A Chronology of the Conflict - 1972

1972

January 1972

Sunday 2 January 1972
There was an anti-internment rally in Belfast.

Monday 3 January 1972
The Irish Republican Army (IRA) exploded a bomb in Callender Street, Belfast, which injured over 60 people.

Monday 10 January 1972
[Public Records 1972 - Released 1 January 2003: Note from Sir Burke Trend, then Cabinet Secretary, to Edward Heath, then British Prime Minister, on matters related to political issues, inter-party talks, the security situation, and internment.]

Monday 17 January 1972
Seven men who were being held as internees escaped from the prison ship HMS Maidstone in Belfast Lough.

Tuesday 18 January 1972
Brian Faulkner, then Prime Minister of Northern Ireland, banned all parades and marches in Northern Ireland until the end of the year.
[ Bloody Sunday; Internment; Law Order. ]

Saturday 22 January 1972
An anti-internment march was held at Magilligan strand, County Derry, with several thousand people taking part. As the march neared the internment camp it was stopped by members of the Green Jackets and the Parachute Regiment of the British Army, who used barbed wire to close off the beach. When it appeared that the marchers were going to go around the wire, the army then fired rubber bullets and CS gas at close range into the crowd. A number of witnesses claimed that the paratroopers (who had been bused from Belfast to police the march) severely beat protesters and had to be physically restrained by their own officers. John Hume accused the soldiers of "beating, brutalising and terrorising the demonstrators".
There was also an anti-internment parade in Armagh, County Armagh.

Monday 24 January 1972
Frank Lagan, then Chief Superintendent of the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) notified Andrew MacLellan, then Commander 8 Infantry Brigade, of his contact with the Civil Rights Association, and informed him of their intention to hold a non-violent demonstration protesting against Internment on 30 January 1972. He also asked that the march be allowed to take place without military intervention. MacLellan agreed to recommend this approach to General Ford, then Commander of Land Forces in Northern Ireland. However Ford had placed Derek Wilford, Commander of 1st Battalion Parachute Regiment, in charge of the proposed arrest operation. [The broad decision to carry out arrests was probably discussed by the Northern Ireland Committee of the British Cabinet. Edward Heath, then British Prime Minister, confirmed on 19 April 1972 that the plan was known to British government Ministers.]

Tuesday 25 January 1972
General Ford, then Commander of Land Forces in Northern Ireland, put Andrew MacLellan, Commander 8 Infantry Brigade, in overall command of the operation to contain the civil rights march planned for 30 January 1972.
[ Bloody Sunday; Internment; Law Order. ]

Thursday 27 January 1972
Two Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) officers, Peter Gilgun (26) and David Montgomery (20), were shot dead in an attack on their patrol car in the Creggan Road, Derry.

The Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) association in Derry announced that it was going to hold a public religious rally at the same place, on the same date and at the same time, as the civil rights march planned for 30 January 1972.
The British Army and the Irish Republican Army (IRA) were engaged in gun battles near Forkhill, County Armagh. British troops fired over 1,000 rounds of amunition.
[ Bloody Sunday; Law Order. ]

Friday 28 January 1972
The Northern Ireland Civil Rights Association (NICRA), in an effort to avoid a repeat of the violence at Milligan Strand on 22 January 1972, placed "special emphasis on the necessity for a peaceful incident-free day" at the next NICRA march on 30 January 1972 (Irish News, 28 January 1972). [According to a Channel 4 documentary 'Secret History: Bloody Sunday', broadcast on 22 January 1992, Ivan Cooper, then a Member of Parliament at Stormont, who was involved in the organisation of the march, had obtained assurances from the Irish Republican Army (IRA) that its members would withdraw from the area during the march.]

Sunday 30 January 1972
'Bloody Sunday'
'Bloody Sunday' refers to the shooting dead by the British Army of 13 civilans (and the wounding of another 14 people, one of whom later died) during a Civil Rights march in Derry. The Northern Ireland Civil Rights Association (NICRA) march against internment was meant to start at 2.00pm from the Creggan. The march left late (2.50pm approximately) from Central Drive in the Creggan Estate and took an indirect route towards the Bogside area of the city. People joined the march along its entire route. At approximately 3.25pm the march passed the 'Bogside Inn' and turned up Westland Street before going down William Street. Estimates of the number of marchers at this point vary. Some observers put the number as high as 20,000 whereas the Widgery Report estimated the number at between 3,000 and 5,000. Around 3.45pm most of the marchers followed the organisers instructions and turned right into Rossville Street to hold a meeting at 'Free Derry Corner'. However a section of the crowd continued along William Street to the British Army barricade. A riot developed. (Confrontations between the Catholic youth of Derry and the British Army had become a common feature of life in the city and many observers reported that the rioting was not particularly intense.)
At approximately 3.55pm, away from the riot and also out of sight of the meeting, soldiers (believed to be a machine-gun platoon of Paratroopers) in a derelict building in William Street opened fire (shooting 5 rounds) and injured Damien Donaghy (15) and John Johnston (59). Both were treated for injuries and were taken to hospital (Johnston died on 16 June 1972). [The most recent information (see, for example, Pringle, P. and Jacobson, P.; 2000) suggests that an Official IRA member then fired a single shot in response at the soldiers in the derelict building. This incident happened prior to the main shooting and also out of sight of Rossville Street.]
Also around this time (about 3.55pm) as the riot in William Street was breaking up, Paratroopers requested permission to begin an arrest operation. By about 4.05pm most people had moved to 'Free Derry Corner' to attend the meeting.
4.07pm (approximately) An order was given for a 'sub unit' (Support Company) of the 1^st Battalion Parachute Regiment to move into William Street to begin an arrest operation directed at any remaining rioters. The order authorising the arrest operation specifically stated that the soldiers were "not to conduct running battle down Rossville Street" (Official Brigade Log). The soldiers of Support Company were under the command of Ted Loden, then a Major in the Parachute Regiment (and were the only soldiers to fire at the crowd from street level).
At approximately 4.10pm soldiers of the Support Company of the 1^st Battalion Parachute Regiment began to open fire on people in the area of Rossville Street Flats. By about 4.40pm the shooting ended with 13 people dead and a further 14 injured from gunshots. The shooting took place in four main places: the car park (courtyard) of Rossville Flats; the forecourt of Rossville Flats (between the Flats and Joseph Place); at the rubble and wire barricade on Rossville Street (between Rossville Flats and Glenfada Park); and in the area around Glenfada Park (between Glenfada Park and Abbey Park). According to British Army evidence 21 soldiers fired their weapons on 'Bloody Sunday' and shot 108 rounds in total.

