Chronology of Continuity IRA actions

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This is a chronology of activities by the Continuity Irish Republican Army, an Irish paramilitary group.

Contents 1 1996 2 1997 3 1998 4 1999 5 2000 6 2001 7 2002 8 2003 9 2004 10 2005 11 2006 12 See also 13 References

[edit] 1996

• 6 January 1996 The Irish Republican Publicity Bureau issued a statement saying 'a reborn Irish Republican Army had emerged led by the "Continuity Army Council"'.^[1]
• 13 July 1996 A car bomb estimated to contain 1,200 lb of home-made explosives exploded outside the Kilyhelvin Hotel, Enniskillen, County Fermanagh, causing substantial damage. The blast injured 17 people as they were being evacuated from the hotel.^[2]
• 29 September 1996 A car bomb containing 250 lb of home-made explosives was abandoned in Belfast. Security forces made the device safe using a controlled explosion.^[2]
• 21 November 1996 A 600 lb bomb, which failed to explode, was found abandoned in Derry.^[2]

[edit] 1997

• 31 July 1997 A bomb, estimated at between 500 and 1,000 lb, was left in the grounds of Carrybridge Hotel, near Lisbellaw, County Fermanagh. It was defused by the British Army.^[3]
• 9 August 1997 A hoax van bomb was planted on Craigavon Bridge, Derry prior to the start of the Apprentice Boys' parade through the city. Disturbances broke out during the march when Loyalist bandsmen broke ranks to attack Nationalist residents who were observing the parade.^[3]
• 16 September 1997 The day after Sinn Féin joined the political negotiations which led to the Good Friday Agreement, a bomb estimated at 400 lbs exploded in Markethill, County Armagh, causing extensive damage.^[3]
• 30 October 1997 A holdall bomb was left in an office of a government building in Derry. The bag contained a quantity of Semtex and petrol, but failed to detonate properly.^[4]
• 20 November 1997 A small bomb was left behind Belfast City Hall. The Progressive Unionist Party claimed the device was aimed at their ground floor office.^[3]

[edit] 1998

• 24 January 1998 A car bomb exploded outside the 'River Club' on Factory Road in Enniskillen, County Fermanagh. The building was extensively damaged, but there were no injuries.^[5]
• 10 March 1988 A mortar attack was carried out on a Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) base on Newry Road in Armagh. People were evacuated from the surrounding area after the British Army spotted the mortars, and there were no injuries.^[5]
• 20 March 1998 A bomb was left in the Northern Bank in Derry, and the city centre was cleared for four hours while the British Army defused it. CIRA claimed a republican tried to prevent them carrying out the attack.^[5]
• 15 May 1998 A car and trailer bomb were abandoned in Kinawley, County Fermanagh. The army recovered and made safe two mortars, containing between 100 lb and 150 lb of explosives.^[6]
• 4 September 1998 A gun attack was carried out on an RUC patrol on the Moy Road between Portadown, County Armagh and Moy, County Tyrone. The RUC denied any knowledge of an attack in the area.^[7]
• 23 September 1998 Seven men were arrested, and two guns were recovered from a Dublin house after police raids in Dublin and Leixlip.^[8]

[edit] 1999

• 14 January 1999 A gun attack took place on Woodbourne RUC station in West Belfast. Four men were later arrested.^[9]
• 4 February 1999 Channel 4 documentary Dispatches showed a CIRA propaganda video, which included members armed with a hand-held grenade laucher, an AK-47 assault rifle and a Magnum revolver.^[10]
• 4 May 1999 A gun attack took place on Lisnaskea RUC station in County Fermanagh.^[9]
• 25 May 1999 CIRA member, Tommy Crossan, was attacked by another prisoner in Maghaberry Prison.^[11]
• 1 June 1999 A telephone warning using a recognised CIRA codeword claimed a 500 lb bomb had been left in Russell Street, Armagh. The RUC searched the area disrupting rush hour traffic, but no bomb was found.^[12]
• 27 December 1999 Approximately 20,000 people were evacuated from Kempton Park Racecourse following a bomb alert.^[9]

