Key Events & Deaths on this day in Northern Ireland Troubles
22nd June
——————————–
Saturday 22 June 1968
The Derry Housing Action Committee (DHAC) staged a protest by blocking the Lecky Road in the Bogside area of Derry
Monday 22 June 1970
Bernadette Devlin, then Member of Parliament (MP), lost her appeal against a six-month prison sentence imposed for taking part in riots in Derry. She was arrested on 26 June 1970.
Wednesday 22 June 1971
A system of committees to oversee control of key government departments was proposed by Brian Faulkner, then Northern Ireland Prime Minister. This system was seen as a way of providing a role for opposition parties at Stormont.
[The Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP) initially welcomed the proposal but events were to result in the withdrawal of the SDLP from Stormont.]
Thursday 22 June 1972
The Irish Republican Army (IRA) announced that it would call a ceasefire from 26 June 1972 provided that there is a “reciprocal response” from the security forces.
At approximately 12.00 pm four men were shot and injured in the Glen Road area of west Belfast.
[On 1 December 2015 the PSNI listed this shooting as one of nine incidents it was investigating in relation to the activities of the British Army’s Military Reaction Force (MRF).]
Saturday 22 June 1974
A Catholic civilian was shot dead by a British soldier following an altercation in Olympic Drive, Strabane, County Tyrone.
[The following day the soldier involved in the shooting was charged with murder. This was the first British soldier to be charged with murder during the conflict.]
Daniel O’Connor
A Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) officer was shot dead by the Irish Republican Army (IRA) in Belfast.
A British soldier was shot dead by the IRA in Belfast
Sunday 22 June 1975
Hugh Brankin
A Catholic civilian was shot dead in an attack by the Protestant Action Force (PAF), which was a covername used by the Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF), in Greenisland, County Antrim.
Another Catholic civilian died having been shot two days earlier in Fraser Street, Belfast. Two Protestant civilians were shot dead by Republican paramilitaries in an attack at Westland Road, Belfast.
A Catholic civilian was stabbed to death by Loyalists (paramilitaries?) in an attack at Baronrath Bridge, near Sallins, County Kildare, Republic of Ireland.
Monday 22 June 1981
Michael Devine, then an Irish National Liberation Army (INLA) prisoner, joined the hunger strike.
See Hungry Strikes
Thursday 22 June 1995
John Major, then British Prime Minister, came under continuing internal Conservative Party opposition to his leadership. In an effort to confront this opposition Major resigned as leader of the party but also announced that he would enter the resulting leadership contest.
Sunday 22 June 1997
Martin McGuinness, then Vice-President of Sinn Féin (SF), addressed SF’s annual Wolfe Tone commemoration and called for the “removal of decommissioning as an obstacle” to SF entering the all-party talks process.
There were a number of Orange Order parades across Northern Ireland, some of which were rerouted away from Nationalist areas. Marches passed off relatively peacefully in Bellaghy, County Derry, and Keady, County Armagh.
In Mountfield, County Tyrone, Orangemen accused the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) of capitulating to Nationalists.
The Orange Order warned that the peaceful parades did not mean that there would not be a stand-off at Drumcree on 6 July 1997 if the march was not allowed down the Garvaghy Road.
Monday 22 June 1998
It was reported that Ronnie Flanagan, then Chief Constable of the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC), had said in an interview that he would be prepared to force the Drumcree march down the Garvaghy Road regardless of the decision of the Parades Commission.
[Flanagan later said the remarks had been taken out of context.]
Tuesday 22 June 1999
Bertie Ahern, then Taoiseach (Irish Prime Minister), said the Northern Ireland Executive must be established before paramilitary weapons were decommissioned. Ahern said it would be possible to persuade paramilitaries to disarm only “in the context of a confidence in functioning democratic institutions”.
David Trimble, then leader of the Ulster Unionist Party (UUP), called on Tony Blair, then British Prime Minister, to sack Marjorie (Mo) Mowlam, then Secretary of State for Northern Ireland.
Patrick Magee, who had been convicted of taking part in the Brighton bombing on 12 October 1984, was freed under the terms of the Good Friday Agreement after serving 14 years of a 34 year sentence.
[Magee was the 277th prisoner to be released on licence under the terms of the early release scheme.]
Friday 22 June 2001
There was another Loyalist blockade of the road to the Catholic Holy Cross Girls’ Primary School in Ardoyne, north Belfast.
Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) officers again prevented children and parents from attempting to enter the school through the front gate. Some of the school’s pupils entered the school throught the grounds of another school.
——————————————
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.
10 People lost their lives on the 22nd June between 1974 – 1979
——————————————
22 June 1974
Daniel O’Connor (35)
Catholic
Status: Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC),
Killed by: Irish Republican Army (IRA)
Shot from passing car while on Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) foot patrol, junction of Crumlin Road and Clifton Park Avenue, Belfast.
——————————————
22 June 1974
Hugh Devine (30)
Catholic
Status: Civilian (Civ),
Killed by: British Army (BA)
Shot during altercation with British Army (BA) foot patrol, Olympic Drive, Ballycolman, Strabane, County Tyrone.
——————————————
22 June 1974
Kim Ian McCunn (18)
nfNI
Status: British Army (BA),
Killed by: Irish Republican Army (IRA)
Shot by sniper while on British Army (BA) foot patrol, New Lodge Road, Belfast.
——————————————
22 June 1975
Hugh Brankin (32)
Catholic
Status: Civilian (Civ),
Killed by: Protestant Action Force (PAF)
Found shot on the road to Knockagh War Memorial, near Greenisland, County Antrim.
——————————————
22 June 1975
Hugh Duffy (30)
Catholic
Status: Civilian (Civ),
Killed by: Ulster Defence Association (UDA)
Died two days after being shot while walking home from work, Fraser Street, off Newtownards Road, Belfast.
——————————————
22 June 1975
Thomas Irvine (23)
Protestant
Status: Civilian (Civ),
Killed by: Irish Republican Army (IRA)
Shot from passing car while standing at Westland Road, Belfast.
——————————————
22 June 1975
Alan Raymond (23)
Protestant
Status: Civilian (Civ),
Killed by: Irish Republican Army (IRA)
Shot from passing car while standing at Westland Road, Belfast
——————————————
22 June 1975
Christopher Phelan (48)
nfNIRI
Status: Civilian (Civ),
Killed by: Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF)
Found stabbed to death, by railway track, Baronrath Bridge, near Sallins, County Kildare.
——————————————
22 June 1977
John Millikin (57)
Protestant
Status: Prison Officer (PO),
Killed by: Irish Republican Army (IRA)
Shot from passing car shortly after leaving Crumlin Road Prison, Belfast.
——————————————
22 June 1979
John Scott (49)
Protestant
Status: Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC),
Killed by: Irish Republican Army (IRA)
Off duty reservist. Shot while delivering milk, Ardboe, near Coagh, County Tyrone.
——————————————
Belfast Child 