1974 in Northern Ireland
Encyclopedia
Events
- 2 January - First day in office of the Northern Ireland ExecutiveNorthern Ireland ExecutiveThe Northern Ireland Executive is the executive arm of the Northern Ireland Assembly, the devolved legislature for Northern Ireland. It is answerable to the Assembly and was established according to the terms of the Northern Ireland Act 1998, which followed the Good Friday Agreement...
. - 15 February - A 600 lb bomb explodes in DungannonDungannonDungannon is a medium-sized town in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. It is the third-largest town in the county and a population of 11,139 people was recorded in the 2001 Census. In August 2006, Dungannon won Ulster In Bloom's Best Kept Town Award for the fifth time...
. - 28 February - United KingdomUnited KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
general electionUnited Kingdom general election, February 1974The United Kingdom's general election of February 1974 was held on the 28th of that month. It was the first of two United Kingdom general elections held that year, and the first election since the Second World War not to produce an overall majority in the House of Commons for the winning party,... - 5 March - Merlyn Rees becomes Secretary of State for Northern Ireland.
- 14 May - Northern IrelandNorthern IrelandNorthern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
grinds to a halt as the Ulster Workers' Council calls a strike following the defeat of an anti-Sunningdale AgreementSunningdale AgreementThe Sunningdale Agreement was an attempt to establish a power-sharing Northern Ireland Executive and a cross-border Council of Ireland. The Agreement was signed at the Civil Service College in Sunningdale Park located in Sunningdale, Berkshire, on 9 December 1973.Unionist opposition, violence and...
motion. - 21 May - In Northern IrelandNorthern IrelandNorthern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
the Ulster Workers' Council StrikeUlster Workers' Council StrikeThe Ulster Workers' Council strike was a general strike that took place in Northern Ireland between 15 May and 28 May 1974, during "The Troubles". The strike was called by loyalists and unionists who were against the Sunningdale Agreement, which had been signed in December 1973...
comes to an end. - 28 May - The five-month old Northern Ireland ExecutiveNorthern Ireland ExecutiveThe Northern Ireland Executive is the executive arm of the Northern Ireland Assembly, the devolved legislature for Northern Ireland. It is answerable to the Assembly and was established according to the terms of the Northern Ireland Act 1998, which followed the Good Friday Agreement...
collapses. - 10 October - The second United KingdomUnited KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
general electionUnited Kingdom general election, October 1974The United Kingdom general election of October 1974 took place on 10 October 1974 to elect 635 members to the British House of Commons. It was the second general election of that year and resulted in the Labour Party led by Harold Wilson, winning by a tiny majority of 3 seats.The election of...
of the year. - 15 October - Republican prisoners attack guards and set fire to huts in Long Kesh.
- 16 October - Republican women prisoners in Armagh prison hold governor and three guards hostage.
- 28 October - 300 lb IRA van bomb kills two British ArmyBritish ArmyThe British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
soldiers at BallykinlerBallykinlerBallykinler or Ballykinlar is a village in County Down, Northern Ireland. It lies 12 kilometres south west of Downpatrick, in the parish of Tyrella and Dundrum. In the 2001 Census it had a population of 348 people. It is within the Down District Council area.It is a linear settlement running...
and injures 33 others. - 7 November - An IRAProvisional Irish Republican ArmyThe Provisional Irish Republican Army is an Irish republican paramilitary organisation whose aim was to remove Northern Ireland from the United Kingdom and bring about a socialist republic within a united Ireland by force of arms and political persuasion...
bomb explodes at the Kings Arms, WoolwichKings Arms, WoolwichThe Kings Arms is a public house in Woolwich, London that was bombed in 1974 and is now a landmark on the route of the London Marathon.Standing at 1 Frances Street by Woolwich Dockyard, it was built in the nineteenth century...
