Key Events & Deaths on this day in Northern Ireland Troubles
Wednesday 6 August 1980
The British government announced an extra public spending package of £48 million for Northern Ireland to try to alleviate the high level of unemployment in the region which stood at 14.7 per cent.
This announcement came after a meeting between the Irish Congress of Trade Unions (ICTUs) and Margaret Thatcher, then British Prime Minister.
Wednesday 6 August 1997
Loyalist paramilitaries carried out a ‘punishment’ attack on an 18 year old man in Rathcoole, north Belfast.
A taxi driver was shot in the legs in a ‘punishment’ style attack in Grosvenor Road, Belfast.
The attack was alleged to have been carried out by the Official Irish Republican Army (OIRA).
A hoax bomb was sent to the office of the Progressive Unionist Party (PUP) on the Shankill Road.
It was believed that Loyalist paramilitaries were responsible.
There was an arson attack on an Orange Order hall near Caledon, County Tyrone.
Marjorie (Mo) Mowlam, then Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, held a meeting with Gerry Adams, then President of Sinn Féin (SF), together with other SF representatives in Stormont.
Thursday 6 August 1998
Marjorie (Mo) Mowlam, then Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, said that she believed that the “war is over”. [This was said in response to Unionist demands that Sinn Féin (SF) and the Irish Republican Army (IRA) should state publicly that the conflict had ended.]
Thomas McMahon, who had been convicted of the murder of Lord Mountbatten and three other people in 1979, was released from jail in the Republic of Ireland.
The release drew criticism from Unionists in Northern Ireland.
Friday 6 August 1999
The Irish Republican Army (IRA) issued a statement in which the organisation denied that it have been behind an attempt to smuggle arms from the USA into Ireland; the IRA “Army Council has not sanctioned any arms importation operation”.
In relation to the speculation around the killing of Charles Bennett on 30 July 1999 the IRA said “there had been no breaches of the IRA cessation”.
Monday 6 August 2001
The date set as the deadline for the political parties to give their response to the British and Irish governments’ Implementation Plan for the Good Friday Agreement.
A statement was issued by John de Chastelain (Gen.), then head of the Independent International Commission on Decommissioning (IICD), in which he announced that an Irish Republican Army (IRA) representative had proposed a method for putting weapons completely and verifiably beyond use.
De Chastelain told the British and Irish governments that the proposal met with the Commission’s remit in accordance with the governments’ scheme and regulations. De Chastelain said in the statement:
“Based on our discussions with the IRA representative, we believe that this proposal initiates a process that will put IRA arms completely and verifiably beyond use.”
Gerry Adams, then President of Sinn Féin (SF), declared the statement as a “hugely historical breakthrough”.
The Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) office board consisting of 14 members met on Monday evening to consider its response to the Implementation Plan (1 August 2001) and also the statement by the IICD.
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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.
1 Person lost their lives on the 6th August 1985
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06 August 1985
Charles English (21)
Catholic Status: Irish Republican Army (IRA),
Killed by: Irish Republican Army (IRA)
Died when grenade exploded prematurely, during attack on British Army (BA) mobile patrol, William Street, Derry.
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This is simply the story of a boy trying to grow up, survive, thrive, have fun & discover himself against a backdrop of events that might best be described as ‘explosive’, captivating & shocking the world for thirty long years.
Key Events & Deaths on this day in Northern Ireland Troubles
14th October
Saturday 14 October 1972
Three people were killed in two incidents in Belfast. Loyalist paramilitaries carried out a raid on the Headquarters of the 10 Ulster Defence Regiment (UDR) at Lislea Drive in Belfast and stole 14 British Army issue self-loading rifles (SLRs) and a quantity of ammunition. The camp guard claimed that they were ‘overpowered’ by the Loyalists. [There was another raid on a UDR base on 23 October 1972.]
Friday 14 October 1977
Tomás Ó Fiaich was appointed as the new Catholic Primate of Ireland.
Saturday 14 October 1978
The Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) organised another march in Derry to protest against the march in the city on the previous Sunday, 8 October 1978. There were clashes between Loyalists and Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) officers which resulted in 32 policemen being injured and there was also damage to property in the city.
Monday 14 October 1985
The Irish Information Partnership published some results from its database of deaths from the conflict. The information showed that more than 50 per cent of the 2,400 dead had been killed by Republican paramilitaries. In addition the data also showed that over 25 per cent of those killed by Republicans were Catholic civilians.
