A Chronology of the Conflict - 1992

Thursday 2 January 1992
A new formula was devised for the resumption of political talks.

Friday 3 January 1992
Two Catholic civilians were shot dead at their butcher's shop in Moy, County Tyrone, by the Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF).

The Labour Party in Britain undertook to continue with the political talks in the event of it winning the forthcoming general election.

Sunday 5 January 1992
The Irish Republican Army (IRA) exploded a bomb, estimated at 600 pounds and contained in a van, close to Windsor House in Bedford Street, in the centre of Belfast. The bomb caused extensive damage to property in the area. A warning of approximately 30 minutes was given. Two Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) officers, and a British Army (BA) soldier, were slightly injured by the explosion.

Monday 6 January 1992
The Irish Republican Army (IRA) exploded a bomb, estimated at 500 pounds, in High Street in the centre of Belfast. The bomb caused extensive damage to property in the area. A warning of approximately 30 minutes was given. The bomb had been left outside River House where the Northern Ireland Police Authority (NIPA) had office space.

Friday 10 January 1992
The Irish Republican Army (IRA) exploded a small bomb, estimated at 5 pounds, that was concealed in a briefcase and left approximately 300 meters from Downing Street in London.

Monday 13 January 1992
The Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) issued a document that contained a number of proposals on security arrangements.

Friday 17 January 1992
Teebane Bombing
The Irish Republican Army (IRA) exploded a bomb killing eight Protestant civilians who had been travelling in a minibus past Teebane crossroads between Cookstown and Omagh, County Tyrone. The men had been working at a military base in County Tyrone and were travelling home when the attack occurred.

Peter Brooke, then Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, appeared on the Late Late Show on Radio Telefis Éireann (RTE) and was persuaded to sing 'My Darling Clementine'. [Unionists accused Brooke of gross insensitivity in agreeing to sing on the show following the Teebane bombing. Brooke later revealed that he had offered his resignation over the matter.]

Monday 20 January 1992
John Major, then British Prime Minister, travelled to Northern Ireland and held meetings with senior members of the security services.

Wednesday 22 January 1992
Nelson Pleaded Guilty
Brian Nelson, who had operated as a British Army agent and a Ulster Defence Association (UDA) intelligence officer, pleaded guilty to five charges of conspiracy to murder and 14 charges of possessing information useful to terrorists. [Nelson was sentenced to 10 years' imprisonment. His decision to plead guilty meant that the security services did not have to justify their actions in court.]

Monday 27 January 1992
Peter Brooke, then Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, announced that it was not possible at that time to launch "fresh substantive talks".

Thursday 30 January 1992
Charles Haughey, then Taoiseach (Irish Prime Minister), announced his resignation as both Taoiseach and leader of Fianna Fáil (FF). [Haughey's resignation followed the re-emergence of allegations about phone-tapping in 1982.]

[ PRONI Records – January 1992 ]

[ NAI Records – January 1992 ]

February 1992

Sunday 2 February 1992
During a television interview Peter Brooke, then Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, refused to rule out the possibility of the British government doing a post-election deal with Unionists. He stated that if talks were not successful a solution might be imposed that was more integrationist than devolutionist.

Tuesday 4 February 1992
Shooting at SF Office
An off-duty Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) officer, Allen Moore, walked into the Falls Road office of Sinn Féin (SF) and shot dead three Catholic civilians. Moore drove away from the scene and later shot himself. Two of those killed were members of SF.

Wednesday 5 February 1992
Shooting at Bookmaker's Shop
The Ulster Freedom Fighters (UFF), a cover name (pseudonym) used by the Ulster Defence Association (UDA), shot dead five Catholic civilians, including a 15 year old boy, in a gun attack on Sean Graham's Bookmaker's shop on the lower Ormeau Road in Belfast. [The UDA at this time was a legal organisation and there were calls for it to be proscribed. A statement from the UFF concluded with the words "Remember Teebane".]
A member of the Irish Republican Army (IRA) was shot dead by the Ulster Defence Regiment (UDR) in County Fermanagh.

Thursday 6 February 1992
Albert Reynolds was elected as leader of Fianna Fáil (FF) and also became Taoiseach (Irish Prime Minister).

Monday 10 February 1992
The British government sent an extra battalion of British Army troops to Northern Ireland.

Tuesday 11 February 1992
John Major, then British Prime Minister, and Peter Brooke, then Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, held meetings with the leaders of the main political parties in Northern Ireland to discuss the security situation.

