Tag Archives: Patrick Kelly

24th July – Deaths & Events in Northern Ireland Troubles

Deaths in the Troubles, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Key Events & Deaths on this day in Northern Ireland Troubles

24th July

Saturday 24 August 1968

First Civil Rights March

The Campaign for Social Justice (CSJ), the Northern Ireland Civil Rights Association (NICRA), and a number of other groups, held the first ‘civil rights march’ in Northern Ireland from Coalisland to Dungannon.

Loyalists organised a counter demonstration in an effort to get the march banned and in fact the planned rally was officially banned.

[This was a tactic that was to be used throughout the period of ‘the Troubles’]. Despite this the march took place and passed off without incident. The publicity surrounding the march acted as encouragement to other protesting groups to form branches of the NICRA.

Wednesday 24 July 1974

Patrick Kelly (33), a Nationalist councillor, disappeared after leaving Trillick, County Tyrone, to travel home. Later in the day bloodstains, and cartridge cases were found on the roadside about one mile outside of Trillick.

[Kelly’s body was discovered on 10 August 1974 in Lough Eyes, near Lisbellaw, County Fermanagh. He had been shot a number of times and his body had been weighted down and dumped in the lake. Nationalists claimed that there had been security force involvement or collusion in his killing.

Allegations were made that Ulster Defence Regiment (UDR) members had taken part in the attack. On 29 July 2003 it was announced that a new inquiry into the killing would be undertaken by the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI).]

Thursday 24 July 1975

Merlyn Rees, then Secretary of Sate for Northern Ireland, announced that all those interned without trial would be released by Christmas.

Monday 24 July 1989

Peter Brooke was appointed as the new Secretary of State for Northern Ireland. John Cope became Minister of State, and Lord Skelmersdale and Peter Bottomley were appointed as Under-Secretaries.

Tuesday 24 July 1990

The Irish Republican Army (IRA) exploded a bomb near Armagh killing three members of the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) and a Catholic nun who was driving past the scene of the attack.

Friday 24 July 1992

There was a summer adjournment in Strand Two of the political talks (later known as the Brooke / Mayhew talks). The talks recommenced on 2 September 1992.

Sunday 24 July 1994

Sinn Féin Conference Sinn Féin (SF) held a special conference in Letterkenny, County Donegal to consider the Downing Street Declaration (DSD). The conference was addressed by Gerry Adams, then President of SF. He is reported to have said that the DSD

“suggests a potentially significant change in the approach of the [two] governments to resolving the conflict in Ireland, and we welcome this. But it does not deal adequately with some of the core issues, and this is crucial.”

[The mainly critical tone about the DSD led many observers to conclude the proposals had been rejected.]

Thursday 24 July 1997

James Morgan (16), a Catholic civilian, was abducted after he accepted a lift in a car while travelling from Newcastle to Annsborourgh, County Down.

 Morgan’s body was found on 27 July 1997. He had been tortured before being killed and his body was dumped in a water-logged pit full of animal parts. No group claimed responsibility for his killing but it was believed by most commentators that the Loyalist Volunteer Force (LVF) was responsible.

To the astonishment of many people the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) did not ascribe a sectarian motive to the abduction and killing until 28 July 1997.

What was described as a “crude parcel bomb” was delivered by post to the office of Robert McCartney, then leader of the United Kingdom Unionist Party (UKUP), at his office in Stormont. The device was defused by the British Army. McCartney was on holiday at the time of the incident.

David Trimble, then leader of the Ulster Unionist Party (UUP), said that it was important for Unionists to remain in the talks in order to win the propaganda war. He also said that Sinn Féin (SF) would eventually have to accept a partitionist solution to the conflict.

John Kelly, then a SF Councillor in Magherafelt, issued an apology to Protestants in Maghera and Swinford for “wanton acts of sectarian vandalism” when Nationalists engaged in rioting following the events at Drumcree.

The ‘Birmingham Six’ said that they would seek compensation in the European Court after Jack Straw, then British Home Secretary, said that he would not meet them to reconsider their case. [The six men each received £200,000 compensation (in addition to some interim payments) as compensation for 16 years of wrongful imprisonment.

