1985 in Northern Ireland

← 1984 1983 1982 1985 in Northern Ireland → 1986 1987 1988
Centuries:	20th 21st
Decades:	1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s 2000s
See also:	1985 in the United Kingdom 1985 in Ireland Other events of 1985 List of years in Northern Ireland

Events

• 28 February - 1985 Newry mortar attack: The Provisional Irish Republican Army carries out a mortar attack on the Royal Ulster Constabulary police station in Corry Square at Newry, killing nine officers in the highest loss of life for the RUC on a single day.
• 3 July - Thousands of Loyalists demonstrate against a proposed Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) decision to re-route a church parade away from the 'Tunnel' (the Catholic Obins Street) area of Portadown.^[1]
• 6 July - RUC decide to allow a church parade through the area, but impose a ban on similar marches on 12 and 13 July.^[1]
• 7 July - Serious clashes occur in Portadown between Nationalist protesters and police as the parade of 2,500 Orangeman, passes through the Catholic Obins Street. Eight policemen are injured and three people arrested.^[1]
• 12–13 July - Further rioting in Portadown, this time between Loyalists and the RUC, as the Orange Order and Royal Black Institution parades are re-routed from the 'Tunnel' area. 52 policemen are injured and 43 people arrested during these two days of rioting.^[1]
• 15 November - Taoiseach Garret FitzGerald, and the British Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher, sign the Anglo-Irish Agreement at Hillsborough Castle, County Down. Treasury Minister Ian Gow resigns in protest at the deal.
• 23 November - A mass rally of Democratic Unionist and Ulster Unionist Party members against the Anglo-Irish Agreement is held outside Belfast City Hall under the slogan Ulster Says No.

Arts and literature

• 24 October - Anne Devlin's play Ourselves Alone is performed for the first time.^[2]
• Castleward Opera stages its first annual opera festival at Castle Ward, a National Trust house near Strangford in County Down, with a performance of Così fan tutte.
• Gerry Anderson begins broadcasting on BBC Radio Foyle from Derry/Londonderry.
• The last native speaker of Rathlin Island Irish dies.

Sport

Football

• Irish League

Winners: Linfield

• Irish Cup

Winners: Glentoran 1 - 1, 1 - 0 Linfield

• Derry City F.C. joins the League of Ireland, having been out of senior football since 1972.

Motorcycling

• Robert Dunlop wins 250cc race at the Cookstown 100.

Rugby Union

• March 30 - The Irish rugby team wins the Triple Crown and Five Nations Championship at Lansdowne Road. They beat England 13.

Snooker

• April 28 - Dennis Taylor wins the Embassy World Snooker Championship.

Births

• 1 January - Steven Davis, soccer player.
• 1 February - Dean Shiels, soccer player.
• 3 March - Sam Morrow, soccer player.
• 29 May - Jeff Hughes, soccer player.
• 15 June - Nadine Coyle, singer.
• 29 June - Conall Murtagh, soccer player.
• 14 October - Emmet Friars, soccer player.
• 2 November - John Lowry-Corry, Viscount Corry.
• 18 November - Jonny Harkness, soccer player.

References