22nd  August

Key Events & Deaths on this day in Northern Ireland Troubles

Sunday 22 August 1971

Approximately 130 non-Unionist councillors announced their withdrawal from participation on district councils across Northern Ireland in protest against Internment.

Tuesday 22 August 1972 Newry Bomb

A bomb that was being planted by the Irish Republican Army (IRA) exploded prematurely at a customs post at Newry, County Down. Nine people, including three members of the IRA and five Catholic civilians, were killed in the explosion.

Friday 22 August 1975

Three Catholic civilians were killed in a gun and bomb attack on McGleenan’s Bar, Upper English Street, Armagh. The attack was carried out by Loyalist paramilitaries. A Catholic civilian died six days after being shot by Loyalists in Belfast.

Wednesday 22 August 1979

Humphrey Atkins, then Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, rejected a proposal that Hugh Carey, then Governor of New York, should chair talks in New York between Atkins and Michael O’Kennedy, then Irish Foreign Minister.

Wednesday 22 August 1984

Gerry Curran, then Armagh coroner, resigned after discovering “grave irregularities” in Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) files related to the killing of two Irish National Liberation Army (INLA) members on 12 December 1982.

September 1984

Friday 22 August 1986

John Stalker, then Deputy Chief Constable of the Greater Manchester Police, was cleared of all allegations of misconduct and reinstated in his police position. However, Stalker was not returned to the inquiry into the ‘shoot to kill’ allegations in Northern Ireland. The Shorts aircraft company in Belfast ordered that all flags and emblems displayed by workers should be removed. The company had received complaints of intimidation against Catholics.

[The decision led to the walk-out of 1,000 employees on 27 August 1986. A letter issued later by senior management stated that the Union Jack flag would be flown from the company’s flagstaff at all times.]

Tuesday 22 August 1995

The Irish News (a Belfast based newspaper) published the results of an opinion poll on issues related to all-party talks. Of those who responded, 52 per cent supported the setting of a date for all-party talks whether or not weapons had been decommissioned.

Saturday 22 August 1998 INLA Ceasefire

The Irish National Liberation Army (INLA) announced that it was to go on ceasefire as from midday. [In terms of size the INLA was the second largest of the Republican paramilitary organisations. There were calls for the Continuity Irish Republican Army (CIRA) to also announce a ceasefire.] The Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) announced that it intended to establish a trust fund for the victims of the Omagh bombing.

Sunday 22 August 1999

David Trimble, then leader of the Ulster Unionist Party (UUP), said the UUP was correct not to form a power-sharing government on 15 July 1999 in light of the subsequent killing of a Belfast taxi driver, Charles Bennett, and the uncovering of a Florida-based gun-smuggling operation.

Tuesday 22 August 2000

Johnny Adair, then a leader of the Ulster Freedom Fighters (UFF), a cover name (pseudonym) used by the Ulster Defence Association (UDA), was arrested and returned to prison by the order of Peter Mandelson, then Secretary of State for Northern Ireland. The arrest was an attempt to calm the atmosphere following the escalation in the Loyalist paramilitary feud. Adair had been released early on licence under the terms of the Good Friday Agreement and was returned to prison because he was believed to have taken part “in the commission, preparation or instigation of acts of terrorism”.

Wednesday 22 August 2001

There were a series of bomb alerts around Northern Ireland. Approximately 30 elderly people had to be moved from their homes in Armagh after a suspicious object was found under a van. A suspected ‘pipe bomb’ was found in the letter box at the constituency office of Martin McGuinness, then Member of Parliament (MP) for Mid-Ulster.

Approximately 40 buildings on Burn Road, Cookstown, County Tyrone, were evacuated to allow British Army technical officers to deal with the device. The Red Hand Defenders (RHD), a cover name previously used by the Ulster Defence Association (UDA), claimed responsibility for both these attacks.

Loyalist paramilitaries left a pipe-bomb outside the Boleran Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) club in Garvagh, County Derry. There was another pipe-bomb attack on Gulladuff GAA club, near Maghera, County Derry. The Foyle Bridge in Derry had to be closed after a claim that a bomb had been left nearby. The train line under the bridge was also closed disrupting services between Derry and Belfast. Later in the day the Craigavon Bridge was also closed during the evening rush hour. This brought traffic in the centre of the city to a standstill and effectively cut off the Cityside from the Waterside. People were faced with a 30 mile detour via the next bridge at Strabane, County Tyrone.

[Both alerts were thought to have been caused by warnings from the “real” Irish Republican Army (rIRA).]

Colombian authorities announced that the three Irishmen arrested on 13 August 2001 would be held while a criminal investigation was undertaken. The three men face charges of allegedly training Marxist rebels and carrying false passports. Liam Kennendy (Dr.), then Professor of Modern History at Queen’s University of Belfast, published his findings on paramilitary ‘punishment’ attacks in a report entitled ‘They Shoot Children Don’t They‘.

