Chronology of Provisional Irish Republican Army actions (1970–1979)

• 1970: the IRA carried out an estimated 130 bombings in Northern Ireland in 1970. February–July • 2 February: The Provisional IRA threw a gelignite bomb from a passing car at a British Army building on the Shankill Road, Belfast where 50 troops were stationed. There were no injuries but the blast blew a hole in the side of the wall. There is some confusion over who threw the bomb, as the UVF was initially not happy with the British Army on the Shankill Road and had been throwing bombs, but the Provisional IRA who were formed in December 1969 wanted to make their presence felt with these kind of bombs according to Belfast Commander Billy McKee. • 1 March: the IRA bombed and wrecked a statue of mid-late 19th century Protestant evangelical, anti-Catholicism preacher named "Roaring" Hugh Hanna in Carlisle Circus, Belfast at about 03:50 am. • 4 April: A bomb exploded at an Estate agents offices on Belfast's Lower Donegall Street, shattering numerous windows near the bomb blast, it was the third bombing that day, the first exploded in a furniture shop owned by the then Lord Mayor of Belfast Joseph Foster Cairns on the Shankill Road, the second bomb ruined a tailor shop on Royal Avenue, Belfast a fourth bomb was found in a shop & defused on Rosemary Street. These were the first bombs to explode in shops in three months time & were the beginning of a sustained bombing campaign against economic targets. Security Forces blamed the IRA for the attacks. • 26 June: two IRA volunteers, Joseph Coyle and Thomas McCool, were killed in a premature explosion of an incendiary device at the McCool home at Dunree Gardens, Creggan, Derry. McCool's two young daughters, Carol Ann (4) and Bernadette (9), were also killed in the explosion. A third IRA member, Thomas Carlin, died of his injuries on 8 July. • 27 June: rioting erupted in working class parts of Belfast following Orange Order marches past Catholic areas. IRA members used firearms to defend the Short Strand and Ardoyne from attack by Ulster loyalist gunmen and rioters. Two loyalists and one republican died in the cross-shooting (see Battle of St Matthew's). • 3 July: The IRA bombed an Army recruitment office in Belfast on early Friday morning 3 July, destroying the front of the wall of the building and injuring one person. The blast was heard over six miles away. • 3–5 July: Falls Curfew – a British Army raid on the Falls Road, Belfast developed into a riot between soldiers and residents and then into gun battles between soldiers and the Official IRA. The IRA also attacked troops with improvised grenades. The British Army sealed off the area, imposed a 36-hour curfew and raided hundreds of homes under the cover of CS gas. The British Army eventually admitted there had been incidents of looting during these raids. Three Catholic civilians (William Burns, Charles O'Neill, and Zbigniew Uglik) were killed by the British Army and more than 60 people were wounded. • 13 July: The IRA fire bombed the hotel Elsinore on the Antrim Road causing a large blaze which caused much damage but no injuries as the hotel was unoccupied at the time of the bombing. • 16 July: The IRA carried out a bomb attack on the Northern Bank premises in High Street, Belfast City centre. 30 people were injured in the blast. August–December • 11 August: two Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) officers, Samuel Donaldson (aged 23) and Robert Millar (aged 26), were killed by an IRA booby-trap bomb attached to an abandoned car near Crossmaglen, South Armagh. The bomb contained of gelignite and exploded when one of the officers attempted to open one of the car's doors. (see – 1970 Crossmaglen bombing) • 4 September: an IRA volunteer (Michael Kane, aged 35) was killed when a bomb he was planting at an electricity transformer on New Forge Lane, Malone, Belfast, exploded prematurely. • 16 November: the IRA shot dead two Catholic men, Arthur McKenna (aged 35) and Alexander McVicker (aged 35), as alleged criminals while the two were repairing a car, Ballymurphy Road, Belfast. The men were alleged to have been involved in protection rackets, fencing stolen goods, minor racketeering, money-lending, burglary and robbery. ==1971==

