By SIKANDER HAYAT
Two soldiers have been killed and four seriously injured in an attack on the British army base in Antrim in NI. Investigations are ongoing and government has called it a barbaric attack.
Governement knows that it needs to solve the puzzle soon and find out the culprits otherwise it might give the wrong message to the other dissident groups.
Two soldiers have been killed and four seriously injured in an attack on the British army base in Antrim in NI. Investigations are ongoing and government has called it a barbaric attack.
Governement knows that it needs to solve the puzzle soon and find out the culprits otherwise it might give the wrong message to the other dissident groups.
This article is taken from Wikipedia and lists the major incidents during the Northern Ireland Troubles and the subsequent peace process. The Troubles (Irish: Na TrioblóidÃ) was a period of conflict in Northern Ireland involving republican and loyalist paramilitaries, the British Army and security forces, and civil rights groups. The conflict is generally held to have lasted from the late 1960s to the late 1990s, although small-scale violence continued after this point. As of 2001, an estimated 3523 people had been killed in the conflict.
ReplyDelete1960 – 1969
1966
* 1966, May 21: The Ulster Volunteer Force issued a statement declaring war on the Irish Republican Army, and noted that the group comprised "heavily armed Protestants dedicated to this cause".In June 1966, the UVF attacked a number of Catholic civilians in west Belfast.
1967
* 1967, February 1: Northern Ireland Civil Rights Association formed.
1968
* 1968, June 20: Civil Rights activists (including Stormont MP Austin Currie) began a protest against discrimination in the allocation of housing by illegally occupying a house in Caledon, County Tyrone. An unmarried Protestant woman had been given the house ahead of Catholic families with children. The protesters were forcibly removed by the RUC.
* 1968, October 5: A Civil Rights march in Derry was banned by the Northern Ireland government, who let an Apprentice Boys march take place instead. When Civil Rights activists defied the ban, they were attacked by the RUC, leading to three days of rioting. This is considered by many as the beginning of the Troubles.
* 1968, October 9: People's Democracy formed after demonstration in Belfast by students. Derry Citizens' Action Committee was also formed from five existing protest groups in Derry, led by Ivan Cooper and John Hume.
1969
* 1969, January 4: Burntollet ambush - a People's Democracy march between Belfast and Derry was repeatedly attacked by loyalists and off-duty police. At Burntollet bridge it was ambushed by ~200 loyalists armed with iron bars, bricks and bottles. The police did little to protect the march.
* 1969, March 30: Loyalist bombed an electricity station at Castlereagh, resulting in blackouts. A further five bombs were exploded at electricity stations and water pipelines throughout April. Many believe this was part of a loyalist plot to frame the IRA and bring an an end to equality reforms.
* 1969, April 17: Bernadette Devlin becomes the youngest woman ever elected to Westminster.
* 1969, April 21: The British Ministry of Defence grants Northern Ireland Army reinforcements for the first time since the Second World War.
* 1969, April 28: Terence O'Neill resigns as Prime Minister of Northern Ireland.
* 1969, July 14: 67 year old Francis McClusky was killed by an RUC officer. Many consider this the first death of the Troubles.
* 1969, August 12: Battle of the Bogside - serious rioting erupted in Derry on August 12-14. After two days of continuous rioting, British troops were deployed in Belfast and Derry.
* 1969, August 14: Northern Ireland riots of August 1969 - in response to events in Derry, rioting breaks out in Belfast and elsewhere from August 14-17. Seven people are killed and hundreds of homes are destroyed. The British Army is again sent in to restore order.
* 1969, October 11: 29 year old Victor Arbuckle, an RUC officer, was killed whilst on duty in the Loyalist Shankill Road area. He is believed to be the first RUC officer to die in the Troubles. That same day, two civilians were also shot dead by the British Army.
* 1969, December: A split formed in the Irish Republican Army, creating what was to become the Official IRA and Provisional IRA.
1970 – 1979
1970
* 1970, March: Following an Orange Order parade, intense riots erupted on the Springfield Road in Belfast. Violence lasted for three days, and the British Army used CS gas for the first time in large quantities. About 38 soldiers and dozens of civilians were injured.
* 1970, June 27: Following the arrest of Bernadette Devlin, intense riots erupted in Derry and Belfast. During the evening, loyalist paramilitaries made incursions into republican areas of Belfast. This led to a prolonged gun battle between republicans and loyalists. Seven people were killed.