Saturday 15 February 1992
A bomb, estimated at 250 pounds, exploded in the centre of Belfast.

Sunday 16 February 1992
Four members of the Irish Republican Army (IRA) were shot dead by undercover soldiers of the British Army in the car park of St Patrick's Catholic church in Dernagh, near Coalisland, County Tyrone. The shooting took place after an earlier gun attack on the joint Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) / British Army base in Coalisland.

Monday 17 February 1992
Sinn Féin held their annual Ard Fheis (conference) in a community hall in Ballyfermot, Dublin. A document, Towards a Lasting Peace in Ireland (Sinn Féin, 1992), was launched at the Ard Fheis.

Wednesday 19 February 1992
Joe Doherty, a former member of the Irish Republican Army (IRA), was deported from the United States of America (USA) to Northern Ireland.

Saturday 22 February 1992
Proinsias de Rossa together with five other Workers' Party Teachta Dáil (TDs) walked out of a party meeting in Dublin. [The men later announced that they were forming a new organisation. Initially the new party was called New Agenda but the name was changed on 28 March 1992 to Democratic Left. The split occurred when De Rossa failed to get an assurance from the Workers' Party that the organisation had ended its links with the Official Irish Republican Army (OIRA).]

Monday 24 February 1992
Brian Mawhinney, then Minister of State at the Northern Ireland Office (NIO), held a meeting with the leaders of the four main political parties.

Friday 28 February 1992
The Irish Republican Army (IRA) exploded a bomb at London Bridge railway station in London and injured 28 people.

[ PRONI Records – February 1992 ]

[ NAI Records – February 1992 ]

Monday 2 March 1992
Two Ulster Defence Regiment (UDR) soldiers were convicted, along with a third man, of 'aiding and abetting' the Ulster Freedom Fighters (UFF), a cover name (pseudonym) used by the Ulster Defence Association (UDA), in the killing of Loughlin Maginn on 25 August 1989. [The killing led to the establishment of the Stevens Inquiry.]
Muammar Gaddafi, then President of Libya, announced that he was breaking his country's links with the Irish Republican Army (IRA).

Thursday 5 March 1992
The Irish Republican Army (IRA) exploded a bomb, estimated at 1,000 pounds, in the centre of Lurgan, County Armagh. The bomb caused extensive damage of commercial properties in the town. The IRA exploded another bomb in the centre of Belfast that also caused extensive damage.

Monday 9 March 1992
Plenary Session of Talks
Representatives of the four main political parties in Northern Ireland held a 'plenary session' of talks (later known as the Brooke / Mayhew talks) in Stormont. The parties agreed to meet again following the forthcoming general election.
The Fair Employment Commission (FEC) published a report on the religious composition of the workforce based on returns from over 1,700 employers in Northern Ireland. The report showed that Catholics made up 35 per cent of those employed but 38 per cent of those available for work.

Tuesday 10 March 1992
The Garda Síochána (the Irish police) uncovered an estimated 3,500 pounds of explosives together with a number of weapons at Drumkeen in County Donegal, Republic of Ireland.

Wednesday 11 March 1992
John Major, then British Prime Minister, announced that there would be a general election on 9 April 1992.

Friday 13 March 1992
The Garda Síochána (the Irish police) uncovered a number of weapons at County Donegal, Republic of Ireland.

Friday 20 March 1992
John Hume, then leader of the Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP), and Gerry Adams, then President of Sinn Féin (SF), took part in a debate on BBC radio.

Tuesday 24 March 1992
The Irish Republican Army (IRA) exploded a bomb, estimated at 500 pounds, close to the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) station in Donegall Pass, Belfast. The bomb caused extensive damage to property in the surrounding area.

Wednesday 25 March 1992
The Times (a London based newspaper) carried details of an opinion poll that it had commissioned. The poll was carried out by MORI to find out the attitudes of people living in Britain towards Northern Ireland. Of those questioned, 31 per cent said they were in favour of Northern Ireland becoming independent, 29 per cent favoured the region remaining part of the United Kingdom (UK), and 23 per cent were in favour of a united Ireland.