[Most of the basic facts are agreed, however what remains in dispute is whether or not the soldiers came under fire as they entered the area of Rossville Flats. The soldiers claimed to have come under sustained attack by gunfire and nail-bomb. None of the eyewitness accounts saw any gun or bomb being used by those who had been shot dead or wounded. No soldiers were injured in the operation, no guns or bombs were recovered at the scene of the killing.]
[Public Records 1972 - Released 1 January 2003: Telegram from Lord Bridges to Edward Heath, then British Prime Minister, containing an early report of the killings in Derry.]

Monday 31 January 1972
Reginald Maudling, then British Home Secretary, made a statement to the House of Commons on the events of 'Bloody Sunday' (30 January 1972) : "The Army returned the fire directed at them with aimed shots and inflicted a number of casualties on those who were attacking them with firearms and with bombs". Maudling then went on to announce an Inquiry into the circumstances of the march.
[ Bloody Sunday. ]

[ NAI Records – January 1972. ]

February 1972

Tuesday 1 February 1972
Edward Heath, then British Prime Minister, announced the appointment of Lord Widgery, then Lord Chief Justice, to undertake an inquiry into the 13 deaths on 'Bloody Sunday' (30 January 1972). [The response of the people of Derry to this choice of candidate, was for the most part one of scepticism and a lack of confidence in his ability to be objective. Indeed a number of groups in Derry initially called for non-participation in the tribunal but many were persuaded later to given evidence to the inquiry.]
There was an Opposition adjournment debate in the House of Commons on the subject of 'Bloody Sunday'. During the debate the then Minister of State for Defence gave an official version of events and went on to say: "We must also recognise that the IRA is waging a war, not only of bullets and bombs but of words.... If the IRA is allowed to win this war I shudder to think what will be the future of the people living in Northern Ireland."
The Ministry of Defence also issued a detailed account of the British Army's version of events during 'Bloody Sunday' which stated that: "Throughout the fighting that ensued, the Army fired only at identified targets - at attacking gunmen and bombers. At all times the soldiers obeyed their standing instructions to fire only in self-defence or in defence of others threatened."
Harold Wilson, then leader of the Labour Party, said that a United Ireland was the only solution to the conflict in Northern Ireland. William Craig, then Home Affairs Minister, suggested that the west bank area of Derry should be ceded to the Republic of Ireland.
[ Bloody Sunday. ]

Wednesday 2 February 1972
British Embassy Destroyed
The funerals of 11 of the dead of 'Bloody Sunday' (30 January 1972) took place in the Creggan area of Derry. Tens of thousands attended the funeral including clergy, politicians from North and South, and thousands of friends and neighbours.
Throughout the rest of Ireland prayer services were held to coincide with the time of the funerals.
In Dublin over 90 per cent of workers stopped work in respect of those who had died, and approximately 30,000 - 100,000 people turned out to march to the British Embassy. They carried 13 coffins and black flags. Later a crowd attacked the Embassy with stones and bottles, then petrol bombs, and the building was burnt to the ground.

Thursday 3 February 1972
[Public Records 1972 - Released 1 January 2003: Annex to British Cabinet Minutes which recorded the discussion of the aftermath of the killings on 30 January 1972 ('Bloody Sunday').]
[ Law Order; Bloody Sunday. ]

Friday 4 February 1972
[ Political Developments; Law Order; Bloody Sunday. ]

Saturday 5 February 1972
Two IRA members were killed when a bomb they were planting exploded prematurely.
A man died from injuries received in an explosion six days earlier.

Sunday 6 February 1972
A Civil Rights march held in Newry, County Down. There was a very large turn-out for the march with many people attending to protest at the killings in Derry the previous Sunday.
See: Colour photographs of the Newry march by William L.Rukeyser.

Wednesday 9 February 1972
William Craig, who had been Northern Ireland Minister for Home Affairs, launched 'Ulster Vanguard' as an umbrella movement for the right-ring of Unionism. [The new group held a series of demonstrations and marches over next few months. These demonstrations intensified when Stormont was replaced and 'direct rule' introduced.]
A Report (Cmnd. 4901) was published by a committee headed by Lord Parker on the methods used by the security forces in to interogate those interned. The methods included: 'in-depth interrogation', hooding, food deprivation, use of 'white noise' to cause disorientation and sleep deprivation, and being forced to stand for long periods leaning against a wall with their finger-tips. Two members of the committee, including Lord Parker, held that the techniques were justified. Lord Gardiner disagreed.

Thursday 10 February 1972
Two British soldiers were killed in a land mine attack near Cullyhanna, County Armagh..
An IRA member was shot dead during an exchange of gunfire with RUC officers.

Monday 14 February 1972
Lord Widgery arrived in Coleraine, where the 'Bloody Sunday' (30 January 1972) Tribunal was to be based, and held a preliminary hearing. During this initial hearing Widgery announced that the tribunal would be "essentially a fact-finding exercise" and then went on to narrow the terms of reference for the tribunal.

Friday 18 February 1972
[ Internment. ]

Monday 21 February 1972
The first session of the Widgery Tribunal was held in Coleraine, County Derry. A total of 17 sessions were held between the 21 February 1972 and the 14 March 1972. 114 witnesses gave evidence. A further three sessions were held at the Royal Courts of Justice in London on the 16, 17 and 20 March.
Four members of the Irish Republican Army (IRA) died when a bomb they were transporting in a car exploded prematurely on the Knockbreda Road, Belfast.

Tuesday 22 February 1972
Aldershot Barracks Bomb
The Official Irish Republican Army (OIRA) exploded a bomb at Aldershot military barracks, the headquarters of the Parachute Regiment, killing seven people who were mainly ancillary staff. A Catholic padre was among the dead. [This bomb was thought to be an attempted retaliation against the regiment who had carried out the 'Bloody Sunday' (30 January 1972) killings.]

Friday 25 February 1972
There was an attempted assassination of John Taylor, then Minister of State for Home Affairs, who was shot a number of times. The Official Irish Republican Army (OIRA) later claimed responsibility.

n.d. February 1972
[ Political Developments. ]

n.d. February 1972
[ Political Developments. ]

[ NAI Records – February 1972. ]

March 1972

Wednesday 1 March 1972
Two Catholic teenagers were shot dead by the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) while 'joy riding' in a stolen car in Belfast.

Saturday 4 March 1972
The Abercorn Restaurant in Belfast was bombed without warning. Two Catholic civilians were killed and over 130 people injured. The Irish Republican Army (IRA) did not claim responsibility for the bomb but were universally considered to have been involved.

