Events during the year 1979 in

Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ; ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, part of the United Kingdom in the north-east of the island of Ireland. It has been #Descriptions, variously described as a country, province or region. Northern Ireland shares Repub ...

Incumbents

* Secretary of State –

Roy Mason Roy Mason, Baron Mason of Barnsley, (18 April 1924 – 19 April 2015), was a British Labour Party politician and Cabinet minister who was Secretary of State for Defence and Secretary of State for Northern Ireland in the 1970s. Early life Ma ...

(until 5 May),

Humphrey Atkins Humphrey Edward Gregory Atkins, Baron Colnbrook, (12 August 1922 – 4 October 1996) was a British politician and a member of the Conservative Party. He served for 32 years as a Member of Parliament (MP), and served in the Cabinet of Prime M ...

(from 5 May)

Events

January to March

*5 January – Two members of the

Provisional Irish Republican Army The Provisional Irish Republican Army (Provisional IRA), officially known as the Irish Republican Army (IRA; ) and informally known as the Provos, was an Irish republican paramilitary force that sought to end British rule in Northern Ireland ...

(IRA) are killed in

Ardoyne Ardoyne () is a working class and mainly Roman Catholic Church, Catholic and Irish republicanism, Irish republican district in north Belfast, Northern Ireland. In 1920 the adjacent area of Marrowbone saw at multiple days of communal violence be ...

Belfast Belfast (, , , ; from ) is the capital city and principal port of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan and connected to the open sea through Belfast Lough and the North Channel (Great Britain and Ireland), North Channel ...

, when the car bomb they are transporting explodes prematurely. *4 February – A former prison officer and his wife are shot dead at their home in Oldpark Road, Belfast, by the IRA. *20 February – Eleven Loyalists, known as the

Shankill Butchers The Shankill Butchers were an Ulster loyalist paramilitary gang – many of whom were members of the Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) – that was active between 1975 and 1982 in Belfast, Northern Ireland. It was based in the Shankill area and w ...

, are sentenced to life imprisonment for 112 offences, including nineteen sectarian murders.Larkspirit Irish History
*24 February – Two Catholic teenagers, mistaken in the dark for a

British Army The British Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of the United Kingdom. the British Army comprises 73,847 regular full-time personnel, 4,127 Brigade of Gurkhas, Gurkhas, 25,742 Army Reserve (United Kingdom), volunteer reserve perso ...

foot patrol, are killed by the IRA in a remote-controlled bomb explosion at

Darkley Darkley () is a small village and townland near Keady in County Armagh, Northern Ireland. It had a population of 224 people (80 households) in the 2011 Census. (2001 Census: 282 people) History Darkley is first mentioned on the ''Maps of the ...

County Armagh County Armagh ( ) is one of the six counties of Northern Ireland and one of the traditional thirty-two counties of Ireland. It is located in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Ulster and adjoins the southern shore of Lough Neagh. It borders t ...

. *16 March – The Bennett Report, investigating allegations of ill treatment of people held in interrogation centres in Northern Ireland, is published and Government undertakes to implement major recommendations. *22 March – The IRA kills Richard Sykes, British Ambassador to the

Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...

, and his Dutch valet, in a gun attack in

The Hague The Hague ( ) is the capital city of the South Holland province of the Netherlands. With a population of over half a million, it is the third-largest city in the Netherlands. Situated on the west coast facing the North Sea, The Hague is the c ...

, Netherlands. *22 March – The IRA carries out a series of attacks across Northern Ireland with 24 bomb explosions. *30 March –

Airey Neave Lieutenant Colonel Airey Middleton Sheffield Neave, () (23 January 1916 – 30 March 1979) was a British soldier, lawyer and Member of Parliament (MP) from 1953 until his assassination in 1979. During the Second World War he was the first ...