The men were also looking for an apology from the British government

Friday 24 July 1998

The Police (Northern Ireland) Act was passed in the House of Commons. It was announced in the Republic of Ireland that 1997 had been a record year for Irish tax revenue earnings reflecting the buoyant nature of the Irish economy. In a ruling on the conduct of the new inquiry into the events of ‘Bloody Sunday’ the chairman Lord Saville said that soldiers giving evidence would be entitled to “partial anonymity”.

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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.

10 People lost their lives on the 24th  July between 1972 – 1990

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24 July 1972

James Casey,  (57)

Catholic

Status: Civilian (Civ),

Killed by: British Army (BA)

Shot while travelling in car along Park Avenue, Rosemount, Derry

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24 July 1972

Frederick Maguire,  (56)

Protestant

Status: Civilian (Civ),

Killed by: Ulster Defence Association (UDA)

Found shot, Mayo Street, Shankill, Belfast. Assumed to be a Catholic.

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24 July 1972

Brian Thomas, (20) nfNI

Status: British Army (BA),

Killed by: Irish Republican Army (IRA) Shot by sniper, while in Vere Foster School British Army (BA) base, Ballymurphy, Belfast.

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24 July 1973

Leonard Rossborough,  (38)

Protestant

Status: Civilian (Civ),

Killed by: Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) Publican. Died three days after being shot during armed robbery at his workplace, Horseshoe Bar, Shankill Road, Belfast.

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Wednesday 24 July 1974
item mark Patrick Kelly (33), a Nationalist councillor, disappeared after leaving Trillick, County Tyrone, to travel home. Later in the day bloodstains, and cartridge cases were found on the roadside about one mile outside of Trillick. [Kelly’s body was discovered on 10 August 1974 in Lough Eyes, near Lisbellaw, County Fermanagh. He had been shot a number of times and his body had been weighted down and dumped in the lake. Nationalists claimed that there had been security force involvement or collusion in his killing. Allegations were made that Ulster Defence Regiment (UDR) members had taken part in the attack. On 29 July 2003 it was announced that a new inquiry into the killing would be undertaken by the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI).]

24 July 1974

Patrick Kelly, (33)

Catholic

Status: Civilian Political Activist (CivPA),

Killed by: Ulster Freedom Fighters (UFF) Independent Councillor. Abducted shortly after leaving his licensed premises, Corner House Bar, Main Street, Trillick, County Tyrone. Found shot in Lough Eyes, near Lisbellaw, County Fermanagh, on 10 August 1974.

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24 July 1980

Michael McCartan,  (16)

Catholic

Status: Civilian (Civ),

Killed by: Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) Shot by undercover Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) member, in entry, off Dromara Street, Ormeau Road, Belfast.

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 24 July 1990

Joshua Willis,  (35)

Protestant

Status: Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC), by: Irish Republican Army (IRA) Killed in land mine attack on Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) armoured patrol car, Killylea Road, Armagh.

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 24 July 1990

William Hanson, (37)

Protestant

Status: Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC),

Killed by: Irish Republican Army (IRA) Killed in land mine attack on Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) armoured patrol car, Killylea Road, Armagh.

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  24 July 1990

David Sterritt, (34)

Protestant

Status: Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC),

Killed by: Irish Republican Army (IRA) Killed in land mine attack on Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) armoured patrol car, Killylea Road, Armagh.

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 24 July 1990

Catherine Dunne,  (37) nfNI

Status: Civilian (Civ),

Killed by: Irish Republican Army (IRA) Catholic Nun originally from Dublin. Killed while travelling in her car, during land mine attack on adjacent Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) armoured patrol car, Killylea Road, Armagh.

 

8th May – Deaths & Events in Northern Ireland Troubles

Deaths in the Troubles, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Key Events & Deaths on this day in Northern Ireland Troubles

8th May

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Saturday 8 May 1971

Isabella McKeague

A woman was killed in an incident in Belfast.