The Stormont government refused to hand over control of law and order to Westminster control.

Tuesday 7 March 1972
[ Law Order; Victims. ]

Thursday 9 March 1972
Four members of the Irish Republican Army (IRA) died in a premature explosion at a house in Clonard Street, Lower Falls, Belfast.

Monday 13 March 1972
[Public Records 1972 - Released 1 January 2003: Letter from Sir Alec Douglas-Home, then Foreign Secretary, to Edward Heath, then Prime Minister. The letter sets out Douglas-Home's opposition to Direct Rule and a preference for a United Ireland.]

Tuesday 14 March 1972
Two IRA members were shot dead by British soldiers in the Bogside area of Derry.

Wednesday 15 March 1972
Two British soldiers were killed when attempting to defuse a bomb in Belfast.
An RUC officer was killed in an IRA attack in Coalisland, County Tyrone.

[Public Records 1972 - Released 1 January 2003: Record of a telephone conversation between Edward Heath, then British Prime Minister, and Brian Faulkner, then Northern Ireland Prime Minister, during which Heath invited Faulkner to a meeting in London on Wednesday 22 March 1972.]

Saturday 18 March 1972
Ulster Vanguard held a rally in Ormeau Park, Belfast, which was attended by an estimated 60,000 people. The rally was addressed by William Craig who warned that, "if and when the politicians fail us, it may be our job to liquidate the enemy".

Monday 20 March 1972
The Irish Republican Army (IRA) exploded a car-bomb in Lower Donegall Street, Belfast bomb, which killed 6 people, mortally wounded one person who died on 5 April, and injured approximately 100 others. Two of those killed were Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) officers who were trying to evacuate people from the area. Another of those killed was a member of the Ulster Defence Regiment (UDR) and the rest were Protestant civilians.

Tuesday 21 March 1972
[ Direct Rule. ]

Wednesday 22 March 1972
Brian Faulkner, then Prime Minister of Northern Ireland, went to London to be informed of the introduction of 'Direct Rule'.
[ Direct Rule. ]

Tuesday 23 March 1972
[ Political Developments; Direct Rule. ]

Friday 24 March 1972
Announcement of End of Stormont
Edward Heath, then British Prime Minister, announced that the Stormont Parliament was to be prorogued, and 'Direct Rule' from Westminster imposed on Northern Ireland from 30 March 1972. The announcement was greeted with outrage from Brian Faulkner and Unionist politicians. The main reason for the suspension of Stormont was the refusal of Unionist government to accept the loss of law and order powers to Westminster.
[The legislation responsible for direct rule was the Northern Ireland (Temporary Provisions) Act. Under the legislation a new Northern Ireland Office (NIO) was established at Stormont which was supervised by a new Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, William Whitelaw.]
[Whitelaw eased Internment and gave political status to prisoners because of Billy McKee's hunger strike.]
[ Direct Rule. ]

Sunday 26 March 1972
William Whitelaw, was appointed as the first Secretary of State for Northern Ireland.

Monday 27 March 1972
Ulster Vanguard organised a two-day industrial strike against the imposition of direct rule. The strike resulted in the stoppage of public transport, cuts in power supplies, and many firms closed.

Tuesday 28 March 1972
Two people were killed in a bomb attack on the RUC station in Limavady, County Derry.

On the second day of the Ulster Vanguard strike a rally was organised at Stormont, Belfast, attended by an estimated 100,000 people.
The last sitting of the Northern Ireland parliament at Stormont took place.

Thursday 30 March 1972
Direct Rule Introduced
The legislation which introduced direct rule, the Northern Ireland (Temporary Provisions) Act, was passed at the House of Commons at Westminster. [With the exception of a brief period in 1974, Northern Ireland was to be ruled from Westminster until 1999.]

[ NAI Records – March 1972. ]

April 1972

Thursday 6 April 1972
Scarman Report
The Scarman Tribunal Report (Cmd. 566) was published. The report was into the causes of violence during the summer of 1969. The report found that the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) had been seriously at fault on a number of occasions.

Friday 7 April 1972
Three members of the Irish Republican Army (IRA) died in a premature bomb explosion at Bawnmore Park, Greencastle, Belfast.

Monday 10 April 1972
Two British soldiers were killed in a bomb attack in Derry.

Lord Widgery submitted the report of his findings to Reginald Maudling, then Home Secretary.

Friday 14 April 1972
The Irish Republican Army (IRA) exploded 23 bombs at locations all over Northern Ireland.
[Public Records 1972 - Released 1 January 2003: Current Situation Report No 118 by A.W.Stephens, then Head of Defence Secretariat 10 at the Ministry of Defence, providing details of security incidents during the previous 24 hours in Northern Ireland.]

Saturday 15 April 1972
Joe McCann, a member of the Official Irish Republican Army (OIRA), was shot dead by British soldiers at Joy Street in the Markets area of Belfast close to his home. McCann was unarmed at the time. [McCann was a prominent member of the Official IRA. His funeral was one of the largest Republican funerals to be held in Belfast. Following McCann's death a number of people were killed during disturbances in Belfast and Derry. The Official IRA carried out a number of attacks on the British Army and killed two soldiers in Derry.] [On 29 January 2013 a Historical Enquires Team (HET) report found that the British soldiers were not justified in shooting McCann. See: BBC.]
Nicholas Hull, a member of the British Army, was shot dead by the Offiicial IRA in the Divis area of Belfast.
Sean McConville (17), a Catholic man, was shot dead by members of a Loyalist paramilitary group on the Crumlin Road, Belfast. [This shooting was subsequently believed to be carried out by the Ulster Defence Association (UDA). This was the first of an intense series of random shootings of innocent Catholics by Loyalist paramilitaries.]
At approximately 8.00 am two brothers were shot and injured in the Whiterock Road area of west Belfast. [On 1 December 2015 the PSNI listed this shooting as one of nine incidents it was investigating in relation to the activities of the British Army's Military Reaction Force (MRF).]

Sunday 16 April 1972
Two British soldiers were shot dead by the Official Irish Republican Army (OIRA) in separate incidents in Derry.

Tuesday 18 April 1972
Widgery Report Published
The Widgery Report on 'Bloody Sunday', Report of the Tribunal appointed to inquire into the events on Sunday, 30th January 1972, (HC 220) was published. [The findings of this report caused outrage among the people of Derry and was referred to as the "Widgery Whitewash". It was to lead to a 26 year campaign for a new independent inquiry.]

Wednesday 19 April 1972
Edward Heath, then British Prime Minister, confirmed that the plan to conduct an arrest operation, in the event of a riot during the march on 30 January 1972, was known to British government Ministers in advance.

