1974 / 1975 / 1976 AD

1974 January: In the 6 Counties "artificially partitioned" from the 9 in the Ulster Province, and still under British Conservative Government control, the Power - Sharing Executive Government introduced there under the Sunningdale Agreement, which was to include the Irish Nationals and those 78 previously elected, was put into operation to also incorporate the other 26 Counties of the Irish Republic and Ivar Cooper was appointed the Minister for Community Affairs and Sir William Craig the Minister for Home Affairs. There were now 352,594 Catholics in Antrim being 23.6 % of the population there, in Armagh there were 132,678 Catholics being 43.5%, Belfast 356,830 being 25.6 %,Derry 180,530 45.4%, Fermanagh 55,935 53.2%, Tyrone 138,158  47 %. Ian Paisley the religious bigot was now in control of the Independent Orange Order, which held its own marches, and the Alliance Party did not have much support from the working classes.   

 January 22nd: In these 6 Counties "artificially partitioned" from the 9 in the Ulster Province, Brian Faulkner the previous bAscendancy "Official"" Unionist Prime Minister was forced to resign from the Ascendancy "Official" Unionist Party and was succeeded by another hard - liner in Harry West, but he would go on to form a new Unionist Party of his own with support from the other Unionists who wanted to see further progress made in these 6 Counties in Ulster.     

23rd: In these 6 Counties "artificially partitioned" from the 9 in the Ulster Province, the "Official " Unionists walked out of the Stormont Assembly in Belfast in Co. Antrim.

      A helicopter was hijacked to attack an R.U.C police station at Strabane and they dropped 2 milk cans filled with explosives on it, but missed their target.

February: Edward Heath the Conservative Prime Minister of Britain called a General Election and Harold Wilson and the Labour Party oncxe again become the British Prime Minister and would be in power until 1976, and Merlin Rees was appointed to oversee these 6 Counties "artificially partitioned" from the 9 in the Ulster Province, while 11 of the 12 seats for the Westminster Parliament were won by the Ulster Unionist / U.U.U. Council who were opposed to any type of power sharing there with the only pro - Sunningdale member being elected was Gerry Fitt from the S.D.L. Party as Bernadette Devlin and Frank Mac Manus lost their seats. The Labour Government tried to scare the Unionists into taking up their seats in the Stormont Assembly offering concessions to the Anti - Treaty I.R.A. with pressure to withdraw British Government troops because of the "Official" Unionist intransigence.

April: In these 6 Counties "artificially partitioned" from the 9 in the Ulster Province, Merlyn Rees the Labour Government overseerer intended to make the Provisional Sinn Fein Party legal along with the U.V.F and review the Diplock Courts.

May 10th: In these 6 Counties "artificially partitioned" from the 9 in the Ulster Province, Brendan Hughes the Anti - Treaty I.R.A. leader was arrested in Belfast with plans to carry out major attacks there in Belfast.

      The U.U.U. Council intended to put forward a motion in the Stormont Assembly to tear up the Sunningdale Agreement and the Ulster Workers' Council declared there would be a strike if their motion was not passed. 

     In the Irish Republic, Sean MacBride was a founder member and Chairman of  Amnesty International, and the winner of the Nobel Peace Prize.

    Robert Childers Barton, who had fought for Irish Independence in 1922, died at Annamoe in Co. Wicklow in the south - east of Southern Leinster, aged 97.

    Carroll O Daly / Cearbhall O Dalaigh, became the President of Ireland after the death of the younger Erskine Childers, and was to retain this position until 1976.

May 14th: In the 6 Counties "artificially partitioned" from the 9 in the Ulster Province, the motion to do away with the Sunningdale Agreement was defeated with the assistance of Brian Faulkner's new Unionist Party (that had been formed after he previously lost the leadership of the "Official" Unionist Party). the S.D.L. Party and the Alliance Party.

