1997 in Northern Ireland
Encyclopedia
Events
- March - The first phase of the Forestside Shopping CentreForestside Shopping CentreForestside Shopping Centre is located in Newtownbreda in the southern suburbs of Belfast, Northern Ireland. The first phase of the centre, the Sainsbury's store, opened in March 1997. The popularity of the centre has exceeded expectations with traffic congestion a problem in peak trading seasons...
in Belfast opens with a new Sainsbury's store. - 1 May- United Kingdom general election, 1997United Kingdom general election, 1997The United Kingdom general election, 1997 was held on 1 May 1997, more than five years after the previous election on 9 April 1992, to elect 659 members to the British House of Commons. The Labour Party ended its 18 years in opposition under the leadership of Tony Blair, and won the general...
- 3 July - TaoiseachTaoiseachThe Taoiseach is the head of government or prime minister of Ireland. The Taoiseach is appointed by the President upon the nomination of Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Oireachtas , and must, in order to remain in office, retain the support of a majority in the Dáil.The current Taoiseach is...
Bertie AhernBertie AhernPatrick Bartholomew "Bertie" Ahern is a former Irish politician who served as Taoiseach of Ireland from 26 June 1997 to 7 May 2008....
meets Prime MinisterPrime Minister of the United KingdomThe Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the Head of Her Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom. The Prime Minister and Cabinet are collectively accountable for their policies and actions to the Sovereign, to Parliament, to their political party and...
Tony BlairTony BlairAnthony Charles Lynton Blair is a former British Labour Party politician who served as the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2 May 1997 to 27 June 2007. He was the Member of Parliament for Sedgefield from 1983 to 2007 and Leader of the Labour Party from 1994 to 2007...
for the first time. - 6 July - There is violence in nationalist areas after an Orange OrderOrange InstitutionThe Orange Institution is a Protestant fraternal organisation based mainly in Northern Ireland and Scotland, though it has lodges throughout the Commonwealth and United States. The Institution was founded in 1796 near the village of Loughgall in County Armagh, Ireland...
parade is allowed down the Garvaghy Road by the Royal Ulster ConstabularyRoyal Ulster ConstabularyThe Royal Ulster Constabulary was the name of the police force in Northern Ireland from 1922 to 2000. Following the awarding of the George Cross in 2000, it was subsequently known as the Royal Ulster Constabulary GC. It was founded on 1 June 1922 out of the Royal Irish Constabulary...
in PortadownPortadownPortadown is a town in County Armagh, Northern Ireland. The town sits on the River Bann in the north of the county, about 23 miles south-west of Belfast...
. - 20 July - The Provisional Irish Republican ArmyProvisional Irish Republican ArmyThe Provisional Irish Republican Army is an Irish republican paramilitary organisation whose aim was to remove Northern Ireland from the United Kingdom and bring about a socialist republic within a united Ireland by force of arms and political persuasion...
institutes a second ceasefire. - 26 August - U2U2U2 are an Irish rock band from Dublin. Formed in 1976, the group consists of Bono , The Edge , Adam Clayton , and Larry Mullen, Jr. . U2's early sound was rooted in post-punk but eventually grew to incorporate influences from many genres of popular music...
play their first Belfast concert in over a decade as part of the PopMart TourPopmart TourThe PopMart Tour was a worldwide concert tour by rock band U2. Launched in support of the group's 1997 album, Pop, the tour's concerts were performed in stadiums and parks from 1997 through 1998...
. 40,000 fans attended the concert in Belfast Botanic GardensBelfast Botanic GardensBelfast Botanic Gardens is a public park in Belfast, Northern Ireland.Occupying of south Belfast, the gardens are popular with office workers, students and tourists. They are located on Stranmillis Road in Belfast's university area, with Queen's University nearby...
. - 7 October - Substantial all-party talks begin in Northern IrelandNorthern IrelandNorthern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
. - 27 December - Loyalist Volunteer ForceLoyalist Volunteer ForceThe Loyalist Volunteer Force is a loyalist paramilitary group in Northern Ireland. It was formed by Billy Wright in 1996 when he and the Portadown unit of the Ulster Volunteer Force's Mid-Ulster Brigade was stood down by the UVF leadership. He had been the commander of the Mid-Ulster Brigade. The...
leader Billy WrightBilly Wright (loyalist)William Stephen "Billy" Wright was a prominent Ulster loyalist during the period of violent religious/political conflict known as "The Troubles". He joined the Ulster Volunteer Force in 1975 and became commander of its Mid-Ulster Brigade in the early 1990s...
is shot dead in the Maze prison by members of the Irish National Liberation ArmyIrish National Liberation ArmyThe Irish National Liberation Army or INLA is an Irish republican socialist paramilitary group that was formed on 8 December 1974. Its goal is to remove Northern Ireland from the United Kingdom and create a socialist united Ireland....
.
