Key Events & Deaths on this day in Northern Ireland Troubles
18th September
Tuesday 18 September 1973
Edward Heath, then British Prime Minister, gave a media interview where he said that if the Northern Ireland Assembly failed to establish a power-sharing Executive by March 1974 then the best option would be to integrate Northern Ireland fully into the United Kingdom (UK).
Saturday 18 September 1976
Two Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) officers were shot by the Irish Republican Army (IRA) during a gun attack in Portadown, County Armagh. Albert Craig (33), then a Sergeant, was pronounced dead on arrival at Craigavon Hospital.
Thursday 18 September 1986
International Fund for Ireland
The International Fund for Ireland was established by the British and Irish governments.
[The fund was designed to support economic developments in Northern Ireland and the border counties in the Republic of Ireland. The initial £36 million for the fund was donated by the United States of America (which gave the bulk of the money), Canada, New Zealand and, since 1988, the European Community Commission.]
Saturday 18 September 1993
An interview with Martin McGuinness, then Vice-President of Sinn Féin (SF), was published in the Guardian (a British newspaper). McGuinness 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”.
The Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) issued a statement in reply to Sinn Féin (SF) claims that members of the party had been refused licences to carry firearms for personal protection. The RUC denied that was any such policy and stated that five SF councillors had been issued with firearm certificates.
Sunday 18 September 1994
The Observer (a London based newspaper) carried a report of an interview with Albert Reynolds, then Taoiseach (Irish Prime Minister). Reynolds was reported as saying that the unification of Ireland would not come about “in this generation”.
Monday 18 September 1995
Mitchel McLaughlin, then Sinn Féin (SF) chairman, and Gary McMichael, then leader of the Ulster Democratic Party (UDP), took part in a debate during the Liberal Democrats’ conference in Glasgow, Scotland. This was the first time representatives of the two parties shared a platform.
Thursday 18 September 1997
The Irish News carried a story that on Friday 12 September 1997 four unarmed members of the Irish Republican Army (IRA) stopped a member of the Continuity Irish Republican Army (CIRA) and took a gun off him. The incident happened in the Ardoyne area of Belfast. [The story was later confirmed as true by Ruairí O Brádaigh, then President of Republican Sinn Féin (RSF).] During a referendum in Wales the electorate voted by a narrow majority for a Welsh Assembly. [This followed the vote for a Scottish Parliament held on 11 September 1997.]
Saturday 18 September 1999
A rally in Belfast against the reform of the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) proposed by the Patten report was addressed by a former chief constable of the force, Sir John Hermon. He warned against pushing the report’s recommendations through the British parliament before the Northern Ireland Assembly was properly in place. The dissident Republican group, the 32-County Sovereignty Movement, opened a branch in Derry saying it plans to build “the strongest Republican opposition ever to British rule”.
Tuesday 18 September 2001
There was a gun attack on a man sitting in a car in the Loyalist Killycomaine estate, Portadown, County Armagh, shortly before 8.00am (08.00BST). The man was uninjured. A group of men in a second car fired several shots before driving off.
[The attack is believed to have been carried out by the Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF). Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) officers are considering the possibility that the incident is related to an on-going feud between the Loyalist Volunteer Force (LVF) and the UVF in the Portadown area..]
The Loyalist protest at the Holy Cross Girls’ Primary School continued. The protest was silent as Catholic children and parents entered the school but protesters jeered, shouted abuse, waved flags, held up banners, and whistled as the parents returned from the school. Catholic parents were scheduled to have a meeting with John Reid, then Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, at Hillsborough, County Down, about the situation at Holy Cross school.
Seamus Mallon, then deputy leader of the Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP), announced that he would not be standing for leader of the party in the forthcoming leadership contest in November. He also announced that he wished to stand down as deputy leader of the party. Following the announcement Alban Maginness declared that he would stand as a candidate for the deputy leadership post. British and Irish officials are expected to meet in London this afternoon at the beginning of a new round of political talks to try and resolve remaining issues in the peace process. The current deadline for agreement between the political parties is 22 September 2001.
Remembering all innocent victims of the Troubles
Today is the anniversary of the follow people killed as a results of the conflict in Northern Ireland
To the innocent on the list – Your memory will live forever
– To the Paramilitaries –
“There are many things worth living for, a few things worth dying for, but nothing worth killing for.
7 People lost their lives on the 18th September between 1971 – 1976
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18 September 1971
Robert Leslie, (20)
Protestant
Status: Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC),
Killed by: Irish Republican Army (IRA)
Shot while on Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) foot patrol, Abercorn Square, Strabane County Tyrone.
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18 September 1972
Edmund Woolsey, (32)
Catholic
Status: Civilian (Civ),
Killed by: not known (nk)
Killed by booby trap bomb attached to a friend’s stolen car, which exploded when he attempted to open the door, Glassdrumman, near Crossmaglen, County Armagh.
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18 September 1972
John Van Beck, (26) nfNI
Status: British Army (BA),
Killed by: Irish Republican Army (IRA)
Died one day after being shot while on British Army (BA) foot patrol, Lecky Road, Derry
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18 September 1973
Richard Miller, (21) nfNI
Status: British Army (BA),
Killed by: Irish Republican Army (IRA)
Undercover British Army (BA) member. Died three weeks after being shot outside Royal Victoria Hospital, Falls Road, Belfast. He was wounded on 25 August 1973.
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18 September 1974
Patrick McGreevy, (15)
Catholic
Status: Official Irish Republican Army Youth Section (OIRAF),
Killed by: Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF)
Shot from passing car while standing outside Pacific Cafe, Clifton Street, Belfast.
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18 September 1975
Brendan Doran, (29)
Catholic
Status: Civilian (Civ),
Killed by: non-specific Loyalist group (LOY)
Shot at his workplace, newsagent’s, Greenway, Cregagh, Belfast.
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18 September 1976
Albert Craig, (33)
Protestant
Status: Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC),
Killed by: Irish Republican Army (IRA)
Shot while directing traffic, Brownstone Road, Portadown, County Armagh.
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Belfast Child 