18th August

Key Events & Deaths on this day in Northern Ireland Troubles

Wednesday 18 August 1971

Eamon Lafferty (20), a member of the Irish Republican Army (IRA), was shot dead by the British Army (BA) during a gun battle in the Creggan area of Derry. Eamon McDevitt (24), a Catholic civilian who was deaf and dumb, was shot dead by the British Army in Strabane, County Tyrone.

Thursday 19 August 1971

The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) was accused of political bias by the then British Minister of Defence, Lord Carrington.

[This was the first of many direct and indirect attempts by successive British governments to influence the way the media reported the conflict in Northern Ireland.]

Wednesday 18 August 1976

Brian Faulkner announced that he would be retiring from active political life.

Tuesday 18 August 1992

Jimmy Brown (36), then a member of the Irish People’s Liberation Organisation (IPLO), was shot dead in Belfast at the start of an internal IPLO feud. [It was later revealed that a new group called the Belfast Brigade of the IPLO was responsible for the killing.]

Thursday 18 August 1994

The Irish Republican Army (IRA) left an incendiary device which exploded in a Protestant public house in Belfast.

Martin Cahill (45), who was alleged to be a leading Dublin criminal, was shot dead by the Irish Republican Army (IRA).

He was killed while driving his car, at the junction of Oxford Road and Charleston Road, Ranelagh, Dublin.

[His nickname was ‘The General’ and his life formed the basis of a film of the same name. A second film called ‘Ordinary Decent Criminal’ also was based on aspects of his life.]

Friday 18 August 1995

Sir Hugh Annesley, then Chief Constable of the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC), said that he believed Irish Republican Army (IRA) units were active behind the scenes. However, he believed that the IRA ceasefire would hold.

Monday 18 August 1997

In the Student Union building in Queen’s University of Belfast, signs which were in English and Irish were removed. This was in response to a report which claimed that the Irish language alienated Protestant students by causing a “chill factor”.

[The Student Union had a policy of promoting bilingualism.]

13 Republican prisoners serving sentences in Britain had their security status reduced allowing them to be moved from Special Secure Units to main prison accommodation.

Tuesday 18 August 1998 “real” IRA Suspension of Military Actions

The “real” Irish Republican Army (rIRA) announced that “all military operations have been suspended”. The announcement came in a telephone call to the Irish News, a Northern Ireland newspaper, at 11.35 pm and the ‘suspension’ took effect from midnight. Earlier in the day the rIRA had contacted the Dublin office of the Irish News and stated that the organisation was responsible for the Omagh bombing but denied that it had deliberately set out to kill people. During the day people all over Ireland were still coming to terms with the death toll in the Omagh bomb as the first of the funerals took place. Funerals continued for the rest of the week.

Friday 18 August 2000

The Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) defused a pipe-bomb in Cullybackey near Ballymena, County Antrim. Police ruled out a sectarian motive for a pipe-bomb attack in which a woman in her 80’s escaped injury. The device was found by a neighbour on the windowsill of the house at Lowtown Terrace in Cullybackey at about 7.30am. The police said the fuse of the bomb had been lit but it did not explode.

Saturday 18 August 2001

The Ulster Defence Association (UDA) held a parade down the Shankill Road in Belfast. The paramilitary march involved an estimated 15,000 members of the organisation. Around 100 masked members of the Ulster Freedom Fighters (UFF), a cover name used by the UDA, together with 16 bands took part in the parade. The event was held to commemorate Jackie Coulter (46) who was shot dead during the Loyalist feud on 21 August 2000.

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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.

11 people lost their lives on the 18th August between 1971 – 1994

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 18 August 1971

Eamon Lafferty,   (20)

Catholic
Status: Irish Republican Army (IRA),

Killed by: British Army (BA)
Shot during gun battle, Kildrum Gardens, Creggan, Derry

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 18 August 1971

Eamon McDevitt,  (24)

Catholic
Status: Civilian (Civ),

Killed by: British Army (BA)
Deaf and dumb man, shot during street disturbances, Fountain Street, Strabane, County Tyrone.

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18 August 1972
Philip Faye,   (21)

Catholic
Status: Civilian (Civ),

Killed by: Ulster Defence Association (UDA)
Shot at his home, Island Street, Belfast.

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18 August 1972
Leonard Layfield,  (24) nfNI
Status: British Army (BA),

Killed by: Irish Republican Army (IRA)
Shot by sniper while at British Army (BA) Vehicle Check Point (VCP), junction of Falls Road and Beechmount Avenue, Belfast.

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 18 August 1972
Richard Jones,  (23) nfNI
Status: British Army (BA),

Killed by: Irish Republican Army (IRA)
Shot by sniper while on British Army (BA) mobile patrol, Excise Street, off Grosvenor Road, Belfast.

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 18 August 1973

Trevor Holland,   (36)

Protestant
Status: Civilian (Civ),

Killed by: Irish Republican Army (IRA)
Shot from passing car while standing outside cafe, West Street, Edgarstown, Portadown

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18 August 1976
Robert Walker,  (32)

Protestant
Status: Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF),

Killed by: Ulster Defence Association (UDA)
Found shot by the side of Flush Road, off Crumlin Road, Belfast. Ulster Defence Association (UDA) / Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) feud.

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 18 August 1988
Michael Laverty,  (32)

Catholic
Status: Civilian (Civ),

Killed by: Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF)
Shot while renovating house, Cliftonville Road, Belfast.

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18 August 1990
Andrew Bogle,  (43)

Protestant
Status: Civilian (Civ),

Killed by: Irish Republican Army (IRA)
Killed by booby trap bomb when he entered his workplace, building site, Strabane Road, Castlederg, County Tyrone.

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 18 August 1992

Jimmy Brown,  (36)

Catholic
Status: Irish People’s Liberation Organisation (IPLO),

Killed by: Irish People’s Liberation Organisation Belfast Brigade (IPLOBB)
Shot while sitting in his car, Clonard Street, Lower Falls, Belfast. Internal Irish People’s Liberation Oraganisation (IPLO) feud.

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18 August 1994

Martin Cahill,   (45) nfNIRI
Status: Civilian (Civ),

Killed by: Irish Republican Army (IRA)
Shot, while driving his car, at the junction of Oxford Road and Charleston Road, Ranelagh, Dublin. Alleged criminal.

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