NI Flashcards
14 Aug 69
Troops deployed in Londonderry to support Civil Authority after the Battle of the Bogside where rioting took place as the culmination of longstanding grievances between Londonderry’s Protestant and Catholic communities.
14/8/69 = Deer UFO Jeep
15 Aug 69
Troops deployed in Belfast after nationwide violence is sparked by the Battle of the Bogside.
15/8/69 = Tail UFO Jeep
5 Oct 69
First soldier shot
5/10/69 = Law Toes Jeep
1 Jan 70
Ulster Defence Regiment (UDR) officially formed, replacing the B Specials, a quasi-military reserve police force.
1/1/70 = Tie Tie Case
6 Feb 71
First soldier killed, Gnr Robert Curtis
6/2/71 = Shoe Noah Cut
9 Aug 71
Internment introduced giving British authorities the power to imprison people indefinitely without trial. This sparked a nationwide campaign of civil disobedience led by the SDLP.
Overall, the policy increased terrorist activity, boosted IRA recruitment and further polarised the Catholic and Protestant communities.
9/8/71 = Bee UFO Cat
30 Jan 72
Bloody Sunday - 13 people shot by Security Forces in Londonderry. Sparking international outrage and protests across the island of Ireland.
30/1/72 = Mouse Tie Can
24 Mar 72
Stormont prorogued introducing direct rule from Westminster after Brian Faulkner, NI’s leader, refused to allow control of security to be transferred to London.
Nobody expected the doors of Stormont to remain closed for so long by Direct Rule continued for most of the next three decades.
24/3/72 = Nero Ma Can
21 Jul 72
22 IRA bombs explode in Belfast on Bloody Friday, sparking loyalist paramilitaries to toughen their position.
21/7/72 = Net Key Can
28 Jun 73
Elections took place following the UK Gov’s proposal of an NI Assembly elected by proportional representation (i.e. power sharing). The Sunningdale Agreement followed as an attempt to establish a power-sharing executive.
28/6/73 = Knife Shoe Comb
15 May 74
Ulster Workers Council (UWC) strike in opposition to NI Executive. This partly caused the collapse of the Sunningdale agreement following opposition from Unionists who feared it was a slippery slope to reunification with its Council of Ireland bringing together leaders from the south and north.
15/5/74 = Tail Law Car
5 Dec 75
Internment ended
5/12/75 = Law Tin Coal
13 Mar 78
Republican prisoners begin their Dirty Protest in opposition to the removal of their ‘Special Category Status’. This was removed because the British Gov didn’t enjoy the association with political prisoners.
13/3/78 = Dam Ma Cave
27 Aug 79
Lord Mountbatten assassinated and 18 soldiers killed at Warren Point (largest loss of life to Armed Forces at this point)
27/8/79 = Neck UFO Cab
1 Mar 81
Hunger strike by Republican prisoners begins. Its aim is to try and secure political status for prisoners. It secured international attention and put pressure on the British Gov.
1/3/81 = Tie Ma Fat
2 Mar 81
The Dirty Protest ends to focus attention on the hunger strikers
2/3/81 = Noah Ma Fat
5 May 81
Bobby Sands dies after 66 days on hunger strike. Neither side had been willing to compromise in the negotiations. More than 100,000 people attended Sands’ funeral.
5/5/81 = Law Law Fat
3 Oct 81
Hunger strike called off after British Gov signal they are open to reforms once the strike was over. The reforms met many of the prisoners’ demands. 10 hunger strikers have died after seven months. Overall, the strikes demonstrated the power the republican movement had to motivate mass demonstrations.
3/10/81 = Ma Toes Fat
12 Oct 84
IRA bomb explodes at the Grand Hotel, Brighton, killing four. The bomb was aimed at the Conservative party who were holding their conference there.
“Today we were unlucky, but remember we only have to be lucky once – you will have to be lucky always. Give Ireland peace and there will be no war.”
12/10/84 = Tan Toes Fire
15 Nov 85
Anglo Irish Agreement signed by PMs Thatcher and Fitzgerald. It gave the ROI a greater role in NI affairs in an attempt to drain support from Sinn Fein.
Although the text of the Agreement stated that there would be no change in the status of Northern Ireland without the consent of the majority of its citizens, unionists felt hugely betrayed by Margaret Thatcher.
Since Bobby Sands’ election as an MP during his hunger strike, Sinn Fein had recognised the power of pursuing a twin ‘armalite and ballot box’ strategy and had been drawing support from the moderate SDLP.
15/11/85 = Tail Dad Foil
15 Dec 93
Downing Street Declaration signed by PMs Major and Reynolds.
It stressed that self-determination by the people of Northern Ireland was crucial to a lasting peace settlement.
This same principle had also been recognised in a joint-statement by John Hume (SDLP leader) and Gerry Adams (Sinn Fein leader) following their talks in April.
15/12/93 = Tail Tin Bum
13 Oct 94
Cease-fire announced.
A briefing paper, believed to have been circulated amongst IRA members before the ceasefire, stated that “the leadership believes there is enough in common to create a substantial political momentum… It is the first time in 25 years that all the major Irish nationalist parties are rowing in roughly the same direction. These combined circumstances are unlikely to gel again in the foreseeable future.”
