9 February - Prime Minister Tony Blair issues a public apology to the 11 members of the Conlon and McGuire families who were wrongly convicted for the Guildford and Woolwich IRA pub bombings of 1974 when seven people were killed. the surviving members of the families were released in 1989 when the scientific evidence against them was discredited.
17 February - Seven people are detained by Gardaí for suspected activities in relation to the Northern Bank robbery in Belfast in December 2004. £2.3 million sterling is seized in County Cork.
3 March- Sinn Féin suspends seven members over their alleged involvement in the murder of Belfast man, Robert McCartney, who was killed on January 30
24 June- The IRA apologises unreservedly to the family of 14-year old Kathleen Feeney, whom it shot dead in Londonderry in November 1973. The IRA had previously blamed the British Army for the killing.
28 July - In what has been described as an "historic" day the Provisional Irish Republican Army ends its armed campaign and orders all its units to dump arms. The organisation also orders its members not to engage in any other activities of any kind.
24 November - Abbas Boutrab becomes the first non republican or loyalist to be convicted in the diplock courts of Northern Ireland - he is convinced of having information that could be used to bomb an airliner.
25 November - George Best, the man described as the greatest footballer of his or any generation, dies in London after several months of declining health.
3 December - Parliament Buildings hosted the funeral service for George Best. Approximately 25,000 people gathered in the grounds, with thousands more lining the cortege route.
19 December- The Civil Partnerships Act 2004 comes into force. The first "gay weddings" are held in Northern Ireland, granting same-sex couples similar legal rights to heterosexual couples.