May 15th: May: In these 6 Counties "artificially partitioned" from the 9 in the Ulster Province, the Unionist Workers Council called a strike against the improved conditions for the, "Irish White Niggers"/ Irish Catholics (which was to bring about the collapse of the Power Sharing Executive), and for the British Labour Government to once again bring back Direct Rule, as the Power Sharing Executive Council in these 6 Counties in Ulster was disbanded due to the ongoing intransigence of the hard - line Ascendancy Unionists. Although the British Labour Government already had 16,500 troops in the 6 Counties in Ulster they sent over more now in anticipation of further trouble.

May 21st: In these 6 Counties "artificially partitioned" from the 9 in the Ulster Province, the Trade Unions organized back to work marches, but had very few supporters.

      Brian Faulkner, Gerry Fitt and Oliver Napier an Alliance Party leader, flew to London to have the British Army break the strike, but the Labour Government refused and Merlyn Rees also refused to negotiate with the U.W. Council.

May 28th: In these 6 Counties "artificially partitioned" from the 9 in the Ulster Province, Brian Faulkner resigned from the executive of his new Unionist Party and the remainder of his followers quit the same day and the Stormont Assembly was shut down and Direct Rule from Britain continued on and in the Elections the U.U.U. C won 46 seats out of the 78 seats, with the S.D.L. Party winning 17, and the Alliance Party 8 and the U.U.U. C went back to what it used to be with no sharing.

June 31st: Michael Gaughan an Anti - Treaty I.R.A. prisoner died in Parkhurst Prison on the Isle of Wight while on a hunger strike and being force fed. with others also there on a hunger strike and the Republicans were up in arms, as this also included 2 sisters, Marion and Diolun Price for 206 days, and 4 days after Michael Gaughan's death the Labour Government transferred them to the 6 Counties still under their control in the Ulster Province.

July: A British Labour Government White Paper was produced for the election of a Constitutional Convention who would draw up their own ideas for government in these 6 Counties "artificially partitioned" from the 9 in the Ulster Province, to include power sharing, still, with Westminster veto over any proposals, but only the Anti - Treaty Provos reacted by carrying out bombings in London and Birmingham in England.

September 16th: In these 6 Counties "artificially partitioned" from the 9 in the Ulster Province, 2 judges were gunned down by Rory Conaghan  and Martin Mac Birney in Belfast.

October 15th: In these 6 Counties "artificially partitioned" from the 9 in the Ulster Province,  there was a riot at the Maze Prison near Belfast where the Republican prisoners attacked the prison guards wounding 3 and set fire to the buildings.

October 16th: In these 6 Counties "artificially partitioned" from the 9 in the Ulster Province, the governor of the Womens' prison in Armagh in Co. Armagh was kidnapped and held for 24 hours in protest of the prison conditions there and the Anti - Treaty I.R.A. launched fresh bombing raids in England at Guilford near Aldershot, and Woolwich near London and 7 people were killed.

November 14th: James Mac Dade from the Anti - Treaty I.R.A. blew himself up when planting a bomb in Coventry in England.

November 17th: Daithi O Connell from the Anti - Treaty I.R.A. appeared on the T.V. and advised that the bombings being carried out in England were to be intensified.

November 24th: In Birmingham in England 21 people were killed by 2 bombs and 120 were injured, and 6 innocent Irish men were jailed after being arrested while boarding a ferry to go back home to the 6 Counties "artificially partitioned" from the 9 in the Ulster Province, and then physically assaulted, who it eventually turned out were proven innocent and were not involved at all.

      The British Labour Government passed the Prevention of Terrorism Act where the police in England could refuse entry to anyone they liked and hold them for 48 hours without charges, which was to be extended to 7 days by the British Home Secretary.

December:  In the 6 Counties "artificially partitioned" from the 9 in the Ulster Province, and still under the control of the British Labour Government, the Anti - Treaty Provos continued on with their campaign, and the Official Anti - Treaty I.R.A. held a conference in Dublin in the Irish Republic and Bernadette Devlin / Mac Aliskey and Seamus Costello walked out with their group as they were against the previous actions of holding to the particular Goulding line and formed the Irish Republican Socialist Party / I.R.S. Party.