, Conservative Party Spokesman on Northern Ireland, is killed by an

Irish National Liberation Army The Irish National Liberation Army (INLA, ) is an Irish republicanism, Irish republican Socialism, socialist paramilitary group formed on 8 December 1974, during the 30-year period of conflict known as "the Troubles". The group seeks to remove ...

(INLA) booby-trap bomb attached to his car at the House of Commons, London.

April to June

*5 April – Two British Army soldiers are shot dead by the IRA while standing outside Andersonstown joint

Royal Ulster Constabulary The Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) was the police force in Northern Ireland from 1922 to 2001. It was founded on 1 June 1922 as a successor to the Royal Irish Constabulary (RIC) Richard Doherty, ''The Thin Green Line – The History of the ...

(RUC) and British Army base in Belfast. *11 April – Two British Army soldiers die as the result of a gun attack carried out by the IRA in

Ballymurphy, Belfast The Springfield Road () is a residential area and road traffic thoroughfare adjacent to the Falls Road (Belfast), Falls Road in west Belfast. The local population is predominantly Irish nationalism, Irish nationalist and Irish republicanism, re ...

. *16 April – A prison officer is shot dead by the IRA as he leaves a church in

Clogher Clogher (; , ) is a village and civil parish in the border area of south County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. It lies on the River Blackwater, 5.8 miles from the border crossing to County Monaghan. It stands on the townlands of Clogher Demesne ...

County Tyrone County Tyrone (; ) is one of the six counties of Northern Ireland, one of the nine counties of Ulster and one of the thirty-two traditional counties of Ireland. Its county town is Omagh. Adjoined to the south-west shore of Lough Neagh, the cou ...

, where his sister had just been married. *17 April – Four RUC officers are killed when the IRA explodes a 1,000-pound van bomb at

Bessbrook Bessbrook ( Irish: ''An Sruthán'') is a village in County Armagh, Northern Ireland. It lies about three miles (5 km) northwest of Newry and near the Newry bypass on the main A1 Belfast-Dublin road and Belfast-Dublin railway line. Today t ...

, County Armagh. *19 April – A female prison officer is shot dead and three colleagues are injured in an IRA gun and grenade attack outside Armagh women's prison. *19 April – A British Army school cadet officer is shot dead by an IRA sniper in Belfast. *7 June –

European Parliament election Elections to the European Parliament take place every five years by universal adult suffrage; with more than 400 million people eligible to vote, they are the second largest democratic elections in the world after India's. Until 2019, 751 ...

, the first direct election to the

European Parliament The European Parliament (EP) is one of the two legislative bodies of the European Union and one of its seven institutions. Together with the Council of the European Union (known as the Council and informally as the Council of Ministers), it ...

. The

Democratic Unionist Party The Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) is a Unionism in Ireland, unionist, Ulster loyalism, loyalist, British nationalist and national conservative political party in Northern Ireland. It was founded in 1971 during the Troubles by Ian Paisley, who ...

Social Democratic and Labour Party The Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP; ) is a social democratic and Irish nationalist political party in Northern Ireland. The SDLP currently has eight members in the Northern Ireland Assembly ( MLAs) and two members of Parliament (M ...

and Official

Ulster Unionist Party The Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) is a Unionism in Ireland, unionist political party in Northern Ireland. The party was founded as the Ulster Unionist Council in 1905, emerging from the Irish Unionist Alliance in Ulster. Under Edward Carson, it l ...

each gain an MEP.

July to September

*14 July – In

Crossmaglen Crossmaglen (, ) is a village and townland in County Armagh, Northern Ireland. It had a population of 1,610 in the 2011 Census and is the largest village in South Armagh. The village centre is the site of a large Police Service of Northern Ir ...

