List of bombings during the Northern Ireland Troubles

Contents 1 1969 2 1971 3 1972 4 1973 5 1974 6 1975 7 1976 8 1978 9 1979 10 1980 11 1982 12 1983 13 1984 14 1985 15 1987 16 1988 17 1989 18 1990 19 1991 20 1992 21 1993 22 1996 23 1998 24 1999 25 2001 26 See also 27 References

This is a list of notable bombings related to the Northern Ireland "Troubles". It includes bombings that took place in Northern Ireland, the Republic of Ireland and Great Britain since 1969. There were at least 10,000 bomb attacks during the conflict (1969–1998).^[1]

1969

• 30 March The Ulster Protestant Volunteers (UPV) bombed an electricity station at Castlereagh, resulting in blackouts. A further five bombs were exploded at electricity stations and water pipelines throughout April. Many believe this was part of a loyalist plot to frame the Irish Republican Army (IRA) and bring an end to equality reforms. Not all of the bombings are recorded.

1971

• 4 December McGurk's Bar bombing - 15 civilians were killed and 17 injured by a Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) bomb in Belfast.^[2]

1972

• 22 February Aldershot bombing - seven people were killed by an Official IRA bomb at Aldershot Barracks in England. It was thought to be in retaliation for Bloody Sunday. Six of those killed were female ancillary workers and the seventh was a Roman Catholic padre.^[3]
• 4 March A bomb exploded without warning in the Abercorn restaurant on Castle Lane in Belfast. Two were killed and 130 injured.
• 14 April The Provisional Irish Republican Army (Provisional IRA) exploded twenty-four bombs in towns and cities across Northern Ireland. There was also 14 shootouts between the IRA and security forces.
• 21 July Bloody Friday - within the space of 75 minutes, the Provisional IRA exploded 22 bombs in Belfast. Nine people were killed (including two British soldiers and a UDA member) while 130 were injured.^[4]
• 31 July Claudy bombing - nine civilians were killed by a car bomb in Claudy, County Londonderry. No group has since claimed responsibility.^[5]
• 1 December Two civilians were killed and 127 injured by two Loyalist car bombs in Dublin, Republic of Ireland.

1973

• 17 May Five British soldiers were killed by a Provisional IRA (PIRA) bomb in Omagh, County Tyrone.
• 12 June Six Protestant civilians were killed by a Provisional IRA (PIRA) bomb in Coleraine, County Antrim. The warning given prior to the explosion had been inadequate.

1974

• 4 February M62 coach bombing - 12 people were killed by an IRA bomb planted on a coach carrying British soldiers and their families.^[6]
• 2 May Six Catholic civilians were killed and 18 injured by a UVF bomb at a bar in Belfast.
• 17 May Dublin and Monaghan bombings - the Ulster Volunteer Force exploded four bombs (three in Dublin, one in Monaghan) in the Republic of Ireland. They killed 33 civilians including a pregnant woman.^[7]
• 17 June The Provisional IRA bombed the Houses of Parliament in London, injuring 11 people and causing extensive damage.^[8]
• 5 October Guildford pub bombings - Four soldiers and one civilian were killed by PIRA bombs at two pubs in Guildford, England.^[9]
• 21 November Birmingham pub bombings - 21 civilians were killed by PIRA bombs at pubs in Birmingham, England.^[10]
• 22 December The Provisional IRA announced a Christmas ceasefire. Prior to ceasefire, they carried out a bomb attack on the home of former Prime Minister Edward Heath. Mr Heath was not in the building at the time and no one was injured.^[11]

1975

• 17 July Four British soldiers were killed by a Provisional IRA bomb near Forkhill, County Armagh. The attack was the first major breach of the February truce.
• 5 September Two killed and 63 injured when a bomb was detonated in the lobby of London's Hilton Hotel.^[12]

1976

• 15 May Five Catholic civilians were killed and many injured by two Ulster Volunteer Force bomb attacks in Belfast and Charlemont, County Armagh.
• 21 July Christopher Ewart Biggs, the British Ambassador to Ireland, and his secretary Judith Cook, were assassinated by a bomb planted in Mr. Biggs’ car in Dublin.^[13]

1978

• 17 February La Mon restaurant bombing - 12 civilians were killed and thirty injured by a Provisional IRA incendiary bomb at the La Mon Restaurant near Belfast.
• 21 September The Provisional IRA exploded bombs at the RAF airfield near Eglinton, County Londonderry. The terminal building, two aircraft hangars and four planes were destroyed.
• 14–19 November The PIRA exploded over 50 bombs in towns across Northern Ireland, injuring 37 people. Belfast, Derry, Armagh, Castlederg, Cookstown and Enniskillen were hardest hit.