Arts and literature
- Seamus DeaneSeamus DeaneSeamus Deane is an Irish poet, novelist, and critic.Born in Derry, Northern Ireland, Deane was born into a Catholic nationalist family. He attended St. Columb's College in Derry, Queen's University Belfast and Pembroke College, Cambridge University . At St...
's first novel, Reading in the DarkReading in the DarkReading in the Dark is a novel written by Seamus Deane in 1996. The novel is set in Derry, Northern Ireland and spans more than twenty-five years .-Plot introduction:...
(published in 1996), is shortlisted for the Booker Prize and wins the Irish Times International Fiction Prize and The Irish Literature Prize. - Ciarán CarsonCiaran CarsonCiaran Gerard Carson is a Belfast, Northern Ireland-born poet and novelist.-Early years:Ciaran Carson was born in Belfast into an Irish-speaking family...
's The Star Factory is published and wins the Yorkshire PostYorkshire PostThe Yorkshire Post is a daily broadsheet newspaper, published in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England by Yorkshire Post Newspapers, a company owned by Johnston Press...
Book Award (Book of the Year). - Waterfront HallWaterfront HallThe Waterfront Hall is a multi-purpose facility, in Belfast, Northern Ireland, designed by local architects' firm Robinson McIlwaine. Practice partner Peter McGukin was the project architect....
, concert and conference venue in BelfastBelfastBelfast is the capital of and largest city in Northern Ireland. By population, it is the 14th biggest city in the United Kingdom and second biggest on the island of Ireland . It is the seat of the devolved government and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly...
is completed.
Football
- Irish League
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- Winners: CrusadersCrusaders F.C.Crusaders Football Club is a semi-professional, Northern Irish association football club, playing in the IFA Premiership. The club, founded in 1898, hails from Belfast and plays its home matches at Seaview. Club colours are red and black. The current manager is Stephen Baxter, appointed in 2005...
- Winners: Crusaders
- Irish CupIrish CupFor the equivalent tournament in the Republic of Ireland, see FAI Cup.The Irish Cup is the national cup knock-out competition in Northern Irish football. Inaugurated in 1881, it is the fourth oldest national cup competition in the world...
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- Winners: GlenavonGlenavon F.C.Glenavon F.C. is a semi-professional, Northern Irish football club playing in the IFA Premiership. The club, founded in 1889, hails from Lurgan and plays its home matches at Mourneview Park...
1 - 0 CliftonvilleCliftonville F.C.Cliftonville Football & Athletic Club is a semi-professional, Northern Irish football club playing in the IFA Premiership. Founded on 20 September 1879 by John McCredy McAlery in the suburb of Cliftonville in north Belfast, it is the oldest football club in Ireland and celebrated its 130th...
- Winners: Glenavon
- League of IrelandLeague of IrelandThe League of Ireland is the national association football league of the Republic of Ireland. Founded in 1921, as a league of eight clubs, it has expanded over time into a two-tiered league of 22 clubs. It is currently split into the League of Ireland Premier Division and the League of Ireland...
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- Winners: Derry CityDerry City F.C.Derry City Football Club is a professional football club based in Derry, Northern Ireland. It plays in the League of Ireland Premier Division...
- Winners: Derry City
- FAI CupFAI CupThe Football Association of Ireland Challenge Cup, known as the FAI Ford Cup for sponsorship reasons, is a knock-out association football competition contested annually by teams from the Republic of Ireland...
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- Winners: ShelbourneShelbourne F.C.Shelbourne Football Club is an Irish professional football club based in the Drumcondra area of Dublin, currently playing in the League of Ireland Premier Division....
2 - 0 Derry CityDerry City F.C.Derry City Football Club is a professional football club based in Derry, Northern Ireland. It plays in the League of Ireland Premier Division...
- Winners: Shelbourne
Deaths
- 7 January - Patricia McLaughlinPatricia McLaughlinPatricia McLaughlin OBE , known as Patricia McLaughlin, was a unionist politician in Northern Ireland and one of the earliest female Members of Parliament from the region....
, Ulster Unionist PartyUlster Unionist PartyThe Ulster Unionist Party – sometimes referred to as the Official Unionist Party or, in a historic sense, simply the Unionist Party – is the more moderate of the two main unionist political parties in Northern Ireland...
MP. - 7 March - Geraldine Clinton LittleGeraldine Clinton LittleGeraldine Clinton Little was a poet born in Northern Ireland. Emigrating to the United States with her family at age 2, she spent her life in the United States...
, poet (b.19231923 in Northern Ireland-Events:*28 May - The government releases two captured documents issued by the IRA on 24 May. The letters, signed by Éamon de Valera and Frank Aiken call for the dumping of arms and the ending of armed struggle...
). - 17 April - Chaim HerzogChaim HerzogChaim Herzog served as the sixth President of Israel , following a distinguished career in both the British Army and the Israel Defense Forces .-Early life:...
, sixth President of IsraelPresident of IsraelThe President of the State of Israel is the head of state of Israel. The position is largely an apolitical ceremonial figurehead role, with the real executive power lying in the hands of the Prime Minister. The current president is Shimon Peres who took office on 15 July 2007...