December 10th: In the Irish Republic, Seamus Twomey, Kevin Mallon, J.B. O Hagan, Ruairi O Bradaigh, Seamus Loughran, Bill Mac Kee, Daithi O Connell and Maire Drumm who were the Anti - Treaty I.R.A. Provisional leaders, wh were now feeling the pressure met secretly with William Arlow, a non - Catholic clergyman at Feakle in Co. Clare in the north - west of the Munster Province, where they declared a ceasefire until January 2nd in the 6 Counties in Ulster Province, 1975. 

     Austin Clarke who was born in 1896 the Irish poet, died this year. 

December 19th: In the 6 Counties "artificially partitioned" from the 9 in the Ulster Province, and still under the control of the British Labour Government who entered into negotiations by removing compensation to families of the victims of "Bloody Sunday" in Derry.

December 20th: In these 6 Counties "artificially partitioned" from the 9 in the Ulster Province, and still under the control of the British Labour Government, the Anti - Treaty Provos declared a ceasefire for 11 days beginning on the 23rd and along with William Arlow from Feakle they urged further detention releases from the Maze Prison and 20 men were to be set free on December 31st and because of the releases the Anti - Treaty Provos extended the ceasefire for another 2 weeks and the British Military forces were to keep a low profile.

       In the these 6 Counties "artificially partitioned" from the 9 in the Ulster Province, Merlyn Rees the British Labour Government's representative there, said he would respond if the cease fire held up. 

      Another 216 people were killed in these 6 Counties in Ulster Province this year.. 

1975 In the Irish Republic, Eamonn de Valera, the previous Fianna Fail Prime Minister and President of Ireland, died at 92 years of age.

      In the 6 Counties "artificially partitioned" from the 9 in the Ulster Province, which were still controlled by the British Labour Government, the number of Irish Catholics in the Defence Regiment there, was now down to 3%.

January 16th: In these 6 Counties "artificially partitioned" from the 9 in the Ulster Province, the previous Provisional Anti - Treaty I.R.A ceasefire came to an end, although further detainees were released, as there had been no firm proposals put forward by the British Labour Government during the ceasefire period, and also due to the various activities still being carried out by the British Government Military forces during the extended period who really thought that they had won out by now and rescheduled their patrols and offensive action, while some of the Anti - Treaty Provos had been involved in fighting between Officials and I.R.S.P. and sectarian killings creating tit for tat in spite of the ceasefire.

     There was to be Civil War between 2 factions and I.N.L. A /  Irish National Liberation Army was formed who came to be responsible for the worst outrages 

January 19th:  In the 6 Counties "artificially partitioned" from the 9 in the Ulster Province still under the control of the British Labour Government, the Provisional Anti - Treaty I.R.A., under Proinnsias  / Francis Mac Airt and James Drumm, together with William Arlow the non - Catholic  clergyman from Feakle met with Merlyn Rees, the British Labour Government 's Secretary and other public servants there for further discussions, which brought about an extension of the Provisional Anti - Treaty I.R.A, ceasefire for another 14 days . 

January 30th: In the Irish Republic, Jack Lynch returned Charles Haughey and James Gibbons to his Opposition Fianna Fail Party's front bench to try and bring about some reconciliation between them.

February 9th: In the 6 Counties "artificially partitioned" from the 9 in the Ulster Province, and still under the control of the British Labour Government, the Provisional Anti - Treaty I.R.A. announced a further ceasefire, if the British Imperial Military forces were to keep a low profile.