1979

• 22 March The PIRA also exploded 24 bombs in various locations across Northern Ireland.
• 30 March Airey Neave, Conservative was assassinated . A bomb exploded in his car as he left the Palace of Westminster in London. The Irish National Liberation Army (INLA) later claimed responsibity for the assassination.^[14]
• 17 April Four RUC officers were killed by a PIRA van bomb in Bessbrook, County Armagh. The bomb was estimated at 1000 lb, the largest Provisional IRA bomb used up to that point.
• 27 August Warrenpoint ambush - 18 British soldiers were killed by a PIRA bomb in Warrenpoint. A gun battle ensued between the Provisional IRA and the British Army, in which one civilian was killed. On the same day, four people (including the Queen’s cousin Lord Louis Mountbatten) were killed by an IRA bomb on board a boat near the coast of County Sligo.^[15][16]
• 16 December Four British soldiers were killed by a Provisional IRA landmine near Dungannon, County Tyrone. Another British soldier was killed by a Provisional IRA landmine near Forkhill, County Armagh.

1980

• 17 January Dunmurry train explosion - a Provisional IRA bomb prematurely detonated on a passenger train near Belfast, killing three and injuring five.

1982

• 20 April The Provisional IRA exploded bombs in Belfast, Derry, Armagh, Ballymena, Bessbrook and Magherafelt. Two civilians were killed and 12 were injured.
• 20 July Hyde Park and Regents Park bombings - 11 British soldiers and seven military horses died in Provisional IRA bomb attacks on Regents Park and Hyde Park, London. Many spectators were badly injured.^[17]
• 6 December Droppin Well bombing - 11 British soldiers and six civilians were killed by an Irish National Liberation Army (NLA) bomb at the Droppin’ Well Bar, County Londonderry.

1983

• 13 July Four Ulster Defence Regiment (UDR) soldiers were killed by a PIRA landmine in County Tyrone.
• 17 December Harrods bombing - a Provisional IRA car bomb killed three policemen and three civilians and injured ninety outside a department store in London.

1984

• 18 May Three British soldiers were killed by a Provisional IRA landmine in Enniskillen, County Fermanagh. Two RUC officers were killed by a PIRA landmine near Camlough, County Armagh.
• 12 October Brighton hotel bombing - the Provisional IRA carried out a bomb attack on the Grand Hotel, Brighton, which was being used as a base for the Conservative Party Conference. Five people, including MP Sir Anthony Berry, were killed. Margaret and Denis Thatcher narrowly escaped injury.^[18]

1985

• 28 February Newry mortar attack - a Provisional IRA mortar attack on the Newry RUC station killed nine officers and injured thirty-seven.^[19]
• 20 May Four Royal Ulster Constabulary officers were killed by a Provisional IRA bomb near Killean, County Down.
• 7 December Attack on Ballygawley barracks - the Provisional IRA launched an assault on the RUC barracks in Ballygawley, County Tyrone. Two RUC officers were killed and the barracks was completely destroyed by the subsequent bomb explosion.

1987

• 8 November Remembrance Day bombing - 11 civilians were killed and sixty-three injured by a Provisional IRA bomb during a Remembrance Day service in Enniskillen, County Fermanagh. One of those killed was Marie Wilson. In an emotional BBC interview, her father Gordon Wilson (who was injured in the attack) expressed forgiveness towards his daughter's killer, and asked Loyalists not to seek revenge. He became a leading peace campaigner and was later elected to the Irish Senate. He died in 1995.^[20]

1988

• 15 June Six off-duty British soldiers were killed by a Provisional IRA bomb on their minibus in Lisburn.
• 20 August Ballygawley bus bombing – eight British soldiers were killed and 28 wounded by a Provisional IRA roadside bomb near Ballygawley, County Tyrone.