Saturday 22 April 1972
Francis Rowntree, an 11 year-old Catholic boy, was killed by a 'rubber bullet' fired by the British Army. [This was the first death to result from the use of the rubber bullet baton round.]

Sunday 23 April 1972
The Sunday Times Insight Team published their account of the events of 'Bloody Sunday' (30 January 1972).

[ NAI Records – April 1972. ]

May 1972

Friday 5 May 1972
[ Discrimination. ]

Saturday 6 May 1972
At approximately 9.00 pm a man aged 18 was shot and injured in the Glen Road area of west Belfast. [On 1 December 2015 the PSNI listed this shooting as one of nine incidents it was investigating in relation to the activities of the British Army's Military Reaction Force (MRF).]

Sunday 7 May 1972
At approximately 11.50 pm a 15-year-old boy was shot and injured outside a disco at Oliver Plunkett School, Glen Road, Belfast. [On 1 December 2015 the PSNI listed this shooting as one of nine incidents it was investigating in relation to the activities of the British Army's Military Reaction Force (MRF).]

Tuesday 9 May 1972
At approximately 2.00 pm shots were fired at a vehicle in the Kashmir Road area of west Belfast. [On 1 December 2015 the PSNI listed this shooting as one of nine incidents it was investigating in relation to the activities of the British Army's Military Reaction Force (MRF).]

Wednesday 10 May 1972
An Irish Republican Army (IRA) bomb started a fire that destroyed the Belfast Co-operative store.

Friday 12 May 1972
The Irish Times (13 May 1972; p.11) reported that, in reply to a written Parliamentary written question by Bernadette Devlin, then MP, the British government stated that no disciplinary action would be taken against the soldiers who shot dead thirteen civilians in Derry on Bloody Sunday (30 January 1972).
Patrick McVeigh (44), a Catholic civilian, was shot dead by a member of an undercover British Army unit at Riverdale Park South, Andersonstown, Belfast. Four other men were shot and injured during this incident. [On 1 December 2015 the PSNI listed this shooting as one of nine incidents it was investigating in relation to the activities of the British Army's Military Reaction Force (MRF).]
At approximately 11.30 pm an 18-year-old man was shot and injured in the Slievegallion area of west Belfast. [This shooting was also part of the PSNI investigation into MRF activities.]

Sunday 14 May 1972
A 13 year old Catholic girl was shot dead by Loyalist paramilitaries in Ballymurphy, Belfast.

Monday 15 May 1972
A no-warning car bomb exploded at approximately 8.00 pm outside the Bluebell Bar, on Sandy Row, Belfast. 17 people were injured in the explosing, two of whom were detained in hospital. Following the incident a group of Tartan Gang loyalists "went on a rampage" in Great Victoria Street, attaching the Hamill Hotel and the Crown Bar. (Source: The Irish Times, p1; 16 May 1972).
Two Loyalist gunmen entered a Catholic home on Killowen Street, off Woodstock Road, east Belfast, and shot Frank Mac Bride (63) and also his 14-year-old son Antoine ('Tony') who tried to protect his father. Frank Mac Bride was shot several times and seriously injured. [The family had been subjected to previous Loyalist sectarian attacks, with broken windows and an attempted bombing. Frank Mac Bride never fully recovered from the shooting and died in October 1973. Source: The Irish News, 12 October 2023; p17.]

Wednesday 17 May 1972
The Irish Republican Army (IRA) opened fire on workers leaving the Mackies engineering works in west Belfast. [Although the factory was sited in a Catholic area it had an almost entirely Protestant workforce.]

Sunday 21 May 1972
The Official Irish Republican Army (OIRA) kidnapped and shot dead William Best (19) who was a member of the Royal Irish Rangers (a regiment of the British Army). Best was originally from Derry and was home on leave from a posting in Germany to visit friends when he was picked up by the OIRA. There was outrage amoung local people at the killing. [The public reaction to this incident contributed to the OIRA calling a ceasefire on 29 May 1972.]

Monday 22 May 1972
Approximately 250 women in Derry marched to a premises used by Official Sinn Féin (OSF) in Meenan Square, Lecky Road, Derry to protest at the shooting of William Best by the Official Irish Republican Army (OIRA) on 21 May 1972. There were reports of an angry confrontation at the premises (see: The Irish Times, 23 May 1972; page 1). Latter in the evening approximately 300 women gathered in protest at the Bishop's Field, Creggan. The protest followed the removal of the remains of Ranger Best from his home to St Mary's Church, Creggan.

Wednesday 24 May 1972
[ Political Developments. ]

Friday 26 May 1972
The Irish Republican Army (IRA) planted a bomb in Oxford Street, Belfast which killed 64 year old Margaret Young. The explosion also seriously injured Edward Mills who was crossing the road at the time.
At approximately 12.20 pm a 34-year-old man was shot and injured in the Silvio Street area of north Belfast. [On 1 December 2015 the PSNI listed this shooting as one of nine incidents it was investigating in relation to the activities of the British Army's Military Reaction Force (MRF).]
In the Republic of Ireland the Special Criminal Court was re-instituted to deal with crimes arising out of the Northern Ireland conflict. As part of the measures trial by jury was suspended.

Sunday 28 May 1972
Eight people were killed when an Irish Republican Army (IRA) bomb prematurely exploded outside a house in Anderson Street, Short Strand, Belfast. Four of those killed were civilians and four were members of the IRA. A Catholic man was shot dead by the Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) in west Belfast.

Monday 29 May 1972
Official IRA Ceasefire
The Official Irish Republican Army (OIRA) announced that it was calling a ceasefire. A statement about the ceasefire was issued by the Executive of the Northern Republican Clubs. [One of the reasons for the ceasefire was the public reaction to the killing of Ranger Best on 21 May 1972. Although the OIRA was involved in a number of incidents following the ceasefire it was to mark the end of its armed campaign.]
[ NAI Records – OIRA Ceasefire Statement. ]

Wednesday 31 May 1972
[ Political Developments. ]

[ NAI Records – May 1972. ]

June 1972

Friday 2 June 1972
Two British Army soldiers were killed in a land mine attack by the Irish Republican Army (IRA) near Rosslea, County Fermanagh.

Saturday 3 June 1972
[ Political Developments. ]

Monday 5 June 1972
[ Political Developments. ]

Sunday 11 June 1972
There was a gun battle between Loyalist and Republican paramilitaries in the Oldpark area of Belfast. There were shooting incidents in other areas of Belfast and Northern Ireland. In all, two Catholics, a Protestant, and a British soldier were shot and killed.
Colonel Gaddafi announced that he had supplied arms to "revolutionaries" in Ireland.