February 11th: In these 6 Counties "artificially partitioned" from the 9 in the Ulster Province, and still under the control of the British Labour Government contact was made again with the British Labour Government representatives and the Anti - Treaty Provos declared an indefinite ceasefire and P.I.R.A./ Provision Anti - Treaty IRA incident centres were set up in the Irish Catholic areas approved officially by the British Labour Government to be used by the Sinn Fein Party  / Provos to defuse the local confrontations to continue on with the ceasefire. It was also used to report criminal activities to the Anti - Treaty Provos or the R.U.C. police. The British Labour Government wanted to maintain normality with the R.U.C. police taking over as against the British Government's Military forces who could not enter the difficult areas without being wounded or killed, which would assist to quieten down those in the Labour Left Wing who were demanding that the British Military troops should be withdrawn as they wanted to introduce a Constitutional Convention. The U.U.U.C said the ceasefire was a sell out to the Anti - Treaty I.R.A while the S.D.L. Party feared that if the Anti - Treaty Provos now accepted their support they might go to the Provisional Sinn Fein Party. 

March 1st: In these 6 Counties "artificially partitioned" from the 9 in the Ulster Province, and still under the control of the British Labour Government the political status from the Anti - Treaty I.R.A. prisoners was now removed, which only further highlighted the terrible conditions in the British prisons. 

      This month 6 Irish Catholics and 4 non - Catholics were killed in sectarian killings in these 6 Counties in Ulster Province.

May 1st: In these 6 Counties "artificially partitioned" from the 9 in the Ulster Province, still under the control of the British Labour Government , the Ascendancy Unionists won the new election by 47 seats to 31 and they were totally against the Sunningdale Agreement, and a Convention was held to to try and find a more suitable fairer solution, to try and bring about some common sense government there in the Stormont Parliament.

April 2nd:  In these 6 Counties "artificially partitioned" from the 9 in the Ulster Province, and still under the control of Harold Wilson and the British Labour Government, the Anti - Treaty Provos bombed 2 buildings in Belfast, and 1 British soldier was killed in other incidents, and sectarian killings moved to rural areas especially the "murder triangle" in the South Armagh and Co. Monaghan border region.

     During the first weekend of this month 11 people were killed and 32 were injured during the 20 shootings and 3 bombings that took place.

June: In these 6 Counties "artificially partitioned" from the 9 in the Ulster Province, and still under the control of the British Labour Government, 180 weapons were stolen from an Ulster Defence Regiment / U.D.R. at Maghera in the south of Co. Derry.

     The U.D.F. was to form part of the British Military force, and at its peak it was to have 11 Battalions made up of local men, which would eventually be reduced to 9 of which 97% were to be non - Catholics.

June 27th: The political Saor Eire Party closed down after it split, in the interests of all concerned.

July 31st: In the 6 Counties "artificially partitioned" from the 9 in the Ulster Province, and still under the control of the British  Labour Government, the U.D.R. killed 3 members and wounded another one from the Miami Show band near Newry on the Belfast to Dublin road and a bomb being carried by 2 of them blew themselves up.

August 13:  In these 6 Counties "artificially partitioned" from the 9 in the Ulster Province, and still under the control of the British Labour Government, the Bayardo Bar on the Shankhill Road was bombed and 5 people were killed, and near the end of this month there was also  renewed bombings in England, which the Anti - Treaty P.I.R.A. increased into Autumn to bring further pressure on the British Government.

October: In these 6 Counties "artificially partitioned" from the 9 in the Ulster Province, still under British Labour Government control, the Anti - Treaty I.R.A ceasefire was ended and Bernadette Devlin, resigned from the political Irish Republican Socialist Party, because it too was becoming increasingly militant.

        In the Irish Republic, a Dutch industrialist was kidnapped for ransom near Limerick to exchange for 3 Anti - Treaty P.I.R.A. prisoners held in the Irish Republic and he was rescued by the Garda / Irish police and his captures arrested.