Wednesday 8 May 1974

The Ulster Defence Association (UDA) issued a statement condemning the security situation in Northern Ireland and gave its support to the United Ulster Unionist Council (UUUC) and the policy of opposing the Sunningdale Agreement.

Thursday 8 May 1975

The first meeting of the Constitutional Convention was held. Roberty Lowry, then Lord Chief Justice of Northern Ireland, chaired the session.

[There were 30 sessions in total and the Report of the convention was published on 20 November 1975.]

Sunday 8 May 1977 Day 6 of the UUAC Strike

The loyalist paramilitary group the Ulster Freedom Fighters (UFF), a cover name (pseudonym) used by the Ulster Defence Association (UDA), announced that it might be forced to ‘coerce’ loyalists in Northern Ireland into supporting the UUAC strike.

Ian Paisley, then leader of the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), reiterated his belief that the strike had already been a success even if at some point it had to be called off. However a spokesman for the UUAC stated that there was ‘no chance’ of the strike being called off.

Friday 8 May 1981

Joe McDonnell, then an Irish Republican Army (IRA) prisoner in the Maze Prison, joined the hunger strike to take the place of Bobby Sands.

See 1981 Hunger Strike

Saturday 8 May 1982

Nicholas Budgen, then an Assistant Government Whip, resigned his post because of his opposition to the Northern Ireland Bill which would introduce a new Assembly.

Friday 8 May 1987 Loughgall Killings

8_ira_men_shot_dead-loughgall

See Loughgall ambush

One civilian and eight members of the Irish Republican Army (IRA) were shot dead by soldiers of the Special Air Service (SAS) in Loughgall, County Armagh.

The IRA members were in the process of attacking the police station at Loughgall when they were ambushed by 40 SAS soldiers. The innocent civilian was shot dead by one SAS group as he drove through the village. This incident was the highest loss of life suffered by the IRA in any one incident.

[On 2 December 2011 some details of an Historical Enquires Team (HET) report into the incident were released by The Belfast Telegraph. The newspaper article claimed that the HET report would conclude that members of the IRA opened fire first and thus the SAS soldiers were within their rights to open

Tuesday 8 May 1990

Tomás Ó Fiaich, then a Cardinal and Catholic Primate of All Ireland, died aged 66 from a heart attack while on a visit to Lourdes, France.

Friday 8 May 1992

Kenneth Baker, then British Home Secretary, announced that responsibility for intelligence-gathering on the Irish Republican Army (IRA) would be moved from the Special Branch of the Metropolitan Police to MI5 (the British Security Service). The move was part of an attempt to counter IRA operations in England.

Sunday 8 May 1994

Rose Anne Mallon (76), a Catholic civilian, was shot dead by the Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) at her relatives home, Cullenramer Road, Greystone, near Dungannon, County Tyrone.

[On 27 July 1994 a neighbour discovered in a nearby field two security force surveillance cameras pointing at the house where the shooting took place. There were subsequent claims of collusion between the security forces and Loyalist paramilitaries.]

Thursday 8 May 1997

Robert Hamill Killing  

Robert Hamill (25), a Catholic civilian, died as a result of injuries sustained in a sectarian attack in the centre of Portadown on 27 April 1997.

Hamill, who left a wife and three children, had been savagely beaten by a loyalist gang and it was claimed that Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) officers sitting in a police vehicle some 30 meters away did not intervene to save him.

[The Independent Commission for Police Complaints later began an investigation into the incident. On the 16 November 2004 Paul Murphy, then Secretary of State, announced the terms of reference for a public Inquiry into the death of Robert Hamill. Full public hearings began on 13 January 2009.]

Marjorie (Mo) Mowlam, then Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, announced that the period of notice required for a parade or march to be held would be extended from 7 days to 21.

The RUC would in future be empowered to confiscate alcohol from those taking part in parades.

The County Tyrone Grand Orange Lodge held a meeting and decided to endorse the agreement reached between local Orangemen and residents of Dromore village.

See: The Orange Order – History & Background

Members of the Spirit of Drumcree (SOD) tried to have the deal overturned but their motion was rejected by 68 votes to 9. John Bruton, the Taoiseach (Irish Prime Minister), held a meeting with Tony Blair, then British Prime Minister, at Downing Street. Bruton described Blair as an “improvement for the better in all the issues as far as Ireland is concerned.”