1989

• 22 September Deal barracks bombing - 11 military bandsmen were killed by the Provisional IRA at Deal Barracks in Kent, England.^[21]

1990

• 20 July The Provisional IRA bombed the London Stock Exchange.^[22]
• 24 October Proxy bomb attacks - the Provisional IRA launched three "proxy bombs" or "human bombs" at British Army checkpoints. Three men (who were working with the British Army) were tied into cars loaded with explosives and ordered to drive to each checkpoint. Each bomb was detonated by remote control. The first exploded at a checkpoint in Coshquin, killing the driver and five soldiers. The second exploded at a checkpoint in Killean; the driver narrowly escaped but one soldier was killed. The third failed to detonate.^[23]

1991

• 3 February The Provisional IRA launched a 'proxy bomb' attack on a Ulster Defence Regiment base in Magherafelt, County Londonderry. The bomb caused major damage to the base and nearby houses, but the driver escaped before it exploded.
• 18 February A Provisional IRA bomb exploded in a litter bin at Victoria Station, London, killing David Corner, and injuring 38. Since that time, there have been no litter bins anywhere on the station platform.^[24]
• 31 May Glenanne barracks bombing - the Provisional IRA launched a large truck bomb attack on a UDR barracks in County Armagh. Three soldiers were killed, whilst ten soldiers and four civilians were wounded.
• 2 November Two British soldiers were killed when the IRA detonated a bomb at Musgrave Park British Army hospital in Belfast. A two storey building was destroyed by the blast.^[25]

1992

• 1 May Attack on Cloghogue checkpoint - the Provisional IRA, using a van modified to run on railway tracks, launched an unconventional bomb attack on a British Army checkpoint in South Armagh. The checkpoint was obliterated and one soldier was killed.
• 12 May Coalisland riots - After a small Provisional IRA bomb attack in the village of Cappagh, in which a paratrooper lost both legs, British soldiers raided two public houses and caused considerable damage in the nearby town of Coalisland. This led five days later to a fist-fight between soldiers and local inhabitants. Shortly thereafter, another group of British paratroopers arrived and fired on a crowd of civilians, injuring seven. Two soldiers were hospitalized.
• 23 September The Provisional IRA exploded a 2000 lb bomb at the Northern Ireland forensic science laboratory in south Belfast. The laboratory was obliterated, seven hundred houses were damaged, and twenty people were injured.^[26]

1993

• 4 February Two IRA bombs exploded in the London area, one at a London Underground station and another on a Network Southeast train in Kent.^[27]
• 20 March Warrington bomb attacks - after a telephoned warning, the Provisional IRA exploded two bombs in Cheshire, England. Two children were killed and fifty-six people were wounded. There were widespread protests in Britain and the Republic of Ireland following the deaths.^[28]
• 24 April Bishopsgate bombing - after a telephoned warning, the PIRA exploded a large bomb at Bishopsgate, London. It killed one civilian, wounded 30 others, and caused an estimated £350 million in damage.^[29]
• 23 October Shankill Road bombing - eight civilians, one UDA member and one Provisional IRA member were killed when an IRA bomb prematurely exploded at a fish shop on Shankill Road, Belfast.

1996

• 9 February London Docklands bombing - the Provisional IRA bombed the Docklands in London. The bomb killed two civilians, and brought to an end the ceasefire after 17 months and nine days.^[30]
• 15 June Manchester bombing - the Provisional IRA exploded a bomb in Manchester, England. It destroyed a large part of the city centre and injured over 200 people. To date, it is the largest bomb to be planted on the British mainland since the second world war. The devastation was so great, that several buildings were damaged beyond repair, and had to be demolished.^[31]
• 7 October The Provisional IRA exploded two bombs at the British Army HQ in Thiepval Barracks, Lisburn. One soldier was killed and thirty-one injured.

1998

• 15 August Omagh bombing - a dissident republican group calling itself the Real IRA exploded a bomb in Omagh, County Tyrone. It killed 29 civilians, making it the worst single bombing of the Troubles, in terms of civilian life lost.