October 2nd:  In the 6 Counties "artificially partitioned" from the 9 in the Ulster Province, and still under the control of the British Imperial Government, 11 people were killed on this day, including 4 United Volunteer Force / U.V.F. members when their own bomb blew up, and Merlyn Rees reinstated the ban on their groups due to their sectarian killings. The U.D.A. and the U.V.F did not get on as the U.V.F gave them a bad name. Merlyn Rees was still hoping to bring in a Constitutional Convention, but was having no success and the Anti - Treaty P.I.R.A. also came to realize that the British Labour Government was not going to remove their British Military troops as had been previously considered, and the intended Convention was to come to nothing. This month the Anti - Treaty Provos attacked the Officials and killed 1 person and wounded another 14 and the Officials retaliated. 

November 12th:  In these 6 Counties "artificially partitioned" from the 9 in the Ulster Province, and still under the control of the British Labour Government, Merlyn Rees was to close down the incident centres and the Anti - Treaty Provos were fighting with the Officials during this time in the Irish Catholic areas to gain control there. The last of the detainees were to be released.

      This year another 247  people met a violent death in these 6 Counties in Ulster.

1976 January 5th: At Whitecross in Southern Armagh in Co. Armagh, one of the 6 Counties in the Ulster Province "artificially partitione" by the British Imperial Governnment the Southern Armagh Republican Action Group, to which the Anti - Treaty Provos had no connection, killed 11 men out of 12 with 1 Irish Catholic able to escape, and Harold Wilson the British Labour Prime Minister sent 150 British Special SAS troops to Southern Armagh.

Early:  In the 6 Counties artificially partitioned from the 9 in the Ulster Province, and still under the control of the British Imperial Government, the British Labour Government wound up the Convention using a veto  and Direct rule from England was to continue on.

March: In these 6 Counties "artificially partitioned" from the 9 in the Ulster Province, and still under the control of the British Labour Government, anyone found guilty of any crimes after this date were to have no political status.

April: In these 6 Counties "artificially partitioned" from the 9 in the Ulster Province, and still under the control of the British Imperial Government, the British Military SAS troops were having success over the activities of the Anti - Treaty P.I.R.A. and the Provos began killing the Prison officers and a group of women formed a Relatives Action Committee and the Republican prisoners adopted a policy of non - co - operation with the Prison authorities and the Ati - Treaty Provos began to regain support. The Anti - Treaty Provos had Cells of 3 to 4 only, as an A.S.U. / Active Service Unit who kept separate from each other, specialising with weapons returned that were only used for special assignments then handed back, with knee capping used for criminal activity and their newspaper was the weekly, Republican News.

July 23rd: In the Irish Republic, members of the Provisional Anti - Treaty I.R.A. killed Christopher Ewart - Briggs, the British Labour Government's Ambassador in Dublin with a landmine as a reprisal for the British Military SAS attacks in Southern Armagh in Co. Armagh, one of the 6 Counties "artificially partitioned" from the 9 in the Ulster Province by the British Imperial Government in 1922.

August 10th:  In the 6 Counties "artificially partitioned" from the 9 in the Ulster Province, and still under the control of the British Labour  Government an Anti - Treaty Provo was killed after being shot by British Military forces in Belfast while he was driving a car and he ran over Mrs. Anne Maguire, who was badly injured, and her 3 children were killed. and 2 Irish Catholic women, Mairead Corrigan who was her sister together with her friend Betty Williams formed the Womens Peace Movement to try and end the violence in these 6 Counties in Ulster. Massive Peace rallies were then held all over Ireland and England and both of them were to then visit the USA where they were involved in successful fund raising towards this goal. The beginnings of the "Peace Movement" now occurred with non - Catholic women embracing the Catholic Nuns, and their individual actions also in this regard were to bring it's rewards personally for Mairead Corrigan and Betty Williams. Betty Williams, was to organize a march in Anderstown, against the continuing violence, which brought out 200 supporters, and she was then joined there by Mairead Corrigan, and from then on they both continued to organize similar marches, until they had one composed of over 30,000 people being 1 out of every 10 people in the City. They also both campaigned in the United States against support for the Anti - Treaty I.R.A., which had an effect, and they also assisted those who were marked down for punishment to escape from Ireland. Eventually they were to be awarded the "Nobel Peace Prize" for their efforts, and established the Community of Peace People.