[ PRONI Records – March 1992 ]

[ NAI Records – March 1992 ]

Friday 3 April 1992
James Molyneaux, then leader of the Ulster Unionist Party (UUP), advised those people who supported the UUP to vote for Peter Robinson, Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), in East Belfast and for Jim Kilfedder, Ulster Popular Unionist Party (UPUP), in North Down. [As in previous elections, the DUP and the UUP observed an electoral pact in those constituencies where a contest between Unionist candidates might lead to a Nationalist winning the seat. In North Down the UUP intention was to support the sitting Member of Parliament (MP) and to prevent the election of a Conservative Party candidate.]

Sunday 5 April 1992
Bill Clinton gave a speech to the American-Irish Presidential Forum in New York, United States of America (USA). He undertook, if elected President, to: reverse the ban on Gerry Adams, then President of Sinn Féin (SF), entering the USA; support the 'MacBride Principles'; appoint a peace envoy to Northern Ireland; and raise the issue of human rights violations with the British government.

Thursday 9 April 1992
General Election in UK
A general election was held in the United Kingdom (UK). The Conservative Party won the election with a reduced majority of 21 seats in the House of Commons. In Northern Ireland the main news in the election was that Gerry Adams, then President of Sinn Féin (SF), lost his seat in West Belfast to Joe Hendron (Dr) of the Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP). [Adams was to regain the seat at the 1997 general election. Towards the end of the parliament, as the majority was further reduced, the Unionists were able to increase their influence over matters related to Northern Ireland.]

Friday 10 April 1992
Baltic Exchange Bombing
The Irish Republican Army (IRA) exploded two bombs at the Baltic Exchange in the centre of London and killed three people including a 15 year old girl. The IRA warning proved to be inadequate and added to the confusion as it mentioned the Stock Exchange. [In August there were reports in the media that insurance claims amounted to £800 million pounds. The estimated figure for the whole of Northern Ireland since the start of the conflict was £615 million.]

Saturday 11 April 1992
Mayhew Appointed Secretary of State
Patrick Mayhew was chosen to replace Peter Brooke as Secretary of State for Northern Ireland. There were further changes at the Northern Ireland Office (NIO) with Michael Mates becoming deputy Secretary of State and the minister responsible for security.

Tuesday 14 April 1992
A British Army (BA) recruiting sergeant died after being shot by the Irish National Liberation Army (INLA) in Derby, England. [This was the first killing by the INLA in Britain since March 1979.]

Thursday 23 April 1992
Two former Moderators of the Presbyterian Church revealed that they had held private talks with Gerry Adams, then President of Sinn Féin (SF), and Tom Hartley also of SF.

Monday 27 April 1992
There was an announcement at the Anglo-Irish Intergovernmental Conference (AIIC) that there would be a three-month suspension of its meetings to allow the political talks (later known as the Brooke / Mayhew talks) to recommence. Differences however emerged between the British and Irish governments with Sir Patrick Mayhew, then Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, and David Andrews, then Irish Minister of Foreign Affairs, publicly disagreeing as to whether, amongst other things, the Government of Ireland Act was open for discussion.

Tuesday 28 April 1992
Philomena Hanna (26), a Catholic civilian, was shot dead by the Ulster Freedom Fighters (UFF), a cover name (pseudonym) used by the Ulster Defence Association (UDA), at her place of work - a chemist shop on the Springfield Road, west Belfast. [There was widespread condemnation at the killing of a woman whose work meant that she delivered medical supplies to both communities in the area.]

Wednesday 29 April 1992
Political Talks Recommenced
The political talks (later known as the Brooke / Mayhew talks) recommenced at Stormont with the four main political parties making opening statements.

[ PRONI Records – April 1992 ]

[ NAI Records – April 1992 ]

Friday 1 May 1992
The Irish Republican Army (IRA) exploded a bomb, estimated at 1,000 pounds, at a border post in County Armagh and killed one British Army soldier and injured a number of others.

Saturday 2 May 1992
The Garda Síochána (the Irish police) uncovered a large cache of arms, including 51 automatic rifles, in a concealed bunker at a farm near Newmarket, County Cork.

Tuesday 5 May 1992
An inquest began into the deaths on 11 November 1982 of three Irish Republican Army (IRA) members shot dead by an undercover Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) unit near Craigavon, County Armagh.
The Court of Appeal in London began hearing the appeal of Judith Ward against her conviction for involvement in a bomb attack on 4 February 1974.