Monday 12 June 1972
[ Law Order; Political Developments. ]

Tuesday 13 June 1972
The Irish Republican Army (IRA) invited William Whitelaw, then Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, to meet them in 'Free Derry'. Whitelaw rejected the offer and reaffirmed in a statement the British government's policy not to "let part of the United Kingdom ... default from the rule of law". [The offer gave the Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP) the opportunity to try to arrange talks between the IRA and the British government. These moves took place over the following days.]
[ Law Order; Political Developments. ]

Wednesday 14 June 1972
John Hume and Paddy Devlin, both members of the Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP), held a meeting with representatives of the Irish Republican Army (IRA) in Derry. At that meeting the IRA representatives outlined their conditions for talks with the British Government. The conditions were that: there should be no restriction on who represented the IRA; there should be an independent witness at the meeting; the meeting should not be held at Stormont; and 'political status' should be granted to republican prisoners.
[ Law Order; Political Developments. ]

Thursday 15 June 1972
Representatives of the Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP) met William Whitelaw, then Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, in London and presented the Irish Republican Army (IRA) conditions for a meeting. Whitelaw accepted the proposals. [The IRA made an announcement about the proposed ceasefire on Thursday 22 June 1972.]

Friday 16 June 1972
John Johnson (59), who had been shot twice on 'Bloody Sunday' (30 January 1972), died. His family was convinced that he died prematurely and that his death was a result of the injuries he received and the trauma he underwent on that day.

Sunday 18 June 1972
Three members of the British Army were killed by an Irish Republican Army (IRA) bomb in a derelict house near Lurgan, County Down.

Monday 19 June 1972
Desmond Mackin (37), a Catholic civilian, was shot dead by the Provisional Irish Republican Army (PIRA) in the Cracked Cup Social Club, Leeson Street, Lower Falls, Belfast. Mackin was involved in an altercation with PIRA members, part of a feud between the Official Irish Republican Army (OIRA) and the Provisionals.

Representatives of the Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP) held another meeting with William Whitelaw, then Secretary of State for Northern Ireland. There was a hunger strike at Crumlin Road Jail at the time and Whitelaw conceded 'special category' status, or 'political status' for paramilitary prisoners.

Tuesday 20 June 1972
Secret Meeting Between IRA and British Officials
[There was a secret meeting between representatives of the Provisonal Irish Republican Army (PIRA) and officials from William Whitelaw's office (Whitelaw was then Secretary of State for Northern Ireland). The meeting took place at 3.00pm in a country house in Ballyarnet, close to the Derry / Donegal border. The PIRA representatives were David O'Connell and Gerry (Gerard) Adams. The officials acting on behalf of William Whitelaw were P.J. Woodfield and Frank Steele (who, at the time, was actually an MI6 Intelligence Officer).]
[Public Records 1972 - Released 1 January 2003: Note of the discussions that took place during a secret meeting between officials from William Whitelaw's office and representatives of the Provisonal Irish Republican Army (PIRA). The meeting laid the groundwork for a PIRA ceasefire and a direct (secret) meeting between the PIRA and the British government on 7 July 1972.]

Thursday 22 June 1972
The Irish Republican Army (IRA) announced that it would call a ceasefire from 26 June 1972 provided that there is a "reciprocal response" from the security forces.
At approximately 12.00 pm four men were shot and injured in the Glen Road area of west Belfast. [On 1 December 2015 the PSNI listed this shooting as one of nine incidents it was investigating in relation to the activities of the British Army's Military Reaction Force (MRF).]

Saturday 24 June 1972
The Irish Republican Army (IRA) killed three British Army soldiers in a land mine attack near Dungiven, County Derry.

Monday 26 June 1972
Start of 'Truce'
The Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA) began a "bi-lateral truce" as at midnight. [The move was made as a prelude to secret talks with the British Government. The ceasefire ended on 9 July 1972.]
The Irish Republican Army (IRA) killed two British Army soldiers in separate attacks during the day.
      [ Law Order; Political Developments. ]

Friday 30 June 1972
Ulster Defence Association (UDA) began to organise its own 'no-go' areas. [This is seen as a response to the continuation of Republican 'no-go' areas and fears about concessions to the Irish Republican Army (IRA).]

[ NAI Records – June 1972. ]

July 1972

Sunday 2 July 1972
Two Catholic civilians were shot and killed by Loyalist paramilitaries, probably the Ulster Defence Association (UDA), in Belfast.
Two Protestant civilians were killed by Republican paramilitaries.

Monday 3 July 1972
The Ulster Defence Association (UDA) and the British Army come into conflict about a 'no-go' area at Ainsworth Avenue, Belfast.

Tuesday 4 July 1972
The Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) forwarded a file on about the killings on 'Bloody Sunday' (30 January 1972) to the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) for Northern Ireland. The Attorney General made a statement about this file on 1 August 1972

Wednesday 5 July 1972
Two Protestant brothers were found shot dead outside of Belfast. [There was speculation that they were killed by Loyalists because they had Catholic girlfriends.]

Friday 7 July 1972
Secret Talks Between IRA and British Government
Gerry Adams, who had been released from detention for the purpose, was part of a delegation who went to London for talks with the British Government. The Irish Republican Army (IRA) delegation held direct talks with William Whitelaw, then Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, and other Northern Ireland Office ministers in the Chelsea home of Mr Paul Channon, then Minister of State for the North. The IRA delegation also included: Séamus Twomey, Seán MacStiofáin, Dáithí Ó Conaill, Ivor Bell, and Martin McGuinness. [The talks failed and the breakdown in the IRA ceasefire finally occurred because of a dispute over the allocation of houses in the Suffolk area and the IRA and the British army became involved in gun battles in Horn Drive, Belfast. The 'Bloody Friday' bombings on 21 July 1972 were part of a decision by the IRA to step up its campaign with a view to trying to bring ordinary life in the city to an end.]

Sunday 9 July 1972
End of 'Truce'
The ceasefire between the Provisional IRA and the British Army came to an end. The British Army had prevented Catholic families, who had been intimidated by Loyalists from their homes in Rathcoole, from moving into empty houses in Lenadoon Avenue. There was a confrontation between the crowd and soldiers who fired rubber bullets. Following this the IRA opened fire on the troops thus ending the ceasefire.
Five Catholic civilians were shot dead by the British Army in the Ballymurphy area of Belfast.
Three Protestants, one of whom was a member of the Territorial Army, were found shot dead in Little Distillery Street, Belfast. They were shot by Republican paramilitaries.
Also in Belfast a Catholic man was shot dead by the British Army and a Protestant man was shot dead by Republican paramilitaries.
A member of the Ulster Defence Association (UDA) was shot dead by the Irish Republican Army (IRA) in Belfast.

