Tag Archives: Ulster Unionist Party

21st September – Deaths & Events in Northern Ireland Troubles

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

Key Events & Deaths on this day in Northern Ireland Troubles

21st September

Thursday 21 September 1972

A member of the UDR and his wife were killed in an IRA attack near Derrylin, County Fermanagh.

Thursday 21 September 1978

The Irish Republican Army (IRA) carried out a bomb attack on Eglinton airfield, County Derry. The terminal building, two aircraft hangers, and four planes were destroyed in the attack.

Monday 21 September 1981

Michael James Devine

James Devine, then an Irish Republican Army (IRA) prisoner, joined the hunger strike. The Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP) was openly critical of the hunger strike.

Saturday 21 September 1991

Loyalist prisoners started a fire in the dining-hall of Crumlin Road Jail, Belfast. Peter Brooke, then Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, left Northern Ireland to begin a five-day visit to the United States of America (USA).

Monday 21 – Wednesday 23 September 1992

James Molyneaux, then leader of the Ulster Unionist Party (UUP), led a delegation from the UUP to talks in Dublin Castle, Dublin, with the Irish Government. The talks were based on Strand Two and the topics discussed included constitutional matters, security co-operation, channels of communication between the two states, and identity and allegiance. The Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) did not attend the talks in Dublin.

[These were the first formal discussions by Unionists in Dublin since 1922.]

Tuesday 21 September 1993

The Ulster Freedom Fighters (UFF), a cover name (pseudonym) used by the Ulster Defence Association (UDA), placed bombs at the homes of four Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP) councillors. No one was injured in the attacks. Senior members of the SDLP expressed support for the ‘Hume-Adams’ talks.

Thursday 21 September 1995

It was revealed that the total amount of compensation paid by the Northern Ireland Office (NIO) for ‘Troubles’ related incidents (to the end of March 1995) was £1.12 billion.

Sunday 21 September 1997

[Frank Steele, formerly a member of MI6, claimed that various British governments had been in contact with the Irish Republican Army (IRA) since the first contact was established on 7 July 1972.]

Monday 21 September 1998

Members of the Garda Síochána (the Irish police) and the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) detained 12 men as part of their investigation into the Omagh bombing. Six were arrested in south Armagh, six in north Louth, Republic of Ireland. Jeffrey Donaldson, then a Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) Member of Parliament (MP) and a critic of the Agreement, said that David Trimble, then First Minister designate, had mentioned in several private meetings the possibility of his resignation over the issue of decommissioning. Trimble said that he had never made such a threat.

Tuesday 21 September 1999

The Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) met a Sinn Féin (SF) delegation at Stormont. The meeting was part of the Mitchell Review of the Good Friday Agreement.

Thursday 21 September 2000

South Antrim By-election

A 71 year old Protestant woman in Newtownabbey, County Antrim, escaped injury after she handled a pipe-bomb that had been put through her letterbox. A similar device was put through the letterbox of a house in north Belfast.

The Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) won the Westminster by-election in South Antrim taking the seat from the Ulster Unionist Party (UUP). The area had previously been the second safest UUP seat. Willie McCrea (Rev.), who was a strong opponent of the Good Friday Agreement, won the seat by 822 votes to beat David Burnside the UUP candidate who was also an opponent of the Agreement.

[Commentators speculated that UUP supporters who were in favour of the Agreement had stayed at home and decided not to vote in the election.]

Friday 21 September 2001

Assembly Suspended For 1 Day John Reid, then Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, announced that he was suspending the Northern Ireland Assembly at midnight.

[The suspension lasted just 24 hours. The effect of the suspension was to allow another period of six weeks (until 3 November 2001) in which the political parties would have an opportunity to come to agreement and elect a First Minister and Deputy First Minister.]

The Irish Times (a Republic of Ireland newspaper) published the results of an opinion poll conducted on a sample of 1,000 people in Northern Ireland. Of those questioned 85 per cent said they thought the Irish Republican Army (IRA) should “now begin the process of putting its weapons beyond use”. While 64 per cent of the sample indicated that they had voted in favour of the Good Friday Agreement in 1998 only 52 per cent said they would vote in favour of it now.

[The survey was conducted conducted last Saturday and Monday on behalf of the Irish Times and Prime Time by MRBI Ltd.]

Gerry Adams, then President of Sinn Féin (SF), said that Nationalist recruits to the new Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) would be “accorded the same treatment as the RUC” [Royal Ulster Constabulary].

[Unionists claimed that the comments implied a threat to Catholic recuits; this was denied by SF.]

It was reported that the number of Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) officers claiming compensation for trauma had risen to over 3,000.

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.

