Key Events & Deaths on this day in Northern Ireland Troubles
19th April
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Saturday 19 April 1969
There was serious rioting in the Bogside area of Derry following clashes between Northern Ireland Civil Rights Association (NICRA) marchers, and Loyalists and members of the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC). A number of RUC officers entered the house of Samuel Devenny, who had not been involved in the disturbances, and severely beat him with batons causing internal injuries and a heart attack.
A number of other people in the house were also beaten by the police including Devenny’s 16 year old and 18 year old daughters.
[Samuel Devenny died on 17 July 1969 as a result of his injuries. The Police Ombudsman for Northern Ireland issued a report on 4 October 2001 about the death of Devenny (PDF File; 44KB).]
Wednesday 19 April 1972
Edward Heath, then British Prime Minister, confirmed that the plan to conduct an arrest operation, in the event of a riot during the march on 30 January 1972, was known to British government Ministers in advance.
Wednesday 19 April 1978
James Callaghan, then British Prime Minister, announced that legislation would be brought forward to increase the number of Members of Parliament (MPs) who represented Northern Ireland at Westminster from 12 to between 16 and 18.
[A Bill was passed at parliament on 28 November 1978 which increased the representation to 17 seats.]
Thursday 19 April 1979
Agnes Wallace (40), a Prison Officer, was shot dead and three of her colleagues injured when the Irish Republican Army (IRA) carried out a gun and grenade attack outside Armagh women’s prison. A member of the British Army was shot dead by the IRA in Belfast.
Sunday 19 April 1981
James Brown & Gary English
James Brown (18) and Gary English (19), both Catholic civilians, were killed when a British Army vehicle drove into a crowd of people on Creggan Road, Derry.
[There had been rioting in the area but local people stated that the vehicle was driven deliberately at the crowd.]
Monday 19 April 1982
Stephen McConomy, an 11 year old Catholic boy, died as a result of the injuries he received when he was hit on the head by a plastic bullet in Fahan Street, Derry.
[His death lead to calls for the weapon to banned. On 13 May 1982 the European Parliament called on member states not to use plastic bullets.]
Monday 19 April 1993
Patrick Mayhew, then Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, held a meeting with John Alderdice, then leader of the Alliance Party of Northern Ireland (APNI), at the start of a new round of bilateral talks with the main political parties.
Monday 19 April 1999
A pipe-bomb was found on the side of Catholic home in Serpentine Park, Belfast. A hoax device was found in Newtownabbey, Belfast. Several families had to be evacuated from their homes. The Red Hand Defenders (RHD) admitted responsibility.
Gerry Kelly, then a senior member of Sinn Féin (SF), said that the latest attack was part of a Loyalist attempt at “ethnic cleansing” in the area.
[In 2001 it became apparent that RHD was a cover name used by both the Ulster Defence Association (UDA) and the Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF).]
Tony Blair, then British Prime Minister, and Bertie Ahern, then Taoiseach (Irish Prime Minister), held an intensive round of negotiations in Downing Street with the Ulster Unionist Party (UUP), Sinn Féin (SF), and the Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP).
The talks failed to achieve a breakthrough on decommissioning and the implementation of the Executive.
The British government ruled out any suggestion of ‘parking’ the political negotiations. A campaign for an independent international investigation and a judicial inquiry into the killing of the Rosemary Nelson was opened in Belfast.
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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.
11 People lost their lives on the 19th April between 1972– 1989
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19 April 1972
James Elliott, (36)
Protestant
Status: Ulster Defence Regiment (UDR),
Killed by: Irish Republican Army (IRA)
Off duty. Found shot by the side of the road, Altnamackan, near Newtownhamilton, County Armagh
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19 April 1972
Martin Owens (22)
Catholic
Status: Civilian (Civ),
Killed by: Irish Republican Army (IRA)
Found shot shortly after being thrown from car, Horn Drive, Suffolk, Belfast.
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19 April 1973
Anthony McDowell (12)
Catholic
Status: Civilian (Civ),
Killed by: British Army (BA)
Shot while travelling in car during gun battle between British Army (BA) and Irish Republican Army (IRA), Alliance Avenue, Ardoyne, Belfast.
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19 April 1976
John Cummings (55)
Protestant
Status: Prison Officer (PO),
Killed by: Irish Republican Army (IRA)
Off duty. Shot at his home, Coolemoyne House, Dunmurry, near Belfast, County Antrim.
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19 April 1977
William Strathearn (39)
Catholic
Status: Civilian (Civ),
Killed by: Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF)
Shot at his shop, Ahoghill, near Ballymena, County Antrim.
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19 April 1979
Agnes Wallace (40)
Protestant
Status: Prison Officer (PO),
Killed by: Irish National Liberation Army (INLA)
Shot during sniper and grenade attack, outside Armagh Prison, Armagh.
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19 April 1979
Paul Rogers (37)
nfNI
Status: British Army (BA),
Killed by: Irish Republican Army (IRA)
Shot by sniper while on British Army (BA) mobile patrol, Falls Road, Belfast.
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19 April 1981
James Brown (18)
Catholic
Status: Civilian (Civ),
Killed by: British Army (BA)
Knocked down by British Army (BA) landrover, which drove into crowd during street disturbances, Creggan Road, Derry.
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19 April 1981
Gary English (19)
Catholic
Status: Civilian (Civ),
Killed by: British Army (BA)
Knocked down by British Army (BA) landrover, which drove into crowd during street disturbances, Creggan Road, Derry.
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19 April 1982
Stephen McConomy (11)
Catholic
Status: Civilian (Civ),
Killed by: British Army (BA)
Died three days after being shot by plastic bullet, Fahan Street, Bogside, Derry.
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19 April 1989
Francis Galbraith (29)
Protestant
Status: Civilian (Civ),
Killed by: non-specific Loyalist group (LOY)
Shot while walking along Park Avenue, off Holywood Road, Belfast.
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Belfast Child 