Two months later, on 13 October, the Combined Loyalist Military Command (CLMC) also announced a ceasefire. It said, “The permanence of our ceasefire will be completely dependent upon the continued cessation of all nationalist/republican violence, the sole responsibility for a return to War lies with them.”
13/10/94 = Dam Toes Beer
9 Feb 96
Cease-fire ends with the Canary Wharf Bomb
John Major’s Conservative government had refused to rule out weapons decommissioning as a precondition to peace talks.
Weeks later, the Provisional IRA bombed the London Docklands area and ended its ceasefire. PIRA had been refusing to decommission its weapons until it had forced the British out of NI.
9/2/96 = Bee Noah Beach
19 Jul 97
Cease-fire 2.0 announced after the newly elected Tony Blair removed decommissioning as a precondition. His landslide victory meant that we wasn’t reliant on Unionist MPs for support, unlike the previous Conservative government.
19/7/97 = Tap Key Back
10 Apr 98
Good Friday Agreement signed.
The main focus of the talks had been on the creation of new political structures. These areas of negotiation were referred to as the ‘three strands’.
Strand One - A new Northern Ireland Assembly with executive and legislative powers.
108 members elected by proportional representation.
Compulsory power-sharing between unionists and nationalists.
Strand Two - A North-South Ministerial Council responsible for cross-border co-operation.
Strand Three - A British-Irish Council and British-Irish Intergovernmental Conference for closer ties between the UK and Ireland.
Paramilitaries
Schemes to facilitate the decommissioning of paramilitary weapons, with a target of disarmament by May 2000.
The early release of prisoners for organisations deemed to be on ceasefire.
Policing
An Independent Commission on Policing, to help create a new police force acceptable to both communities.
Security
‘Normalisation’ of the security presence in Northern Ireland. A gradual withdrawal of the British Armed Forces and removal of military structures.
Rights and Equality
The European Convention on Human Rights to be enshrined in British law.
A new Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission, with membership reflecting both communities.
A new Equality Commission, to advise on and monitor obligations relating to equality.
10/4/98 = Toes Ray Beef
15 Aug 98
Omagh bomb kills 39 civilians, the worst terrorist attack in NI to date. It is claimed by RIRA, who’s members had split from PIRA in opposition to the 97 ceasefire.
A few weeks after the bombing, the Real IRA announced a “complete cessation” of its campaign of violence.
15/8/98 = Tail UFO Beef
Sep 98
NI Power Sharing Assembly (devolved power from Westinster). The first time in 25 years that a devolved government sits at Stormont.
9/98 = Bee Beef
15 Mar 99
Solicitor Rosemary Nelson murdered. She had represented high profile republican paramilitary clients.
15/3/99 = Tail Ma Baby
1999
Northern Ireland Assembly formed - devolved power from Westminster
99 = Baby
Jun 00
Some IRA weapons dumps are independently inspected in ROI
6/00 = Shoe Sauce
Jul 00
Final terrorist prisoners released from the Maize prison
7/00 = Key Sauce
3 Aug 01
Ealing bombing by RIRA
3/8/03 = Ma UFO Soda
3 Nov 01
Birmingham bombing by RIRA
3/11/01 = Ma Dad Soda
2001
RUC disbanded and PSNI formed
01 = Soda
2002
Hugh Orde takes over as Chief Constable PSNI
Loyalists have an internal feud
Denis Donaldson arrested at Stormont in connection with a PIRA espionage operation targeting Stormont.
Direct rule re-imposed following a breakdown in relations between the two parties, and following the 2003 Assembly elections, the parties failed to form a government.
02 = Sin
Mar 03
Loyalist feud escalates and two senior Loyalists are murdered. Up to 50 loyalists flee the violence to Scotland.
3/03 = Ma Swim
Jul 03
A RIRA attempt to smuggle a 1,200 lb HME bomb into Londonderry fails when PSNI stop the lorry.
7/03 = Key Swim
26 Nov 03
NI Assembly elections held. The DUP and SF gain a significant proportion of the vote at the expense of the UUP and SDLP
26/11/03 = Nosh Dad Swim
13 Sep 04
Ken Barrett (former SB informer) pleads guilty to the murder of Pat Finucane. Republicans call for an inquiry about possible collusion.
13/9/04 = Dam Bee Sir
31 Jan 05
Robert McCartney murdered in a Belfast bar, allegedly by members of PIRA / Sinn Fein. The Sinn Fein hierarchy called for witnesses and perpetrators to come forward to no avail, demonstrating public division.
31/1/05 = Mat Tie Seal
7 Mar 09
Massereene Barracks shooting - two unarmed soldiers of 38 Engr Reg were shot dead. Two other soliders and two civilian delivery men were also shot and wounded during the attacks. The Real IRA claim responsibility.
7/3/09 = Key Ma Soap
9 Mar 09
Two days after Masserene, PSNI officer Stephen Paul Carroll is shot dead by a sniper in Craigavon, County Armagh. This is the first killing of a police officer in NI since 1998. The Continuity IRA claim responsibility.
9/3/09 = Bee Ma Soap
6 Jan 10
UDA decommissions its weapons in front of independent witnesses
6/1/10 = Shoe Tie Toes
22 Feb 10
RIRA claim responsibility for a car bomb that detonated outside of a courthouse in Newry. The first successful car bomb attack since 2000.
22/2/10 = Nun Noah Toes