January–February • January 1971: following months of clashes between British soldiers and Irish nationalists in Ballymurphy, the British Army held secret talks with the IRA. It was agreed that, in parts of West Belfast, the IRA would be responsible for policing and there would be no activity by the British Army or RUC. • 3 February 1971: under pressure from the unionist government of Northern Ireland, the British Army began a series of raids in nationalist areas of West and North Belfast. This sparked clashes between residents and British soldiers, and between nationalists and loyalists. Eight soldiers and a number of civilians were wounded. The IRA saw the raids as a breach of the policing agreement, and violence continued for the next few nights. • 6 February 1971: during clashes between nationalists and British soldiers in the New Lodge district, the IRA opened fire on a group of soldiers, killing Gunner Robert Curtis. He was the first British soldier killed in Ireland since the 1920s. The next day, James Chichester-Clark, Prime Minister of Northern Ireland, declared on television that "Northern Ireland is at war with the Irish Republican Army Provisionals". Eight British soldiers and five civilians were injured in various gun battles around Belfast. • 8 February 1971: during clashes on the Crumlin Road, Ardoyne, Belfast, two British Army scout vehicles came under sniper fire and had a bomb thrown at them. A soldier (John Laurie) was shot in the head and died eight days later, on 15 February. • 9 February 1971: five men, George Beck (aged 43), John Eakins (aged 52), Harry Edgar (aged 26), David Henson (aged 24), and William Thomas (aged 35) were killed while travelling in a Land Rover, which detonated a landmine on track, Brougher Mountain, near Trillick, County Tyrone. A British Army mobile patrol was reportedly the intended target. The five were on their way to inspect a transmitter: two of the dead men were BBC engineers, the other three were construction workers. The landmine was intended for a British Army patrol that usually inspected the transmitters. • 26 February 1971: Two RUC Special Patrol Group officers, Robert Buckley (aged 30) and Cecil Patterson (aged 45), were killed in a gun battle with the IRA while on Royal Ulster Constabulary mobile patrol, Etna Drive, Ardoyne, Belfast. • 25 May 1971: a bomb was thrown into Springfield Road British Army/RUC base in Belfast, killing British Army Sergeant Michael Willetts as he shielded civilians from the blast with his body. He was posthumously awarded the George Cross. Seven RUC officers, two British soldiers and 18 civilians were injured. July–August • 12 July 1971: a British soldier (David Walker, aged 30) was shot dead by an IRA sniper at a British observation post on Northumberland Street, Lower Falls, Belfast. The IRA claimed his death was in retaliation for the killings of two civilians in Derry by the British Army the previous week. • 14 July 1971: a British soldier (Richard Barton, aged 24) was shot dead in an IRA ambush on a mobile patrol in Andersonstown, Belfast. Three IRA gunmen using automatic weapons fired at least 35 shots at the patrol. • 8 August 1971: a British soldier (Malcolm Hatton, aged 21) was shot dead in an IRA sniper attack while on foot patrol, Brompton Park, Ardoyne, Belfast. The IRA claimed he was shot in retaliation for the shooting death of a civilian by the British Army the day before on the Springfield Road. • 10 August 1971: Norman Watson, a Protestant civilian, was killed in the crossfire between the IRA and soldiers in Armagh. • 10 August 1971: Paul Challoner (aged 23), a British soldier, was shot dead by the IRA while on foot patrol, Bligh's Lane, Creggan, Derry. September–October • 1 September 1971: The IRA exploded a number of bombs across Belfast and Derry injuring about two dozen people. • 2 September 1971: The IRA exploded a bomb at the headquarters of the Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) which wrecked the building, a number of people were injured in the blast. • 23 September 1971: a patrol boat belonging to the Northern Ireland Fishery Conservancy Board was bombed and wrecked by an IRA unit at Derryinver, Lough Neagh. • 29 September 1971: Two Protestant civilians were killed when the Four Step Inn on the Shankill Road in Belfast was bombed. No group said they did the bombing but it's believed the Provisional IRA was behind the bombing. • 11 October 1971: a British soldier (Roger Wilkins, aged 32) was shot dead by the IRA while on foot-patrol on Letterkenny Road, Derry. November–December • 1 November 1971: two RUC officers, Stanley Corry (aged 28) and William Russell (aged 31), were shot dead by an IRA unit while investigating a burglary, Avoca Shopping Centre, Andersonstown, Belfast. • 6 December 1971: a Protestant civilian, Mary Thompson (aged 61), was killed when a wall collapsed onto her shortly after an IRA bomb