See: Drumcree

Friday 8 May 1998

The “real” Irish Republican Army (rIRA) issued a statement saying that the organisation’s ceasefire was over and military attacks would resume. In particular the group said that it had declared war on the British Cabinet.

William Thompson, a Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) Member of Parliament (MP), gave a radio interview in which he effectively called for the resignation of David Trimble, then leader of the UUP. Thompson was in turn attacked by John Taylor, then deputy leader of the UUP, who called on him to “do the decent thing” and resign.

Monday 8 May 2000

Peter Mandelson, then Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, offered to reduce the number of British Army soldiers in Northern Ireland if the Irish Republican Army (IRA) kept to its promise on decommissioning. Mandelson refused to discuss the precise number of troops that would be withdrawn from the region.

Tuesday 8 May 2001

David Trimble, then leader of the Ulster Unionist Party (UUP), said that he would resign as First Minister on 1 July 2001 unless the Irish Republican Army (IRA) began to decommission its weapons. [Trimble did resign on 1 July 2001.]

 

———————————————

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.

 16 People lost their lives on the 8th   May  between 1971 – 1997

———————————————–

08 May 1971


 Isabella McKeague   (67)

Protestant
Status: Civilian (Civ),

Killed by: non-specific Loyalist group (LOY)
Died in fire which followed incendiary bomb attack on shop below her flat, Albertbridge Road, Belfast

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08 May 1974


 Francis Rowe   (40)

Catholic
Status: Civilian (Civ),

Killed by: non-specific Loyalist group (LOY)
Shot at his home, Kingsmoss Road, off Ballyclare Road, near Glengormley, County Antrim.

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08 May 1977
 Robert Crawford  (40)

Protestant
Status: Civilian (Civ),

Killed by: non-specific Loyalist group (LOY)
Found shot, Forthriver Road, Glencairn, Belfast.

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08 May 1981


 Desmond Guiney,   (14)

Protestant
Status: Civilian (Civ),

Killed by: not known (nk)
Died three days after milk delivery lorry he was travelling in, crashed into lamp post after coming under missile attack thrown from crowd, at the junction of New Lodge Road and Antrim Road, Belfast. His father also died on 13 May 1981 as a result of the crash on 5 May 1981

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08 May 1984


 James Johnstone   (28)

Protestant
Status: Ulster Defence Regiment (UDR),

Killed by: Irish Republican Army (IRA)
Off duty. Shot in in car park at his workplace, Drumglass Hospital, Dungannon, County Tyrone.

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08 May 1987


 Declan Arthurs    (21)

Catholic
Status: Irish Republican Army (IRA),

Killed by: British Army (BA)
Shot by undercover British Army (BA) members, during gun and bomb attack on Loughgall Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) base, County Armagh.

See Loughgall ambush

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08 May 1987


 Seamus Donnell   (19)

Catholic
Status: Irish Republican Army (IRA),

Killed by: British Army (BA)
Shot by undercover British Army (BA) members, during gun and bomb attack on Loughgall Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) base, County Armagh.

See Loughgall ambush

———————————————–

08 May 1987


 Michael Gormley  (25)

Catholic
Status: Irish Republican Army (IRA),

Killed by: British Army (BA)
Shot by undercover British Army (BA) members, during gun and bomb attack on Loughgall Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) base, County Armagh

See Loughgall ambush.

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08 May 1987


 Eugene Kelly   (25)

Catholic
Status: Irish Republican Army (IRA),

Killed by: British Army (BA)
Shot by undercover British Army (BA) members, during gun and bomb attack on Loughgall Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) base, County Armagh.

See Loughgall ambush

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08 May 1987


 Patrick Kelly  (30)

Catholic
Status: Irish Republican Army (IRA),

Killed by: British Army (BA)
Shot by undercover British Army (BA) members, during gun and bomb attack on Loughgall Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) base, County Armagh.

