1976 in Northern Ireland
Encyclopedia
Events
- 5 January - Kingsmill massacreKingsmill massacreThe Kingsmill massacre took place on 5 January 1976 near the village of Kingsmill in south County Armagh, Northern Ireland. Ten Protestant men were taken from a minibus and shot dead by a group calling itself the South Armagh Republican Action Force...
: ten Protestant men killed in South ArmaghCounty Armagh-History:Ancient Armagh was the territory of the Ulaid before the fourth century AD. It was ruled by the Red Branch, whose capital was Emain Macha near Armagh. The site, and subsequently the city, were named after the goddess Macha...
, 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...
, by members of the Provisional Irish Republican ArmyProvisional 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...
(IRA), using the cover name "South Armagh Republican Action Force". - 1 March - Merlyn Rees ends Special Category StatusSpecial Category StatusIn July 1972, William Whitelaw, the British government's Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, granted Special Category Status to all prisoners convicted of Troubles-related offences...
for those sentenced for crimes relating to the civil violence 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...
. - 4 March - The Northern Ireland Constitutional ConventionNorthern Ireland Constitutional ConventionThe Northern Ireland Constitutional Convention was an elected body set up in 1975 by the UK Labour government of Harold Wilson as an attempt to deal with constitutional issues surrounding the status of Northern Ireland....
is formally dissolved 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...
resulting in direct ruleDirect RuleDirect rule was the term given, during the late 20th and early 21st centuries, to the administration of Northern Ireland directly from Westminster, seat of United Kingdom government...
of 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...
from LondonLondonLondon is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
via the British parliament. - 12 March - Lenny MurphyLenny MurphyHugh Leonard Thompson Murphy, who commonly went by the name Lenny , was an Ulster loyalist from Belfast, Northern Ireland. Murphy was a member of the Ulster Volunteer Force and leader of the infamous Shankill Butchers a gang which became notorious for its torture and murder of Catholic men...
, leader of the Shankill ButchersShankill ButchersThe Shankill Butchers is the name given to an Ulster loyalist gang, many of whom were members of the Ulster Volunteer Force . The gang conducted paramilitary activities during the 1970s in Belfast, Northern Ireland. It was most notorious for its late-night kidnapping, torture and murder of random...
, is arrested, but his gang continue to murder. - 31 March - A large quantity of money is stolen from a CIECóras Iompair ÉireannCóras Iompair Éireann , or CIÉ, is a statutory corporation of the Irish state, answerable to the Irish Government and responsible for most public transport in the Republic of Ireland and, jointly with its Northern Ireland counterpart, the Northern Ireland Transport Holding Company, between the...
trainTrainA train is a connected series of vehicles for rail transport that move along a track to transport cargo or passengers from one place to another place. The track usually consists of two rails, but might also be a monorail or maglev guideway.Propulsion for the train is provided by a separate...
at SallinsSallinsSallins is a suburban town in County Kildare, Ireland, situated 3.5 km north of the town centre of Naas, from which it is separated by the M7 motorway. Sallins is the anglicised name of Na Solláin which means "The Willows"....
, County KildareCounty KildareCounty Kildare is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Mid-East Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It is named after the town of Kildare. Kildare County Council is the local authority for the county...
, the "Sallins Train RobberySallins Train RobberyThe Sallins Train Robbery occurred on 31 March 1976 when the Cork to Dublin mail train was robbed near Sallins in County Kildare, Republic of Ireland. Approximately IR£ 200,000 was stolen...
". - 15 July - Four prisoners escape when bombs explode in the Special Criminal Court, Dublin.
- 21 July - Christopher Ewart-BiggsChristopher Ewart-BiggsChristopher Ewart-Biggs, CMG, OBE was the British Ambassador to Ireland and an author. He was assassinated by the Provisional Irish Republican Army in Sandyford, Dublin....
, UK ambassador, and a civil servant, Judith Cooke, are killed by a landmine at Sandyford, Co. Dublin. - 14 August - 10,000 Protestant and Catholic women demonstrate for peace 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...
. - 14 September - Ciaran Nugent is first IRA man to be admitted to the Maze Prison without Special Category Status. He becomes the first blanketman.