* 1970 July 3–5: Falls Curfew - for three days the British Army imposed a curfew on the Falls Road area of Belfast as they searched for weapons. During the operation they came under attack from the Official IRA (OIRA) and republican rioters. Five civilians were killed, sixty were injured and three hundred were arrested by the British Army. Fifteen soldiers were shot by the OIRA.
* 1970, August: Leading Nationalist party, the Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP) was formed.
1971
* 1971, February 6: Gunner Robert Curtis became the first British Soldier to die in the Troubles when he was shot by the IRA.
* 1971, March: Brian Faulkner became the Prime Minister of Northern Ireland.
* 1971, July 8: During street disturbances, British soldiers shot dead two Catholic civilians in Free Derry. As a result, riots erupted in the city and the SDLP withdrew from Stormont in protest.
* 1971, August 9: Operation Demetrius (or Internment) was introduced in Northern Ireland. The security forces arrested 342 people suspected of supporting paramilitaries. Fourteen people were shot dead by the British Army, and three security forces personnel were shot dead by republicans. In the following days, an estimated 7000 people fled their homes. The vast majority of the dead, imprisoned and refugees were nationalists and Catholics.
* 1971, September: Loyalist groups formed the Ulster Defence Association (UDA) and its "military wing" the Ulster Freedom Fighters (UFF). The group would quickly become the largest loyalist group in Northern Ireland.[9]
* 1971, December 4: McGurk's Bar bombing - fifteen civilians were killed and seventeen injured by a UVF bomb in Belfast.
1972
* 1972, January 30: Bloody Sunday - thirteen civilians were shot dead by the British Army during a civil rights march in Derry.
* 1972, February 2: Funerals of eleven of those killed on Bloody Sunday. Prayer services held across Ireland. In Dublin, over 30,000 marched to the British Embassy, carrying thirteen replica coffins and black flags. They attacked the Embassy with stones and bottles, then petrol bombs. The building was eventually burnt to the ground.
* 1972, February 22: Aldershot bombing - seven people were killed by an Official IRA bomb at Aldershot Barracks in England. It was thought to be in retaliation for Bloody Sunday. Six of those killed were female ancillary workers and the seventh was a Roman Catholic priest.
* 1972, March: Stormont Government was dissolved. Direct rule from Westminster was introduced.
* 1972, April 14: The IRA explode twenty-four bombs in towns and cities across Northern Ireland. There was also fourteen shootouts between the IRA and security forces.
* 1972, May 29: The Official IRA announced a ceasefire. This marked the end of OIRA’s military campaign. The Provisional IRA continued its campaign right up until 1997.
* 1972, July 21: Bloody Friday - within the space of seventy-five minutes, the PIRA exploded twenty-two bombs in Belfast. Seven civilians and two British soldiers were killed, while 130 civilians were injured.
* 1972, July 31: Operation Motorman - the British Army used 12,000 soldiers supported by tanks and bulldozers to re-take the "no-go areas" controlled by the PIRA.
* 1972, July 31: Claudy bombing - nine civilians were killed by a car bomb in Claudy, County Londonderry. No group has since claimed responsibility.
* 1972, December 1: Two civilians were killed and 127 injured by two Loyalist car bombs in Dublin, Republic of Ireland.
1973
* 1973, May 17: Five British soldiers were killed by a PIRA bomb in Omagh, County Tyrone.
* 1973, June 12: Six Protestant civilians were killed by a PIRA bomb in Coleraine, County Antrim. The warning given prior to the explosion had been inadequate.
* 1973, June 28: Northern Ireland Assembly elections took place.
* 1973, October 31: Mountjoy Prison escape - three PIRA members escaped from Mountjoy Prison in Dublin using a hijacked helicopter.
* 1973, December: The Sunningdale Agreement was signed
1974
* 1974, February 4: M62 coach bombing - twelve people were killed by an IRA bomb planted on a coach carrying British soldiers and their families.
* 1974, May 1: Beginning of Ulster Workers Council strike.
* 1974, May 2: Six Catholic civilians were killed and eighteen injured by a UVF bomb at a bar in Belfast.
* 1974, May 17: Dublin and Monaghan bombings - the UVF exploded four bombs (three in Dublin, one in Monaghan) in the Republic of Ireland. They killed thirty-three civilians including a pregnant woman.
* 1974, June: The Northern Ireland Assembly collapsed. As a result, direct rule was re-introduced.