Gaelic Athletic Association The Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA; ; CLG) is an Irish international amateur sports, amateur sporting and cultural organisation, focused primarily on promoting indigenous Gaelic games and pastimes, which include the traditional Irish sports o ...

supporters parade silently in protest against the

's commandeering of part of the local football pitch. *27 August – In the

Warrenpoint ambush The Warrenpoint ambush, also known as the Narrow Water ambush, the Warrenpoint massacre or the Narrow Water massacre, was a guerrilla attack by the Provisional Irish Republican Army (Provisional IRA) on 27 August 1979. The Provisional IRA's So ...

the IRA kill eighteen British soldiers in two bomb explosions. *11 September –

BBC Radio Foyle 'BBC Radio Foyle' is a BBC Northern Ireland local radio station, serving County Londonderry in Northern Ireland. It is named after the River Foyle which flows through Derry, the city where the station is based. It is an Regional variation#Opt ...

begins broadcasting. *29 September –

Pope John Paul II Pope John Paul II (born Karol Józef Wojtyła; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 16 October 1978 until Death and funeral of Pope John Paul II, his death in 2005. In his you ...

, in

Drogheda Drogheda ( , ; , meaning "bridge at the ford") is an industrial and port town in County Louth on the east coast of Ireland, north of Dublin. It is located on the Dublin–Belfast corridor on the east coast of Ireland, mostly in County Louth ...

at the start of a 3-day visit to Ireland, appeals for an end to violence in Northern Ireland. Plans for him to extend his visit to Northern Ireland have been abandoned.

Sport

Football

* Irish League ::Winners: Linfield *

Irish Cup The Irish Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly referred to as the Irish Cup (currently known as the Clearer Water Irish Cup for sponsorship purposes) is the primary Association football, football single elimination, knockout cup compet ...

::Winners:

Cliftonville Cliftonville is a coastal area of Margate in the Thanet District, Thanet district of Kent, England. It includes the Palm Bay, UK, Palm Bay estate, built in the 1930s with wide avenues and detached and semi-detached houses with driveways, gar ...

3 – 2

Portadown Portadown ( ) is a town in County Armagh, Northern Ireland. The town is based on the River Bann in the north of the county, about southwest of Belfast. It is in the Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council area and had a population ...

Motorcycling

Robert Dunlop Stephen Robert Dunlop (25 November 1960 – 15 May 2008) was a Northern Irish motorcycle racer. He was the younger brother of fellow road racer Joey Dunlop and the father of racers William Dunlop and Michael Dunlop. Like his brother, Dunlop ...

makes his road race debut at the Temple 100.

Births

January to June

*11 January – Michael Duff, footballer. *27 February – Neil Anderson, cricketer. *3 April –

Neil Best Neil Best (born 3 April 1979 in Belfast, Northern Ireland) is a former rugby union footballer, who attended Wellington College Belfast and played his school rugby there until he left in 1997 after upper sixth. The last professional team he pla ...

, rugby player. *15 May –

Sean Friars Sean Friars (born 15 May 1979) is a football coach and former player. He is the assistant manager of NIFL Championship club Institute and works for the Depaul Foyle Haven Centre, which helps people afflicted by addiction issues and homelessness ...

, footballer. *18 May – Richard McKinney, footballer. *25 May – Andy Kirk, footballer. *28 May –

Michael Halliday Michael Alexander Kirkwood Halliday (often M. A. K. Halliday; 13 April 1925 – 15 April 2018) was a British linguist who developed the internationally influential systemic functional linguistics (SFL) model of language. His grammatical descri ...

, footballer. *19 June –

John Duddy John Francis Duddy (born 19 June 1979) is an Irish actor and former professional boxer who fought from 2003 to 2010. He challenged once for the vacant WBC Silver middleweight title, losing in his final fight to Julio César Chávez Jr. Amateu ...

, boxer. *20 June – Stuart Robinson, radio DJ. *30 June –

Darren Kelly Darren Kelly (born 30 June 1979) is a Northern Irish professional Manager (association football), football manager and former Association footballer, player who played as a centre-back. He is the general manager of National League (division), Na ...

, footballer.