- Betty WilliamsBetty Williams (Northern Ireland)Betty Williams in the city of Belfast in Northern Ireland, is a co-recipient with Mairead Corrigan of the Nobel Peace Prize in 1976 for her work as a cofounder of Community of Peace People, an organisation dedicated to promoting a peaceful resolution to The Troubles in Northern Ireland...
and Mairead CorriganMairead CorriganMairead Maguire , also known as Mairead Corrigan Maguire and formerly as Mairéad Corrigan, is a Northern Irish peace activist. She co-founded, with Betty Williams and Ciaran McKeown, the Community of Peace People, an organisation dedicated to encouraging a peaceful resolution of the Troubles in...
win the Nobel Peace PrizeNobel Peace PrizeThe Nobel Peace Prize is one of the five Nobel Prizes bequeathed by the Swedish industrialist and inventor Alfred Nobel.-Background:According to Nobel's will, the Peace Prize shall be awarded to the person who...
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Football
- Irish League
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- Winners: CrusadersCrusaders F.C.Crusaders Football Club is a semi-professional, Northern Irish association football club, playing in the IFA Premiership. The club, founded in 1898, hails from Belfast and plays its home matches at Seaview. Club colours are red and black. The current manager is Stephen Baxter, appointed in 2005...
- Winners: Crusaders
- 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: Carrick RangersCarrick RangersCarrick Rangers is a semi-professional, Northern Irish football club playing in the IFA Premiership. The club, founded in 1939, hails from Carrickfergus County Antrim and plays its home matches at Taylors Avenue. Club colours are amber and black...
2 - 1 LinfieldLinfield F.C.Linfield F.C. , is a semi-professional, Northern Irish football club, whose home ground is Windsor Park in Belfast, which is also the home of the Northern Ireland international team....
- Winners: Carrick Rangers
Births
- 25 March - Francis BellewFrancis BellewFrancis "Francie" Bellew is an Irish Gaelic footballer who played for Armagh. He has won an All-Ireland Senior Football Championship medal, five Ulster Championships and a National League title with the county...
, Gaelic footballer. - 30 March - Mark McClellandMark McClellandMark Peter McClelland is a musician from Northern Ireland, known best as the former bass guitarist with the band Snow Patrol. McClelland is a recipient of the Ivor Novello Award for his work on the album, Final Straw...
, musician, formerly with Snow PatrolSnow PatrolSnow Patrol are an alternative rock band from Bangor, County Down, Northern Ireland. Formed at the University of Dundee in 1994 as an indie rock band, the band is now based in Glasgow...
. - 24 May - Maclean StewartMaclean StewartMaclean Stewart is a Northern Irish actor and playwright. He was an original member of The Company Youth Theatre and one of the earliest members of the Rainbow Factory, School of the Performing Arts.-Personal:...
, actor. - 3 June - Paul BerryPaul BerryPaul 'London' Berry is a Northern Ireland unionist politician.Berry was born in Craigavon, County Armagh, and brought up in Tandragee, where he was educated at local state schools and colleges, following which he was employed in the textile industry...
, former Democratic Unionist PartyDemocratic Unionist PartyThe Democratic Unionist Party is the larger of the two main unionist political parties in Northern Ireland. Founded by Ian Paisley and currently led by Peter Robinson, it is currently the largest party in the Northern Ireland Assembly and the fourth-largest party in the House of Commons of the...
MLAMember of the Legislative Assembly (Northern Ireland)Member of the Legislative Assembly is a representative elected by the voters to the Northern Ireland Assembly in Northern Ireland.- About :...
. - 15 June - Gary LightbodyGary LightbodyGary Lightbody is an Northern Irish musician and songwriter best known as the lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of the alternative rock band Snow Patrol.- Early life :...
, musician with Snow PatrolSnow PatrolSnow Patrol are an alternative rock band from Bangor, County Down, Northern Ireland. Formed at the University of Dundee in 1994 as an indie rock band, the band is now based in Glasgow...
. - 18 August - Damaen KellyDamaen KellyDamaen Kelly is a former professional boxer from Belfast, Northern Ireland, who represented the Republic of Ireland at international level. Kelly fought his final professional fights in the Bantamweight division but was more noted for boxing in the Flyweight division...