[edit] 2000

• 23 January 2000 A man from Limerick was arrested in connection with a seizure of explosives in Cahir, County Tipperary, which included Semtex, two drogue bombs, home made components for rocket launchers, home made mortars and grenades. He was later jailed for eight years by the Special Criminal Court.^[13][14]
• 6 February 2000 A bomb exploded at Mahon's Hotel in Irvinestown. The hotel was evacuated shortly before the explosion after a telephone warning was received, and there were no injuries.^[15]
• 25 February 2000 A bomb attack took place on Shackleton Army Barracks in Ballykelly, causing slight damage but no injuries. Three gas cylinders packed with explosives found at the scene failed to detonate, and two men were later arrested.^[16]
• 12 April 2000 A failed mortar attack took place on Rosslea RUC station in County Fermanagh. Four families were evacuated from their homes for three days during a subsequent security operation, and a 10 kg home-made device was defused by army bomb disposal experts.^[17]
• 10 May 2000 The CIRA issued a statement calling on the Provisional IRA to disband and hand its weapons over to those who were "prepared to defend the Republic".^[18]
• 19 May 2000 A series of bomb alerts caused serious disruption in Belfast, after telephone warnings claimed bombs had been left in several locations including the BBC studios at Broadcasting House. Army bomb disposal experts carried out several controlled explosions before declaring the area safe.^[19]
• 1 November 2000 A booby-trap bomb exploded in Castlewellan, County Down, seriously injuring an RUC officer who lost a leg and two fingers. The CIRA later claimed responsibility.^[20][21]
• 14 December 2000 A man, Sean Paul Magee, and a 16 year old boy were arrested when a bomb was found in a car in King Street, Belfast. They were charged with explosives offences and possessing documents likely to be of use to terrorists, but the charges were later dropped.^[22][23]

[edit] 2001

• 31 May 2001 Dermot Gannon, 34, from Dublin was jailed for four years by the Special Criminal Court in Dublin. He was the first person to be convicted of membership of the CIRA solely on the word of a Garda chief superintendent, under new legislation introduced after the Omagh bombing.^[24]
• 22 June 2001 Thomas Ryan, 25, from Kilscanlan, Foulksmills, Co Wexford pleaded guilty to possession of 87 sticks of gelignite. He received an 8 year suspended sentence after co-operating with the police.^[25]
• 24 June 2001 Irish police discover bomb making materials and 60 kg of home-made explosives near Clones, County Monaghan. The device was made safe by an Irish Army bomb disposal team.^[26]
• 19 July 2001 A bomb was thrown from a car and up to six shots fired during an attack on Castlewellan RUC station in County Down. The station suffered minor damage but there were no injuries.^[27]
• 17 August 2001 Two CIRA prisoners, Christopher Smyth and Edward Heeney, ended their hunger strike after twenty days. The men agreed to end their protest after reaching an agreement with prison authorities.^[28]
• 16 October 2001 Four people were arrested and a 350 lb bomb was discovered in a stone shed near Sixmilecross. The shed was being used as a workshop and also contained drilling and light engineering equipment.^[17][29]
• 30 October 2001 Two gunmen hijacked a bus in Belfast, and ordered the driver to drive to Woodbourne RUC station. The men fled leaving a holdall estimated to contain 5 kg of explosives. An army bomb disposal team attempted to defuse the device using controlled explosions, but the device exploded during the operation. Damage was restricted to the bus and the gates of the station, and there were no injuries.^[30][31]
• 16 December 2001 A bomb damaged a Customs and Excise office on the Killyhevlin Industrial Estate in County Fermanagh. The office was unmanned at the time, and there were no injuries.^[32]

[edit] 2002

• 14 January 2002 Over 1,000 pupils were sent home from Boys Model School in Belfast following a bomb warning, which was later declared to be a hoax.^[33]
• 17 April 2002 A bomb damaged gates and fencing at a police training college in Belfast.^[34]
• 24 July 2002 A bomb exploded on the outskirts of the Fermanagh estate of Unionist peer Alan Brooke. A small crater approximately three feet wide and two feet deep was found after a three day search of the 1,000 acre estate.^[35]
• 25 October 2002 A van containing a bomb was left near Windsor House in Belfast, and a telephone warning was issued. Witnesses reported a muffled explosion came from the van shortly before the arrival of army bomb disposal experts, who then carried out a controlled explosion.^[36]

