Key Events & Deaths on this day in Northern Ireland Troubles
15th June
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Sunday 15 June 1969
The Campaign for Social Justice published a second edition of ‘Northern Ireland The Plain Truth’, [PDF; ], which set out the allegations of discrimination against Catholics by Unionists in the region.
Thursday 15 June 1972
Representatives of the Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP) met William Whitelaw, then Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, in London and presented the Irish Republican Army (IRA) conditions for a meeting. Whitelaw accepted the proposals.
[The IRA made an announcement about the proposed ceasefire on Thursday 22 June 1972.]
Monday 15 June 1981
Sinn Féin (SF) issued a statement to say that a Republican prisoner would join the hunger strike every week.
[This was seen as a stepping-up of the hunger strike. Paddy Quinn, then an Irish Republican Army (IRA) prisoner joined the strike.]
Tuesday 15 June 1982
The Falkland Islands were recaptured by British forces.
[This brought an end to the Falkands War.]
Friday 15 June 1984
A member of the Irish National Liberation Army (INLA) and a Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) officer were killed in an exchange of gunfire after the RUC surrounded a house in Lenadoon Avenue, Belfast.
Monday 15 June 1987
Tom King was reappointed as Secretary for State for Northern Ireland. Nicholas Scott, formerly the Minister for State at the Northern Ireland Office, was replaced by John Stanley.
Sunday 15 June 1988
Lisburn Killings
An Irish Republican Army (IRA) bomb in Lisburn killed six off-duty British Army soldiers.
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See IRA Lisburn “Fun Run” bombing
A member of the Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) was killed by the IRA in Belfast.
Thursday 15 June 1989
European Elections
Elections to the European Parliament were conducted in Northern Ireland. [The percentage share of the vote was: Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) 29.95%; Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP) 25.5%; Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) 21.5%; Sinn Féin (SF) 9.2%; Alliance Party of Northern Ireland (APNI) 5.2%; Ecology Party (EP) 1.2%; Workers Party (WP) 1.1%; Others 1.6%; Turnout 48.3%. (See detailed results.)] Elections took place in the Republic of Ireland to the Dáil. Although Fianna Fáil (FF) gained that largest number of seats the party it did not win sufficient support to form a government.
[FF formed a government with the Progressive Democrat (PD) party on 12 July 1989.]
Friday 15 June 1990
Peter Brooke, then Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, met with representatives of the Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP). It was announced that talks would begin after the summer holidays.
Saturday 15 June 1991
(Sir) Ninian Stephen, then an Australian High Court judge and a former Governor-General of Australia, was named as the independent chairman for the strand of the forthcoming talks (later known as the Brooke / Mayhew talks) involving relationships between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.
Tuesday 15 June 1993
The Standing Advisory Commission on Human Rights (SACHR) argued for changes to the way in which the House of Commons dealt with legislation on Northern Ireland matters.
[Following the introduction of Direct Rule the region was governed under a Temporary Provisions Act, and Northern Ireland legislation was introduce by way of ‘Orders in Council’. The main criticism of this procedure was that the legislation could not be amended in the House of Commons.]
Wednesday 15 June 1994
Albert Reynolds, then Taoiseach (Irish Prime Minister), sent a letter containing ‘clarification’ of the Downing Street Declaration to Gary McMichael, then leader of the Ulster Democratic Party (UDP).
The letter stated: “We do not seek to impose constitutional change by stealth or coercion, whether it be a united Ireland, or joint sovereignty or joint authority. What we seek is a new accommodation between the two traditions on this island …” (Belfast Telegraph, 24 June 1994).
Thursday 15 June 1995
There was a Westminster by-election in the constituency of North Down. The by-election was called following the death on 20 March 1995 of the sitting Member of Parliament James Kilfedder. The election was won by Robert McCartney, of the United Kingdom Unionist Party (UKUP).
[The turnout at 39 per cent was the lowest in the history of Northern Ireland for a parliamentary by-election.]
Saturday 15 June 1996
Manchester Bombing
The Irish Republican Army (IRA) exploded a bomb in Manchester, which destroyed a large part of the city centre and injured 200 people.
The bomb was estimated to have contained one-and-a-half tonnes of home-made explosives. Although a warning of one hour and twenty minutes was received by a local television station injuries were still caused by the sheer scale of the explosion.
In response to the Manchester bomb the Ulster Freedom Fighters (UFF) announced that it was putting its members ‘on alert’.
Niall Donovan (28), a Catholic man, was stabbed to death near Dungannon, County Tyrone.
Tuesday 15 June 1999
In a keynote speech at Stranmillis College in Belfast Tony Blair, then British Prime Minister, said the governments would “have to look for another way forward” if the devolution deadline were missed.