. - 27 November - The Prevention of Terrorism ActPrevention of Terrorism Act (Northern Ireland)The Prevention of Terrorism Acts were a series of Acts of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1974 to 1989 that conferred emergency powers upon police forces where they suspected terrorism....
is passed in the United KingdomUnited KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. - 8 December - Irish Republican Socialist PartyIrish Republican Socialist PartyThe Irish Republican Socialist Party or IRSP is a republican socialist party active in Ireland. It claims the legacy of socialist revolutionary James Connolly, who founded the Irish Socialist Republican Party in 1896 and was executed after the Easter Rising of 1916.- History :The Irish Republican...
formed. - 15 December - Price sisters transferred to an English jail (following hungerstrike which had ended in June).
- 18 December - Government announces compensation payments for relatives of Bloody SundayBloody Sunday (1972)Bloody Sunday —sometimes called the Bogside Massacre—was an incident on 30 January 1972 in the Bogside area of Derry, Northern Ireland, in which twenty-six unarmed civil rights protesters and bystanders were shot by soldiers of the British Army...
victims, according to the Ministry of Defence "in a spirit of goodwill and conciliation". - 22 December - second cease-fire between IRA and British (lasts until about April 1975).
Full date unknown
- Junior Orange Institution is formed; a branch of the Orange OrderOrange InstitutionThe Orange Institution is a Protestant fraternal organisation based mainly in Northern Ireland and Scotland, though it has lodges throughout the Commonwealth and United States. The Institution was founded in 1796 near the village of Loughgall in County Armagh, Ireland...
which only accepts boys under the age of 16. - SamsonSamson and Goliath (cranes)Samson and Goliath are the twin shipbuilding gantry cranes situated at Queen's Island, Belfast, Northern Ireland. The cranes, which were named after the Biblical figures Samson and Goliath, dominate the Belfast skyline and are landmark structures of the city....
crane is completed at Harland and WolffHarland and WolffHarland and Wolff Heavy Industries is a Northern Irish heavy industrial company, specialising in shipbuilding and offshore construction, located in Belfast, Northern Ireland....
shipyard.
Football
- Irish League
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- Winners: ColeraineColeraine F.C.Coleraine F.C. is a semi-professional, Northern Irish football club, playing in the IFA Premiership. The club, founded in 1927, hails from Coleraine, County Londonderry and plays its home matches at the Showgrounds. Club colours are blue and white...
- Winners: Coleraine
- Irish CupIrish CupFor the equivalent tournament in the Republic of Ireland, see FAI Cup.The Irish Cup is the national cup knock-out competition in Northern Irish football. Inaugurated in 1881, it is the fourth oldest national cup competition in the world...
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- Winners: ArdsArds F.C.Ards F.C. is an intermediate, Northern Irish football club playing in IFA Championship 1. The club, founded in 1900, is from Newtownards, but plays its home matches at Dixon Park in Ballyclare, which it shares with Ballyclare Comrades...
2 - 1 Ballymena UnitedBallymena United F.C.Ballymena United, is a semi-professional, Northern Irish football club playing in the IFA Premiership. The club hails from the town of Ballymena, County Antrim and plays its home matches at Ballymena Showgrounds. Club colours are sky blue and white. Away Colours are Red and BlackThe club was...
- Winners: Ards
Births
- 18 January - Steve LomasSteve LomasStephen "Steve" Lomas is the football manager of St Johnstone and a former Northern Ireland international player. He played for Manchester City, West Ham United, Queens Park Rangers and Gillingham, finishing his playing career at United Counties Football League Premier Division club St Neots Town...
, footballer. - 7 February - Jonathan BellJonathan Bell (rugby player)Jonathan Charles Bell is a rugby union player who played at centre for Ulster, Dungannon, Northampton and Ireland. He made his international debut in 1994 against Australia....
, rugby player. - 23 February - Neil SinclairNeil SinclairNeil Sinclair aka Sinky is a professional boxer. He usually fights at light middleweight or the divisions either side.-Amateur career:...