3 People lost their lives on the 21st   September  between 1971 – 1972

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21 September 1971
 James Finlay,   (31)

Protestant
Status: non-specific Loyalist group (LOY),

Killed by: non-specific Loyalist group (LOY)
Died eight days after being injured in premature bomb explosion at house, Bann Street, Lower Oldpark, Belfast. Explosion occurred on 13 September 1971.

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21 September 1972


 Thomas Bullock,   (53)

Protestant
Status: Ulster Defence Regiment (UDR),

Killed by: Irish Republican Army (IRA)
Off duty. Shot together with his wife at their home, Aghalane, near Derrylin, County Fermanagh

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21 September 1972
 Emily Bullock,   (50)

Protestant
Status: Civilian (Civ),

Killed by: Irish Republican Army (IRA)
Shot together with her husband, an Ulster Defence Regiment member, at their home, Aghalane, near Derrylin, County Fermanagh.

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13th September – Deaths & Events in Northern Ireland Troubles

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

13th September

Key Events & Deaths on this day in Northern Ireland Troubles

Monday 13 September 1971

Two Loyalists, James Finlay (31) and John Thompson (21), were mortally injured when the bomb they were preparing exploded prematurely in a house in Bann Street, Belfast. Finlay died on 21 September 1971, and Thompson died on 12 October 1971.

Monday 13 September 1976

Following the resignation of Brian Faulkner the Unionist Party of Northern Ireland (UPNI) elected Anne Dickson as its new leader.

[Dickson became the first woman to lead a political party in Ireland.]

Tuesday 14 September 1976

‘Blanket Protest’ Began

Kieran Nugent was the first prisoner to be sentenced under the new prison regime introduced on 1 March 1976 which meant that he would not receive special category status. Nugent was sent to the new ‘H-Blocks’ of the Maze Prison where he refused to wear prison clothes choosing instead to wrap a blanket around himself.

[This marked the beginning of the ‘Blanket Protest’. This protest was to culminate in the hunger strikes of 1981 when 10 Republican prisoners died. Eventually many of the elements of special category status such as, no uniforms, free association and no prison work, were conceded to paramilitary prisoners.]

Sunday 13 September 1981

Humphrey Atkins, then Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, was appointed as deputy Foreign Secretary. James Prior was appointed by the British government to take over the post of Secretary of State. [ 1981 Hunger Strike.]

Tuesday 13 September 1983

James Prior, then Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, defended the use of evidence supplied by ‘supergrasses’.

Friday 14 September 1990

There was a meeting of the Anglo-Irish Intergovernmental Conference (AIIC) in Dublin.

Friday 13 September 1991

The Ulster Freedom Fighters (UFF), a cover name (pseudonym) used by the Ulster Defence Association (UDA), planted two bombs planted in Catholic areas. The devices were defused by the British Army. The Anglo-Irish Intergovernmental Conference (AIIC) held a meeting at Stormont in Belfast.

Tuesday 13 September 1994

There were sectarian clashes outside Crumlin Road Courthouse, Belfast, which were connected to a case being heard at the time. Later in the evening there was serious rioting in Loyalist areas of Belfast. Shots were fired, and petrol bombs were thrown, at the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC).

Friday 13 September 1996

British Government Ministers were reportedly warned that the Irish Republican Army (IRA) were ready to launch a renewed bombing campaign in Britain.

Saturday 13 September 1997

The Executive Council of the Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) held a meeting to decide its position on entering the resumed multi-party talks on 15 September 1997. However the meeting did not arrive at a decision and the matter was postponed to a further meeting on the morning of 15 September 1997. Loyalists held a parade on the Shankill Road with 70 bands taking part. Four members of the Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) appeared during the parade and posed with weapons before slipping away into the crowd.

Monday 13 September 1999

The Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) executive set up a committee to devise an alternative to the Patten proposals for policing in Northern Ireland. David Trimble, then leader of the UUP, dismissed threats to his leadership and said his party would continue to be involved in the Mitchell Review of the Good Friday Agreement. A survey of public opinion in Northern Ireland found that of those questioned 69 per cent of Catholics approved of the proposals in the Patten report while 65 per cent of Protestants disapproved. The survey was conducted by Ulster Marketing Surveys.

Thursday 13 September 2001

The British Army had to deal with a pipe-bomb that had been discovered found at Carrowdore near Newtownards, County Down. Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) officers discovered a gun, ammunition, a telescopic sight, and bomb-making parts in a hedge on the Knockagh Road in Monkstown, County Antrim.