Friday 14 October 1988
Duisburg Meetings Members from four Northern Ireland political parties met for talks in Duisburg, West Germany. The parties involved were; Alliance Party of Northern Ireland (APNI), Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP), Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) and Democratic Unionist Party (DUP). Little progress was reported from the meetings.
Friday 14 October 1994
John Major, then British Prime Minister, address the Conservative Party conference and told delegates that he would pursue the peace process in his own time.
Saturday 14 October 1995
There were scuffles between Sinn Féin (SF) supporters and Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) officers when SF attempted to hold a demonstration in the centre of Lurgan, County Armagh. The last ‘peace train’ travelled between Dublin and Belfast.
Monday 14 October 1996
Marjorie (Mo) Mowlam, then the British Labour Party spokesperson on Northern Ireland, met with Loyalist prisoners in the Maze Prison in an effort to “keep the talks process alive”. The Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) and the Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP) agreed on a draft agenda for the Stormont talks.
Thursday 14 October 1999
The funeral of Patrick Campbell, who was an Irish National Liberation Army (INLA) member, took place in Belfast.
Campbell had been injured on 6 October 1999 in Dublin and died on 10 October. Approximately 1,000 people attended the funeral among them Patrick’s father Robert Campbell who had been ‘on the run’ in the Republic of Ireland since 1981.
A joint statement was issued by anti-Agreement Unionists including the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), the United Kingdom Unionist Party (UKUP), the Northern Ireland Unionist Party, and some members of the Ulster Unionist Party (UUP). The statement set out a common strategy for opposing any political deal leading the establishment of a power-sharing Executive which included Sinn Féin (SF).
Saturday 14 October 2000
A Catholic father-of-six and his two teenage sons all escaped uninjured when a bomb exploded in their car. The explosion happened shortly before 9.00pm at Blackstaff Way, off the Grosvenor Road, in west Belfast. The man said he was with his two sons, aged 17 and 18, for a driving lesson in the Kennedy Road Industrial Estate. He tried to adjust the driver’s seat, with one of his sons sitting in it, when he found a jar containing liquid and a pipe. He said it started to “fizz” and the three of them immediately fled from the vehicle just seconds before the device exploded. The attack was carried out by Loyalist paramilitaries.
Sunday 14 October 2001
Martin McGuinness, the Vice-President of Sinn Féin (SF), said that he was working “flat out” to convince the Irish Republican Army (IRA) to put its weapons beyond use.
[McGuinness made the comments on the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) ‘Radio Ulster’ programme. There was continuing media speculation that the IRA was close to making a move on decommissioning.]
Aidan Troy (Fr), then Chairman of the Board of Governors of the Holy Cross Girls’ Primary School, called on Loyalist protesters to immediately end the daily protest at the school. Troy was speaking at Sunday mass and said that a member of the congregation had made the point that the only other country where girls are prevented from having an education was Afghanistan.
It was revealed in the media that David Burnside, then Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) MP, had held a meeting with the ‘inner council’ of the Ulster Defence Association (UDA) sometime during the summer of 2001.
[Burnside later defended his decision to hold private talks with the Loyalist paramilitary group and said he would meet the group again if asked. Burnside said that he would not meet with the Irish Republican Army (IRA). Burside was an opponent of the Good Friday Agreement.]
The Irish government held a state funeral for 10 Irish Republican Army (IRA) men who had been executed by British authorities during Ireland’s War of Independence 80 years ago. The men had originally been buried in Mountjoy Prison but were reburied in Glasnevin cemetery following a mass at the Pro-Cathedral. The most famous of the 10 men was Kevin Barry an 18-year-old medical student who took part in the rebellion and was hanged in 1920. He is remembered today in a still-popular song that bears his name.
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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.
6 People lost their lives on the 14th October between 1972 – 1991
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14 October 1972 Terence Maguire, (23)
Catholic Status: Civilian (Civ),
Killed by: non-specific Loyalist group (LOY) Found shot in entry, off Clandeboye Street, Belfast.
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14 October 1972 Leo John Duffy, (45)
Catholic Status: Civilian (Civ),
Killed by: non-specific Loyalist group (LOY) Shot at his workplace, Northern Wine Company, Tate’s Avenue, off Lisburn Road, Belfast.
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14 October 1972 Thomas Marron, (59)
Catholic Status: Civilian (Civ),
Killed by: non-specific Loyalist group (LOY) Shot at his workplace, Northern Wine Company, Tate’s Avenue, off Lisburn Road, Belfast.