* 1974, October 5: Guildford pub bombings - Four soldiers and one civilian were killed by PIRA bombs at two pubs in Guildford, England.
* 1974, November 21: Birmingham pub bombings - twenty-one civilians were killed by PIRA bombs at pubs in Birmingham, England.
* 1974, December 22: The PIRA announced a Christmas ceasefire. Prior to ceasefire, they carried out a bomb attack on the home of former Prime Minister Edward Heath. Mr Heath was not in the building at the time and no one was injured.
1975
* 1975, February 10: The PIRA agreed on a ceasefire with the British government and the Northern Ireland Office. Seven "incident centres" were established in nationalist areas to monitor the ceasefire and the response of the security forces.
* 1975, February 20: A feud began between the Official IRA (OIRA) and the Irish National Liberation Army (INLA). The two groups assassinated a number of each other's members until the feud ended in June 1975.[14]
* 1975, March: A feud began between the Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) and Ulster Defence Association (UDA), resulting in a number of assassinations.
* 1975, April 12: Six Catholic civilians were killed in a loyalist gun and grenade attack on a bar in Short Strand, Belfast.
* 1975, July 17: Four British soldiers were killed by a PIRA bomb near Forkhill, County Armagh. The attack was the first major breach of the February truce.
* 1975, July 31: Miami Showband massacre - three members of an Irish showband were shot and killed by the UVF following a concert in County Down.
* 1975, September 1: Five loyalists were killed and seven injured during an attack on an Orange Order Hall in Newtownhamilton, County Armagh. The attack was claimed by the South Armagh Republican Action Force (SARAF).
* 1975, October 2: The UVF killed twelve people in a series of attacks across Northern Ireland.
* 1975, November 22: Drummuckavall Ambush - three British soldiers are killed and one captured during a PIRA ambush in South Armagh.
* 1975, December 5: End of internment.
* 1975, December 6: Balcombe Street Siege - for six days, PIRA members held two hostages at an apartment in London.
* 1975, December 19: Five Catholic civilians were killed by the Red Hand Commandos in south Armagh and County Louth. At least two newspapers claimed to have evidence that members of the RUC and UDR were involved in the attacks.
1976
* 1976, January 4–5:
Reavey and O'Dowd killings - six Catholic civilians were killed by the UVF in Armagh.
Kingsmill massacre - ten Protestant civilians were killed by the South Armagh Republican Action Force (SARAF) in retaliation.
* 1976, January 23: The PIRA truce of February 1975 was officially brought to an end.
* 1976, March: End of Special Category Status for prisoners convicted of terrorist crimes.
* 1976, May 15: Five Catholic civilians were killed and many injured by two UVF bomb attacks in Belfast and Charlemont, County Armagh. The PIRA killed three RUC officers in County Fermanagh and one RUC officer in County Down.
* 1976, June 5: Nine civilians were killed during separate attacks in and around Belfast. The UVF killed six civilians, the UFF assassinated a member of Sinn Féin, and republicans killed two civilians.
* 1976, July 2: Six civilians were shot dead by loyalists at a bar in Antrim, County Antrim. The attack was ordered because the bar was owned by Catholics.
* 1976, July 21: Christopher Ewart Biggs, the British Ambassador to Ireland, and his secretary Judith Cook, were assassinated by a bomb planted in Mr. Biggs’ car in Dublin.
* 1976, July 30: Four Protestant civilians were shot dead at a bar in Belvoir, Belfast. The attack was claimed by the Republican Action Force (RAF), a previously unknown group.
* 1976, August 10: A member of the IRA was shot dead by the British Army as he drove along a road in Belfast. His car then went out of control and killed three children. This incident sparked a series of "peace rallies" throughout the month. The group that organised the rallies became known as Peace People, and was led by Mairead Corrigan and Betty Williams. Their rallies were the first (since the conflict began) where large numbers of Protestants and Catholics joined forces to campaign for peace.
* 1976, September: Blanket protests began in the Maze prison, in protest at the end of special category status. The term ‘blanket protest’ comes from the protesters refusal to wear prison uniforms, instead wrapping blankets around themselves.
1977
* 1977, October: Mairead Corrigan and Betty Williams received the Nobel Peace Prize.
1978
* 1978, February 17: La Mon restaurant bombing - twelve innocent civilians were killed and thirty injured by a PIRA incendiary bomb at the La Mon Restaurant near Belfast.
