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. Ivar Cooper was appointed the Minister for Community Affairs and William Craig the Minister for Home Affairs. At this in Antrim there were 352,594 Catholics in Antrim being 23.6 % of the population there, in Armagh 132,678 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 was in control of the Independent Orange Order, which held its own marches and the Alliance Party did not have much support from the working class.   

 January 22nd: In the 6 Counties artificially partitioned from the 9 in the Ulster Province, Brian Faulkner was forced to resign from the "Official" Unionist Party and was succeeded by 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 progress made.     

23rd: In the 6 Counties artificially partitioned from the 9 in the Ulster Province, the "Official " Unionists walked out of the Assembly. 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 won and would be in power until 1976, and Merlin Rees was appointed to control the  6 Counties artificially partitioned from the 9 in the Ulster Province, 11 of the 12 seats were won by the Ulster Unionist / U.U.U. Council who were opposed to power sharing there with the only pro - Sunningdale member being elected was Gerry Fitt from the S.D.L. Party. Bernadette Devlin and Frank Mac Manus lost their seats. The Labour Government tried to scare the Unionists into taking up their seats in the Assembly offering concessions to the I.R.A. with pressure to withdraw British Government troops because of "Official" Unionist intransigence.

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

May 10th: In the 6 Counties artificially partitioned from the 9 in the Ulster Province, Brendan Hughes the I.R.A. leader was arrested in Belfast with plans to carry out major attacks in Belfast. The U.U.U. Council intended to put forward a motion in the 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 the 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"/ Catholic Irish, (which was to bring about the collapse of the Power Sharing Executive), and for the British Imperial 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 in anticipation of further trouble.

May 21st: In the 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 the 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 Assembly was shut down and Direct Rule from Britain continued on. 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 as it used to be with no sharing.

June 31st: Michael Gaughan an 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 on a hunger strike. Republicans were up in arms, as this also included 2 sisters, Marion and Diolun Price 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 Government White Paper was produced for the election of a Constitutional Convention who would draw up their own ideas for government In the 6 Counties artificially partitioned from the 9 in the Ulster Province, to include power sharing, still with Westminster veto over any proposals. Only the Provos reacted by carrying out bombings in London and Birmingham in England.

September 16th: In the 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 the 6 Counties artificially partitioned from the 9 in the Ulster Province,  there was a riot at the Mase Prison near Belfast where the Republican prisoners attacked the prison guards wounding 3 and set fire to the buildings.

October 16th: In the 6 Counties artificially partitioned from the 9 in the Ulster Province, the governor of the Womens' prison in Armagh was kidnapped and held for 24 hours in protest of the prison conditions there. The 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 I.R.A. blew himself up when planting a bomb in Coventry in England.

November 17th: Daithi O Connell from the I.R.A. appearing on the T.V. said that the bombing in England was to be intensified.

November 24th: In Birmingham in England 21 people were killed by 2 bombs and 120 were injured, and 6 innocent Irishmen 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 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 Imperial Government, the Provos continued on with their campaign, and the Official 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 I.R. 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, 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 (1896 - 1974) the Irish poet, died this year. 

19th:  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 entered into negotiations by removing compensation to families of the victims of Bloody Sunday in Derry.

20th:  In the 6 Counties artificially partitioned from the 9 in the Ulster Province, and still under the control of the British Imperial Government, the 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 Irishmen were to be set free on December 31st and because of the releases the Provos extended the ceasefire for another 2 weeks and the British Military forces were to keep a low profile.

       In the the 6 Counties artificially partitioned from the 9 in the Ulster Province, Merlyn Rees, who was now the British Labour Government's representative there, said he would respond if the cease fire held up. This year, another 216 people were killed in these 6 Counties in Ulster. 

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 Catholic Irish in the Defence Regiment there, was now down to 3%.