July to December

*30 July –

Graeme McDowell Graeme McDowell (born 30 July 1979) is a professional golfer from Northern Ireland. He has a total of eleven tournament victories on the European Tour, and four on the PGA Tour, including one major championship, the 2010 U.S. Open at Pebble B ...

, golfer. *3 August –

Paul McCloskey Paul McCloskey (born 3 August 1979) is a former professional boxer from Northern Ireland who competed from 2005 to 2013. He held the British super-lightweight title from 2008 to 2009; the European super-lightweight title from 2009 to 2011; an ...

, boxer. *5 August – Richard Graham, footballer. *5 August – David Healy, footballer. *8 November –

Aaron Hughes Aaron William Hughes (born 8 November 1979) is a Northern Irish former professional footballer who played as a defender. Hughes played mainly at centre back, but was also used at right back or left back, as well as anywhere in midfield. He i ...

, international footballer. *24 November –

Aidan O'Kane Aidan O'Kane (born 24 November 1979 in Belfast, Northern Ireland) is a retired footballer. While at Cliftonville, he played in the UEFA Intertoto Cup. From his time at York he played against Leeds, Boro, Sheff Wed and Sunderland in friendly gam ...

, footballer. *5 December –

Gareth McAuley Gareth Gerald McAuley ( ; born 5 December 1979) is a Northern Irish former professional footballer who played as a centre back. He represented Northern Ireland at senior international level, being capped on 80 occasions and scoring nine times ...

, footballer. *31 December –

Emma Little-Pengelly Emma Little-Pengelly ( Little; born 31 December 1979) is a Northern Irish barrister and Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) politician serving as the First Minister and deputy First Minister of Northern Ireland, deputy First Minister of Northern ...

MP.

Deaths

*4 June –

James Hamilton, 4th Duke of Abercorn James Edward Hamilton, 4th Duke of Abercorn (29 February 1904 – 4 June 1979), styled Viscount Strabane until 1913 and Marquess of Hamilton between 1913 and 1953, was a British peer. Early life and education Abercorn was born in 1904 at 15 ...

, soldier and politician (born 1904). *10 August –

Joseph O'Doherty Joseph O'Doherty (24 December 1891 – 10 August 1979) was an Irish teacher, barrister, revolutionary, politician, county manager, member of the First Dáil and of the Seanad Éireann (Irish Free State), Irish Free State Seanad. Family Joseph ...

Sinn Féin Sinn Féin ( ; ; ) is an Irish republican and democratic socialist political party active in both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. The History of Sinn Féin, original Sinn Féin organisation was founded in 1905 by Arthur Griffit ...

MP,

Fianna Fáil Fianna Fáil ( ; ; meaning "Soldiers of Destiny" or "Warriors of Fál"), officially Fianna Fáil – The Republican Party (), is a centre to centre-right political party in Ireland. Founded as a republican party in 1926 by Éamon de ...

TD and Seanad member (born 1891). *15 November – Patrick McGilligan,

Cumann na nGaedheal Cumann na nGaedheal (; ) was a political party in the Irish Free State, which formed the government from 1923 to 1932. It was named after the original Cumann na nGaedheal organisation which merged with the Dungannon Clubs and the National Co ...

Fine Gael Fine Gael ( ; ; ) is a centre-right, liberal-conservative, Christian democratic political party in Ireland. Fine Gael is currently the third-largest party in the Republic of Ireland in terms of members of Dáil Éireann. The party had a member ...

TD and Cabinet Minister (born 1889). *17 December – Harold Jackson, cricketer (born 1888).

Full date unknown

Billy McCracken William Robert McCracken (29 January 1883 – 20 January 1979) was an Irish footballer who played as a defender. He is famous for inventing the offside trap. He was a cousin of Robert McCracken who also had a career as a professional football ...

, footballer and football manager (born 1883).

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:1979 in Northern Ireland

1979 in Europe