* 1978, June 17: The PIRA killed an RUC officer and kidnapped another near Crossmaglen, County Armagh. The following day, three RUC officers kidnapped a Catholic priest and vowed to hold him hostage until their comrade was freed. However, they released the priest shortly thereafter. In December 1978 these RUC officers were charged both for the kidnapping and for the murder of a Catholic shopkeeper.
* 1978, September 21: The PIRA exploded bombs at the RAF airfield near Eglinton, County Londonderry. The terminal building, two aircraft hangers and four planes were destroyed.
* 1978, November 14–19: The PIRA exploded over fifty bombs in towns across Northern Ireland, injuring thirty-seven people. Belfast, Derry, Armagh, Castlederg, Cookstown and Enniskillen were hardest hit.
1979
* 1979, February: Eleven loyalists known as the Shankill Butchers were sentenced to life in prison for nineteen murders. The infamous group was named for their practice of torturing and mutilating their victims with butcher’s knives.
* 1979, March 22: The PIRA assassinated Richard Sykes, the British ambassador to the Netherlands, in Den Haag. The group also exploded twenty-four bombs in various locations across Northern Ireland.
* 1979, March 30: The Irish National Liberation Army (INLA) assassinated Airey Neave, Conservative shadow spokesman on Northern Ireland. A bomb exploded in his car as he left the Palace of Westminster in London. If he had lived, he might have become Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, when the Conservatives won the United Kingdom general election two months later.
* 1979, April 17: Four RUC officers were killed by a PIRA van bomb in Bessbrook, County Armagh. The bomb was estimated at 1000lb, the largest PIRA bomb used up to that point.
* 1979, August 27: Warrenpoint ambush - eighteen British soldiers were killed by a PIRA bomb in Warrenpoint. A gun battle ensued between the PIRA and the British Army, in which one civilian was killed. On the same day, four people (including the Queen’s cousin Lord Louis Mountbatten) were killed by an IRA bomb on board a boat near the coast of County Sligo.
* 1979, September: During a visit to the Republic of Ireland, Pope John Paul II appealed for an end to the violence in Northern Ireland.
* 1979, December 16: Four British soldiers were killed by a PIRA landmine near Dungannon, County Tyrone. Another British soldier was killed by a PIRA landmine near Forkhill, County Armagh.
1980 – 1989
1980
* 1980, January 17: Dunmurry train explosion - a PIRA bomb prematurely detonated on a passenger train near Belfast, killing three and injuring five.
* 1980, October: Republican prisoners in the Maze began a hunger strike in protest against the end of special category status.
* 1980, December: Republican hunger strike called off.
1981
* 1981, January 21: Norman Stronge and his son James Stronge (both former UUP MPs) were assassinated by the IRA at their home Tynan Abbey, which was then burnt down.
* 1981, March 1: Republican prisoners in the Maze began a second hunger strike.
* 1981, April 9: Hunger striker Bobby Sands won a by-election to be elected as a Member of Parliament at Westminster. The law was later changed to prevent prisoners standing in elections.
* 1981, May 5: After 66 days on hunger strike, 26 year old Bobby Sands MP died in the Maze. Nine further hunger strikers died in the following 3 months.
* 1981, June 10: Eight republican prisoners escaped from the Crumlin Road Gaol in Belfast.
* 1981, July 17: Glasdrumman ambush - the PIRA attack a British Army post in South Armagh, killing one soldier and injuring another.
* 1981, September 1: Northern Ireland’s first religiously integrated secondary school opened.
* 1981, October 3: Republican hunger strike ended.
1982
* 1982, April 20: The PIRA exploded bombs in Belfast, Derry, Armagh, Ballymena, Bessbrook and Magherafelt. Two civilians were killed and twelve were injured.
* 1982, July 20: Hyde Park and Regents Park bombings - eleven British soldiers and seven military horses died in PIRA bomb attacks on Regents Park and Hyde Park, London. Many spectators were badly injured.
* 1982, December 6: Droppin Well bombing - eleven British soldiers and six civilians were killed by an INLA bomb at the Droppin’ Well Bar, County Londonderry.
1983
* 1983, April 11: In the first 'supergrass' trial, fourteen UVF members were jailed for a total of two hundred years.
* 1983, May: New Ireland Forum set up.
