1998

January 1998

Monday 12 January 1998
Policy: The British and Irish governments issued a document, the 'Propositions of Heads of Agreement, in an attempt to add impetus to the multi-party Stormont talks. The two governments also issued a joint statement on the document. While the 'Propositions' document made no mention of victims the joint statment included the line: "The governments wish to make clear that the position and sensitivities of the victims of violence are fully acknowledged and will continue to be taken into account where appropriate".

Friday 23 January 1998
Inquiry Demand: Bertie Ahern, then Taoiseach (Irish Prime Minister), laid a wreath at the ‘Bloody Sunday’ memorial in the Bogside during a visit to Derry. He called for a full independent inquiry into the events of ‘Bloody Sunday’.

Friday 24 January 1998
Commemoration: A march to commemorate the dead of ‘Bloody Sunday’ took place in London. Anthony Farrar-Hockley, former commander of British Army land forces in Northern Ireland, said that he saw no need to apologise for the killing of 14 people in Derry on ‘Bloody Sunday’.

Sunday 25 January 1998
Inquiry Demand: Relatives of those killed on ‘Bloody Sunday’ called on the British government to establish a full, independent inquiry into the killings on 30 January 1972.

Thursday 29 January 1998
Inquiry: Tony Blair, then British Prime Minister, announced a new inquiry into the events surrounding ‘Bloody Sunday’ in Derry on 30 January 1972. Relatives announced that they could now consider Lord Widgery’s report to be "dead." [The new inquiry was to be known as the Saville Inquiry.]

February 1998

Sunday 2 February 1998
Commemoration: A march was held in Derry to commemorate the 25th anniversary of 'Bloody Sunday'. The march attracted an estimated 30,000 to 40,000 people.

Thursday 5 February 1998
Commemoration: David Andrews, then Irish Foreign Minister, paid a visit to Belfast and laid a wreath at the site of the shooting of five Catholics on the Lower Ormea Road in 1992. Unionist politicians criticised the visit.

Friday 13 February 1998
Victims Commission: Sir Kenneth Bloomfield, then Victims' Commissioner, met with a cross section of people bereaved and traumatised as a result of the conflcit.  The meeting is organised by the WAVE Trauma Centre. Bloomfield said he would also visit groups in Cookstown, Armagh, Enniskillen and Derry.

March 1998

DATE(?) March 1998
Services: The Social Services Inspectorate published a report entitled Living with the Trauma of the 'Troubles' [PDF; 4,030KB]. The report looked at the availability of services to individuals who as a result of the conflict.

April 1998

3 April 1998
Inquiry: Lord Saville began the new Bloody Sunday Inquiry with an opening statement. Preliminary hearings began on 20 July 1998.

Friday 10 April 1998
Good Friday Agreement
Policy: The Good Friday / Belfast Agreement incuded a section entitled 'Reconciliation and Victims of Violence'. In relation to victims the Agreement stated: "The achievement of a peaceful and just society would be the true memorial to the victims of violence."

Wednesday 29 April 1998
Victims Commission: Sir Kenneth Bloomfield, then Victims' Commissioner, submitted his report, We Will Remember Them, to Marjorie (Mo) Mowlam, then Secretary of State. The report was published on 13 May 1998.

May 1998

DATE(?) May 1998
Policy: Tony Blair, the British Prime Minister, announced that £5 million would be available to support the victims of violence in Northern Ireland and this will a ‘down payment’ to support the recommendations of the forthcoming Bloomfield Report.

Wednesday 13 May 1998
Bloomfield Report: Sir Kenneth Bloomfield, then Victims' Commissioner, launched his report. It was announced that there would be a three month consultation period to gather feedback on the report. Marjorie (Mo) Mowlam, then Secretary of State, indicated her desire to move quickly on some of the recommendations.

Thursday 14 May 1998
Bloomfield Report: The media reported political reaction to the contents of the Bloomfield report on victims. The Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) and the Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP) broadly welcomed the report. Peter Robinson (DUP) said the recognition given to "victims of terrorism" is welcome. Sinn Féin criticised the report saying it failed to meet the concerns of relatives of those killed by "British crown forces".