Friday 8 May 1992
Kenneth Baker, then British Home Secretary, announced that responsibility for intelligence-gathering on the Irish Republican Army (IRA) would be moved from the Special Branch of the Metropolitan Police to MI5 (the British Security Service). The move was part of an attempt to counter IRA operations in England.

Tuesday 12 May 1992
British soldiers of the Parachute Regiment entered two public houses in Coalisland, County Tyrone, and caused considerable damage to both properties. This incident followed an earlier Irish Republican Army (IRA) attack during which a Paratrooper lost both legs in an explosion. [The commanding officer of the regiment was later removed from his post. There was a further incident involving British soldiers in the town on 17 May 1992.]

Wednesday 13 May 1992
A submission made to Strand One of the political talks (later known as the Brooke / Mayhew talks) by the Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP) was leaked to the media. The main element of the submission was a proposal for a six-member Commission that would act as the cabinet of any future government. Three members would be elected (treating Northern Ireland as a single constituency) and three appointed (one each by the British government, Irish government, and the European Community). In turn an elected assembly would scrutinise their performance as well as making its own recommendations to the commissioners.

Sunday 17 May 1992
British soldiers of the King's Own Scottish Borderers becamed involved in a fist-fight with local people in Coalisland, County Tyrone. Soon after members of the Parachute Regiment arrived and fired on a crowd of people standing outside a public house in the town, and shot and wounded three civilians and injured a further four others. [This incident followed an earlier one on 12 May 1992. It was later reported that the commander of the army's Third Brigade was transferred. Patrols by the Parachute Regiment were also ended before the official end of the regiment's tour of duty.]

[ PRONI Records – May 1992 ]

[ NAI Records – May 1992 ]

Monday 1 June 1992
A Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) councillor was elected Mayor in Derry with the backing of the Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP). [The SDLP had a policy of rotating the posts of Mayor and Deputy Mayor between Nationalist and Unionist candidates.]

Thursday 4 June 1992
The Court of Appeal in London upheld the appeal of Judith Ward against her conviction for involvement in a bomb attack on 4 February 1974. The court quashed her conviction and accused the original forensic scientists of having concealed evidence.

Monday 8 June 1992
A British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) programme made a number of claims about Brian Nelson, who had operated as a British Army (BA) agent and a Ulster Defence Association (UDA) intelligence officer. The programme claimed that Nelson had been involved in 10 murders, attempted murders, or conspiracies to murder, and that his BA controllers had know of the events. The programme further claimed that in some instances BA intelligence had failed to pass on information about planned attacks to the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC).

Friday 12 June 1992
Strand One of Talks Deadlocked
The parties involved in the political talks (later known as the Brooke / Mayhew talks) agreed to begin work on Strand Two and Strand Three of the process even though discussions on Strand One were at a standstill.

Friday 19 June 1992
There was a meeting between representatives of the British and Irish Governments and the Northern Ireland parties to discuss an agenda for Strand Two of the political talks (later known as the Brooke / Mayhew talks).

Sunday 21 June 1992
Sinn Féin (SF) held its annual Wolfe Tone commemoration in County Kildare. Jim Gibney, then a leading member of SF, said that a British withdrawal from Northern Ireland would have to be preceded by a period of peace and negotiations involving Nationalists and Unionists. [Some commentators took this as a sign that SF and the Irish Republican Army (IRA) were considering ending the 'armed struggle'.]

Thursday 25 June 1992
James Molyneaux, then leader of the Ulster Unionist Party (UUP), together with Ian Paisley, then leader of the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), put a motion before the House of Commons which called for the setting up of a Northern Ireland Select Committee. The motion was supported by the Liberal Democrats, and the Welsh and Scottish Nationalist parties. However the government opposed the motion which failed to gain sufficient suppport.

Tuesday 30 June 1992
Further meetings were held in London as part of the political talks (later known as the Brooke / Mayhew talks).

[ PRONI Records – June 1992 ]

[ NAI Records – June 1992 ]

Wednesday 1 July 1992
The bodies of three Irish Republican Army (IRA) members were found in different parts of south Armagh. The three men were shot dead by the IRA which alleged that the men had acted as informers for the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) and MI5 (British Security Service).

