Key Events & Deaths on this day in Northern Ireland Troubles
2nd July
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Thursday 2 July 1970
Neil Blaney was found not guilty of illegal arms importation by a Dublin jury. The ‘Arms Trial’ had begun on 28 May 1970.
[The case against Charles Haughey continued until 23 October 1970.] The Prevention of Incitement to Hatred Act (Northern Ireland) was introduced. [It proved difficult to secure convictions under the provisions of the Act and it was seldom enforced.]
Sunday 2 July 1972
Two Catholic civilians were shot and killed by Loyalist paramilitaries, probably the Ulster Defence Association (UDA), in Belfast.
Two Protestant civilians were killed by Republican paramilitaries.
Friday 2 July 1976
Six civilians, five Protestant and one Catholic, died as a result of a Loyalist paramilitary attack on the Ramble Inn, near Antrim, County Antrim. The attack was carried out because the public house was owned by Catholics.
Merlyn Rees, then Secretary of Sate for Northern Ireland, announced the outcome of a review of security force response to violence in Northern Ireland.
The review made a number of recommendations including: increasing the manpower level of the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC); establishing specialised investigation teams; making greater use of the RUC reserve; and trying to encourage more support from the Catholic community.
Monday 2 July 1979
The Irish National Liberation Army (INLA) was declared illegal across the whole of the United Kingdom (UK).
This followed the killing of Airey Neave on 30 March 1979
Wednesday 2 July 1980
Government Proposals Published
The British government published a discussion document, The Government of Northern Ireland: Proposals for Further Discussion (Cmnd 7950), suggesting two possible options as potential solutions to the conflict.
[However, Unionists rejected the option which involved power-sharing and non-Unionists rejected the option of majority rule. By 27 November 1980 Humphrey Atkins, then Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, told the House of Commons that there was still no consensus amongst the parties in Northern Ireland and little prospect for a devolved government in the region.]
Thursday 2 July 1981
Humphrey Atkins, then Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, suggested the setting up of an advisory council to help govern Northern Ireland. It was envisaged that the council would be comprised of 50 elected representatives.
[The idea received little political support and was later dropped.]
1981 Hunger Strike; Political Developments
Monday 2 July 1984
James Prior, then Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, addressed the House of Commons and rejected the three main options proposed in the Report of the New Ireland Forum.
Wednesday 2 July 1986
Unionist politicians established their own version of the Northern Ireland Assembly in Belfast City Hall.
[These proceedings were maintained for several months until November 1986 when they were discontinued.]
In Belfast four members of the Ulster Defence Regiment (UDR) were sentenced to life imprisonment for the murder of Adrian Carroll, a Catholic civilian, on 8 November 1983.
[Later a campaign was started to press for the release of the ‘UDR Four’ as the men became known. Three of the ‘UDR Four’ were released on 29 July 1992 when their convictions were quashed.]
Thursday 2 July 1987
The Unionist Task Force published a report on an alternative to the Anglo-Irish Agreement. The reports main authors were Frank Millar, then general secretary of the Ulster Unionist Party (UUP), and Peter Robinson, then deputy leader of the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP).
The failure of the two party leaders to respond to the document led to the two main authors resigning their positions. Peter Robinson returned to his position later.
Sunday 2 July 1989
The Irish Republican Army (IRA) killed a British Army soldier in Hanover, West Germany when they planted a bomb on his car.
Monday 2 July 1990
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 Irish Republican Army (IRA).
Friday 2 July 1993
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.
Wednesday 2 July 1997
The Loyalist Volunteer Force (LVF) threatened to kill people living in the Republic of Ireland if the Drumcree parade planned for 6 July 1997 was not allowed to proceed through the Nationalist Garvaghy Road.
The Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) announced that they were banning the planned festival on 6 July 1997 on the Garvaghy Road. Residents reacted by establishing a women’s peace camp beside the road. In London six members of the Irish Republican Army (IRA) were each given prison sentences of 35 years for conspiracy to cause explosions in London.
[No explosives were ever found in connection with this case and many people were shocked by the length of the sentences.] In a court decision in Belfast Judge Girvin ruled that Marjorie (Mo) Mowlam, then Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, could reconsider the early release of two British soldiers serving life sentences for the murder of Peter McBride on 4 September 1992. McBride’s father interrupted the court proceedings to protest at the decision. [The two Scots Guards had stopped McBride in the street and searched him. McBride ran away from the soldiers and they shot him in the back.]
Thursday 2 July 1998
10 Catholic Churches Attacked
Loyalists, believed to be the Loyalist Volunteer Force (LVF), carried out arson attacks on 10 Catholic churches in the east and the south of Northern Ireland. Some of the churches were destroyed while the rest were badly damaged.
There were two petrol bomb attacks on Catholic homes in the Waterside area of Derry. Six elderly people had to be rescued from the two houses. There was an explosion on the Belfast to Dublin railway line near Newry, County Down. A telephone warning had been given and there were no injuries. The caller claimed to represent the ‘south Down IRA’. The formalities of the setting up of the new Northern Ireland Assembly continued.