Monday 10 July 1972
William Whitelaw, then Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, admitted that secret talks had taken place with the Irish Republican Army (IRA).
[ Law Order. ]

Wednesday 12 July 1972
A Protestant man was found shot dead in Portadown.
Two men, one Catholic one Protestant, were shot dead in a public house in Portadown.
Two men were shot dead in separate incidents in Belfast.

Thursday 13 July 1972
Seven people were shot and killed in separate incidents in Belfast.

Friday 14 July 1972
Six people were shot and killed in separate incidents in Belfast. Three were British Army soldiers, two were members of the Irish Republican Army (IRA) and one was a Protestant civilian.

Sunday 16 July 1972
Two British soldiers were killed in an IRA land mine attack near Crossmaglen, County Armagh.
An RUC officer was shot dead by the IRA in Belfast.
A member of the youth wing of the IRA was killed by a rubber bullet in Strabane, County Tyrone.

Tuesday 18 July 1972
The 100th British soldier to die in the conflict was shot by a sniper in Belfast.
A Protestant man was found shot dead in Belfast.

Harold Wilson, then leader of the Labour Party, held a meeting with representatives of the Irish Republican Army (IRA).

Friday 21 July 1972
'Bloody Friday'
'Bloody Friday' is the name given to the events that occurred in Belfast on Friday 21 July 1972. During the afternoon of 'Bloody Friday' the Irish Republican Army (IRA) planted and exploded 22 bombs which, in the space of 75 minutes, killed 9 people and seriously injured approximately 130 others. In addition to the bombs there were numerous hoax warnings about other explosive devices which added to the chaos in the streets that afternoon. Many people believe these hoax warnings were deliberately used to reduce the effectiveness of the security forces in dealing with the real bombs. [The killings and maimings had a profound impact on most people in Northern Ireland. 'Bloody Friday' also led to the decision by the British Government to implement 'Operation Motorman' (31 July 1972) when, in the biggest British military operation since the 1956 Suez crisis, the British Army entered and ended the 'no-go' areas of Belfast and Derry.]
In other incidents in the city three people were shot and killed.
There were also a number of car bombs in Derry but there were no deaths or injuries.

Saturday 22 July 1972
Two Catholics were abducted, beaten, and shot dead in a Loyalist area of Belfast. It is believed that the Ulster Defence Association (UDA) was responsible for the killings.
In a separate incident a Catholic man was abducted, beaten, and shot dead in Belfast. It is thought that the Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) carried out this killing.

[Public Records 1972 - Released 1 January 2003: Document prepared for the British government which examined the possibility of redrawing the Northern Ireland border and carrying out a transfer of population.]

Wednesday 26 July 1972
Two Catholic men were abducted, beaten, and shot dead in a Loyalist area of Belfast.
A British soldier was shot dead in Belfast.

[Public Records 1972 - Released 1 January 2003: Letter from Ronnie Custis, then with the Ministry of Defence, to Christopher Roberts, then with the Prime Minister's office, about additional rules of engagement for British soldiers in Northern Ireland.]

Monday 31 July 1972
'Operation Motorman' | Claudy Bombings
Prior to the military operation 4,000 extra troops were brought into Northern Ireland to take part in the dismantling of barricades on the boundaries of 'no-go' areas. It turned out to be the biggest British military operation since the Suez crisis. Some 12,000 British troops supported by tanks and bulldozers smashed through the barricades.
Two people, a Catholic teenager and a member of the Irish Republican Army (IRA), were shot by the British Army during the operation in Derry. [The number of house searches and the number of Catholics interned were to increase over the coming months.]
The Irish Republican Army (IRA) exploded three car bombs in Claudy, County Derry killing six people instantly while a further three people died of their injuries over the next 12 days. Five of those who were killed were Catholic civilians while the other four were Protestant civilians. The first bomb exploded at approximately 10.15am close to McElhinney's Bar on Main Street, Claudy. Three people died at the scene. At approximately 10.30am there were two further bomb explosions. The fist was outside the Beaufort Hotel, Church Street - three people were killed by the explosion. The last bomb exploded outside the Post Office on Main Street. This bomb had been spoted earlier by a police officer and a member of the public. No one was killed by this bomb but some of the people cleared from Main Street had moved around the corner to Church Street and were caught in the blast outside the Beaufort Hotel.
      [ Law Order. ]

[ NAI Records – July 1972. ]

August 1972

Tuesday 1 August 1972
The Attorney General published in Hansard an answer, in response to a Parliamentary Question, about the file sent to the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) for Northern Ireland by the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) on the matter of 'Bloody Sunday' (30 January 1972). The conclusion was that there would be no prosecution of any member of the security forces as a result of the killings on 30 January 1972. Charges in respect of riotous behaviour against some civilians were also dropped.
[ Law Order; Victims. ]

Friday 4 August 1972
[Public Records 1972 - Released 1 January 2003: Note from R.T. Armstrong, then with the Prime Minister's office, to T.C. Platt, then with the Northern Ireland Office (NIO). The note shows that Edward Heath, then Prime Minister, was highly sensitive to the issue of of interrogation of prisoners by the security forces.]

Monday 7 August 1972
Seven people were killed in separate incidents across Northern Ireland.
      [ Political Developments. ]

Wednesday 9 August 1972
There was widespread and severe rioting in Nationalist areas on the anniversary of the introduction of Internment.

Friday 11 August 1972
Two IRA members were killed when a bomb they were transporting exploded prematurely.
      [ Discrimination. ]

Monday 14 August 1972
Two British soldiers were killed by an IRA booby trap bomb in Belfast.
A Catholic civilian was shot dead during an IRA attack on a British Army patrol in Belfast.

Tuesday 22 August 1972
Newry Bomb
A bomb that was being planted by the Irish Republican Army (IRA) exploded prematurely at a customs post at Newry, County Down. Nine people, including three members of the IRA and five Catholic civilians, were killed in the explosion.

Wednesday 23 August 1972
Four civilians and a British Army soldier were injured in separate overnight shooting incidents in Belfast, Holywood, and Lurgan.

Friday 25 August 1972
[ Political Developments. ]

Saturday 26 August 1972
Six people were killed in three incidents across Northern Ireland.

Tuesday 29 August 1972
[ Law Order, Victims. ]

[ NAI Records – August 1972. ]

September 1972

Saturday 2 September 1972
The headquarters of the Ulster Unionist Party (UUP), in Glengall Street, Belfast, was severely damaged by a bomb.