(1983–1993) (b.19181918 in Ireland-Events:*January 18 - Count Plunkett, Seán T. O'Kelly and others protest at the forcible feeding of Sinn Féin prisoners in Mountjoy Prison.*March 2 - In Skibbereen, County Cork Ernest Blythe is arrested for non-compliance with a military rule directing him to reside in Ulster.*March 6 - In the...
). - 2 May - Robin KinahanRobin KinahanSir Robert George Caldwell "Robin" Kinahan was a politician, businessman and a senior member of the Orange Order in Northern Ireland. In his obituary, he was described as one of the last of the "county elite" to remain a high-ranking member of the Orange Order during the turbulent years of The...
, Unionist politician and businessman (b.19161916 in Ireland-Events:*January 14 - Michael Collins quits his job in London and returns to Ireland.*February 14 - John Redmond is re-elected Chairman of the Irish Parliamentary Party in Dublin.*February 29 - The week long Derry Feis opens in the city....
). - 22 July - Vincent HannaVincent HannaVincent Leo Martin Hanna was a Northern Irish television journalist famed for his coverage of United Kingdom by-elections.-Background:...
, television journalistJournalismJournalism is the practice of investigation and reporting of events, issues and trends to a broad audience in a timely fashion. Though there are many variations of journalism, the ideal is to inform the intended audience. Along with covering organizations and institutions such as government and...
(b.19391939 in Northern Ireland-Events:*17 April - The Prime Minister of Northern Ireland, Lord Craigavon, dismisses the Dublin government's position of neutrality as cowardly.*4 May - The Prime Minister of Northern Ireland announces that conscription will not be extended to Northern Ireland....
). - 4 October - Sheila McGibbonSheila McGibbonSheila R. McGibbon was an Irish stage, radio and television actress. She was born to a modest Catholic family in 1921, and died in 1997, the same year as her husband, John Graham, a Protestant IRA volunteer and later pro-golfer...
, actress (b.19211921 in Northern Ireland-Events:*13 May - As nominations close in the elections for both Northern and Southern parliaments, Sinn Féin takes 124 of the 128 seats available in the Southern parliament...
). - 27 December - Billy WrightBilly Wright (loyalist)William Stephen "Billy" Wright was a prominent Ulster loyalist during the period of violent religious/political conflict known as "The Troubles". He joined the Ulster Volunteer Force in 1975 and became commander of its Mid-Ulster Brigade in the early 1990s...
, former leader of the Loyalist Volunteer ForceLoyalist Volunteer ForceThe Loyalist Volunteer Force is a loyalist paramilitary group in Northern Ireland. It was formed by Billy Wright in 1996 when he and the Portadown unit of the Ulster Volunteer Force's Mid-Ulster Brigade was stood down by the UVF leadership. He had been the commander of the Mid-Ulster Brigade. The...
(b.19601960 in Northern Ireland-Arts and literature:*26 January - The first staging of the Sam Thompson play, Over the Bridge, at the Empire Theatre in Belfast.-Football:*Irish League*Irish Cup-Births:*23 April - Barry Douglas, classical pianist....
). - 29 December - John Graham, Irish Republican Army activist in the 1940s (b.19151915 in Ireland-Events:*April 4–25,000 National Volunteers assemble at the Phoenix Park. John Redmond takes the salute from under the statue of Charles Stewart Parnell on Sackville Street....
). - Brendan Smyth, CatholicRoman Catholic ChurchThe Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
priestPriestA priest is a person authorized to perform the sacred rites of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particular, rites of sacrifice to, and propitiation of, a deity or deities...
and convicted child molesterChild sexual abuseChild sexual abuse is a form of child abuse in which an adult or older adolescent uses a child for sexual stimulation. Forms of child sexual abuse include asking or pressuring a child to engage in sexual activities , indecent exposure with intent to gratify their own sexual desires or to...
(b.19271927 in Northern Ireland-Events:*12 April - The Royal and Parliamentary Titles Act 1927 renames the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland to the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. The change acknowledges that the Irish Free State is no longer part of the Kingdom....
). - Kennedy LindsayKennedy LindsayKennedy Lindsay was a Northern Ireland politician and a leading advocate of Ulster nationalism.Born in Saskatchewan, Canada of Ulster Scots descent, Lindsay was educated at Trinity College, Dublin...
- Vanguard Progressive Unionist PartyVanguard Progressive Unionist PartyThe Vanguard Unionist Progressive Party , informally known as Ulster Vanguard, was a unionist political party which existed in Northern Ireland between 1973 and 1978...
politician and British Ulster Dominion PartyBritish Ulster Dominion PartyThe British Ulster Dominion Party was a minor political party in Northern Ireland during the 1970s.The party began in 1975 as the Ulster Dominion Group, when Professor Kennedy Lindsay broke from the United Ulster Unionist movement , itself a breakaway from the Vanguard Progressive Unionist Party to...
leader (born in Canada).