In a significant shift in approach the Unionist parties agreed to talks with politicians from the Republic of Ireland under Strand Two of the political talks (later known as the Brooke / Mayhew talks).
The Royal Irish Regiment (RIR) came into being. The regiment was formed by the amalgamation of the Ulster Defence Regiment (UDR) and the Royal Irish Rangers. [The UDR had been the subject of sustained criticism from Nationalists since its formation in 1970. The merger meant that the former UDR battalions, a total of approximately 6,000 soldiers, would continue to operate in Northern Ireland while the two former Rangers battalions would be reduced to a single general service battalion, approximately 900 soldiers, that would serve abroad as well as in Northern Ireland.]

Monday 6 July 1992 - Wednesday 8 July 1992
As part of Strand Two of the political talks (later known as the Brooke / Mayhew talks) there were discussions in London between the British and Irish Governments and the Northern Ireland political parties. The Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) also attended the discussions although three members of the party resigned in protest at the development.

Wednesday 8 July 1992
There were heated exchanges between local residents and Orange Order members taking part in a parade through the mainly Catholic lower Ormeau Road area of Belfast. Orange Order members shouted "Up the UFF" and held up one of their hands showing five fingers - a reference to the shooting dead of five Catholic civilians in a Bookmaker's shop on the lower Ormeau Road. The parade went right past the site of the shooting. [Later Patrick Mayhew, then Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, said that the actions of the marchers "would have disgraced a tribe of cannibals".]

Friday 24 July 1992
There was a summer adjournment in Strand Two of the political talks (later known as the Brooke / Mayhew talks). The talks recommenced on 2 September 1992.

Wednesday 29 July 1992
Three of the four people known as the 'UDR (Ulster Defence Regiment) Four' were released from prison following the quashing of their convictions. The court had heard that Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) notes of the confessions had been tampered with. The fourth member, Neil Latimer, was not released because there was other evidence against him.

Friday 31 July 1992
Channel 4 and Box Productions were fined £75,000 in the High Court in London for failing to reveal the source of information for a programme entitled 'The Committee' broadcast on 2 October 1991. The programme claimed that there was an 'inner circle' in the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) and Ulster Defence Regiment (UDR) which was colluding with Loyalist paramilitaries in the killing of Catholics. [A subsequent book on the controversy, also entitled 'The Committee', was not released in the United Kingdom (UK) by the American publishers who feared libel proceedings.]

[ PRONI Records – July 1992 ]

[ NAI Records – July 1992 ]

Sunday 2 August 1992
Two bombs, each estimated at 200 pounds, exploded in Bedford Street, Belfast. Extensive damage was done to buildings in the area.
Hugh Annesley, Chief Constable of the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC), issued a statement on the Channel 4 programme entitled 'The Committee' broadcast on 2 October 1991. Annesley stated that there was no truth to the allegations.

Monday 10 August 1992
UDA Banned
Patrick Mayhew, then Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, announced that the Ulster Defence Association (UDA) was to be proscribed (banned) as of from midnight. The move was welcomed by Nationalist politicians who felt the decision was long overdue. [Many commentators felt that the timing of the move was related to the recent upsurge in Loyalist violence. During the first six months of the year the Ulster Freedom Fighters (UFF), a cover name (pseudonym) used by the Ulster Defence Association (UDA), had killed more people than the Irish Republican Army (IRA).]

Wednesday 12 August 1992
The Metropolitan Police in London uncovered approximately 12 tons of explosives when they seized three vans. The explosives had been manufactured by the Irish Republican Army (IRA). Five people were initially arrested in connection with the find but were later released.

Tuesday 18 August 1992
Jimmy Brown (36), then a member of the Irish People's Liberation Organisation (IPLO), was shot dead in Belfast at the start of an internal IPLO feud. [It was later revealed that a new group called the Belfast Brigade of the IPLO was responsible for the killing.]

Friday 21 August 1992
Hugh McKibben (21), then a member of the Irish People's Liberation Organisation (IPLO), was shot dead at the Lámh Dhearg Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) social club on the outskirts of Belfast. His was killed by the Belfast Brigade of the IPLO during an internal IPLO feud. Two other men were wounded in the attack.

[ PRONI Records – August 1992 ]

[ NAI Records – August 1992 ]

Wednesday 2 September 1992
(Brooke / Mayhew) Political Talks Resumed
Following the summer adjournment, Strand Two of the political talks (later known as the Brooke / Mayhew talks) resumed.

Monday 7 September 1992
A husband and wife, both Catholic civilians, were shot dead by Loyalists near Moy, County Armagh.

Mary Robinson, then President of the Republic of Ireland, paid a visit to Derry and Enniskillen, County Fermanagh.