See Loughgall ambush

———————————————–

08 May 1987


 James Lynagh   (31)

nfNI
Status: Irish Republican Army (IRA),

Killed by: British Army (BA)
From County Monaghan. Shot by undercover British Army (BA) members, during gun and bomb attack on Loughgall Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) base, County Armagh

See Loughgall ambush

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08 May 1987


 Patrick McKearney   (32)

Catholic
Status: Irish Republican Army (IRA),

Killed by: British Army (BA)
Shot by undercover British Army (BA) members, during gun and bomb attack on Loughgall Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) base, County Armagh.

See Loughgall ambush

———————————————–

08 May 1987


 Gerard O’Callaghan  (29)

Catholic
Status: Irish Republican Army (IRA),

Killed by: British Army (BA)
Shot by undercover British Army (BA) members, during gun and bomb attack on Loughgall Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) base, County Armagh.

See Loughgall ambush

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08 May 1987


 Anthony Hughes   (36)

Catholic
Status: Civilian (Civ),

Killed by: British Army (BA)
Shot by undercover British Army (BA) members, during Irish Republican Army (IRA) gun and bomb attack on Loughgall Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) base, County Armagh. Assumed to be an IRA member.

See Loughgall ambush

———————————————–

08 May 1994


 Rose Ann  Mallon   (76)

Catholic
Status: Civilian (Civ),

Killed by: Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF)
Shot, at her relatives home, Cullenramer Road, Greystone, near Dungannon, County Tyrone

———————————————–

08 May 1997


 Robert Hamill (25)

Catholic
Status: Civilian (Civ),

Killed by: non-specific Loyalist group (LOY)
Died eleven days after being badly beaten by group of men, Thomas Street, Portadown, County Armagh.

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16th December – Deaths & Events in Northern Ireland Troubles

Deaths in the Troubles, , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Key Events & Deaths on this day in Northern Ireland Troubles

16th December

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Thursday 16 December 1971

A British soldier was shot dead in Belfast.

Sunday 16 December 1979

Four British soldiers were killed by a landmine bomb planted by the Irish Republican Army (IRA) at Ballygawley Road, near Dungannon, County Tyrone.

See Ballygawley Bus Bomb 20 August 1988

Another soldier was killed by a booby-trap bomb at Forkhill, County Armagh. James Fowler, a former member of the Ulster Defence Regiment (UDR), was shot dead by the IRA in Omagh, County Tyrone.

Tuesday 16 December 1980

Three members of the Irish Republican Army (IRA) escaped from Brixton Prison, London. One of the escapees was Gerard Tuite who had been imprisoned for bombing offences in London in 1978.

Thursday 16 December 1982

Seamus Mallon, then Deputy Leader of the Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP), is removed from his Northern Ireland Assembly seat by an Election Petition Court. The reason given was that Mallon was a member of the Irish Senate at the time of the election.

Friday 16 December 1983

Security forces in the Republic of Ireland rescued Don Tidey, who had been kidnapped by the Irish Republican Army (IRA). During the rescue at Ballinamore, County Leitrim, there was a gun battle and an Irish soldier and a Garda Síochána (the Irish police) cadet were killed.

Tuesday 16 December 1986

The Irish Republican Army (IRA) carried out a ‘proxy’ bomb attack on the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) station on the Lisburn Road in Belfast. The station was destroyed in the blast and an estimated 700 homes and scores of business premises were damaged.

Monday 16 December 1991

The Irish Republican Army (IRA) exploded a bomb on a railway line in south London causing disruption to the rail service.

Wednesday 16 December 1992

Mayhew Speech at Coleraine

Patrick Mayhew, then Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, gave a speech at the Coleraine campus of the University of Ulster. In the speech Mayhew said that the British government had no “pre-selected constitutional outcome” in political talks.

Mayhew also said that Sinn Féin (SF) could be included in future talks if the IRA ended its violent campaign.

The Irish Republican Army (IRA) exploded two small bombs in London and injured four people.

Thursday 16 December 1993

Tony Newton, then leader of the House of Commons, announced the decision to create a cross-party parliamentary committee at Westminster on Northern Ireland affairs.