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14 October 1975
Andrew Baird, (37)
Protestant Status: Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC),
Killed by: Irish Republican Army (IRA) Died three weeks after being injured by booby trap bomb attached to security barrier, Church Street, Portadown, County Armagh.
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14 October 1975 Stewart Robinson, (23)
Protestant Status: Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF),
Killed by: Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) Found shot in entry off Aberdeen Street, Shankill, Belfast. Internal Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) dispute.
Killed by: Ulster Freedom Fighters (UFF) Taxi driver. Shot when lured to bogus call, Finnis Drive, Taughmonagh, Belfast.
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This is simply the story of a boy trying to grow up, survive, thrive, have fun & discover himself against a backdrop of events that might best be described as ‘explosive’, captivating & shocking the world for thirty long years.
Tipperary Tim Astounding 1928 Grand National winner at 100/1 & a proud resident of Glencairn ! Tipperary Tim (foaled 1918) was an Irish Thoroughbred racehorse that won the 1928 Grand National. He was foaled in Ireland and was a descendant of the undefeated St. Simon. Tipperary Tim was owned by Harold Kenyon and trained in Shropshire by Joseph Dodd. He … Continue reading Tipperary Tim – astounding 1928 Grand National winner at 100/1 & a proud resident of Glencairn !→
Originally posted on Belfast Child: The Stranglers Golden Brown January 1982 Golden Brown – The Stranglers: Iconic Songs & the story behind them Golden Brown – The Stranglers https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AWAsI3U2EaE “Golden Brown” is a song by the English rock band?the Stranglers. It was released as a 7″ single in December 1981 in the United States and…
By age ten I’d heard shots ring out and seen the injuries caused by bullets and beatings. But nothing could’ve prepared me for the scene outside Glencairn’s community centre on Forthriver Road on an overcast morning in October 1976. Before heading to school I polished off my cornflakes and, kicking and protesting as ever, had … Continue reading The Shankill Butchers…→
The life and death of Eamon Collins Eamon Collins (1954 – 27 January 1999) was a Provisional Irish Republican Army member in the late 1970s and early 1980s. He turned his back on the organisation in the late 1980s, and later co-authored a book called Killing Rage detailing his experiences within it. In January 1999 he was waylaid on a … Continue reading Killing Rage – The life and death of Eamon Collins→
Key Events & Deaths on this day in Northern Ireland Troubles
Friday 29 August 1969
Following the visit to Northern Ireland by James Callaghan, then British Home Secretary, a Communiqué on behalf of the Northern Ireland and British governments was released. This communiqué provided an outline of the work that would be undertaken on a number of further reforms mainly in the area of local government administration, housing, and employment.
Sunday 29 August 1971
A Catholic man died 16 days after being shot by the British Army in Belfast.
Wednesday 29 August 1973
The Irish Republican Army (IRA) planted two bombs in Solihull, England and also planted an incendiary device in Harrod’s store in London.
Friday 29 August 1975
The Irish Republican Army (IRA) planted a booby-trapped time bomb in Kensington Church Street, London, and then gave a telephone warning. Roger Goad (40), who was a British Army officer in a bomb-disposal squad, was killed as he tried to defuse the device.
[Goad was posthumously awarded the George Cross.]
A member of the youth section of the IRA was shot dead by Loyalists in Belfast.
Eamon de Valera died at the age of 92.
Wednesday 29 August 1979
Margaret Thatcher, then British Prime Minister, paid a visit to Northern Ireland to hold discussions on security. In Rome it was announced that Pope John Paul II would not travel to Armagh during his forthcoming visit to Ireland on 29 September 1979.
Tuesday 29 August 1989
Claims of Collusion between Loyalists and Security Forces
The Ulster Freedom Fighters (UFF) claimed that they had received security force files on Irish Republican Army (IRA) suspects. It was claimed that the death of Loughlin Maginn on 25 August 1989 was due to information supplied to the UFF by members of the security forces.
[These claims revived accusations of security force collusion with Loyalist paramilitaries.]
Thursday 29 August 1991
Sinn Féin (SF) won a by-election for a seat on Belfast City Council. This victory brought the party’s representation to 9 members making it the second-largest party in the council.
Monday 29 August 1994
Gerry Adams, then President of Sinn Féin (SF), said that he had met the Army Council of the Irish Republican Army (IRA). He indicated that he told the Council that he believed that the conditions existed for moving the peace process forward.