* 1983, July 13: Four Ulster Defence Regiment (UDR) soldiers were killed by a PIRA landmine in County Tyrone.
* 1983, August 5: In another 'supergrass' trial, twenty-two PIRA members were jailed for a total of over four thousand years. Eighteen would later have their convictions quashed.
* 1983, September 25: Maze Prison escape - thirty-eight Republican prisoners staged an elaborate escape from the Maze Prison in County Antrim.
* 1983, December 17: Harrods bombing - a PIRA car bomb killed six and injured ninety outside a department store in London.
1984
* 1984, February 21: Two PIRA members and a British soldier were killed during a shootout in Dunloy, County Antrim.
* 1984, May 18: Three British soldiers were killed by a PIRA landmine in Enniskillen, County Fermanagh. Two RUC officers were killed by a PIRA landmine near Camlough, County Armagh.
* 1984, October 12: Brighton hotel bombing - the PIRA carried out a bomb attack on the Grand Hotel, Brighton, which was being used as a base for the Conservative Party Conference. Five people, including MP Sir Anthony Berry, were killed. Margaret and Denis Thatcher narrowly escaped injury.
* 1984, December: Ian Thain became the first British soldier to be convicted of murdering a civilian during the troubles.
1985
* 1985, February 28: Newry mortar attack - a PIRA mortar attack on the Newry RUC station killed nine officers and injured thirty-seven.
* 1985, May 20: Four RUC officers were killed by a PIRA bomb near Killean, County Down.
* 1985, November: Margaret Thatcher and Garret FitzGerald signed the Anglo-Irish Agreement.
* 1985, December:
All fifteen Unionist MPs at Westminster resigned in protest against the Anglo-Irish agreement.
Attack on Ballygawley barracks - the PIRA launched an assault on the RUC barracks in Ballygawley, County Tyrone. Two RUC officers were killed and the barracks was completely destroyed by the subsequent bomb explosion.
1986
* 1986, June: Northern Ireland Assembly was officially dissolved.
* 1986, August: The PIRA issued a warning that anyone working with the security forces in Northern Ireland would be considered "part of the war machine" and would be "treated as collaborators".[42]
* 1986, November 2: During the Sinn Féin Ard Fheis (party conference) in Dublin, a majority of delegates voted to end the party's policy of abstentionism - refusing to take seats in Dáil Éireann (Irish parliament). The led to a split and Ruairà Ó Brádaigh, Dáithà Ó Conaill and approximately 100 people staged a walk-out. The two men would form a new party called Republican Sinn Féin.
* 1986, November 10: Loyalists held a closed meeting at the Ulster Hall in Belfast. The main speakers at the meeting were Ian Paisley, Peter Robinson and Ivan Foster. During the meeting a new organisation, Ulster Resistance, was formed to "take direct action as and when required" to end the Anglo-Irish Agreement.
1987
* 1987, May: Eight PIRA members and one civilian were killed by the Special Air Service (SAS) in Loughall, County Armagh.
* 1987, November 8: Remembrance Day bombing - eleven civilians were killed and sixty-three injured by a PIRA bomb during a Remembrance Day service in Enniskillen, County Fermanagh. One of those killed was Marie Wilson. In an emotional BBC interview, her father Gordon Wilson (who was injured in the attack) expressed forgiveness towards his daughters killer, and asked Unionists not to seek revenge. He became a leading peace campaigner and was later elected to the Irish Senate. He died in 1995.
1988
* 1988, January: SDLP leader John Hume and Sinn Féin leader Gerry Adams held a meeting. Many consider this meeting as the beginning of the Peace Process.
* 1988, March 6: Operation Flavius - three unarmed PIRA members were killed by the SAS in Gibraltar.
* 1988, March 16: Milltown Cemetery attack - at the funeral of those killed in Gibraltar, loyalist Michael Stone launched a grenade, killing three civilians. Most of the action was filmed by Television News crews.
* 1988, March 19: Corporals killings - at the funeral of Michael Brady, killed in the Milltown Cemetery attack, two British soldiers in plain clothes were killed after being mistaken for loyalist gunmen.
* 1988, June 15 Six off-duty British soldiers were killed by a PIRA bomb on their minibus in Lisburn.
* 1988, August 20: Eight British soldiers were killed and twenty-eight injured by a PIRA bomb in Ballygawley, County Tyrone.
* 1988, October: The British Government introduced the broadcasting ban.
