Key Events & Deaths on this day in Northern Ireland Troubles
9th July
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Tuesday 9 July 1974
Announcement of End to Internment
Merlyn Rees, then Secretary of Sate for Northern Ireland, announced at Westminster that Internment would be gradually phased out.
[The Barron Report (published on 15 December 2003) revealed that the Garda Síochána (the Irish police) Chief Superintendent in charge of the investigation into the Dublin bombings on 17 May 1974 had written a memo (on 9 July 1974) which noted that “the investigation unit … have returned to their stations”. Over the years the Garda Síochána investigation of the bombings has been heavily criticised.]
Friday 9 July 1976
Mervyn & Rosaleen McDonald
Two Catholic civilians, a husband and wife, were killed in an attack on their home by the Ulster Freedom Fighters (UFF), a covername for the Ulster Defence Association (UDA).
Tuesday 9 August 1977
The Queen began a two-day visit to Northern Ireland as part of her jubilee celebrations. It was the first visit by the Queen for 11 years.
Thursday 9 July 1981
Danny Barrett (15), a Catholic teenager, was shot dead by the British Army while he was standing outside his home in Havana Court in the Ardoyne area of Belfast.
Nora McCabe (30), a Catholic civilian, died one day after being shot by a plastic bullet fired by the RUC. Patrick McGeown, an Irish Republican Army (IRA) prisoner, joined the hunger strike to replace Joe McDonnell.
See 1981 Hunger Strike.]
Wednesday 9 July 1986
Two British soldiers were killed by a remote controlled bomb while they were on foot patrol near Crossmaglen, County Armagh. The attack was carried out by the Irish Republican Army (IRA).
Saturday 9 July 1994
Joseph Donaghy (33), a Catholic civilian, was found shot dead at Killymoon Golf Club, Cookstown, County Tyrone.
[Six days after his body was discovered the Ulster Freedom Fighters (UFF), a cover name (pseudonym) used by the Ulster Defence Association (UDA), claimed responsibility for the killing.]
Sunday 9 July 1995
Stand-Off At Drumcree
The Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) prevented an Orange Order parade from returning from Drumcree Church to Portadown along the Garvaghy Road, a mainly Nationalist area. The parade organisers were told by the police to return by the same route they had taken to the church.
The decision sparked a stand-off between RUC officers and Orangemen. There were also disturbances and blocked roads across Northern Ireland as protests were organised by loyalists in support of the Orange Order. Later in the day Ian Paisley, then leader of the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), and David Trimble, then Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) MP, attempted to broker a compromise but failed.
See Drumcree
Tuesday 9 July 1996
The British government sent an extra 1,000 troops to Northern Ireland to support the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC). The resources of the RUC were seriously stretched across Northern Ireland. Hundreds of roads, including motorways, were blocked by members of the Orange Order and loyalist supporters.
Several Catholic families felt sufficiently intimidated to leave their homes in the Torrens area of Belfast. Gunshots were also reported in north Belfast.
Leaders of the main Unionist parties meet with John Major, then British Prime Minister, in Downing Street, London.
Wednesday 9 July 1997
At the end of four days of rioting and disturbances the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) released figures which showed that: there had been 60 RUC officers injured; 56 civilians injured; 117 people arrested; 2,500 plastic bullets fired by the security forces; 815 attacks on the security forces; 1,506 petrol bombs thrown; and 402 hijackings.
The British government promised Sinn Féin (SF) that in the event of an Irish Republican Army (IRA) ceasefire, representatives of SF would be allowed to meet with government ministers
Thursday 9 July 1998
Orange Order demonstrators at Drumcree attempted to cross security force barriers. Security force members, who came under attack from guns and blast bombs, replied with plastic bullets. Leaders of the Orange Order travelled to London for a meeting with Tony Blair, then British Prime Minister, to discuss the situation in Portadown, County Armagh. Before the meeting .
David McNarry, then a senior member of the Orange Order, said that they could “paralyse the country [Northern Ireland] in a matter of hours”. His comments were made on the BBC Radio 4 programme Today. Following the meeting the Orange Order representatives said that there appeared to be little change in the government’s attitude to the Drumcree issue.
Friday 9 July 1999
There was a meeting of the Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) Executive to consider ‘The Way Forward’ proposals. The 110 member Executive rejected the document as being fundamentally unfair.
The Belfast Telegraph (a Belfast based newspaper) reported that the Irish Republican Socialist Party (IRSP) had indicated that the Irish National Liberation Army (INLA) had no intention of decommissioning its weapons.
The News Letter (a Belfast based newspaper) published the results of an opinion poll. Of those questioned 53 per cent of Protestants disapproved of the British government’s ‘The Way Forward’ proposals.
Monday 9 July 2001
Weston Park Talks Began
Tony Blair, then British Prime Minister, and Bertie Ahern, then Taoiseach (Irish Prime Minister), began a series of intensive political talks with the pro-Agreement parties in the secluded setting of Weston Park, a stately home-cum-hotel on the Shropshire-Staffordshire border in England.