[edit] 2003

• 8 January 2003 A large fire bomb was discovered at a waterworks on Castleblayney Road in Keady, County Armagh. Army bomb disposal experts defused the device following a telephone warning.^[37]
• 13 January 2003 A fire bomb was left outside a supermarket in Dungannon. The device was made safe by army bomb disposal experts.^[38]
• 2 February 2003 An explosion left a large hole in a perimeter fence of a Territorial Army base in south Belfast. Army bomb disposal experts subsequently carried out two controlled explosions on a holdall attached to the fence.^[39]
• 7 February 2003 A car was hijacked on Old Golf Course Road in Belfast, and later abandoned on Blacks Road. The M1 motorway was closed while army bomb disposal experts carried out a controlled explosion.^[40][41]
• 10 February 2003 Police evacuated the centre of Enniskillen following a telephone warning. A small explosion caused minor damage to the Town Hall, but there were no injuries.^[42]
• 14 February 2003 A blast bomb was thrown over the perimeter fence of Woodbourne police station in west Belfast. The device failed to explode, and was defused by army bomb disposal experts.^[43]
• 18 February 2003 Two nail bombs were thrown over the perimeter fence of Antrim Road police station in north Belfast. One device exploded causing minor damage, and the other was defused by army bomb disposal experts.^[44]
• 19 February 2003 A pipe bomb was discovered on the roof of Woodbourne police station in west Belfast. It was unclear when the device was thrown.^[45]
• 17 April 2003 A bomb was discovered outside the office of Democratic Unionist MP Nigel Dodds in Belfast following a telephone warning. The device was defused by army bomb disposal experts.^[46]
• 7 May 2003 A coffee jar bomb was thrown at a police patrol car in Armagh, but failed to explode. The officers in the car were not injured, and army bomb disposal experts defused the device.^[47]
• 3 August 2003 Ten men aged from between their late teens to their early forties were arrested after the Garda raided a "terror camp" on the borders of County Waterford and County Tipperary. Items seized included weapons, ammunition and other terrorist paraphernalia, according to a police spokesman.^[48] Nine of the men were later jailed for firearms offences, receiving sentences of up to six years imprisonment.^[49]
• 10 August 2003 Three men were arrested in Morecambe during police raids across northern England, and several firearms were recovered.^[50]
• 15 August 2003 Searches were carried out across Belfast after a series of warnings. Army bomb disposal experts dealt with a suspicious object at Kennedy Way, and a suspect vehicle on Ballyhill Road.^[51]
• 22 August 2003 A car bomb exploded outside an Ulsterbus depot in Newry. Nobody was injured in the explosion, and damage was reported to be slight.^[52]
• 17 September 2003 A school in Ballysillan Road, Belfast was evacuated following a telephone warning. No bomb was found, and the warning was declared a hoax.^[53]
• 14 October 2003 A fire bomb was left near a Police Service of Northern Ireland station on York Road, Belfast. 100 families were evacuated from their homes while bomb disposal experts dealt with the device.^[54]
• 24 November 2003 A bomb exploded outside an army base in Dungannon, County Tyrone, injuring two police officers who were attempting to clear the area.^[55]

[edit] 2004

• 13 February 2004 A man was arrested after explosives and detonators were found in a van in the Dooradoyle area of Limerick. A further search uncovered more bomb making equipment in a house on Glencairn Drive.^[56]
• 14 June 2004 A bomb exploded at a golf club in Lurgan, County Armagh. The device, which was estimated to contain 70 lb of explosives, caused minor damage.^[57][58]
• 15 September 2004 A suspect car was found in the New Lodge area of Belfast following a telephone warning. Army bomb disposal experts carried out a number of controlled explosions.^[59]

[edit] 2005

• 1 January 2005 Two armed men forced a taxi driver to drive a fire bomb to Grosvenor Road PSNI Station in Belfast. Army bomb disposal experts made the device safe.^[60]
• 20 January 2005 Houses were evacuated when a pipe bomb was discovered under a van in the Coolock area on Dublin, and two men were arrested neearby.^[61]
• 24 February 2005 Two men were arrested at the Dargan industrial estate in North Belfast. A subsequent search of eight houses uncovered a cache of weapons, including five real and replica handguns, a shotgun, an AK47 rifle and component parts for an explosive device.^[62]
• 5 July 2005 A telephone caller claimed a bomb had been thrown at a police vehicle in Keady the day before. The area was sealed off as army bomb disposal experts examined a suspicious device on Kinelowen Street, but later declared it was an elaborate hoax.^[63]
• 9 July 2005 A pipe bomb was found inside the fencing of Coalisland PSNI Station, County Tyrone following a telephone warning. The area was evacuated and army bomb disposal experts carried out a controlled explosion.^[64]
• 12 July 2005 Police officers 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, one seriously, and several people were arrested.^[65]
• 6 November 2005 A horseracing meeting attended by ten thousand people at Down Royal racecourse was abandoned after a suspect device was found after a telephone warning.^[66]
• 8 December 2005 A suspected Continuity IRA member was arrested while driving a bomb through Dublin. Gardaí believe the device was intended for use against drugs gangs in the city.^[67] The man, Martin O'Rourke, was subsequently sentenced to seven years imprisonment for possession of an explosive device.^[68]
• 26 December 2005 Another horseracing meeting at Down Royal racecourse was disrupted due to a telephone warning. Spectators were evacuated after a telephone warning, but no bomb was found.^[69]

[edit] 2006

• 5 April 2006 Six men and a 16 year old youth were arrested at a house in Springfield Crescent in Belfast. They were later charged with possession of bomb making materials.^[70]
• 19 April 2006 Components for a 250 lb car bomb were discovered in a vehicle breaker's yard in Lurgan, County Armagh. Three men were arrested at the scene, and a fourth was arrested later. ^[71]
• 9 November 2006 Shots were fired at a PSNI station in Keady, County Armagh. The CIRA were believed to be responsible, according to the Independent Monitoring Commission.^[72][73]
• 7 December 2006 A pipe bomb was left next to a PSNI station in Lurgan, County Armagh, but failed to explode.^[74][75]

[edit] See also

• Chronology of Provisional IRA actions

[edit] References