The Loyalist protest at the Holy Cross Girls’ Primary School followed the pattern of earlier in the week. The Northern Ireland Assembly met to discuss the motion: “This Assembly condemns the shocking and inhuman acts of terrorism carried out in the United States of America on Tuesday and, on behalf of the people of Northern Ireland, extends its sympathy to the government and people of America and all who have suffered so grievously.” The motion was a joint one submitted by Reg Empey (Sir), then Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) Minster of Development and Enterprise, and Seamus Mallon, then Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP) deputy First Minister.

Empey and Mallon described the attacks as “shocking and inhuman acts”. The motion was passed unanimously. However, during the debate Ian Paisley, then leader of the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), led his party members out of the chamber when Gerry Adams, then President of Sinn Féin (SF), rose to speak. Iain Duncan Smith was elected leader of the Conservative Party. Quentin Davies of the Conservative Party was appointed the new shadow spokesman for Northern Ireland.

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.

  7 People lost their lives on the 13th September  between 1972 – 1993

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13 September 1972


 Patrick Doyle,  (19)

Catholic
Status: Civilian (Civ),

Killed by: non-specific Loyalist group (LOY)
Son of publican. Shot in Divis Castle Bar, Springfield Road, Belfast.

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13 September 1972


 Robert Warnock,  (18)

Protestant
Status: Ulster Defence Association (UDA),

Killed by: Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC)
Shot by off duty Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) member during attempted armed robbery at Hillfoot Bar, Glen Road, Castlereagh, Belfast.

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13 September 1975


 Leo Norney,  (17)

Catholic
Status: Civilian (Civ),

Killed by: British Army (BA)
Shot while walking along Shepherd’s Path, near Turf Lodge, Belfast.

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13 September 1977
 Robin Smyrl,  (26)

Protestant
Status: Ulster Defence Regiment (UDR),

Killed by: Irish Republican Army (IRA)
Off duty. Shot while driving to his workplace, Gortin, County Tyrone.

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13 September 1978
 Williams Crawford,  (17)

Protestant
Status: Civilian (Civ),

Killed by: Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF)
Died five days after being shot, during gun attack on Lawnbrook Social Club, Centurion Street, Shankill, Belfast. Intention to scare the patrons, after earlier fracas at the social club.

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13 September 1991


 Kevin Flood,  (31)

Catholic
Status: Civilian (Civ),

Killed by: Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF)
Shot from passing car while standing outside his home, Ligoniel Road, Ligoniel, Belfast.

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13 September 1993
 Vernon Bailie,  (41)

Protestant
Status: Civilian (Civ),

Killed by: Red Hand Commando (RHC)
Shot outside his girlfriend’s home, Johnston Park, Carrowdore, near Newtownards, County Down

See: 14th September

Main source CAIN Web Service

Major Events in the Troubles

9th September – Deaths & Events in Northern Ireland Troubles

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

9th September

Key Events & Deaths on this day in Northern Ireland Troubles

Wednesday 9 September 1971

A British soldier was killed trying to defuse a bomb near Lisburn.

Thursday 11 September 1975

Harold Wilson, then British Prime Minister, together with Merlyn Rees, then Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, held a meeting with Margaret Thatcher, then leader of the Conservative Party, to brief her about a number of matters including Northern Ireland.

[On 3 May 2006 the Irish News (a Belfast based newspaper) published details of confidential cabinet minutes that had been taken at the meeting. The minutes reveal that the British government was aware of collusion between the security forces, particularly the Ulster Defence Regiment (UDR), and Loyalist paramilitaries.]

Thursday 9 September 1976

The leaders of the main churches in Ireland issued a statement supporting the Women’s Peace Movement.

Wednesday 9 September 1992

Ian Paisley, then leader of the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), together with Peter Robinson, then deputy leader of the DUP, walked out of Strand Two of the political talks (later known as the Brooke / Mayhew talks). The politicians left because Articles 2 and 3 of the Irish Constitution were not the first item on the agenda for the talks. Two members of the DUP remained in the talks as ‘observers’.

Friday 9 September 1994

John Taylor, then Deputy Leader of the Ulster Unionist Party (UUP), said that he believed that the Irish Republican Army (IRA) ceasefire was “for real”.

Monday 9 September 1996

The ‘General Head Quarters’ (GHQ) faction of the Irish National Liberation Army announced that the group was disbanding. This decision followed the killing of Hugh Torney on 3 September 1996.

This marked the ending of a feud within the INLA which started with the killing of Gino Gallagher on 30 January 1996.

This latest feud had claimed six lives.

The Stormont talks resumed after a break during the summer. The Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) and the United Kingdom Unionists brought a complaint against the Progressive Unionist Party (PUP) and the Ulster Democratic Party (UDP) for breach of the ‘Mitchell Principles’ because of their failure to condemn threats made against Billy Wright and Alex Kerr; both Loyalists from Portadown, County Armagh.