1989
* 1989, February 12: Prominent Republican solicitor Pat Finucane was assassinated by the Ulster Freedom Fighters (UFF).
* 1989, September 22: Deal barracks bombing - eleven military bandsmen were killed by the PIRA at Deal Barracks in Kent, England.
* 1989, October: Twenty-eight members of the Ulster Defence Regiment (UDR) were arrested on suspicion of leaking security force documents to loyalist paramilitaries.
* 1989, December 13: Attack on Derryard checkpoint - using machine guns, grenades and a flamethrower, the PIRA launched an assault on a British Army checkpoint near Rosslea, County Fermanagh. Two British soldiers were killed and one wounded.
1990 – 1999
. 1990
* 1990, May 6: Operation Conservation - the British Army attempted to ambush a PIRA unit in South Armagh, but were counter-ambushed and one British soldier was killed.
* 1990, July:
o The PIRA bombed the Stock Exchange, London.
o Conservative MP for Eastbourne, Ian Gow, was assassinated by a PIRA bomb planted in his car.
* 1990, September 30: Two Catholic civilians were killed by British soldiers in Belfast.
* 1990, October 24: Proxy bomb attacks - the PIRA launched three "proxy bombs" or "human bombs" at British Army checkpoints. Three Catholic men (whom had worked with the British Army) were tied into cars loaded with explosives and ordered to drive to each checkpoint. Each bomb was detonated by remote control. The first exploded at a checkpoint in Coshquin, killing the driver and five soldiers. The second exploded at a checkpoint in Killean; the driver narrowly escaped but one soldier was killed. The third failed to detonate.[49]
* 1990, November: Margaret Thatcher resigned as British Prime Minister.
. 1991
* 1991, February 3: The PIRA launched a 'proxy bomb' attack on a UDR base in Magherafelt, County Londonderry. The bomb caused major damage to the base and nearby houses, but the driver escaped before it exploded.
* 1991, February 7: The PIRA launched three mortars into the gardens of 10 Downing Street while the British Cabinet were holding a meeting.
* 1991, April 29: The Combined Loyalist Military Command (CLMC) (acting on behalf of all loyalist paramilitaries) announced a ceasefire lasting until 4 July. This was to coincide with political talks between the four main parties (the Brooke-Mayhew talks).
* 1991, May 31: Glenanne barracks bombing - the PIRA launched a large truck bomb attack on a UDR barracks in County Armagh. Three soldiers were killed, whilst ten soldiers and four civilians were wounded.
. 1992
* 1992, January 17: A PIRA land mine killed eight Protestant civilians at Teebane Crossroads near Cookstown, County Tyrone. The men had been working at a British Army base and were returning home on a minibus. Shortly thereafter, Peter Brooke (Secretary of State for Northern Ireland) appeared on the RTE Late Late Show and was persuaded to sing "Oh My Darling, Clementine". Unionists accused him of gross insensitivity for agreeing to do so.
* 1992, February 4: Allen Moore, an RUC officer, walked into a Belfast Sinn Féin office and shot dead three Catholic civilians. Moore drove away from the scene and later shot himself.
* 1992, February 5: The UFF shot and killed five Catholic civilians at a bookmaker’s shop on Belfast's Ormeau Road.
* 1992, April 10: Three civilians were killed by a PIRA bomb at the Baltic Exchange, London.
* 1992, May 1: Attack on Cloghogue checkpoint - the PIRA, using a van modified to run on railway tracks, launched an elaborate bomb attack on a British Army checkpoint in South Armagh. The checkpoint was obliterated and one soldier was killed.
* 1992, May 17: After a small PIRA bomb attack in Coalisland, British soldiers raided two public houses and caused considerable damage. This led to a fist-fight between the soldiers and local inhabitants. Shortly thereafter, another group of British soldiers arrived and fired on a crowd of civilians, injuring seven.
* 1992, September 23: The PIRA exploded a 2000lb bomb at the Northern Ireland forensic science laboratory in south Belfast. The laboratory was obliterated, seven hundred houses were damaged, and twenty people were injured.
. 1993
* 1993, March 20: Warrington bomb attacks - the PIRA exploded two bombs in the in Cheshire, England, killing 3 year old Jonathan Ball and injuring fifty-six others. 12 year old Tim Parry died of his injuries five days later. There were widespread protests in Britain and Ireland following the deaths of the two boys.