Tony Blair, then British Prime Minister, travelled to Belfast for a meeting with David Trimble, then leader of the Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) and First Minster designate, and Seamus Mallon, then deputy leader of the Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP) and Deputy First Minster designate. The Prime Minister also visited the site of one of the churches destroyed in the sectarian attacks.
Friday 2 July 1999
After five days of discussions between the British and Irish Governments at Stormont, the two governments issued a document called The Way Forward outlining a way to establish an inclusive Executive, and also to decommission paramilitary arms.
[The document envisaged that ministers would be nominated by 15 July 1999 and powers would be devolved to the Executive on 18 July 1999. Shortly after the formation of the Executive decommissioning of paramilitary arms would begin and would be completed by May 2000. “Safeguard” legislation would be introduced to ensure that if any part of the undertaking was broken then all the institutions associated with the Agreement would cease to operate. Later Bill Clinton, the President of the USA, urged all the parties to support the document.]
As part of the process the Independent International Commission on Decommissioning (IICD) issued a report on decommissioning. Sinn Féin (SF) also issued a document that indicated that the Irish Republican Army (IRA) “could” start decommissioning its weapons. Tony Blair, the British Prime Minster, also had talks with representatives of the Orange Order and the Garvaghy Road Residents’ Coalition (GRRC) in an unsuccessful attempt to find agreement ahead of the Drumcree parade on 4 July 1999.
Sunday 2 July 2000
Violence At Drumcree
It was announced that three battalions of troops (2,000 soldiers) were to be drafted into Northern Ireland to help police the Loyalist marching season. The Northern Ireland Parades Commission announced that it was banning the Orange Order from parading along the mainly Nationalist Garvaghy Road, Portadown, County Armagh.
The Commission said that the parade should return from Drumcree to Portadown by the outward route. There was rioting at Drumcree in Portadown when several hundred Loyalists threw bottles, stones, and other missiles at security forces. Loyalists also set fire to an armoured vehicle and fired ball bearings from a catapult at Drumcree Hill.
Monday 2 July 2001
John de Chastelain (Gen.), then head of the Independent International Commission on Decommissioning (IICD), issued a brief statement to say that there had been no progress on Irish Republican Army (IRA) disarmament.
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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.
12 People lost their lives on the 2nd July between 1972 – 1989
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02 July 1972
Hugh Clawson (39)
Protestant
Status: Civilian (Civ),
Killed by: non-specific Republican group (REP)
Found shot on waste ground off Cliftonville Road, Belfast.
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02 July 1972
David Fisher (30)
Protestant
Status: Civilian (Civ),
Killed by: non-specific Republican group (REP)
Found shot on waste ground off Cliftonville Road, Belfast.
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02 July 1972
Gerard McCrea (27)
Catholic
Status: Civilian (Civ),
Killed by: non-specific Loyalist group (LOY)
Found shot, Forthriver Road, Glencairn, Belfast.
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02 July 1972
James Howell (31)
Catholic
Status: Civilian (Civ),
Killed by: non-specific Loyalist group (LOY)
Found shot in Gerard McCrea’s car, Cavour Street, off Old Lodge Road, Belfast
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02 July 1974
John Walton (27)
nfNI
Status: British Army (BA),
Killed by: Irish Republican Army (IRA)
Killed by booby trap bomb hidden in derelict house while on British Army (BA) foot patrol, Carrickgallogly, near Belleek, County Armagh.
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02 July 1976
Francis Scott (73)
Protestant
Status: Civilian (Civ),
Killed by: Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF)
Shot during gun attack on Ramble Inn, Creevery, near Antrim, County Antrim.
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02 July 1976
Ernest Moore (43)
Protestant
Status: Civilian (Civ),
Killed by: Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF)
Shot during gun attack on Ramble Inn, Creevery, near Antrim, County Antrim.
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02 July 1976
James McCallion (39)
Protestant
Status: Civilian (Civ),
Killed by: Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF)
Shot during gun attack on Ramble Inn, Creevery, near Antrim, County Antrim.
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02 July 1976
Oliver Woulahan (20)
Catholic
Status: Civilian (Civ),
Killed by: Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF)
Shot during gun attack on Ramble Inn, Creevery, near Antrim, County Antrim
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02 July 1976
Joseph Ellis (27)
Protestant
Status: Civilian (Civ),
Killed by: Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF)
Shot during gun attack on Ramble Inn, Creevery, near Antrim, County Antrim. He died 7 July 1976
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02 July 1976
James Francey (50)
Protestant
Status: Civilian (Civ),
Killed by: Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF)
Shot during gun attack on Ramble Inn, Creevery, near Antrim, County Antrim. He died 14 July 1976
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02 July 1989
Steven Smith (31)
nfNIE
Status: British Army (BA),
Killed by: Irish Republican Army (IRA)
Off duty. Killed by booby trap bomb attached to his car outside his British Army (BA) home, Hanover, West Germany.
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Belfast Child 