1999

• 15 March Solicitor Rosemary Nelson, who had represented the Catholic and nationalist residents in the Drumcree dispute, was assassinated by a booby trapped car bomb in Lurgan, County Armagh. A loyalist group, Red Hand Defenders, claimed responsibility.^[32]

2001

• 4 March BBC bombing - a Real IRA bomb exploded outside BBC Television Centre, causing some damage to the building.^[33]
• 3 August Ealing bombing - a Real IRA car bomb injured seven civilians in Ealing, west London.^[34]

See also

• Directory of the Northern Ireland Troubles
• Timeline of the Northern Ireland Troubles
• Timeline of Provisional Irish Republican Army actions
• Timeline of Irish National Liberation Army actions
• Timeline of Real Irish Republican Army actions
• Timeline of Continuity Irish Republican Army actions
• Timeline of Ulster Volunteer Force actions
• Timeline of Ulster Defence Association actions
• Timeline of Loyalist Volunteer Force actions
• Timeline of Ulster Defence Regiment operations
• Operation Banner

References

The Troubles History of Ireland · History of Northern Ireland · History of the United Kingdom · Irish nationalism · Irish republicanism · Irish unionism · Ulster loyalism Participants in the Troubles Chronology Political Parties Republican paramilitaries Security forces of the United Kingdom Northern Ireland Republic of Ireland Loyalist paramilitaries • Provisional IRA • Official IRA • Irish National Liberation Army • Continuity IRA • Real IRA • IPLO • British Army • Royal Air Force • Royal Navy • Ulster Defence Regiment • Royal Irish Regiment • Royal Ulster Constabulary • Ulster Special Constabulary • Garda Síochána • Irish Army • Ulster Defence Association • Ulster Volunteer Force • Loyalist Volunteer Force • Red Hand Commandos • Young Citizen Volunteers • Ulster Young Militants • Ulster Resistance • UVF Mid-Ulster Brigade Linked to • Some RUC and British Army members • Northern Ireland Civil Rights Association formed (1967) • Battle of the Bogside (1969) • Riots across Northern Ireland (1969) • Beginning of Operation Banner (1969) • Social Democratic and Labour Party formed (1970) • Internment without trial begins with Operation Demetrius (1971) • Bloody Sunday by British Army (1972) • Northern Ireland government dissolved. Direct rule from London begins (1972) • Bloody Friday by Provisional IRA (1972) • Power sharing Northern Ireland Assembly set up with SDLP and Ulster Unionist Party in power (1973) • Mountjoy Prison helicopter escape. Three Provisional IRA prisoners escape from Mountjoy Prison by helicopter (1973) • Ulster Workers' Council strike causes power-sharing Northern Ireland Assembly to end (1974) • Dublin and Monaghan bombings by UVF with alleged British Army assistance (1974) • Kingsmill massacre by South Armagh Republican Action Force (1976) • Warrenpoint Ambush by Provisional IRA (1979) • 1981 Irish hunger strike by Provisional IRA and INLA members (1981) • Hunger striker Bobby Sands elected MP. Marks turning point as Sinn Féin begins to move towards electoral politics (1981) • Maze Prison escape. 38 Provisional IRA prisoners escape from H-Block 7 of HM Prison Maze (1983) • Brighton hotel bombing by Provisional IRA (1984) • Anglo-Irish Agreement between British and Irish governments (1985) • Remembrance Day bombing by Provisional IRA (1987) • Peace Process begins (1988) • Operation Flavius, Milltown Cemetery attack and Corporals killings (1988) • Bishopsgate bombing (1993) • Downing Street Declaration (1993) • First Provisional IRA ceasefire (1994) • Loyalist ceasefire (1994) • Docklands bombing (1996) • 1996 Manchester bombing (1996) • Second Provisional IRA ceasefire (1997) • Good Friday Agreement (1998) signals the end of the Troubles • Assembly elections held, with SDLP and UUP winning most seats (1998) • Omagh bombing by dissident Real IRA (1998) • Unionist parties: • Democratic Unionist Party • Northern Ireland Unionist Party • Ulster Unionist Party • Progressive Unionist Party • Conservative Party • UK Unionist Party • Traditional Unionist Voice • Nationalist parties: • Democratic Left • Fianna Fáil • Fine Gael • Labour Party • Progressive Democrats • Sinn Féin • Social Democratic & Labour Party • Workers' Party of Ireland • Irish Republican Socialist Party • Republican Sinn Féin • Cross-community parties: • Alliance Party • Historically important parties: • Nationalist Party • Northern Ireland Labour Party • Protestant Unionist Party • Vanguard Unionist Progressive Party • Northern Ireland Women's Coalition • People's Democracy • Republican Labour Party • Anti H-Block • Irish Independence Party  The Troubles at Wiktionary ·  The Troubles at Wikibooks ·  The Troubles at Wikiquote ·  The Troubles at Wikisource ·  The Troubles at Commons ·  The Troubles at Wikinews