Friday 8 September 1972
[Public Records 1972 - Released 1 January 2003: Memo from the Cabinet Secretary to Edward Heath, then British Prime Minister. This memo covered: the future of Northern Ireland; the Security Package; and changes in the administration of justice (most notably the introduction of special courts).]
[ Political Developments. ]

Sunday 10 September 1972
Three British soldiers were killed in a land mine attack near Dungannon, County Tyrone.

Thursday 14 September 1972
Two people were killed and one mortally wounded in a UVF bomb attack on the Imperial Hotel, Belfast.

Sunday 17 September 1972
Frank Bell (18), a Private in the British Army Parachute Regiment, was shot and seriously injured by the Irish Republican Army (IRA) while on foot patrol in Springhill Avenue, Ballymurphy, Belfast. [Bell died of his wounds on 20 September 1972. Approximately a month later, Liam Holden was arrested for the killing by members of the Parachute Regiment. He was not handed over to the police but held in an Army base until he confessed to the killing. In 1973 Holden was convicted of the killing and sentenced to death by hanging. The sentence was later commuted to life imprisonment. Holden was released in 1989. In 2002, Holden brought his case to the Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC). He gave testimony of being subjected to a wide range of torture techniques to force his confession. On 21 June 2012, following a CCRC investigation, Holden's conviction was quashed by the Court of Appeal in Belfast. He died on 15 September 2022, aged 68.]

Tuesday 19 September 1972
[ Political Developments. ]

Wednesday 20 September 1972
The Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP) issued a document entitled Towards a New Ireland. The document proposed that the British and Irish governments should have joint sovereignty over Northern Ireland.

Thursday 21 September 1972
A member of the UDR and his wife were killed in an IRA attack near Derrylin, County Fermanagh.

Monday 25 - Thursday 28 September 1972
A conference was held at Darlington, England on the issue of devolution with power-sharing. The Darlington meeting consisted of the Ulster Unionist Party (UUP), the Northern Ireland Labour Party (NILP), the Alliance Party of Northern Ireland (APNI), and William Whitelaw, then Secretary of State for Northern Ireland. The Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP) refused to attend because of the continuing operation of Internment. Some hard-line Unionists also refused to attend. [There was no agreement on the shape of any future Northern Ireland government.]
Jack Lynch, then Taoiseach (Irish Prime Minister), met Edward Heath, then British Prime Minister.

Wednesday 27 September 1972
Daniel Rooney (19), a Catholic civilian, was shot dead by a member of an undercover British Army unit at St James Crescent, Falls, Belfast. An 18-year-old man was also shot and injured in this incident. [On 1 December 2015 the PSNI listed this shooting as one of nine incidents it was investigating in relation to the activities of the British Army's Military Reaction Force (MRF).]
In total, five people died in separate incidents across Northern Ireland.

Saturday 30 September 1972
Five people died in separate incidents in Belfast. A sixth person died later as a result of injuries received on the day.

[ NAI Records – September 1972. ]

October 1972

Friday 6 October 1972
Jack Lynch's, then Taoiseach (Irish Prime Minister), government closed the Sinn Féin (SF) office in Dublin.

Tuesday 10 October 1972
Three members of the Irish Republican Army (IRA) died in a premature explosion in a house in Balkan Street, Lower Falls, Belfast.
A UDR soldier was shot dead by the IRA in Newry, County Down.

Thursday 12 October 1972
Littlejohn Affair: There was an armed robbery at the Allied Irish Bank on Grafton Street, Dublin. The thieves stole £67,000 which, at the time, was the largest such theft in Ireland. [On 19 July 1973 two brothers, Kenneth and Keith Littlejohn were convicted of the robbery. At their trial the men had claimed that they were working for the British Secret Intelligence Service (MI6). The robbery and subsequent events became known as the Littlejohn affair.]

Saturday 14 October 1972
Three people were killed in two incidents in Belfast.

Loyalist paramilitaries carried out a raid on the Headquarters of the 10 Ulster Defence Regiment (UDR) at Lislea Drive in Belfast and stole 14 British Army issue self-loading rifles (SLRs) and a quantity of ammunition. The camp guard claimed that they were 'overpowered' by the Loyalists. [There were other similar Loyalist raids on 23 October 1972, 30 October 1972, and 8 March 1973.]

Monday 16 October 1972
Two members of the Offical IRA were shot dead by the British Army in County Tyrone.
A 15 year-old Protestant youth member of the Ulster Defence Association (UDA), and a 26 year-old UDA member were killed when run over by British Army vehicles during riots in east Belfast. The UDA said that following the incidents the British Army and British government are "now our enemies".

Tuesday 17 October 1972
The Ulster Defence Association (UDA) opened fire on the British Army in several areas of Belfast.

Thursday 19 October 1972
William Craig, then leader of Ulster Vanguard, spoke a meeting of right-wing Members of Parliament (MPs) at Westminster. He said that he could mobilise 80,000 men to oppose the British government: "We are prepared to come out and shoot and kill. I am prepared to come out and shoot and kill. ... I am prepared to kill, and those behind me will have my full support."

Monday 23 October 1972
Loyalist paramilitaries carried out a raid on an Ulster Defence Regiment (UDR) / Territorial Army (TA) base, King's Park camp, in Lurgan, County Armagh, and stole 85 British Army issue self-loading rifles (SLRs) and 21 Sterling sub-machine Guns (SMGs). The camp guard claimed that they were 'overpowered' by the Loyalists. Within a few hours of the raid 63 SLRs and 8 SMGs were recovered close to an abandoned Land Rover vehicle. [There was another theft of UDR weapons on 30 October 1972. On 21 July 1973 one of the Sterling SMGs was recovered in the possession of Loyalist paramilitaries in Belfast. A confidential report later indicated that this weapon alone had been used in at least 12 Loyalist attacks which resulted in one civilian being killing (see: 31 May 1973) and seven attempted killings.]

Tuesday 24 October 1972
Two Catholic men were found dead at a farm at Aughinahinch, near Newtownbbutler, County Fermanagh. They had been killed the previous evening. The incident was referred to as 'the pitchfork killings' and was initially thought to have been carried out by Loyalists. [However, it was later discovered that a patrol of British soldiers had carried out the killings, and the actual weapon was believed to be a knife. In 1981 two serving British soldiers, who had been members of the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders, were jailed for the killings. A third defendant, a former soldier, was jailed for manslaughter. A fourth defendant, a captain, was given a one-year suspended sentence for withholding information about the killings.]