* 1993, March 24/25: In separate attacks, the UFF killed six Catholic civilians and injured two others. Four of the victims were construction workers and one was a Sinn Féin member.
* 1993, April 24: Bishopsgate bombing - the PIRA exploded a large bomb at Bishopsgate, London. It killed one civilian, injured thirty others, and caused an estimated £350 million in damage.
* 1993, October 23: Shankill Road bombing - ten civilians were killed by a PIRA bomb at a fish shop on Shankill Road, Belfast.
* 1993, October 30: Greysteel massacre - the UFF shot and killed eight civilians at the Rising Sun bar in County Londonderry. One gunman was heard to say ‘trick or treat’ before he fired into the crowded room, a reference to the Halloween party taking place.
. 1994
* 1994 January:
o The broadcasting ban lifted in the Republic of Ireland.
o Bill Clinton granted a ‘limited duration’ visa to see Gerry Adams.
* 1994, March: The PIRA carried out a mortar attack on Heathrow Airport, London. Further attacks were carried out later in the month, but on each occasion, the mortars failed to explode.
* 1994, June 2: Twenty-nine people, including ten senior RUC officers, died when their Chinook helicopter crashed at Mull of Kintyre, Scotland. They were travelling from Belfast to a security conference in Inverness.
* 1994, June 18: The UVF shot dead six Catholic civilians and wounded five others during a gun attack on a bar in Loughinisland, County Down.
* 1994, August 31: The Provisional Irish Republican Army (PIRA) issued a statement which announced a complete cessation of military activities. This ceasefire was broken less than two years later.
* 1994, September: John Major lifted the broadcasting ban in the UK.
* 1994, October 13: The Combined Loyalist Military Command (CLMC) issued a statement which announced a ceasefire on behalf of all loyalist paramilitaries. The statement noted that "The permanence of our cease-fire will be completely dependent upon the continued cessation of all nationalist/republican violence".
. 1995
* 1995, January: A delegation from Sinn Féin met with officials from the Northern Ireland Office.
* 1995, February: The British and Irish governments released the Joint Framework document.
* 1995, March: Gerry Adams attended a reception held by Bill Clinton at the White House.
* 1995, July: Lee Clegg, a British Army paratrooper, was released from prison on the orders of Secretary of State Patrick Mayhew. Clegg had been jailed in 1993, for the murder of Catholic teenager Karen Reilly.
* 1995, September: David Trimble was elected as the leader of the Ulster Unionist Party, following the resignation of James Molyneaux.
. 1996
* 1996, February 9: London Docklands bombing - the PIRA bombed the Docklands in London. The bomb killed two civilians, and brought to an end the ceasefire after 17 months and 9 days.
* 1996, June 10: Political talks at Stormont began without Sinn Féin.
* 1996, June 15: Manchester bombing - the PIRA exploded a bomb in Manchester, England. It destroyed a large part of the city centre and injured over 200 people. To date, it is the largest bomb to be planted on the British mainland. The devastation was so great, that several buildings were damaged beyond repair, and had to be demolished.
* 1996, July: Drumcree conflict - the RUC decided to block the annual Orange Order march through the nationalist Garvaghy area of Portadown. In response, loyalist protestors attacked the RUC and blocked hundreds of roads across Northern Ireland. Eventually, the RUC allowed the march to continue, leading to serious rioting by nationalists across Northern Ireland.
* 1996, October 7: the PIRA exploded two bombs at the British Army HQ in Thiepval Barracks, Lisburn. One person was killed and thirty-one injured.
. 1997
* 1997, February 12: Lance Bombardier Stephen Restorick was shot dead by the PIRA at Bessbrook, County Armagh.
* 1997, April 5: The Grand National horse race was cancelled, and Aintree Racecourse evacuated following a hoax bomb warning from the IRA. It was one of a number of events that proved how easily the IRA could disrupt the lives of the British public with minimum effort, and minimum risk to IRA members.
* 1997, June: Sinn Féin won its first ever seats in Dáil Éireann (Irish Parliament)
* 1997, July 6–9: Drumcree conflict - to ensure the Orange Order march could continue, the security forces sealed-off the nationalist Garvaghy area of Portadown. This sparked serious rioting in Portadown and across Northern Ireland. After four days, the RUC released figures which showed that there had been 60 RUC officers injured; 56 civilians injured; 117 people arrested; 2,500 plastic bullets fired; 815 attacks on the security forces; 1,506 petrol bombs thrown; and 402 hijackings.