June 1998

Thursday 25 June 1998
The Disappeared: There were reports in the media that the Irish Republican Army (IRA) was preparing to reveal the locations of the bodies of some of the people it had abducted and killed between 1972 and 1980. This followed a sustained campaign by relatives of the 'disappeared'. [Actual digging at the sites didn't start until late May 1999.]

Tuesday 30 June 1998
Support: An initial support package for victims was announced. A trauma centre provided by the South East Belfast Community Trust received £700,000. Community groups received £200,000.
Policy: The Victims Liaison Unit was established within the Northern Ireland Office (NIO) [it ceased operation in January 2005]. In addition it was announced that the Touchstone Group would be established to advise on key issues related to victims.
Research: Adam Ingram, then Victims' Minister, launched two reports by the Cost of the Troubles Study.

July 1998

Tuesday 28 July 1998
Bloomfield Report: The Victims Liaison Unit announced that it was undertaking consultation on the Bloomfield Report. It said it would hold a series of meetings to facilitate discussion.

August 1998

12 August 1998
Support: Adam Ingram, then Victims' Minister, announced new support for victims.  An educational bursary scheme received £250,000, £1 million was committed to a Memorial Fund, and £60,000 to pilot schemes for community and voluntary groups to help with the young, elderly and disabled.
Policy: It was announced that Sir Kenneth Bloomfield would lead a review of the Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme. The need for such a review was a recommendation that Bloomfield had made in his report.

Thursday 13 August 1998
The Disappeared: Mitchel McLaughlin, then National Chairperson of Sinn Féin (SF), issued a statement urging anyone with information about any of the ‘missing persons’ who disappeared during the course of the conflict to make that information available.

Saturday 15 August 1998
The Omagh Bomb
Omagh Bomb: Twenty-nine people died as a result of an explosion at 3.10 pm in Omagh, County Tyrone. The bomb had been planted by the "real" Irish Republican Army (rIRA). The death toll represented the single worst incident within Northern Ireland since the beginning of the conflict. [This incident was to have many direct and indirect implications for the issue of victims (through to the present day).]

September 1998

Tuesday 1 September 1998
Policy: Adam Ingram, then Victims' Minister, announced an Early Release Information Scheme for Victims. The scheme was designed to ensure that victims and survivors who wished were kept informed about the release of relevant prisoners.

Wednesday 16 September 1998
Policy: Adam Ingram, then Victims' Minister, reiterated that the issue of victims was a priority. He made special mention of the families of 'the Disappeared'.

Wednesday 30 September 1998
Policy: Sir Kenneth Bloomfield asks all interested parties to contribute to the review of the Criminal Compensation Scheme. He indicated that he would be looking for a new statutory framework for “all criminal injury cases, not only those resulting from terrorism”.

October 1998

Tuesday 6 October 1998
Commemoration: It was announced that a £5 million living memorial would be built on the site of the Enniskillen bombing which took place on 8 November 1987. The development would include a community centre, residential accommodation and an art gallery. [Later it was officially named The Clinton Centre.]

November 1998

Tuesday 17 November 1998
Policy: Marjorie (Mo) Mowlam, then Secretary of State, announced that the group FAIR would be joining the government’s Touchstone Group to offer advise on victims' issues. She described the group as "influential". Mowlam also stated that progress had been made on the Memorial Fund, the Bursary Scheme, and Sir Kenneth Bloomfield’s Compensation Review.

Friday 27 November 1998
Bloody Sunday Inquiry: British soldiers who were serving in Derry on 30 January 1972 were offered immunity from prosecution when they provide evidence to the Saville inquiry into the events of 'Bloody Sunday'.

Monday 30 November 1998
Research: Marjorie (Mo) Mowlam, then Secretary of State, attended the launch of an exhibition entitled ‘Do you know what happened’, which was organised by the Cost of the Troubles Study.

December 1998

Tuesday 1 December 1998
Research: INCORE launched a book entitled Past Imperfect: Dealing with Past in Northern Ireland and Countries in Transition, in Derry.

Wednesday 23 December 1998
The Trustees to the Memorial Fund were announced. Professor George Bain was named as chairman.

Notes
Information contained within square brackets [   ] may contain commentary or information that only became publicly available at a later date. Any piece of information which is followed by a question mark in parenthesis (?) is a best estimate while awaiting an update.

See also:
The main CAIN chronology of the conflict
The Sutton Index of Deaths 1969-2001