SRP - Nordirland - The Troubles

By SanneSRM

  • The British Government first sends troops to Northern Ireland

    The British Government first sends troops to Northern Ireland in what it describes as a “limited operation” to restore law and order after three days of violence in the predominantly Catholic Bogside area of Londonderry.

  • The first soldier gets shot by the IRA

    Gunner Robert Curtis becomes the first British soldier to die when he is shot dead by the IRA.

  • On "Bloody Sunday", 30 January, 13 civilians are by the British Army

    On “Bloody Sunday”, 30 January, 13 civilians are shot dead by the British Army during a civil rights march in Londonderry.

  • The Stormont Government is dissolved

    The Stormont Government is dissolved and direct rule imposed by Westminster.

  • Pubs are bombed in Guildford

    Pubs are bombed in Guildford as the IRA expands its campaign to mainland Britain. A month later, there are more pub bombings in Birmingham, killing 21 people.

  • Christopher Ewart Biggs is murdered by a car bomb in Dublin

    Christopher Ewart Biggs, the British Ambassador to Ireland, is murdered by a car bomb in Dublin.

  • Airey Neave s murdered by an Irish National Liberation Army car bomb

    Airey Neave, a confidant of Margaret Thatcher’s, is murdered by an Irish National Liberation Army car bomb which explodes as he leaves the Houses of Parliament.

  • Lord Mountbatten dies when a bomb planted on his boat explodes

    Lord Mountbatten, the Queen’s cousin, dies when a bomb planted by the Provisional IRA explodes on his boat in Sligo.

  • Bobby Sands is elected to Parliament - he dies a month later

    Bobby Sands, one of the republicans on hunger strike in the Maze prison, is elected to Parliament. He dies a month later.

  • A bomb explodes at the during the Conservative Party conference in Brighton

    A bomb explodes at the Grand Hotel in Brighton, where Margaret Thatcher, the Prime Minister, is staying during the Conservative Party conference

  • Margaret Thatcher and Garret FitzGerald sign the Anglo-Irish Agreement

    Margaret Thatcher and Garret FitzGerald, the Irish Taoiseach, sign the Anglo-Irish Agreement, paving the way for co-operation between the two governments.

  • 11 civilians are killed at a Remembrance Day Service in Enniskillen

    11 civilians are killed by a Provisional IRA bomb at a Remembrance Day service in Enniskillen.

  • Ian Gow is assassinated by a Provisional IRA car bomb.

    Ian Gow, the Conservative MP, is assassinated by a Provisional IRA car bomb.

  • The Good Friday Agreement is signed and is seen as the end of the Troubles

    The Good Friday Agreement is signed and is hailed as the end of the Troubles. It establishes the Northern Ireland assembly, with David Trimble as its first minister.

  • 29 people are killed by a car bombing by the Real IRA

    In the greatest single atrocity of the Troubles, 29 people are killed by a car bombing in Omagh planted by a dissident splinter group, the Real IRA.

  • Sinn Fein’s offices at the Stormont parliament are raided by police

    Sinn Fein’s offices at the Stormont parliament are raided by police investigating an alleged IRA spy ring. The Government says the peace process cannot go on with the IRA “half in, half out”.

  • Republicans must be prepared to see the IRA disbanded as part of a final settlement.

    Gerry Adams, the Sinn Fein leader, says republicans must be prepared to see the IRA disbanded as part of a final settlement.

  • Robert McCartney s killed outside a bar in Belfast by a gang including IRA members

    Robert McCartney, a Catholic former bouncer, is killed outside a bar in Belfast by a gang including IRA members. His family’s campaign for justice focuses on the IRA’s criminal links.

  • IRA has completed the disposal of its weapons.

    International monitors confirm the IRA has completed the disposal of its weapons.

  • Michael Stone suspends the first meeting of Northern Ireland’s transitional assembly

    Michael Stone, the loyalist murderer, suspends the first meeting of Northern Ireland’s transitional assembly when he walks into the parliament building armed with a handgun, a knife, and a “viable” bomb.

  • The Democratic Unionist Party enters a historic power-sharing government with Sinn Fein

    The Democratic Unionist Party enters a historic power-sharing government with Sinn Fein. Its leader, Ian Paisley, is first minister, with Sinn Fein’s Martin McGuinness as his deputy.

  • Republican paramilitaries shoot dead two British soldiers and wounds others

    Republican paramilitaries shoot dead two British soldiers at their barracks near Antrim and wound four other people.

  • The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh make a state visit to Ireland

    The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh make a state visit to Ireland, the first since the 1911 tour by George V, Her Majesty’s grandfather.

  • Martin McGuinness shakes hands with the queen

    Martin McGuinness, the former IRA commander, shakes hands with the Queen as he is invited to a state banquet at Windsor Castle.

  • Six men are arrested in the Irish republic after police discover bomb-making equipment

    Six men are arrested in the Irish republic after police discover bomb-making equipment close to where the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall are due to visit.