Friday 16 December 1994

John Bruton, then Taoiseach (Irish Prime Minister), shook hands with Gerry Adams, then President of Sinn Féin (SF), at the Forum for Peace and Reconciliation.

Saturday 16 December 1995

The International Body on Arms Decommissioning held a meeting with Sir Hugh Annesley, then Chief Constable of the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC). The body also received submissions from five of the political parties

Thursday 16 December 1999

Padraig Wilson, then Officer Commanding the Irish Republican Army (IRA) prisoners in the Maze Prison, was released under the terms of the Good Friday Agreement.

[There was media speculation about his possible role as an interlocutor between the IRA and the Independent International Commission on Decommissioning (IICD).]

Mitchel McLaughlin, then Sinn Féin (SF) chairman, resigned his post as a local councillor to concentrate on his role as a Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA). Mary McAleese, then President of the Republic of Ireland, addressed both houses of the Oireachtas (the Irish Parliament) and called for a socially inclusive Ireland.

————————–

 

 ——————————————————————————

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.

13  people   lost their lives on the 16th December between 1971  -1988

————————————————————

16 December 1971
 Anthony Aspinwall,  (22)

nfNI
Status: British Army (BA),

Killed by: Irish Republican Army (IRA)
Shot while on British Army (BA) foot patrol, Alma Street, Lower Falls, Belfast.

————————————————————

16 December 1972


 Louis Leonard,   (26)

Catholic
Status: Irish Republican Army (IRA),

Killed by: non-specific Loyalist group (LOY)
Found shot at his butcher’s shop, Derrylin, County Fermanagh.

————————————————————

16 December 1972
 Joseph Blaney,   (38)

Catholic
Status: Civilian (Civ),

Killed by: non-specific Loyalist group (LOY)
Shot at his off-licence shop, York Road, Belfast.

————————————————————

16 December 1979
 William Beck,  (23)

nfNI
Status: British Army (BA),

Killed by: Irish Republican Army (IRA)
Killed in land mine attack on British Army (BA) mobile patrol, Ballygawley Road, near Dungannon, County Tyrone.

————————————————————

16 December 1979
 Keith Richards,  (22)

nfNI
Status: British Army (BA),

Killed by: Irish Republican Army (IRA)
Killed in land mine attack on British Army (BA) mobile patrol, Ballygawley Road, near Dungannon, County Tyrone.

————————————————————

16 December 1979
 Simon Evans,   (19)

nfNI
Status: British Army (BA),

Killed by: Irish Republican Army (IRA)
Killed in land mine attack on British Army (BA) mobile patrol, Ballygawley Road, near Dungannon, County Tyrone.

————————————————————

16 December 1979
 Allan Ayrton,   (21)

nfNI
Status: British Army (BA),

Killed by: Irish Republican Army (IRA)
Killed in land mine attack on British Army (BA) mobile patrol, Ballygawley Road, near Dungannon, County Tyrone.

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16 December 1979
 James Fowler,  (40)

Protestant
Status: ex-Ulster Defence Regiment (xUDR),

Killed by: Irish Republican Army (IRA)
Shot while driving mobile fish and chip van, Omagh, County Tyrone.

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16 December 1979


 Peter Grundy,  (21)

nfNI
Status: British Army (BA),

Killed by: Irish Republican Army (IRA)
Killed by booby trap bomb hidden in derelict house, while on British Army (BA) foot patrol, Forkhill, County Armagh.

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16 December 1983
 Gary Sheehan,  (23)

nfNIRI
Status: Garda Siochana (GS),

Killed by: Irish Republican Army (IRA)
Shot during gun battle between the Irish Republican Army (IRA) and Irish forces, at the release of kidnap victim Don Tidey, near Ballinamore, County Leitrim.

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16 December 1983
 Patrick Kelly,   (35)

nfNIRI
Status: Irish Army (IA),

Killed by: Irish Republican Army (IRA)
Shot during gun battle between the Irish Republican Army (IRA) and Irish forces, at the release of kidnap victim Don Tidey, near Ballinamore, County Leitrim.