Friday 29 August 1997
Announcement that SF Could Enter Talks
Marjorie (Mo) Mowlam, then Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, said that she “accepted the veracity” of the renewed Irish Republican Army (IRA) ceasefire and would therefore be inviting Sinn Féin (SF) to attend the multi-party talks at Stormont, Belfast, on 15 September 1997.
The Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) said that it would attend the talks but would not sit at the same table as SF. Tony Blair, then British Prime Minister, and Bertie Ahern, then Taoiseach (Irish Prime Minister), issued a joint appeal to all Unionists to joint the multi-party talks on 15 September 1997.
Sunday 29 August 1999
A British army bomb disposal unit defused a pipe-bomb found near a Catholic church in County Antrim. The bomb had been left in the graveyard of St. Peter the Rock, on the Rock Road in Lisburn. The attack was carried out by Loyalist paramilitaries.
Loyalists also carried out a paramilitary ‘punishment’ shooting on a man in Antrim, and were also responsible for two beatings in east Belfast and Glengormley.
A Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) clubhouse in Ahoghill, County Antrim, was damaged in an arson attack. The IRA expelled two young men from the Ardoyne in north Belfast and the Short Strand in east Belfast. John Hume, then leader of the Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP), was taken into hospital in Austria for an operation on a perforated intestine.
Wednesday 29 August 2001
Loyalist paramilitaries carried out a pipe-bomb attack on the home of a Catholic family in Ballynahinch, County Down. Two devices exploded at the house shortly before 3.00am (0300BST); there were no injuries in the attack. The owner of the house blamed the Ulster Defence Association (UDA) for the attack.
The Red Hand Defenders (RHD), a cover name that has been used by members of the Ulster Defence Association (UDA), claimed responsibility for the attack.
[There were other attacks on Catholic families in the same street on 1 February 2001.]
Two pipe-bombs were discovered and defused in Ballycastle, County Antrim. The bombs were discovered close to where a car bomb had been left on 28 August 2001. The first device was found near the Marine Hotel and the second ‘pipe bomb’ was later found at the Boyd Arms public house in the Diamond area of the town.
Sean Farren, then Minister for Higher and Further Education, Training and Employment, said that there was clear evidence that the UDA ceasefire was in some areas “completely non-existent”. Speaking in the aftermath of the bombing attempt in Balllycastle, County Antrim, on 28 August 2001 he said that the British government must acknowledge the UDA ceasefire was not operating in some parts of the North and must take action against those behind the recent attacks.
A delegation from Sinn Féin led by Mitchel McLaughlin, then SF Chairman, held talks with Des Browne, then junior Northern Ireland minister, to discuss the problems still facing the peace process. Browne later said that the British government was keeping a close eye on Loyalist paramilitary ceasefires following recent bomb attacks. He said:
“the implications for those Loyalist groups engaged in these despicable acts … will be very serious”.
The Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) press office confirmed that two senior officers, thought to be from Special Branch, had travelled to Colombia to assist the investigation into the activities of the three Irishmen arrested on 13 August 2001.
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.
5 People lost their lives on the 29th of August between 1971 – 1982
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29 August 1971 Ian Armstrong, (33) nfNI Status: British Army (BA),
Killed by: Irish Republican Army (IRA)
Shot while on British Army (BA) mobile patrol, near Crossmaglen, County Armagh
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29 August 1975
James Templeton, (15)
Catholic Status: Irish Republican Army Youth Section (IRAF),
Killed by: non-specific Loyalist group (LOY)
Shot from passing car, while standing outside Rose and Crown Bar, Ormeau Road, Belfast.
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29 August 1975 Roger Goad, (40) nfNIB Status: British Army (BA),
Killed by: Irish Republican Army (IRA)
Attached to British police. Killed attempting to defuse bomb in shop, Church Street, Kensington, London.
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29 August 1980 Frank McGrory, (52)
Catholic Status: Civilian (Civ),
Killed by: Irish National Liberation Army (INLA)
Killed when detonated booby trap bomb, hidden in hedgerow, Carnagh, near Keady, County Armagh
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29 August 1982 James Galway, (33)
Protestant Status: Civilian (Civ),
Killed by: Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF)
Abducted somewhere in the Shankill area, Belfast. Found shot, on information supplied to the British authorities, buried at a building site, Fir Park, Broughshane, near Ballymena, County Antrim, on 24 November 1983.
Disclaimer – The views and opinions expressed in these documentary are soley intended to educate and provide background information to those interested in the Troubles of Northern Ireland. They … Continue reading The Shankill Bomb→
Belfast Child 