The Irish Times (a Dublin based newspaper) published the details of a poll, one of the results of which showed that two-thirds of people in Northern Ireland thought the Stormont talks would fail.

Tuesday 9 September 1997

Sinn Féin Signed Mitchell Principles

Petrol bombs were thrown at the homes of two Catholic families in the Protestant Ballykeel estate in Ballymena, County Antrim.

[One of the families, who had been living on the estate for 33 years, decided to leave their home following the attack.]

Representatives of Sinn Féin (SF) entered Stormont, Belfast, to sign a pledge that the party would agreed to abide by the Mitchell Principles.

[See 11 September 1997 for the reaction of the Irish Republican Army (IRA).]

The Ulster Unionist Party (UUP), the Progressive Unionist Party (PUP), and the Ulster Democratic Party (UDP) all refused to attend the session at Stormont. The PUP and the UDP held meetings with Adam Ingram, then Security Minister, to discuss the situation of Loyalist prisoners

. A number of UDP supporters took part in a protest outside the gates of Stormont. Madeline Albright, then Secretary of State of the United States of America (USA), asked the Attorney General to suspend the extradition to Britain of six men who were former members of the IRA.

Thursday 9 September 1999

Patten Report Published The Report of the Independent Commission on Policing in Northern Ireland was released and was accompanied by a statement from the author Chris Patten. Patten called on Catholics to join the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC). It contained recommendations for a radical overhaul of the police service in the region. The proposed changes to the ethos, composition, training and structure of the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) met with a mixed reaction. David Trimble, then leader of the Ulster Unionist Party (UUP), described it as “the most shoddy piece of work I have seen in my entire life”, and there were strong objections from rank-and-file RUC officers.

The UUP also issued an initial statement on the report. Many criticisms related to the proposed change to the name and symbols of the RUC. Ian Paisley, then leader of the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), issued a statement about the proposals.

The Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP) statement and the Sinn Féin (SF) statement indicated that the two parties were prepared to view the document positively. Marjorie (Mo) Mowlam, then Secretary of State of Northern Ireland, issued a statement. The Irish government issued a statement on the report. The Police Federation for Northern Ireland also issued a statement.

There was a sectarian attack on a 13 year old Catholic student attending Hazelwood Integrated College in north Belfast. The young boy was attacked by three loyalists and beaten with baseball bats and shot in the stomach with a pellet gun. The attack happened near the White City estate in Belfast. Police said the motive for the attack was sectarian.

William Billy Giles

There was an inquest in Belfast into the death by hanging of William Giles (41). Giles had been part of an Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) gang which had abducted and killed Michael Fay (25), a Catholic civilian, on 20 November 1982.

Billy Giles.jpg
Billy Giles

Giles had been released from prison in 1997 after serving 15 years of a life sentence. It was claimed that Giles had hanged himself out of remorse.

See here for more info on: Billy Giles ,Life & Death

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.

6 People lost their lives on the 9th September  between 1971 – 1988

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09 September 1971


 David Stewardson,  (29) nfNI

Status: British Army (BA),

Killed by: Irish Republican Army (IRA)
Killed attempting to defuse bomb at Castlerobin Orange Hall, Drumankelly, near Lisburn, County Antrim.


See: The Long Walk – Iconic Pictures & Story behind them

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09 September 1975
 George Quinn,  (41)

Catholic
Status: Civilian (Civ),

Killed by: non-specific Loyalist group (LOY)
Found shot near Turf Lodge roundabout, Springfield Road, Belfast.

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09 September 1985
 James Burnett,   (28) nfNI
Status: Irish National Liberation Army (INLA),

Killed by: Irish National Liberation Army (INLA)
From County Dublin. Found shot, Killeen, County Armagh. Alleged informer.

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09 September 1987


 Patrick Hamill,   (29)

Catholic
Status: Civilian (Civ),

Killed by: Ulster Freedom Fighters (UFF)
Died several hours after being shot at his home, Forfar Street, off Springfield Road, Belfast.

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09 September 1987


 Harry Sloan,  (38)

Protestant
Status: Civilian (Civ),

Killed by: Irish Republican Army (IRA)
Shot outside his home, Alliance Parade, Belfast. Mistaken for off duty Ulster Defence Regiment (UDR) member.

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09 September 1988


 Colin Abernethy,

(30) Protestant
Status: Civilian Political Activist (CivPA),

Killed by: Irish Republican Army (IRA)
Ulster Clubs member. Shot while travelling on train to his workplace, Finaghy, Belfast

Main source CAIN Web Service

Major Events in the Troubles

See: 10th September