————————————————————

16 December 1987


 Gerard Doherty,   (68)

Catholic
Status: Civilian (Civ),

Killed by: not known (nk)
Killed in bomb explosion outside his home, Milltown View, Tullyally, Derry.

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16 December 1988
 John Moreland,  (36)

Protestant
Status: Ulster Defence Regiment (UDR),

Killed by: Irish Republican Army (IRA)
Off duty. Shot while delivering coal, Ardpatrick Avenue, Downpatrick, County Down.

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26th August – Deaths & Events in Northern Ireland Troubles

Deaths in the Troubles, , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

26th of   August

Key Events & Deaths on this day in Northern Ireland Troubles

Wednesday 26 August 1970

Robert Porter, then Minister of Home Affairs, resigned from the Stormont government.

[The official reason was given as ‘health’ but Porter later said that he had not been consulted about the Falls Road curfew. Initially Chichester-Clark, then Northern Ireland Prime Minister, took over responsibility for Home Affairs, but later appointed John Taylor who was very critical of the reform programme.]

Saturday 26 August 1972

Six people were killed in three incidents across Northern Ireland.

Tuesday 26 August 1986

The cigarette company Gallagher announced the closure of its factory in Belfast with the loss of 700 jobs.

Wednesday 26 August 1987

In a shooting in a Belfast bar two Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) officers were shot dead by the Irish Republican Army (IRA). A number of bystanders were injured.

Monday 26 August 1991

The Northern Ireland Emergency Provision Act came into force in Northern Ireland.

Thursday 26 August 1993

John Wheeler (Sir), then a Northern Ireland Office (NIO) minister, gave an interview to the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) in which he said that “the IRA [Irish Republican Army] is already defeated”.

[The IRA issued a stateme Saturday 26 August 1995 There were scuffles between protesters and Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) officers at a Royal Black Institution parade in Bellaghy, County Derry. Sinn Féin (SF) said that the party did not rule out the possibility of an international commission being established to oversee the decommissioning of paramilitary weapons. nt in reply on 27 August 1993.]

Saturday 26 August 1995

There were scuffles between protesters and Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) officers at a Royal Black Institution parade in Bellaghy, County Derry. Sinn Féin (SF) said that the party did not rule out the possibility of an international commission being established to oversee the decommissioning of paramilitary weapons.

Tuesday 26 August 1997 Agreement on Decommissioning Body

The British and Irish governments jointly signed an agreement to set up an Independent International Commission on Decommissioning (IICD). Marjorie (Mo) Mowlam, then Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, held a meeting with Ronnie Flanagan, then Chief Constable of the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC), where concerns were expressed at the state of the Loyalist ceasefire. U2, the Dublin pop group, held a concert at Botanic Gardens in Belfast before an estimated 40,000 people.

Wednesday 26 August 1998 Blair Visits Omagh

Tony Blair, then British Prime Minister, paid a visit to the site of the bomb in Omagh, County Tyrone. Blair promised draconian legislation to deal with any paramilitary groups that refused to call a ceasefire. Sinn Féin (SF) said the new measures would amount to “internment in another guise”.

Thursday 26 August 1999

Marjorie (Mo) Mowlam, then Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, ruled that the Irish Republican Army (IRA) ceasefire had not broken down. However, she said she was in no doubt the IRA was involved in the murder of Charles Bennett and said there was clear information about the organisation being implicated in the Florida gun-running operation. Unionists reacted with fury to the decision.

Human rights campaigners said they were concerned at the news that John Stephens was being promoted to Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police. Stevens was leading the inquiry into the killing of Pat Finucane, a Belfast solicitor killed on 12 February 1989. However, Stevens said that much of the work of the inquiry would be completed before he took up his new position.

Sunday 26 August 2001

A man (46) was treated in hospital for gunshot wounds and other injuries following a paramilitary ‘punishment’ shooting and beating in County Tyrone. The man was attacked by a number of masked men in the living room of a house at Foyagh Road in Castlecaulfield. The attack happened just after 11.00pm (2300BST).

The British Army defused a second pipe-bomb in Shearwater Way in the Waterside area of Derry. It was the second device found in the street in two days.