Wednesday 9 September 1992
Ian Paisley, then leader of the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), together with Peter Robinson, then deputy leader of the DUP, walked out of Strand Two of the political talks (later known as the Brooke / Mayhew talks). The politicians left because Articles 2 and 3 of the Irish Constitution were not the first item on the agenda for the talks. Two members of the DUP remained in the talks as 'observers'.

Saturday 12 September 1992
A confidential discussion paper was leaked from the political talks (later known as the Brooke / Mayhew talks). It was claimed that the paper had been prepared by Patrick Mayhew, then Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, in an attempt to overcome a perceived lack of channels of communication between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. [The paper was heavily criticised by Unionists and was later withdrawn when James Molyneaux, then leader of the Ulster Unionist Party (UUP), threatened to leave the talks. In particular Unionists were angered by certain phrases that had been used such as 'an agreed Ireland' as well as 'powers to be exercised through North/South channels'. There were further leaks on 20 September 1992.]

Thursday 17 September 1992
The Irish Republican Army (IRA) was believed to be responsible for three firebomb attacks at tourist venues in London at approximately 1.00 am. The first device caused a small fire in the Chamber of Horrors at Madame Tussaud's waxworks, Marylebone Road, London NW1. A second device exploded next door at The Planetarium, Marylebone Road, London NW1 but no fire started. Two devices exploded at the Imperial War Museum, Lambeth Road, London SE1 but staff were able to put out the small fire before the fire brigade arrived.

Sunday 20 September 1992
There were further leaks of discussion papers from the political talks (later known as the Brooke / Mayhew talks). Sunday Life (a Northern Ireland newspaper) gave details of an Irish government paper that indicated there would be no change on Articles 2 and 3 of the Irish Constitution unless there was some movement on the Unionist side. [Unionists wanted to see changes to the Irish Constitution take place first.] There were additional revelations in other newspapers which provided details of the structure of any new assembly.

Monday 21 - Wednesday 23 September 1992
James Molyneaux, then leader of the Ulster Unionist Party (UUP), led a delegation from the UUP to talks in Dublin Castle, Dublin, with the Irish Government. The talks were based on Strand Two and the topics discussed included constitutional matters, security co-operation, channels of communication between the two states, and identity and allegiance. The Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) did not attend the talks in Dublin. [These were the first formal discussions by Unionists in Dublin since 1922.]

Wednesday 23 September 1992
IRA Bomb at Forensic Science Laboratory
The Irish Republican Army (IRA) exploded a huge bomb, estimated at 2,000 pounds, at the Northern Ireland forensic science laboratories in south Belfast. Twenty people were injured, the laboratories destroyed, and approximately 700 houses were damaged in the blast. [The cost of repairs was estimated at £6 million.]

Friday 25 September 1992
John Major, then British Prime Minister, held a meeting with Albert Reynolds, then Taoiseach (Irish Prime Minister), in London. The two leaders set the 16 November 1992 as the date for the next meeting of the Anglo-Irish Intergovernmental Conference (AIIC). [As Unionists refused to take part in political talks while the AIIC was operating this date put a limit on the process.]

Saturday 26 September 1992
In a radio interview John Hume, then leader of the Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP), declared that Northern Ireland was "not a natural entity and therefore you cannot have a normal democracy". In addition he went on to describe the SDLP's proposal, already outlined at the political talks, for the governance of Northern Ireland.

Wednesday 30 September 1992
The Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) returned to the resumed political talks (later known as the Brooke / Mayhew talks) at Stormont. The DUP attended this section of the talks because the main business was Articles 2 and 3 of the Irish Constitution. [The DUP were criticised as having an 'a la carte' approach to the talks.]

[ PRONI Records – September 1992 ]

[ NAI Records – September 1992 ]

Monday 12 October 1992
The Irish Republican Army (IRA) exploded a small bomb in the Sussex Public House, in London. One person died later from injuries received during the explosion; a further four people were also injured. [This one of a series of bomb attacks in London during the previous week.]

The Election Court began a hearing to investigate allegations of misconduct on the part of Joe Hendron, the Member of Parliament (MP) for west Belfast.

Friday 16 October 1992
Sheena Campbell (29), a law student who had been a Sinn Féin (SF) candidate in the Upper Bann by-election in 1990, was shot dead by the Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) while in the York Hotel, Botanic Avenue, Belfast.