, boxer. - 25 October - Steve Jones, footballer.
- 29 October - Stephen CraiganStephen CraiganStephen James Craigan is a professional footballer, currently playing for Motherwell in the Scottish Premier League. He plays in central defence, and has enjoyed two spells at Motherwell, where he is currently the club captain...
, footballer. - Ian McCreaIan McCreaIan McCrea, MLA is a British politician. He was elected in 2007 to the Northern Ireland Assembly as a Democratic Unionist Party member for Mid Ulster.Born in Magherafelt in 1976, he now lives in Cookstown with his wife and three children...
, Democratic Unionist PartyDemocratic Unionist PartyThe Democratic Unionist Party is the larger of the two main unionist political parties in Northern Ireland. Founded by Ian Paisley and currently led by Peter Robinson, it is currently the largest party in the Northern Ireland Assembly and the fourth-largest party in the House of Commons of the...
MLAMember of the Legislative Assembly (Northern Ireland)Member of the Legislative Assembly is a representative elected by the voters to the Northern Ireland Assembly in Northern Ireland.- About :...
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Deaths
- 4 May - Hugh DelargyHugh DelargyHugh James Delargy was an Irish British Labour Party politician and MP.He was born in County Antrim.Delargy was educated in England, Paris and Rome and worked as a teacher, journalist, labourer and insurance official...
, British Labour PartyLabour Party (UK)The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
politician and MP (b.19081908 in Ireland-Events:*19 May - Work begins on a monument to Charles Stewart Parnell in Upper Sackville Street, Dublin.*31 July - Irish Universities Act receives Royal Assent in the Parliament of the UK. This ultimately leads to the establishment of the National University of Ireland and Queen's University of...
). - 29 July - Knox CunninghamKnox CunninghamSir Samuel Knox Cunningham, 1st Baronet, QC was a Northern Irish Barrister, businessman and politician. As an Ulster Unionist politician at a time when the Unionists were part of the Conservative Party, he was also a significant figure in United Kingdom politics as Parliamentary Private Secretary...
, barrister, businessman and Ulster UnionistUlster Unionist PartyThe Ulster Unionist Party – sometimes referred to as the Official Unionist Party or, in a historic sense, simply the Unionist Party – is the more moderate of the two main unionist political parties in Northern Ireland...
politician (b.19091909 in Ireland-Events:*31 October - The Royal University of Ireland is dissolved.*14 December - In the large hall of the National University in Dublin, Ernest Shackleton delivers a lecture entitled 'Nearest the South Pole.'...
). - 7 October - Michael O'NeillMichael O'Neill (politician)Michael O'Neill was an Irish politician in the United Kingdom.O'Neill was educated at Dromore National School and Bellisle Academy. He was a farmer and a chairman of the Gaelic Athletic Association...
, nationalist politician and MPMember of ParliamentA Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
(b.19091909 in Ireland-Events:*31 October - The Royal University of Ireland is dissolved.*14 December - In the large hall of the National University in Dublin, Ernest Shackleton delivers a lecture entitled 'Nearest the South Pole.'...
). - 4 December - W. F. McCoyW. F. McCoyWilliam Frederick McCoy was an Ulster Unionist member of the Parliament of Northern Ireland for South Tyrone who went on to become an early supporter of Ulster nationalism....
, Ulster UnionistUlster Unionist PartyThe Ulster Unionist Party – sometimes referred to as the Official Unionist Party or, in a historic sense, simply the Unionist Party – is the more moderate of the two main unionist political parties in Northern Ireland...
member of the Parliament of Northern IrelandParliament of Northern IrelandThe Parliament of Northern Ireland was the home rule legislature of Northern Ireland, created under the Government of Ireland Act 1920, which sat from 7 June 1921 to 30 March 1972, when it was suspended...
(b.18861886 in Ireland-Events:*January - Ulster Protestant Unionists begin to lobby against the Irish Home Rule Bill, establishing the Ulster Loyal Anti-Repeal Union in Belfast.*March - Prime Minister William Gladstone announces his support for Irish Home Rule....
).