, boxer. - 28 April - Jeremy DavidsonJeremy DavidsonJeremy Davidson is a rugby union lock who played club rugby for Dungannon RFC, Ulster, London Irish and Castres Olympique. At international level he represented Ireland with 32 caps and also represented the British and Irish Lions...
, rugby player. - 4 May - Tony McCoyTony McCoyAnthony Peter McCoy OBE , commonly known as A. P. McCoy or Tony McCoy, is a Northern Irish horse racing jockey....
, jockey. - 11 May - Peter GillespiePeter GillespiePeter Gerard Gillespie is an Irish cricketer. A right-handed batsman and right-arm medium pace bowler, he had played for the Ireland cricket team 116 times up to the start of the 2007 World Cup, including twelve first-class matches and 35 List A matches, four of which were One Day International...
, cricketer. - 5 June - Claire McCollumClaire McCollumClaire McCollum is a Northern Irish broadcaster and journalist.-Broadcasting career:McCollum, an MA graduate at the University of Dundee, began her career in broadcasting with Macmillan Media in 1997. She also worked as a researcher for CNN and as a newsreader on Downtown Radio.McCollum joined UTV...
, television presenter and journalist. - 6 November - Sean HarganSean HarganSean Hargan is a defender, currently unattached. One of the veterans of the Derry City 1996-97 league-winning side, Hargan continued to play an integral part for the Candystripes and had his testimonial year in 2005, before moving to Crusaders at the end of 2008.-Career:As a youngster Sean played...
, footballer. - 28 November - Gary NeelyGary NeelyGary Neely is an Irish cricketer. He is a right-handed tailending batsman and a right-arm medium-fast bowler....
, cricketer. - 17 December - Ryan EaglesonRyan EaglesonRyan Logan Eagleson is a former Irish cricketer.A right-handed batsman and right-arm fast-medium bowler, he made his debut for the Ireland cricket team against the Duchess of Norfolk's XI at Arundel Castle in June 1995 and went on to play for them on 65 occasions in all, his last match coming...
, former cricketer.
Full date unknown
- Dan DonnellyDan DonnellyDaniel Thomas Donnelly is a singer-songwriter.Growing up in Belfast, Donnelly played in a number of local bands, finding success in Ireland with Watercress, a four piece acoustic folk-rock band for whom he played guitar, mandolin, percussion and "plumbing"...
, singer-songwriterSinger-songwriterSinger-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and sing their own musical material including lyrics and melodies. As opposed to contemporary popular music singers who write their own songs, the term singer-songwriter describes a distinct form of artistry, closely associated with the...
. - Leontia FlynnLeontia FlynnLeontia Flynn is an Irish poet born in Downpatrick, Northern Ireland. Flynn grew up in Ballyloughlin, south County Down, between the towns of Newcastle and Dundrum, very close to the well known Murlough Nature Reserve...
, poet. - Darragh MorganDarragh MorganDarragh Morgan was born in Belfast in 1974, and is one of London's most sought after interpreters of new music. Darragh has established himself as a soloist of new music giving numerous recitals at , as well as in Prague, Malta, Nicosia, Hong Kong, South Korea, Italy, Switzerland, Holland, U.S...
, musician.
Deaths
- 9 March - Daniel O'Neill, artist (b.19201920 in Ireland-Events:*27 February - The text of the Home Rule Bill to be introduced in the British House of Commons is published. It provides for the establishment of a 128-member parliament in Dublin and a 52-member parliament in Belfast....
). - 5 July - James YoungJames Young (comedian)James Young , also known as Jimmie Young, was a comedian born in Ballymoney, Northern Ireland and brought up in Belfast.He performed both on the stage and on television, as well as selling over a quarter of a million records...
, comedian (b.19181918 in Ireland-Events:*January 18 - Count Plunkett, Seán T. O'Kelly and others protest at the forcible feeding of Sinn Féin prisoners in Mountjoy Prison.*March 2 - In Skibbereen, County Cork Ernest Blythe is arrested for non-compliance with a military rule directing him to reside in Ulster.*March 6 - In the...
).