Tuesday 20 October 1992
Robert Irvine (43), then a member of the Royal Irish Regiment (RIR), was shot dead by the Irish Republican Army (IRA) at his home in Rasharkin, County Antrim. Irvine was the first member of the newly formed RIR to be killed.

Wednesday 21 October 1992
The Irish Republican Army (IRA) exploded a bomb, estimated at 200 pounds, in the main street of Bangor, County Down. The bomb caused extensive damage to property in the area.

Friday 30 October 1992
The Irish Republican Army (IRA) exploded a bomb, estimated at 250 pounds, at Glengormley Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) station. Thirteen people were injured in the explosion and over 100 houses were damaged.
The IRA forced a taxi driver in London to transport a bomb to a location close to Downing Street where it later exploded.

Saturday 31 October 1992
The Irish Republican Army (IRA) shot and killed Samuel Ward (30) who was a member of the 'Belfast Brigade' of the Irish People's Liberation Organisation (IPLO). The IRA also injured a further eight members of the IPLO. [Following this action the 'Belfast Brigade' announced on 3 November 1992 that it would disband. A similar decision was announced by the Army Council faction of the IPLO based in Dublin on 7 November 1992.]

[ PRONI Records – October 1992 ]

[ NAI Records – October 1992 ]

Tuesday 3 November 1992
The 'Belfast Brigade' of the Irish People's Liberation Organisation (IPLO) that it would disband. [This followed an internal feud and the intervention of the Irish Republican Army (IRA) on 31 October 1992.]

Wednesday 4 November 1992
The Northern Ireland Office (NIO) offered to extend 100 per cent capital funding to Catholic (maintained) schools.

Friday 6 November 1992
The Ulster Freedom Fighters (UFF), a cover name (pseudonym) used by the Ulster Defence Association (UDA), announced that it was extending its campaign to include "the entire Republican community".
The coalition government in the Republic of Ireland collapsed and a general election was called for 25 November 1992.

Saturday 7 November 1992
The 'Army Council' faction of the Irish People's Liberation Organisation (IPLO) that was based in Dublin announced that it was disbanding. [This followed an internal feud and the intervention of the Irish Republican Army (IRA) on 31 October 1992.]

Monday 9 November 1992
Representatives of the Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) presented a series of proposals at the political talks (later known as the Brooke / Mayhew talks) in a last minute attempt to prevent the process from collapsing. Included were proposals for a Bill of Rights for Northern Ireland and provisions for Nationalists to have a 'meaningful role' in the government of Northern Ireland. In return for the Irish government repealing Articles 2 and 3 of its constitution the UUP would consider the establishment of some form of body linking members of any new Northern Ireland Assembly with the Dáil.

Tuesday 10 November 1992
End of Political Talks
Unionists withdrew from the political talks (later known as the Brooke / Mayhew talks) and brought the process to an end. Their action was provoked by the restart of work by the Maryfield secretariat for the Anglo-Irish Intergovernmental Conference (AIIC). Patrick Mayhew, then Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, said that informal party contacts would continue. [The talks had lasted two years and had cost an estimated £5 million.]

Thursday 12 November 1992
In an effort to increase the percentage of Catholics employed in the Northern Ireland Civil Service the Northern Ireland Office (NIO) announced that it was introducing "goals and timetables". The NIO also stated there would be no preferential treatment on the grounds of religion, political beliefs, or gender, and denied that the new measures amounted to quotas. [Government estimates of the number of senior posts held by Catholics was 17 per cent.]

Friday 13 November 1992
The Irish Republican Army (IRA) exploded a large van bomb in the centre of Coleraine, County Derry. The bomb caused extensive damage to the commercial heart of the town.

Saturday 14 November 1992
Three Catholic civilians were shot dead during a gun and grenade attack carried out by the Ulster Freedom Fighters (UFF), a cover name (pseudonym) used by the Ulster Defence Association (UDA). The attack took place in a bookmaker's shop on the Oldpark Road, Belfast. [This incident was similar to an attack by the UFF on 5 February 1992.]

In London the Irish Republican Army (IRA) attempted to plant a large bomb, estimated at 1,000 pounds, but were stopped by the Metropolitan Police. A policeman was shot and wounded and one man arrested during the incident.]
Sinn Féin (SF) won a court case against Belfast City Council. The case concerned the tactics adopted by Unionist councillors to deny positions on various committees to SF.