Monday 30 October 1972
The Northern Ireland Office (NIO) issued a discussion document The Future of Northern Ireland. The paper states Britain's commitment to the union as long as the majority of people wish to remain part of the United Kingdom (UK). The paper also introduces the ideas of a power-sharing government in Northern Ireland and an 'Irish Dimension'.
Loyalist paramilitaries carried out a raid on an Royal Ulster Constabulary station in Claudy, County Derry, and stole 4 British Army issue Sterling sub-machine Guns (SMGs) that had been issued to Ulster Defence Regiment (UDR) soldiers. [There was another theft of UDR weapons on 8 March 1973.]
[ Political Developments. ]

Tuesday 31 October 1972
Two Catholic children, aged 6 and 4 years, who were playing on the street were killed in a Ulster Freedom Fighters (UFF) car bomb attack on a bar in Ship Street, Belfast.
Two other people were killed in separate incidents in Belfast.

[ Political Developments.]

[ NAI Records – October 1972. ]

November 1972

Thursday 2 November 1972
Fianna Fáil, then the goverment of the Republic of Ireland, introduced a bill to the Dáil to remove the special position of the Catholic Church from the Irish Constitution.

Sunday 5 November 1972
Maire Drumm, then vice-President of Sinn Féin (SF), was arrested in the Republic of Ireland.
There is a ministerial re-shuffle of posts at the Northern Ireland Office (NIO).

Tuesday 14 November 1972
[ Political Developments. ]

Thursday 16 November 1972
Edward Heath, then British Prime Minister, warned against a Unilateral Declaration of Independence (UDI).

Sunday 19 November 1972
Seán MacStiofáin, then leader of the Irish Republican Army (IRA), was arrested in Dublin. [He was subsequently sentenced to six months imprisonment in Republic of Ireland.]

Monday 20 November 1972
Two British soldiers were killed in a booby trap bomb in Cullyhanna, County Armagh.

Friday 24 November 1972
Jack Lynch, then Taoiseach (Irish Prime Minister), met Edward Heath, then British Prime Minister, in London to give Irish approval to Attlee's paper that said new arrangements should be 'acceptable to and accepted by the Republic of Ireland.'

Saturday 25 November 1972
[ Law Order. ]

Sunday 26 November 1972
There was a bomb explosion at the Film Centre Cinema, in O'Connell Bridge House in Dublin. A late film was being shown and although no one was killed, approximately 40 people required hospital treatment. The explosion happened at 1.25am and the bomb had been placed outside the rear exit door of the Film Centre Cinema in a laneway connecting Burgh Quay to Leinster Market. [The 'Interim Report on the Report of the Independent Commission of Inquiry into the Dublin Bombings of 1972 and 1973', [PDF; 687KB], concluded that: "... it seems more likely than not that the bombing of the Film Centre Cinema was carried out by republican subversives as a response to a Government 'crackdown' on the IRA and their associates".]

Tueday 28 November 1972
Two members of the IRA were killed in a premature bomb explosion in the Bogside area of Derry.
A RUC officer was killed in an IRA rocket attack in Fermanagh.
A member of the bomb disposal team of the British Army was killed in Derry.

Wednesday 29 November 1972
[Public Records 1972 - Released 1 January 2003: Letter from R.A.Custis, then with the Ministry of Defence, to the Prime Minister's office. This document dealt with the issue of members of the Ulster Defence Regiment (UDR) who were also "associated" with the Loyalist paramilitary group the Ulster Defence Association (UDA).]

[ NAI Records – November 1972. ]

December 1972

Friday 1 December 1972
Two Killed by Bombs in Dublin
Two people were killed and 127 injured when two car bombs exploded in the centre of Dublin, Republic of Ireland. At 7.58pm a car bomb detonated in Eden Quay close to Liberty Hall, Dublin. At 8.16pm the second car bomb exploded in Sackville Place (near O'Connell Street), Dublin. Two men, George Bradshaw (30) and Thomas Duff (23) both CIE bus conductors, were killed in the second explosion. An inadequate warning had been telephoned to the 'Newsletter' (a Belfast based newspaper) by a man with an English accent a few minutes before the first explosion. [No organisation claimed responsibility for the bombings but blame initially fell on the Irish Republican Army (IRA). Much later suspicion fell on the Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF). At the time of the explosions the Dáil had been debating the Offences Against the State (Amendment) Bill. The amendment would have given the State much greater powers against the IRA. In particular it meant that suspected members of paramilitary groups could be sentenced on the word of a senior police officer in front of three judges. Prior to the explosions many commentators felt the Bill would fail. However following the explosions there was a one-hour adjournment after which Fine Gael (FG) abstained in the vote and the amendment was passed. In 1973 two English brothers, Kenneth and Keith Littlejohn claimed, during a robbery trial, that they were British agents who had been ordered to infiltrate the Official IRA. They claimed to have acted as 'agent provocateurs'. Many people in the Republic expressed the suspicion that the bombings had been part of a British covert operation to influence legislation in the Dáil.]

Tuesday 5 December 1972
[ Political Developments. ]

Wednesday 6 December 1972
[ Political Developments. ]

Saturday 9 December 1972
[ Law Order. ]

Monday 11 December 1972
[ Law Order. ]

Tuesday 12 December 1972
[ Political Developments. ]

Tuesday 19 December 1972
[ Political Developments. ]

Wednesday 20 December 1972
Diplock Report Published
Four Catholic civilians and one Protestant civilian were shot dead during a Loyalist paramilitary gun attack on the 'Top of the Hill' bar in the Waterside area of Derry.

The Report of the Diplock Committee was published. The Committee had been looking at possible changes to the legal procedures used in cases arising out the conflict. The report recommended that such cases should be heard by a Judge of the High Court, or a County Court Judge, sitting alone with no jury. [These recommendations were included in the 1973 Emergency Powers Act.]

Thursday 28 December 1972
Two children, aged 15 and 16, were killed in a Loyalist paramilitary bomb attack on the village of Belturbet, County Cavan, Republic of Ireland. Loyalists also exploded bombs in the towns of Clones, County Monaghan, and Pettigo, on the border between County Donegal and County Fermanagh, but no one was killed in those explosions (see: The Irish Times).

Friday 29 December 1972
Ruairi O Bradaigh, then President of Sinn Féin (SF), arrested and held under new legislation in Republic of Ireland.

Sunday 31 December 1972
Martin McGuinness was arrested and held under the new Republic of Ireland legislation.

[ NAI Records – December 1972. ]

[ PRONI Records on CAIN - 1972 ]

[ NAI Records on CAIN - 1972 ]