Key Events & Deaths on this day in Northern Ireland Troubles
20th September
Wednesday 20 September 1972
The Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP) issued a document entitled Towards a New Ireland. The document proposed that the British and Irish governments should have joint sovereignty over Northern Ireland.
Thursday 20 September 1984
The Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) put forward proposals for devolution of power to Northern Ireland. The scheme would have involved a majority cabinet government with a Bill of Rights and minority representation on department committees.
Sunday 20 September 1992
There were further leaks of discussion papers from the political talks (later known as the Brooke / Mayhew talks). Sunday Life (a Northern Ireland newspaper) gave details of 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.
[Unionists wanted to see changes to the Irish Constitution take place first.]
There were additional revelations in other newspapers which provided details of the structure of any new assembly.
Tuesday 20 September 1994
The European Commission announced that it would increase its contribution to the International Fund for Ireland (IFI) by one-third to £47 million, over the following three years.
Wednesday 20 September 1995
A delegation from the Progressive Unionist Party (PUP) travelled to Dublin for a meeting with John Bruton, then Taoiseach (Irish Prime Minister).
Saturday 20 September 1997
Harryville Picket Resumed Approximately 170 Loyalists recommenced their picket of the Catholic church in Harryville, Ballymena, County Antrim.
[The picket had ended during the summer when the Catholic priest at Harryville decided, following police advice, not to celebrate mass during the height of the Orange Order marching season. Picketing had first begun 41 weeks earlier in October 1996 (?).]
Monday 20 September 1999
Michelle Williamson was granted leave to challenge in the High Court in Belfast the ruling by Marjorie (Mo) Mowlam, then Secretary of State of Northern Ireland, that the Irish Republican Army (IRA) ceasefire was intact. Williamson lost both parents in the IRA Shankill Road bombing of 23 October 1993. Williamson was supported in her legal action by Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) members including David Trimble, then leader of the UUP, and Jeffrey Donaldson MP.
Thursday 20 September 2001
The Loyalist protest at the Holy Cross Girls’ Primary School continued but protesters reverted to the earlier tactic of making a lot of noise as school children passed. Six men appeared before Belfast Magistrates Court on public order offences related to the school protest on 3 September 2001. A 17-year-old is due to appear before a juvenile court later.
The six men were remanded on bail but instructed not to take part in the protest. As a result of the arrests the group representing the Loyalist residents, Concerned Residents of Upper Ardoyne (CRUA), announced that it had “suspended all business until further notice”.
Two men were shot an injured in paramilitary ‘punishment’ attacks. One man was shot in the leg in Hatfield Street, south Belfast. Another man (21) was shot in an attack at Bennet’s Lane, Lisanally, County Armagh. A statment by the Irish Republican Army (IRA) on the issue of decommissioning of paramilitary weapons was published by An Phoblacht / Republican News.
Bertie Ahern, then Taoiseach (Irish Prime Minister), said that the statement was a step in the right direction but did not go far enough. The Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP) announced the names of three members it had nominated to the proposed new 19 member Policing Board which would oversee the new Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI).
The three were Eddie McGrady, then Member of Parliament (MP) for South Down, Alex Attwood, then party chairman, and Joe Byrne, then Assembly member for West Tyrone. David Trimble, then leader of the Ulster Unionist Party (UUP), and Ian Paisley, then leader of the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), held a meeting at Stormont with John Reid, then Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, about the issue of policing. The meeting took place a few hours before the midnight deadline for parties to nominate members to the new Policing Board. Following the meeting the UUP said that it would nominate members. The DUP also said that it would nominate members.
An survey commissioned by the BBC Northern Ireland ‘Hearts and Minds’ programme found that, of those questioned, 41 per cent favoured fresh elections to the Northern Ireland Assembly if agreement could not be reached before the deadline of 22 September 2001. 31 per cent were in favour of a one-day suspension of the Assembly and 28 per cent preferred an indefinite suspension
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.
6 People lost their lives on the 20th September between 1972 – 1987
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20 September 1972
Francis Bell, (18) nfNI
Status: British Army (BA),
Killed by: Irish Republican Army (IRA)
Died three days after being shot while on British Army (BA) foot patrol, Springhill Avenue, Ballymurphy, Belfast.
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20 September 1972
Joseph McComiskey, (18)
Catholic
Status: Irish Republican Army Youth Section (IRAF),
Killed by: British Army (BA)
Shot during gun battle, Flax Street, Ardoyne, Belfast.
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20 September 1976
Seamus Muldoon, (29)
Catholic
Status: Civilian (Civ),
Killed by: non-specific Loyalist group (LOY)
Died ten days after being shot near to his home while on his way to work, Donard Drive, Tonagh, Lisburn, County Antrim.
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20 September 1982
Martin Jessop, (19)
nfNI
Status: British Army (BA),
Killed by: Irish Republican Army (IRA)
Killed in rocket attack on observation post at Springfield Road Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) / British Army (BA) base, Belfast.
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20 September 1983
John Truckle, (61)
Protestant
Status: ex-Ulster Defence Regiment (xUDR),
Killed by: Irish Republican Army (IRA)
Killed by booby trap bomb attached to his car outside his home, Woodside Hill, Portadown, County Armagh.
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20 September 1987
James Meighan, (22)
Catholic
Status: Civilian (Civ),
Killed by: Ulster Freedom Fighters (UFF)
Shot while sitting in his stationary car outside his girlfriend’s home, Prestwick Park, Ballysillan, Belfast.
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Belfast Child 