secretary of State Patrick Mayhew. Clegg had been jailed in 1993 for the murder of Catholic teenager Karen Reilly.

September 1995: David Trimble was elected as the leader of the Ulster Unionist Party, following the resignation of James Molyneaux.

November 1995: Bill Clinton became the first serving US President to visit Northern Ireland.

February 1996: The IRA bombed South Quay, Docklands, London. The bomb killed two people, and brought to an end the ceasefire after 17 months and 9 days.

June 1996: Detective Jerry McCabe of Garda Siochana (Irish police force) was killed by the IRA in Co. Limerick, Republic of Ireland.

Talks at Stormont began without Sinn Fein.

The IRA exploded a bomb in Manchester. It destroyed a large part of the city centre and injured over 200 people. To date, it is the largest bomb to be planted on the British mainland. The devastation was so great, that several buildings were damaged beyond repair, and had to be demolished. It's estimated that Manchester lost a third of all its retail space in the blast. Re-building took many years.

October 1996: 31 people were injured by an IRA bomb at the British Army HQ, Lisburn. 43 year old Warrant Officer James Bradwell died of his injuries four days later in hospital.

February 1997: Lance Bombardier Stephen Restorick was shot and killed by the IRA at Bessbrook, Co. Armagh. He was the last British soldier to die in the Troubles.

April 1997: The Grand National horse race was cancelled, and Aintree Racecourse evacuated following a hoax bomb warning from the IRA. It was one of a number of events that proved how easily the IRA could disrupt the lives of the British public with minimum effort, and minimum risk to IRA members.

May 1997: Labour won the UK general election. Dr. Marjorie 'Mo' Mowlam was appointed as Scretary of State for Northern Ireland.

June 1997: Sinn Fein won its first ever seats in the Dail (Irish Parliament)

Two RUC officers were shot and killed by the IRA.

July 1997: The IRA renewed its ceasefire.

August 1997: There was a debate on BBC's Newsnight between Sinn Fein and the UUP. This was the first television debate between the two parties.

September 1997: Sinn Fein signed the Mitchell Principles.

General John de Chastelaine was appointed as the chair of the body to oversee decommissioning.

Multi-party talks resumed.

December 1997: Billy Wright, the leader of the Loyalist Volunteer Force within the Maze was shot and killed.

January 1998: Against the advice of the British government, Mo Mowlam visited UDA and UFF prisoners in the Maze to encourage them to support the peace talks.

The Ulster Democratic Party were suspended from talks following UDA and UFF violence.

March 1998: Two men were shot and killed by the LVF at Poyntzpass, Co. Armagh.

George Mitchell set a deadline of 9th April for the parties to reach an agreement.

April 1998: George Mitchell's 9th April deadline passed, but the talks continued well into the night. Then at 5:35pm, on Good Friday, 10th April, after 30 years of violence, and two years of intensive talks, George Mitchell made the historic announcement: ‘I am happy to announce that the governments, and political parties of Northern Ireland have reached an agreement.' The agreement, officially called the Belfast Agreement, would become better known as the Good Friday Agreement.

May 1998: The people of Ireland, North and South, voted overwhelmingly in favour of the Good Friday Agreement.

June 1998: Northern Ireland Assembly elections were held. David Trimble was elected First Minister. Seamus Mallon was elected deputy.

August 1998: A dissident republican splinter group, calling itself the Real IRA, exploded a bomb in Omagh, Co. Tyrone. It killed 29 people, making it the worst single bombing of the Troubles, in terms of life lost.

December 1998: David Trimble of the UUP and John Hume from the SDLP were awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for their efforts to bring peace to Northern Ireland.

January 1999: Former IRA member Eamon Collins was found dead near Newry, Co. Down.

March 1999: Solicitor Rosemary Nelson, who had represented republicans in several high profile cases, was killed by a booby trap car bomb in Lurgan, Co. Armagh. Loyalist group, Red Hand Defenders, admitted responsibility.

July 1999: 22 year old Charles Bennett was shot and killed by the IRA in Belfast.

October 1999: Peter Mandelson replaced Mo Mowlam as Secretary of State for Northern Ireland.

February 2000: Peter Mandelson suspended the Northern Ireland Assembly, citing insufficient progress on decommissioning.

March 2000: The Bloody Sunday inquiry began in Derry.

May 2000: Devolution was restored.

June 2000: A Real IRA bomb caused minor damage to Hammersmith Bridge, London.

July 2000: The final prisoners were release from the Maze, under the conditions of the Good Friday Agreement.

December 2000: Bill Clinton began a visit to Northern Ireland.

January 2001: Dissident republicans launched a mortar attack on a British Army base in Derry.

Dr. John Reid replaced Peter Mandelson.

March 2001: A Real IRA bomb exploded outside BBC Television Centre, causing some damage to the building.

April 2001: A Real IRA bomb exploded at a Post Office depot in North London.

June 2001: RUC officers had to protect pupils and parents at Holy Cross Catholic girls' school in Belfast, following attacks from loyalist protestors. The attacks resumed in September, following the school summer holidays.

July 2001: David Trimble resigned as First Minister.

Catholic teenager Ciaran Cummings was shot and killed by the UDA in Co. Antrim.

The worst rioting for several years took place in Belfast.

August 2001: Army bomb disposal teams diffused a bomb in the main car park at Belfast Airport.

A Real IRA car bomb injured seven people in Ealing, West London.

October 2001: The IRA began decommissioning.

November 2001: The RUC was replaced by the Police Service of Northern Ireland. Recruits were recruited on the basis of 50% Catholic, 50% Protestant.

David Trimble was re-elected as First Minister.