Sunday 15 November 1992 ??
The Irish Republican Army (IRA) attempted to plant a large bomb, estimated at 1,000 pounds, at Canary Wharf in London but were prevented by security men.

Monday 16 November 1992
A meeting of the Anglo-Irish Intergovernmental Conference (AIIC) in Dublin reviewed the procedures used in the political talks (later known as the Brooke / Mayhew talks) and favoured bilateral talks.

Monday 23 November 1992
Charles Hill, then Standing Advisory Commission on Human Rights (SACHR) chairman, argued for an enlarged role for the organisation and also the introduction of a Bill of Rights.

Wednesday 25 November 1992
Pearse Jordan (21), a member of the Irish Republican Army (IRA), was shot dead by members of an undercover Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) mobile patrol. Although Jordan was unarmed the RUC claimed that he had just left a 'bomb-making factory'.

[ PRONI Records – November 1992 ]

[ NAI Records – November 1992 ]

Tuesday 1 December 1992
The Irish Republican Army (IRA) exploded two small bombs in the centre of Belfast injuring 27 people. The IRA also attempted to explode a bomb on the Tottenham Court Road in London but the device was defused by bomb disposal officers.

Wednesday 2 December 1992
There was a series of 46 bomb hoaxes in Belfast and Lisburn, County Antrim.

Thursday 3 December 1992
The Irish Republican Army (IRA) exploded two bombs in Manchester, England, injuring over 60 people.

Friday 4 December 1992
John May (Sir), previously a Court of Appeal judge, published a report into the wrongful convictions of the Maguire family ('Maguire seven'). The May Report called for the establishment of a review tribunal to look into cases of alleged miscarriages of justice.

Thursday 10 December 1992
The Ulster Freedom Fighters (UFF), a cover name (pseudonym) used by the Ulster Defence Association (UDA), carried out a series of seven incendiary bomb attacks on shops in Dublin and in other Irish towns near to the border. The Irish National Liberation Army (INLA) carried out a gun attack and wounded a man who worked for Belfast City Council. The Irish Republican Army (IRA) planted three incendiary bombs in an industrial estate in Belfast and damaged three buildings. The IRA also carried out two bomb attacks at a shopping centre in Wood Green in London. Eleven people including a number of police officers were injured in the attack.

Sunday 13 December 1992
A Sinn Fein member was shot dead by Loyalists in Ballymoney, County Antrim.
A Catholic civilian died five days after being the subject of a 'punishment' shooting in Derry.

An unidentified Loyalist paramilitary group launched a rocket attack at an area of Crumlin Road Prison that was believed to be occupied by Republic prisoners. There were no injuries in the attack. [The attack was believed to be in retaliation for the killing of two Loyalist inmates on 24 November 1991 when the Irish Republican Army (IRA) planted a bomb inside the prison.]

Tuesday 15 December 1992
There were reports in the press that alleged that a telephone belonging to John Hume, then leader of the Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP), had been bugged.

Wednesday 16 December 1992
Mayhew Speech at Coleraine
Patrick Mayhew, then Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, gave a speech [PDF; 3552KB] at the Coleraine campus of the University of Ulster. In the speech Mayhew said that the British government had no "pre-selected constitutional outcome" in political talks. Mayhew also said that Sinn Féin (SF) could be included in future talks if the IRA ended its violent campaign.
The Irish Republican Army (IRA) exploded two small bombs in London and injured four people.

Thursday 17 December 1992
Louis Blom-Cooper (Sir), then a Queen's Council (QC), was appointed to oversee conditions at the three holding centres where people suspected of paramilitary crimes were questioned.

Tuesday 22 December 1992
Gerry Adams, then President of Sinn Féin (SF), replied to a speech made by Patrick Mayhew, then Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, on 16 December 1992. Adams proposed a United Nations (UN) and European Community (EC) role in finding a political solution. He also said that SF's exclusion from political talks was undemocratic.

Thursday 24 December 1992
The Irish Republican Army (IRA) called a three-day ceasefire.

Thursday 31 December 1992
The Ulster Defence Association (UDA) issued a statement in which the organisation threatened to increase its campaign of violence "to a ferocity never imagined".

[ PRONI Records – December 1992 ]

[ NAI Records – December 1992 ]

[ PRONI Records on CAIN - 1992 ]

[ NAI Records on CAIN - 1992 ]