February 15, 2011
By Staff Reporter
Oct. 5, 1968: First clash between civil rights marchers and RUC in Derry.
July 14, 1969: First death of the troubles when a 70-year-old farmer, believed to be an onlooker, is struck in melee outside Dungiven Orange Hall in County Derry.
Aug 12-14, 1969: British troops deployed after rioting in Derry and Belfast.
Jan. 11, 1970: Provisional and Official split in Sinn Fein after row about defense of Catholic areas in the North and participation in London, Dublin and Belfast parliaments.
Aug. 9, 1971: Internment. Fifteen die and 300 arrested.
September 1971: UDA set up as main Loyalist paramilitary organization.
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Jan. 30, 1972: Derry’s Bloody Sunday. British army kills 13.
March 24, 1972: Stormont abolished by British government after 51 years of Protestant-dominated power and direct rule starts.
July 21, 1972: Bloody Friday. IRA kills nine with bombs in Belfast.
Nov. 21, 1973: Sunningdale accord introduces power-sharing executive.
May 17, 1974: Car bombs in Dublin and Monaghan kill 31.
May 28, 1974: Loyalist strike brings down power-sharing executive.
May 1, 1975: Elections to Northern Ireland constitutional convention.
April 9, 1981: Bobby Sands, leader of the hunger strikes, wins seat in Westminster election.
Oct. 20, 1982: Sinn Fein runs candidates in Northern Ireland assembly election and wins more than 10 percent of vote. SDLP and Sinn Fein boycott assembly.
Nov. 15, 1985: Garret FitzGerald and Margaret Thatcher sign Anglo-Irish Agreement.
Nov. 11, 1987: Eleven die in IRA bombing of Enniskillen Poppy Day commemoration.
April 1991: Talks begin under chairmanship of Sir Ninian Stephens. They break down in July.
October 1993: IRA bomb explodes prematurely on Shankill Road killing 10 including the bomber. A week later loyalist gunmen kill seven in retaliation in pub at Greysteel, Co. Derry.
Dec. 15, 1993: Albert Reynolds and John Major signal talks role for Sinn Fein if violence ends.
Aug. 31, 1994: IRA announces first cease-fire, followed by UDA and UVF several weeks later.
February 1996: Canary Wharf bombing in London kills two and ends IRA cease-fire.
June 10, 1996: Senator George Mitchell begins multi-party talks. Sinn Fein refused entry because of continued violence.
July 20, 1997: Second IRA cease-fire.
Sept. 15, 1997: Sinn Fein join multi-party peace talks.
April 10, 1998: Belfast Agreement signed.
May 22, 1998: Joint referenda to accept or reject Belfast Agreement held North and South.