One of the findings of the report was that between 1990 and 2000, 372 teenagers had been beaten and 207 shot by Loyalist and Republican paramilitary groups in what is commonly termed ‘punishment’ attacks. The report showed that during 1999 and 2000 there were 47 ‘punishment’ attacks on under 18 year olds compared with 25 in the previous two years. The report was prepared for the Northern Ireland Committee Against Terrorism and the Northern Ireland Affairs Committee of the House of Commons. The report will also be submitted to the Northern Ireland Assembly.

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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.

17 people lost their lives on the 22nd  August between 1972 – 1998

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22 August 1972
James Johnston,  (40)

Protestant
Status: Civilian Political Activist (CivPA),

Killed by: Irish Republican Army (IRA)
Member of Loyalist Association of Workers. Found shot in abandoned van, Turin Street, off Grosvenor Road, Belfast.

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22 August 1972

Oliver Rowntree,   (22)

Catholic
Status: Irish Republican Army (IRA),

Killed by: Irish Republican Army (IRA)
Died in premature bomb explosion at Customs Office, Newry, County Down.

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22 August 1972

Noel Madden,  (18)

Catholic
Status: Irish Republican Army (IRA),

Killed by: Irish Republican Army (IRA)
Died in premature bomb explosion at Customs Office, Newry, County Down.

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22 August 1972

Patrick Hughes,  (35)

Catholic
Status: Irish Republican Army (IRA),

Killed by: Irish Republican Army (IRA)
Died in premature bomb explosion at Customs Office, Newry, County Down.

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22 August 1972

 Francis Quinn,  (28)

Catholic
Status: Civilian (Civ),

Killed by: Irish Republican Army (IRA)
Died in premature bomb explosion at Customs Office, Newry, County Down.

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22 August 1972
Patrick Murphy,  (45)

Catholic
Status: Civilian (Civ),

Killed by: Irish Republican Army (IRA)
Died in premature bomb explosion at Customs Office, Newry, County Down.

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22 August 1972
Craig Lawrence,  (33)

Protestant
Status: Civilian (Civ),

Killed by: Irish Republican Army (IRA)
Died in premature bomb explosion at Customs Office, Newry, County Down.

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22 August 1972
Michael Gilleece,  (32)

Catholic
Status: Civilian (Civ),

Killed by: Irish Republican Army (IRA)
Died in premature bomb explosion at Customs Office, Newry, County Down

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22 August 1972
Joseph Fegan,   (28)

Catholic
Status: Civilian (Civ),

Killed by: Irish Republican Army (IRA)
Died in premature bomb explosion at Customs Office, Newry

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22 August 1972
John McCann,  (60)

Catholic
Status: Civilian (Civ),

Killed by: Irish Republican Army (IRA)
Died in premature bomb explosion at Customs Office, Newry, County Down.

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22 August 1975
William Daniel,  (27)

Catholic
Status: Civilian (Civ),

Killed by: Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF)
Died six days after being shot while sitting in his car outside his girlfriend’s home, Glenbank Place, off Crumlin Road, Belfast.

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22 August 1975
John McGleenan  (45)

Catholic
Status: Civilian (Civ),

Killed by: non-specific Loyalist group (LOY)
Killed in gun and bomb attack on McGleenan’s Bar, Upper English Street, Armagh

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22 August 1975
Patrick Hughes,  (30)

Catholic
Status: Civilian (Civ),

Killed by: non-specific Loyalist group (LOY)
Killed in gun and bomb attack on McGleenan’s Bar, Upper English Street, Armagh.

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22 August 1975
Thomas Morris,   (22)

Catholic
Status: Civilian (Civ),

Killed by: non-specific Loyalist group (LOY)
Injured in gun and bomb attack on McGleenan’s Bar, Upper English Street, Armagh. He died 28 August 1975.

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22 August 1977
Martin, William (60)

Catholic
Status: Civilian (Civ),

Killed by: Irish Republican Army (IRA)
Abducted from his home, St. Joseph’s Place, Crossmaglen, County Armagh. Found shot a short time later, Moybane, near Crossmaglen, County Armagh. Alleged informer.

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22 August 1985
Daniel Mallon,  (65)

Catholic
Status: Civilian (Civ),

Killed by: Irish Republican Army (IRA)
Shot while in Railway Bar, Strabane, County Tyrone. Mistaken for contractor to British Army (BA) / Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC).

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22 August 1988
Alan Shields,  (45) nfNI
Status: Royal Navy (RN),

Killed by: Irish Republican Army (IRA)
Originally from Scotland. Royal Navy recruiting officer. Killed when detonated booby trap bomb attached to his car while travelling along Middlepath Street, Belfast.

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