[Although the talks went on until Saturday there was no agreement on a way forward. The two Prime Minister said they would publish a document which tried to resolve the remaining issues.]
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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.
19 People lost their lives on the 9th July between 1972 – 1986
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09 July 1972
Joseph Flemming (30)
Catholic
Status: British Army Territorial Army (TA),
Killed by: non-specific Republican group (REP)
Off duty. Found shot in partially burnt out car, Little Distillery Street, off Grosvenor Road, Belfast
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09 July 1972
Brian McMillan (21)
Protestant
Status: Civilian (Civ),
Killed by: non-specific Republican group (REP)
Found shot in partially burnt out car, Little Distillery Street, off Grosvenor Road, Belfast
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09 July 1972
Alan Meehan (18)
Protestant
Status: Civilian (Civ),
Killed by: non-specific Republican group (REP)
Found shot in partially burnt out car, Little Distillery Street, off Grosvenor Road, Belfast. He died 11th July 1972
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09 July 1972
David Andrews (31)
Protestant
Status: Civilian (Civ),
Killed by: non-specific Republican group (REP)
Found shot, Waterworks, off Cavehill Road, Belfast.
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09 July 1972
Angelo Fionda (60)
Catholic
Status: Civilian (Civ),
Killed by: British Army (BA)
Shot while driving his car, at the junction of Panton Street and Falls Road, Belfast.
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09 July 1972
Gerard Turkington (32)
Protestant
Status: Ulster Defence Association (UDA),
Killed by: Irish Republican Army (IRA)
Found shot Stewart Street, Markets, Belfast.
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09 July 1972
John Dougal (16)
Catholic
Status: Irish Republican Army Youth Section (IRAF),
Killed by: British Army (BA)
Shot by sniper from British Army (BA) observation post in Corry’s Timber Yard, while in the vicinity of Westrock Drive, Ballymurphy, Belfast.
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09 July 1972
Margaret Gargan (13)
Catholic
Status: Civilian (Civ),
Killed by: British Army (BA)
Shot by sniper from British Army (BA) observation post in Corry’s Timber Yard, while walking along Westrock Gardens, Ballymurphy, Belfast.
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09 July 1972
Patrick Butler (38)
Catholic
Status: Civilian (Civ),
Killed by: British Army (BA)
Shot by sniper from British Army (BA) observation post in Corry’s Timber Yard, while in the vicinity of Westrock Drive, Ballymurphy, Belfast.
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09 July 1972
Noel Fitzpatrick (40)
Catholic
Status: Civilian (Civ),
Killed by: British Army (BA)
Catholic Priest. Shot by sniper from British Army (BA) observation post in Corry’s Timber Yard, while in the vicinity of Westrock Drive, Ballymurphy, Belfast.
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09 July 1972
David McCafferty (15)
Catholic
Status: Official Irish Republican Army Youth Section (OIRAF),
Killed by: British Army (BA)
Shot by sniper from British Army (BA) observation post in Corry’s Timber Yard, while in the vicinity of Westrock Drive, Ballymurphy, Belfast.
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09 July 1973
Dorothy Lynn (46)
Protestant
Status: Civilian (Civ),
Killed by: not known (nk)
Died five days after being badly burned during hijacking of bus she was travelling on, Cliftonville Road, Belfast.
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09 July 1976
Mervyn McDonald (26)
Catholic
Status: Civilian (Civ),
Killed by: Ulster Freedom Fighters (UFF)
Shot at his home, Longlands Road, Greencastle, Belfast.
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09 July 1976
Rosaleen McDonald (24)
Catholic
Status: Civilian (Civ), K
illed by: Ulster Freedom Fighters (UFF)
Shot at her home, Longlands Road, Greencastle, Belfast.
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09 July 1981
Danny Barrett (15)
Catholic
Status: Civilian (Civ),
Killed by: British Army (BA)
Shot by British Army (BA) sniper from Flax Street British Army (BA) base while standing outside his home, Havana Court, Ardoyne, Belfast.
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09 July 1981
Nora McCabe (30)
Catholic
Status: Civilian (Civ),
Killed by: Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC)
Died one day after being shot by plastic bullet, Linden Street, Lower Falls, Belfast
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09 July 1984
Anthony McAtarsney (37)
Catholic
Status: Civilian (Civ),
Killed by: Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF)
Shot while getting into his car shortly after leaving work, Millfield, Belfast
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09 July 1986
Carl Davies (24)
nfNI
Status: British Army (BA),
Killed by: Irish Republican Army (IRA)
Killed by remote controlled bomb hidden in car/trailer, detonated when British Army (BA) foot patrol passed, Glassdrumman, near Crossmaglen, County Armagh.
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09 July 1986
Robert Bertram (20)
nfNI
Status: British Army (BA),
Killed by: Irish Republican Army (IRA)
Killed by remote controlled bomb hidden in car/trailer, detonated when British Army (BA) foot patrol passed, Glassdrumman, near Crossmaglen, County Armagh.
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Belfast Child 