     The Fair Employment Act, was brought in this year, in these 6 Counties in the Ulster Province, which forbade "religious or political" discrimination, and this positive improvement was only to lead to the setting up of the Fair Employment Agency, but despite this the Irish Catholic employment situation only got worse. 

August: In the Irish Republic the Fine Gael Coalition Government, introduced a State of Emergency, increasing the maximum sentences of 2 to 7 years for the Anti - Treaty I.R.A. membership, and 10 years for the promotion of revolutionary attitudes, and also extended the detention period to 7 days for the Anti - Treaty I.R.A. suspects, and also increased roadblock provisions and Carroll O Daley / Cearbhaill O Dalaigh the President of Ireland forwarded 2 of these Bills to the Irish Supreme Court for their jurisdiction, which upset Patrick Donegan, and the eventual result of all of this was that the Irish President would eventually resign from his position. Michael O Kennedy, the Fianna Fail Party Opposition spokesman on Foreign Affairs called on the British Labour Government to withdraw from the 6 Counties "artificially partitioned" from the 9 in the Ulster Province, while Charles Haughey also from the Fianna Fail Party called on the British Government to let the population in the whole of Ireland solve their own problems.

September:  In the 6 Counties "artificially partitioned" from the 9 in the Ulster Province, and still under the control of the British Labour Government, the first Republican prisoner came up against the edict of no political status when Kieran Nugent an Anti - Treaty I.R.A. Volunteer was imprisoned in Long Kesh who wore only a blanket in protest.

    In these 6 Counties "artificially partitioned" from the 9 in the Ulster Province, and still under the control of the British Labour Government, Roy Mason previously a Minister of Defence in the British Labour Government who was a tough Yorkshire man took over from Merlyn Rees and warned the 70 blanket covered men he would remove any reward for good behaviour and wanted the R.U.C. police to take the lead and the British Army a backseat position and a new interrogation centre was set up in Belfast in Co. Antrim, which became "infamous" with what was to occur there.

     Ian Paisley the ethnic and religious bigot was now the leader of the U.U.U.C / after taking over from Sir William Craig and he wanted no British Government back and decided to make use of further strikes. 

October 22nd: In the Irish Republic, Carroll O Daley / Cearbhall O Dalaigh, the President of Ireland, resigned his position, due to the Fine Gael Party's attitude towards him personally, and Patrick Hillery was to later become the new President of Ireland for the next 14 years until 1990.  

     A Criminal Law Jurisdiction Bill was debated, to carry out trials and prosecutions in the Irish Republic, for any offences that were committed by the Anti - Treaty I.R.A in the 6 Counties "artificially partitioned" from the 9 in the Ulster Province still under the control of the British Labour Government, which was bitterly opposed by the Fianna Fail Party who were in Opposition.

     In these 6 Counties "artificially partitioned" from the 9 in the Ulster Province, and still under British Labour Government control, Maire Drumm the Vice - President of the political Sinn Fein Party, was murdered in cold blood, by Ascendancy Unionist Para - militaries, while she was in the Mater Hospital at Belfast in Co. Antrim.

     The Convention to find a suitable alternative to set up a reasonable common sense Stormont Government there in these 6 Counties "artificially partitioned" from the 9 in the Ulster Province still came up with no result. 

    During a meeting this month the Peace Movement refused to support a motion calling for the British Labour Government and their Military forces to get out of Ireland and 2 days later issued a statement that the R.U.C. police and the British Military were the only legitimate law, which upset the Irish Nationalists.   

    Fitz Gerald the 7th Duke of Leinster, who had lost his family seat of Carton near Dublin in the north - east of Southern Leinster, over a bet in 1914, died in a boarding house in England.

    James Callaghan was now to be the British Labour Prime Minister until 1979.

     Again this year 307  people met with a violent death in these 6 Counties in Ulster.

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