1977 / 1978 / 1979
"Charles Haughey Fianna Fail Party Prime Minister."
1977
AD
In the
Irish Republic,
Sean MacBride was awarded the
Lenin Peace Prize
and
Patrick Hillery
"officially" became the new
President of Ireland, who was to
retain the office for two 7 year terms.
I
June 13th: In the Irish Republic,
Jack Lynch,
the leader of the
Fianna Fail Party, was "re -
elected" to become the new
Prime Minister of
the
Republic of Ireland, with the largest ever overall majority
of
50.6%
of the votes, winning
84 seats giving the
Fianna Fail Party a
20 seat
majority, with the Fine Gael
Party dropping from
53
to
43 seats, and the
Irish Labour Party down
2
seats to
17,
with
4
Independents, which now included
Neill Blaney,
Joseph Sheridan, Michael Lipper from
Limerick, and
Noel Browne.
Liam Cosgrave "resigned" as the leader of the
Fine Gael
Party, and
Garret Fitz Gerald was to replace him until
1987, while
Brendan Corish
also
resigned as the
Irish
Labour Party
leader and was replaced by
Frank Mac Cluskey.
In the 6 Counties "artificially partitioned" from the 9 Counties in the Ulster Province, still under the control of James Callaghan and the British Labour Government, Betty Williams and Mairead Corrigan who had previously founded the "Peace People" received their Nobel Peace Prize, but the Peace Movement was now a "spent force," but during the Summer and autumn "violence" declined due to Roy Mason's crackdown.
August: In these 6 Counties "artificially partitioned" from the 9 Counties in the Ulster Province, and still under the control of James Callaghan and the British Labour Government the Queen of Britain visited for 2 days and the "Anti - Treaty Provos" support was even "higher" and they planted a "bomb" in the new University where she was visiting that went off after she left. Jimmy Carter the newly elected President of the Unites States of America offered financial aid for these 6 Counties in Ulster Province if the violence "ceased" and a "political" solution could be found, but he was basically ignored, while the National Committee of the Democratic Party in America passed a motion "condemning" the British Government's discrimination policy against the Irish Catholic communities in these 6 Counties in Ulster Province. The "Anti - Treaty Provisional I,R,A." Council had Provisional Sinn Fein Party representative on it based in Dublin, while the Belfast Brigade was made up of 3 Battalions, with one in the Upper Falls, Ballymurphy and Anderstown, the second in the Lower Falls, Clonard and Divis Flats, and the third in the Ardoyne and the Short Strand, and other Catholic areas in the City composed of 20 to 25 men. The Cumann na Ban / women and the Fianna na Eireann / youths were recruits to the Anti - Treaty P.I.R.A / Provos. The I.N.L.A was still prominent and active, but due to internal strife some of their members defected as there was some connection to the "Anti - Treaty P.I.R.A / Provos". Loyalist Doomsday groups / Orange Volunteers from the Orange Order who were the most militant were declaring "Civil War" against the Irish Catholics if these 6 Counties in Ulster Province were returned to the whole of Ireland, while the Ulster Defence Association / U.D.A had never been "banned," but Ulster Freedom Fighters who actually did the work "were," although it was occasionally also carried out by young militants. They had 8 Brigades with 1 in Antrim, 1 in Derry, 1 in South - East Mid Ulster, 4 in Belfast and 1 in Co. Down with their Inner Council run by their sympathisers in Glasgow in Scotland.
October: In these 6 Counties "artificially partitioned" from the 9 Counties in the Ulster Province, and still under the control of James Callaghan and the British Labour Government an "Anti - Treaty P.I.R.A. / Provo / A.S.U. / Active Service Unit led by Francis Hughes carried out "booby tra" attacks in South Derry in Co. Derry killing U.D.R. officers at Magherafelt.
December: In these 6 Counties "artificially partitioned" from the 9 Counties in the Ulster Province, and still under the control of James Callaghan and the British Labour Government the "Anti - Treaty Provos" bombed La Mon Hotel at Comber in Co. Down were 12 people were "killed" and many burnt and 20 Sinn Fein Party members were "arrested" including Gerry Adams their newly "elected" Vice - President and the "Anti - Treaty Provos" then destroyed 16 buses in the Derry depot.
1978 AD In these 6 Counties "artificially partitioned" from the 9 Counties in the Ulster Province, still under the control of James Callaghan and the British Labour Government the Emergency Provisions Act was brought in, which was only to be another great "violation" of "human rights," there as it was composed of very "extreme" measures against the population there. Although the Irish Catholics made up 1/3 of the work force, they were 2/3 of the unemployed, and there was 52 % Catholic children to 48 % non - Catholic children in the various schools.
January: In these 6 Counties "artificially partitioned" from the 9 Counties in the Ulster Province, still under the control of James Callaghan and the British Labour Government, the "Anti - Treaty Provos" began a "political" campaign for political status for the "prisoners" in the Maze Prison and a conference involving everyone was held on Coalisland near Loch Neagh and also another in February at Anderstown.