January 16th: In the 6 Counties artificially partitioned from the 9 in the Ulster Province, the previous Provisional 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. Some Provos had been involved in fighting between Officials and I.R.S.P. and sectarian killings and tit for tat had continued 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 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 Imperial Government 's appointed Secretary and other public servants there for further discussions, which brought about an extension of the Provisional 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 I.R.A. announced a further ceasefire, if the British Imperial Military forces were to keep a low profile.

February 11th:  In the 6 Counties artificially partitioned from the 9 in the Ulster Province, and still under the control of the British Imperial Government contact was made again with the British Labour Government representatives and the Provos declared an indefinite ceasefire and P.I.R.A. incident centres were set up in the Catholic areas approved officially by the British Labour Government to be used by the Sinn Fein  / Provos to defuse the local confrontations to continue on with the ceasefire. It was also used to report criminal activities to the Provos or the R.U.C. The British Labour Government wanted to maintain normality with the R.U.C. taking over as against the British Government 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. They wanted to introduce a Constitutional Convention . The U.U.U.C said the ceasefire was a sell out to the I.R.A while the S.D.L. Party feared that if the Provos now accepted their support they might go to the Provisional Sinn Fein Party. 

March 1st: In the 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 I.R.A. prisoners was now removed, which only further highlighted the terrible conditions in the British prisons. This month 6 Catholics and 4 non - Catholics were killed in sectarian killings.

May 1st: In the 6 Counties artificially partitioned from the 9 in the Ulster Province, still under British Labour Government control, 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 Stormont.

April 2nd:  In the 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 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 South Armagh and Co. Monaghan border. 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 the 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 a 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  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 the 6 Counties artificially partitioned from the 9 in the Ulster Province, and still under the control of the British Imperial 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 P.I.R.A. increased into Autumn to bring further pressure on the British Government.

October: In the 6 Counties artificially partitioned form the 9 in the Ulster Province, still under British Labour Government control, the I.R.A ceasefire was ended. 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 P.I.R.A. prisoners held i 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 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 Provos attacked the Officials and killing 1 person and wounded another 14 and the Officials retaliated. 

November 12th:  In the 6 Counties artificially partitioned from the 9 in the Ulster Province, and still under the control of the British Imperial Government, Merlyn Rees was to close down the incident centres and the Provos were fighting with the Officials during this time in the 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 the Southern Armagh Republican Action Group, to which the Provos had no connection, killed 11 men out of 12 with 1 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 the 6 Counties artificially partitioned from the 9 in the Ulster Province, and still under the control of the British Imperial Government, anyone found guilty of any crimes after this date were to have no political status.

April:  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 Military SAS troops were having success over the activities of P.I.R.A. and the Provos began killing the Prison officers. 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 Provos began to regain support. The 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 23 rd: In the Irish Republic, members of the Provisional 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.

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 a 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 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. 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 Unites States against support for the 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, 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 Catholic Irish employment situation only got worse. 

August: In the Irish Republic the Fine Gael Coalition Government, introduced a State of Emergency, increasing the maximum sentences with 2 to 7 years for I.R.A. membership, and 10 years for the promotion of revolutionary attitudes, and also extended the detention period to 7 days for the I.R.A. suspects, and also increased roadblock provisions. 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 British Labour Government control, the first Republican prisoner came up against the edict of no political status when Kieran Nugent  an I.R.A. Volunteer was imprisoned in Long Kesh who wore only a blanket in protest.

    In the 6 Counties artificially partitioned from the 9 in the Ulster Province, and still under British Labour Government control, 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. to take the lead  and the British Army a backseat position. A new interrogation centre was set up in Belfast, which became infamous and Ian Paisley was now the leader of the U.U.U.C / after taking over from 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 committed by the I.R.A in the 6 Counties artificially partitioned from the 9 in the Ulster Province still under the control of the British Government, which was bitterly opposed by the Fianna Fail Party who were in Opposition.

     In the 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 Government there in Stormont, still came up with no result. During a meeting this month the Peace Movement refused to support a motion calling for the British Government and their Military forces to get out of Ireland and 2 days later issued a statement that the R.U.C. 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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