Key Events & Deaths on this day in Northern Ireland Troubles

19^th December

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Thursday 19 December 1974

The Irish Republican Army (IRA) carried out a bomb attack on Selfridge’s department store in Oxford Street, London. A time bomb had been placed in a car which was then parked outside the store. Three telephone warnings were given and the area was evacuated.

[The explosion was later estimated to have caused £1.5 million pounds worth of damage.]

Friday 19 December 1975

Loyalists Kill Five People

Two men were killed as a result of a car bomb planted by the Red Hand Commandos (RHC), a group closely associated with the Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF), outside Kay’s Tavern, Crowe Street, Dundalk, County Louth. The bomb exploded at 6.15pm.

[Hugh Walters (60) was killed immediately and Jack Rooney (61) died later on 22 December 1975 as a result of his injuries.]

Three Catholic civilians were killed during a gun and bomb attack by the RHC on the Silverbridge Inn, near Crossmaglen, County Armagh. Patrick Donnely (24) had just arrived outside in his car when he was shot dead by the Loyalist paramilitaries who then began shooting into the bar before throwing a bomb into the premises. Michael Donnelly (14), the son of the owner of the bar, was shot dead as was Trevor Bracknell (35).

Six people were injured, some seriously, in the explosion. It is believed that the same Loyalist gang carried out both the attack in Dundalk and the attack on the Silverbridge Inn.

[It was later claimed that there had been collusion between the security forces and the Loyalists in the attack. The Ireland on Sunday (a Dublin based newspaper) published an article on 14 March 1999 which claimed that a member of the Ulster Defence Regiment (UDR) and a member of the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) were part of the Loyalist gang. A similar claim was made in an article in the Irish News (a Belfast based newspaper) on 2 May 2006.]

Friday 19 December 1980

Margaret Thatcher, then British Prime Minister, held a meeting with Ian Paisley, then leader of the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), to discuss the meeting with Charles Haughey, then Taoiseach (Irish Prime Minister), on 8 December 1980.

Wednesday 19 December 1990

Kenneth Baker, then British Home Secretary, announced the retention of the ‘broadcasting ban’ and extended the ban to cable and satellite television.

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Thursday 19 December 1991

Initiative ’92 Launched A meeting was held to announce the launch of Initiative ’92. The initiative was designed to seek the opinion of a broad cross section of individuals and organisations in Northern Ireland on the “ways out of the violent deadlock” of the previous 25 years.

[A commission (The Opsahl Commission) was established to conduct oral hearings, to collect written submissions, and to write a report on the findings. The report ‘A Citizen’s Inquiry’ was published in 1993.]

Monday 19 December 1994

A bomb, estimated at 1.5kg of commercial (Semtex) explosives, was defused at a shop in Enniskillen.

[The Irish Republican Army (IRA) later denied that it was responsible.]

Tuesday 19 December 1995

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 (pseudonym) used by the IRA. The Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) issued a statement on 20 December 1995 about the recent killings.]

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).

Thursday 19 December 1996

John Hume, then leader of the Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP), held a meeting in the Maze Prison with Loyalist prisoners. Joe Kennedy, then a United States Congressman, visited Belfast and held a series of meetings with political and community groups.

Saturday 19 December 1998

At a meeting in Belfast the executive of the Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) backed the deal done on Government departments and the North-South Ministerial Council. However the executive again called for decommissioning of paramilitary weapons.

Sunday 19 December 1999

Bertie Ahern, then Taoiseach (Irish Prime Minister), made a statement on the Dublin, Monaghan, and Dundalk bombings, which announced that Liam Hamilton, then the outgoing Chief Justice was being invited to undertake a through examination, involving fact finding and assessment of all aspects of the bombings and their sequel.

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Remembering all innocent victims of the Troubles

Today is the anniversary of the death of the following  people killed as a results of the conflict in Northern Ireland

“To live in hearts we leave behind is not to die

– Thomas Campbell

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.

8 people   lost their lives on the 19th  December between 1975  – 1995

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19 December 1975

Hugh Watters,  (60)

nfNIRI
Status: Civilian (Civ),

Killed by: Red Hand Commando (RHC)
Killed in car bomb explosion outside Kay’s Tavern, Crowe Street, Dundalk, County Louth.

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19 December 1975

Jack Rooney,  (61)

nfNIRI
Status: Civilian (Civ),

Killed by: Red Hand Commando (RHC)
Injured in car bomb explosion outside Kay’s Tavern, Crowe Street, Dundalk, County Louth. He died 22 December 1975.

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19 December 1975

Trevor Brecknell,  (35)

nfNI
Status: Civilian (Civ),

Killed by: Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF)
Originally from England. Shot during gun and bomb attack on Donnelly’s Bar, Silverbridge, near Crossmaglen, County Armagh.

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19 December 1975

Patrick Donnelly,  (24) Catholic
Status: Civilian (Civ), Killed by: Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF)
Shot during gun and bomb attack on Donnelly’s Bar, Silverbridge, near Crossmaglen, County Armagh

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19 December 1975
Michael Donnelly,  (14)

Catholic
Status: Civilian (Civ),

Killed by: Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF)
Shot during gun and bomb attack on Donnelly’s Bar, Silverbridge, near Crossmaglen, County Armagh.

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19 December 1978
James Burney,  (26)

nfNI
Status: British Army (BA),

Killed by: Irish Republican Army (IRA)
Shot by sniper while guarding other British Army (BA) members searching house, Baltic Avenue, New Lodge, Belfast.

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19 December 1982

Austin Smith,   (44)

Catholic
Status: Ulster Defence Regiment (UDR),

Killed by: Irish Republican Army (IRA)
Off duty. Shot outside his home, Windmill Avenue, Armagh.

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19 December 1995

Chris Johnston,  (38)

Catholic
Status: Civilian (Civ),

Killed by: Direct Action Against Drugs (DAAD)
Shot outside his home, Cooke Street, off Ormeau Road, Belfast , 

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