February 10th:
Martin O Connor, Edward Butler, Harry Duggan and
Hugh O Doherty /
The
Balcombe Street Four were "imprisoned"
for 30
years each in London.
This year
1979 AD
The population of the
Irish Republic
was up to
3,368,217, while in the
January 1st: In the 6 Counties "artificially partitioned" from the 9 Counties in the Ulster Province, still under the control of James Callaghan and the British Labour Government, the "Anti - Treaty Provisional I.R.A. / P.I.R.A / Provos" refused to be involved in the march by the Peoples' Democracy Party to commemorate the 10th Anniversary of the "Civil Rights" march to Burntollet in support of the Maze Prison blanket prisoners, whose number was now at 250 plus women who were imprisoned in Armagh Jail in Co. Armagh because notice had been given to the R.U.C. police. The "Anti - Treaty P.I.R.A / Provos" were to concentrate on the "prison officers" this year and 9 were to be "killed" as the blanket prisoners refused to keep themselves clean in their cells to gain "political status" as the wardens were "harassing" them while they were going to the toilet and emptying their chamber pots over their mattresses. Some of the prisoners wanted to begin a "hunger" strike but the "Anti - Treaty P.I.R.A." leadership was against it, but it made the "Anti - Treaty P.I.R.A" redefine its association with the Peoples Democracy Party, the Irish Republican Socialist Party and the Relatives Action Committee and they formed the H Block Armagh Committee so called due to the shape of the building's layout in the Maze Prison and this co - operation increased "sympathy" for the Irish Republican movement. The Loyalists were "upset" and isolated by their "intransigence" and began more "murders" of the people involved with the H Block Campaign including their own fellow non - Catholics.
May:
In these 6 Counties "artificially partitioned" from the 9 Counties in the Ulster Province, still under the control of James Callaghan and the British Labour Government, the Unionists won 10 seats in the British Elections, with 3 to the Social Democratic Labour Party /S.D.L. Party, 5 to the "Official" Unionist Party and the remainder to Independent Unionists. Gerry Fitt won West Belfast, Frank Maguire / Fermanagh / South Tyrone as an "Independent Nationalist." James Callaghan, the British Labour Prime Minister, had done a deal with the Ascendancy "Official" Unionists to introduce Proportional Representation to give them an extra 5 seats, with Gerry Fitt from the Social Democratic Labour Party abstaining.
The Tories / Conservative Unionist Party was now "elected" as the new British Conservative Government in England until 1990 under "The Iron Lady," Margaret Thatcher as their Prime Minister.
July:
Margaret Thatcher the new British
Conservative Prime Minister in England, appointed
Humphrey Atkins to act as her
Secretary in the
6 Counties "artificially partitioned" by the
British
Imperial Coalition Government from the
9 Counties in the Ulster Province
in 1922 which had culminated in so much misery and
death.
August 9th:
In these
6
Counties "artificially partitioned" from the
9 Counties in the
Ulster Province, under the control of
Margaret Thatcher and the
British Conservative Government, the 8th
Anniversary of "Internment without "Trial" occurred and 10,000
people demonstrated in Belfast in Co. Antrim and there where 5
"Anti - Treaty
Provos" there dressed in uniform who were "cheered" on by the crowd as there was
now "more" support for the "Anti - Treaty P.I.R.A. / Provisional I.R.A."
October: In these 6 Counties "artificially partitioned" from the 9 Counties in the Ulster Province, the "Anti - Treaty I.R.A" come out once again, and reaffirmed their commitment to end the "artificial partition" of these 6 Counties in Ulster Province and Long Kesh Prison was also opened there in Ulster Province, by the British Conservative Government for the internment of Irish prisoners, while Humphrey Atkins the British Conservative Governments newly appointed Secretary in control of these 6 Counties in Ulster Province condemned the groups in America for supporting Irish Nationalism and the "re - unification" of Ireland.
December 5th:
Jack Lynch,
the leader of the
Fianna Fail Government in the
Irish Republic, was forced to
"resign" as the
Prime Minister of Ireland
after
9 years
of service in this capacity, and
13 years
as the Fianna Fail Party leader, as he had allowed
British
Conservative
Government helicopters
to fly over the "artificial border" areas
following the death of
Lord
Mountbatten.
December 7th: In the Irish Republic,
Charles Haughey
/ Cathal hEachaidh, was
to be "elected" as the new leader of
the Fianna Fail
Party by
44 votes
to
38,
and was to remain their leader until
1992, and he was to contest
5 elections
while
losing
2
of these during his campaign for a United
Ireland,
holding office in
2 of these
Fianna Fail Governments only with minority support, and he was
to install
Maire Geoghegan -
Quinn as the "first woman" to be
appointed to a
Fianna Fail
Government.
December 11th: In the Irish Republic, Charles Haughey was in as the new Fianna Fail / Taoiseach Prime Minister of Ireland in the Dail Eireann / Irish Assembly elected by 82 votes to 62,
In the 6 Counties
"artificially partitioned" from the 9
Counties the
Ulster Province,
Gerry Fitt
was out as the "leader" of the "political"
Social Democratic Labour Party
/ S.D.L.P. and
was replaced by
John Hume.
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