[The attack was believed to have been carried out by Loyalist paramilitaries.]

Two ‘temporary’ classrooms in the grounds of Corpus Christi Chapel on Westrock Drive, Belfast, were badly damaged in a fire which was reported just before 8.00pm (2000BST). Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) officers who attended at the scene of the fire were attacked by people throwing stones. Two police vehicles were damaged during the violence.

[The bodies of three young men were found in two houses in west Belfast. It was believed that the three men had all taken drugs and alcohol at a party the previous evening. The police were investigating the possibility all three may have taken prescription drugs.]

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.

14 People lost their lives on the 26th of  August between 1972 – 1987

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26 August 1972

Alfred Johnston,   (32)

Protestant
Status: Ulster Defence Regiment (UDR),

Killed by: Irish Republican Army (IRA)
Killed by remote controlled bomb, hidden in abandoned car, detonated when Ulster Defence Regiment patrol approached, Cherrymount, near Enniskillen, County Fermanagh.

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26 August 1972


 James Eames,  (33)

Protestant
Status: Ulster Defence Regiment (UDR),

Killed by: Irish Republican Army (IRA)
Killed by remote controlled bomb, hidden in abandoned car, detonated when Ulster Defence Regiment patrol approached, Cherrymount, near Enniskillen, County Fermanagh.

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26 August 1972
 John Nulty,  (26)

Catholic
Status: Civilian (Civ),

Killed by: Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF)
Found shot, Agnes Street, Shankill, Belfast.

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26 August 1972
 Patrick Kelly,   (26)

Catholic

Status: Civilian (Civ),

Killed by: Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF)
Found shot, Benwell Street, Lower Oldpark, Belfast

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26 August 1972
 James Carlin,  (-9)

Catholic
Status: Irish Republican Army (IRA),

Killed by: Irish Republican Army (IRA)
Died in premature bomb explosion at racecourse grandstand, Downpatrick, County Down.

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26 August 1972
 Martin Curran,   (-9)

Catholic
Status: Irish Republican Army (IRA),

Killed by: Irish Republican Army (IRA)
Died in premature bomb explosion at racecourse grandstand, Downpatrick, County Down

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26 August 1973
 Owen Devine,  (24)

Catholic
Status: Civilian (Civ),

Killed by: Irish Republican Army (IRA)
Found shot in derelict house, McClure Street, off Ormeau Road, Belfast.

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26 August 1974

Philip Drake,   (20) nfNI
Status: British Army (BA),

Killed by: Irish Republican Army (IRA)
Shot by sniper while on British Army (BA) mobile patrol, Drumbeg, Craigavon, County Armagh.

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26 August 1976
 Thomas Passmore,   (68)

Protestant
Status: Civilian (Civ),

Killed by: Irish Republican Army (IRA)
Father of Orange Order leader. Died seven days after being shot at his home, West Circular Crescent, Highfield, Belfast.

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26 August 1976


 James Heaney,   (20)

Catholic
Status: Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC),

Killed by: Irish Republican Army (IRA)
Off duty. Shot outside his mother’s home, Andersonstown Grove, Andersonstown, Belfast

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26 August 1982


 Francis McCluskey,   (45)

Catholic
Status: Civilian (Civ),

Killed by: Ulster Freedom Fighters (UFF)
Shot from passing car while on his way to work, Mountainhill Road, Ligoniel, Belfast

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26 August 1986


 Patrick McAllister,  (47)

Catholic
Status: Civilian (Civ),

Killed by: Ulster Freedom Fighters (UFF)
Shot at his home, Rodney Drive, Falls, Belfast.

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26 August 1987


 Michael Malone,   (35)

Catholic
Status: Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC),

Killed by: Irish Republican Army (IRA)
Plainclothes Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) member. Shot while in Liverpool Bar, Donegall Quay, Belfast.

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26 August 1987


 Ernest Carson,   (50)

Protestant
Status: Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC),

Killed by: Irish Republican Army (IRA)
Plainclothes Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) member. Shot while in Liverpool Bar, Donegall Quay, Belfast

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