* 1997, July 20: The PIRA renewed its ceasefire.
* 1997, September:
o Sinn Féin signed the Mitchell Principles.
o Multi-party talks resumed.
* 1997, December 27: Billy Wright, leader of the Loyalist Volunteer Force, was assassinated by the INLA inside the Maze Prison.
. 1998
* 1998, April: George Mitchell’s 9 April deadline passed, but the talks continued well into the night. Then at 5:35 p.m., on Good Friday, 10 April, after thirty years of violence, and two years of intensive talks, George Mitchell made the historic announcement: ‘I am happy to announce that the governments, and political parties of Northern Ireland have reached an agreement.’ The agreement, officially called the Belfast Agreement, would become better known as the Good Friday Agreement.
* 1998, May: The people of Ireland, North and South, voted overwhelmingly in favour of the Good Friday Agreement.
* 1998, June: Northern Ireland Assembly elections were held. David Trimble was elected First Minister. Seamus Mallon was elected deputy.
* 1998, July 5–12: Drumcree conflict - the annual Orange Order march was prevented from marching through the nationalist Garvaghy area of Portadown. Security forces and about 10,000 loyalists began a standoff at Drumcree church. During this time, loyalists launched 550 attacks on the security forces and numerous attacks on Catholic civilians. On 12 July, three children were burnt to death in a loyalist petrol bomb attack. This incident brought an end to the standoff.
* 1998, August 15: Omagh bombing - a dissident Republican splinter group, calling itself the Real IRA, exploded a bomb in Omagh, County Tyrone. It killed twenty-nine civilians, making it the worst single bombing of the Troubles, in terms of civilian life lost.
. 1999
* 1999, January: Former IRA member Eamon Collins was found dead near Newry, County Down.
* 1999, March 15: Solicitor Rosemary Nelson, who had represented the Catholic residents in the Drumcree Dispute was assassinated by a booby trapped car bomb in Lurgan, County Armagh. A loyalist group, Red Hand Defenders, admitted responsibility.
* 1999, October: Peter Mandelson replaced Mo Mowlam as Secretary of State for Northern Ireland.
. 2000 – present
. 2000
* 2000, February: Peter Mandelson suspended the Northern Ireland Assembly, citing insufficient progress on decommissioning.
* 2000, March: The Bloody Sunday Inquiry began in Derry.
* 2000, May: Devolution was restored.
* 2000, July: The final prisoners were released from the Maze Prison, under the conditions of the Good Friday Agreement.
* 2000, September 21: The Real IRA fired a rocket propelled grenade at MI6 headquarters in London.
. 2001
* 2001, March 4: BBC bombing - a Real IRA bomb exploded outside BBC Television Centre, causing some damage to the building.
* 2001, June: Holy Cross dispute - RUC officers had to protect pupils and parents at Holy Cross Catholic Girls’ School in Belfast, following attacks from loyalist protesters. The attacks resumed in September, following the school summer holidays.
* 2001, July: The worst rioting for several years took place in Belfast.
* 2001, August 3: Ealing bombing - a Real IRA car bomb injured seven civilians in Ealing, West London.
* 2001, October: The Provisional IRA began decommissioning.
* 2001, November: The RUC was replaced by the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI). Recruits were recruited on the basis of 50% Catholic, 50% Protestant.
. 2005
* 2005, July 12: Police were attacked with blast and petrol bombs during rioting in the Ardoyne area of Belfast, following an Orange Order parade. Eighty police officers were injured and several people were arrested.
* 2005, September 11th-12th Following the rerouting of a controversial Orange Order Parade, rioting broke out in belfast on a scale not seen for many years,
. 2006
* 2006, November 24: Michael Stone was arrested for breaking into the Stormont parliament buildings while armed. In December 2008 this led to his imprisonment for attempting to murder Martin McGuinness and Gerry Adams.
. 2008
* 2008, August 16: The Continuity IRA (CIRA) fired a rocket-propelled grenade at a police patrol in Lisnaskea, County Fermanagh. Three officers required hospital treatment.
* 2008, August 25: Riots erupted in Craigavon, during which a number of vehicles were hijacked and shots were fired. The Independent Monitoring Commission blamed the CIRA for orchestrating the violence.
. 2009
* 2009, March 7: Two British Army personnel were shot dead during a gun attack at Massereene Army base in County Antrim.