Blair also invited Portadown Orangemen and representatives of the Garvaghy Road Residents’ Coalition (GRRC) to new talks at Stormont in a further attempt to resolve the dispute surrounding the Drumcree parade planned for 4 July 1999.
Bertie Ahern, then Taoiseach (Irish Prime Minister), said the Irish and British governments would “set aside” the Good Friday Agreement and seek alternative means of political progress if a breakthrough was not made by 30 June 1999. Ahern told the Dáil the decommissioning issue had now been “debated to death”.
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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.
15 People lost their lives on the 15th June between 1974 – 1975
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15 June 1973
Michael Wilson (18)
Protestant
Status: Ulster Defence Association (UDA),
Killed by: Ulster Defence Association (UDA)
Shot at the home of his relative, Ulster Defence Association leader Tommy Herron, Ravenswood Park, Braniel, Belfast. Internal Ulster Defence Association dispute.
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15 June 1974
Patrick Cunningham (26)
Catholic
Status: Civilian (Civ),
Killed by: British Army (BA)
Shot by British Army (BA) foot patrol while in disused graveyard near his home, Benburb, County Tyrone
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15 June 1982
Hugh Cummings (39)
Protestant
Status: Ulster Defence Regiment (UDR), Killed by: Irish Republican Army (IRA)
Off duty. Shot near his workplace while walking along Lower Main Street, Strabane, County Tyrone
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15 June 1984
Michael Todd (22)
Protestant
Status: Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC),
Killed by: Irish National Liberation Army (INLA)
Shot during gun battle after Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) members surrounded house, Lenadoon Avenue, Belfast.
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15 June 1984
Paul McCann (20)
Catholic
Status: Irish National Liberation Army (INLA),
Killed by: Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC)
Shot during gun battle after Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) members surrounded house, Lenadoon Avenue, Belfast
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15 June 1985
Willis Agnew (53)
Protestant
Status: Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC),
Killed by: Irish Republican Army (IRA)
Off duty. Shot while sitting in stationary car outside friend’s home, Gortin Road, Kilrea, County Derry.
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15 June 1987
Nathaniel Cush (47)
Protestant
Status: ex-Ulster Defence Regiment (xUDR),
Killed by: Irish Republican Army (IRA)
Killed by booby trap bomb attached to his car outside his workplace, Tomb Street, off Corporation Street, Belfast.
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15 June 1988
Robert Seymour (33)
Protestant
Status: Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF),
Killed by: Irish Republican Army (IRA)
Shot at his shop, Woodstock Road, Belfast.
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15 June 1988
Derek Green (20)
nfNI
Status: British Army (BA),
Killed by: Irish Republican Army (IRA)
Off duty. Killed by booby trap bomb attached to British Army (BA) minibus, Market Square, Lisburn, County Antrim.
See IRA Lisburn “Fun Run” bombing
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15 June 1988
Michael Winkler (31)
nfNI
Status: British Army (BA),
Killed by: Irish Republican Army (IRA)
Off duty. Killed by booby trap bomb attached to British Army (BA) minibus, Market Square, Lisburn, County Antrim.
See IRA Lisburn “Fun Run” bombing
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15 June 1988
Mark Clavey (24)
nfNI
Status: British Army (BA),
Killed by: Irish Republican Army (IRA)
Off duty. Killed by booby trap bomb attached to British Army (BA) minibus, Market Square, Lisburn, County Antrim.
See IRA Lisburn “Fun Run” bombing
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15 June 1988
Graham Lambie (22)
nfNI
Status: British Army (BA),
Killed by: Irish Republican Army (IRA)
Off duty. Killed by booby trap bomb attached to British Army (BA) minibus, Market Square, Lisburn, County Antrim.
See IRA Lisburn “Fun Run” bombing
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15 June 1988
William Paterson (22)
nfNI
Status: British Army (BA),
Killed by: Irish Republican Army (IRA)
Off duty. Killed by booby trap bomb attached to British Army (BA) minibus, Market Square, Lisburn, County Antrim.
See IRA Lisburn “Fun Run” bombing
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15 June 1988
Ian Metcalfe (36)
nfNI
Status: British Army (BA),
Killed by: Irish Republican Army (IRA)
Off duty. Killed by booby trap bomb attached to British Army (BA) minibus, Market Square, Lisburn, County Antrim.
See IRA Lisburn “Fun Run” bombing
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15 June 1989
Adam Gilbert (21)
nfNI
Status: British Army (BA),
Killed by: British Army (BA)
Shot in error, by other British Army (BA) member, firing at stolen car, while on BA foot patrol, junction of New Lodge Road and Antrim Road, Belfast.
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Belfast Child 