attack on the Salvation Army Citadel building next door, Dublin Road, Belfast. • 7 December 1971: an off-duty UDR soldier (Denis Wilson, aged 31), was shot dead by the IRA at Curlagh, Aghaloo, near Caledon, County Tyrone. • 8 December 1971: an off-duty UDR soldier, Sean Russell (aged 30), was shot dead at his home at New Barnsley Crescent, Ballymurphy, Belfast. • 8 December 1971: a British Army soldier, Jeremy Snow (aged 35), died four days after being shot by a sniper while on foot patrol, New Lodge, Belfast. • 10 December 1971: a UDR soldier and an ex-soldier were killed when their car was attacked by an IRA unit near Clady, Strabane, County Tyrone. • 11 December 1971: a bomb attack on a furniture shop on the Shankill Road in Belfast killed four Protestant civilians, including two children. No organisation claimed responsibility, but there was speculation that it may have been planted by the IRA in retaliation for the McGurk's Bar bombing of 4 December. • 16 December 1971: a British soldier (Anthony Aspinwall, aged 22 Gloucestershire Regiment), was shot dead by an IRA sniper in the Lower Falls area of Belfast. • 18 December 1971: three IRA volunteers (James Sheridan, John Bateson and Martin Lee) died in Magherafelt, County Londonderry, when the bomb they were transporting exploded prematurely. • 21 December 1971: a Catholic publican (John Lavery, aged 60) was killed when he picked up and attempted to remove a bomb that had been planted in his pub on the Lisburn Road, Belfast. The Sutton database lists the IRA as responsible. • 21 December 1971: an IRA volunteer (Gerald McDade, aged 23) was shot dead after being captured by the British Army in the Ardoyne area of Belfast. • 29 December 1971: a British soldier (Richard Ham, aged 20), was shot dead while on British Army foot patrol, Foyle Road, Brandywell, Derry. • 31 December 1971: an IRA volunteer, Jack McCabe (aged 55), originally from County Cavan, was killed when a bomb he was assembling exploded accidentally in Santry, Dublin. ==1972==

January • 3 January 1972: The IRA exploded a bomb in Callender Street, Belfast, which injured over 60 people. • 5 January 1972: A British soldier (Keith Bryan, aged 18), was shot dead by an IRA sniper while on foot patrol, Ardmoulin Street, Lower Falls, Belfast. • 7 January 1972: An IRA volunteer (Daniel O'Neill, aged 20) died two days after being shot during a gun battle with British troops, Oranmore Street, Clonard, West Belfast. The escapees later held a press conference. • 21 January 1972: A British soldier (Philip Stentiford, aged 18) was killed when he stepped on an IRA landmine, Derrynoose, near Keady, County Armagh. • 27 January 1972: Two RUC officers, Peter Gilgunn (aged 26) and David Montgomery (aged 20), were killed when their patrol vehicle was hit by IRA gunfire in Creggan, Derry. • 25 February 1972: An IRA bomb set on fire and destroyed the Hart & Churchill music store in Belfast. The building was never rebuilt. • 29 February 1972: An off-duty UDR soldier, Henry Dickson (aged 46), was shot dead by the IRA at his home on Lawrence Street, Lurgan, County Armagh. • 3 March 1972: A British soldier (Stephen Keating, aged 18) was shot dead by an IRA sniper while on foot patrol, Manor Street, Belfast. • 14 March 1972: After the end of a three-day cease fire, an IRA bomb caused widespread damage in the main street of Lisburn. Three soldiers and an RUC officer were wounded. • 15 March 1972: Two British soldiers, Christopher Cracknell (aged 29) and Anthony Butcher (aged 24), were killed by an IRA booby-trap bomb hidden in an abandoned car, Grosvenor Road, Belfast. • 21 March 1972: Two IRA car bombs, each one carrying of explosives, went off in Derry, damaging commercial premises and wounding 26 people, including an RUC constable. • 23 March 1972: The IRA detonated two car bombs in Main Street, Bangor, County Down. • 25 March 1972: An IRA volunteer (Patrick Campbell, aged 16) was shot dead in error by another IRA volunteer, while preparing for an ambush of a British Army patrol at the junction of Springhill Avenue and Springfield Road, Belfast. • 6 April 1972: A teenager was shot and wounded by IRA gunmen in the Protestant area of Tates Avenue. • 7 April 1972: An airborne British army patrol was ambushed in County Londonderry, between Creggan estate and the border, by an IRA unit. An hour-long gun battle ensued, with no casualties reported from either side. • 7 April 1972: Three IRA volunteers, Samuel Hughes, Charles McCrystal, and John McErlean (all aged 17), were killed in a premature bomb explosion in a garage in Bawnmore Park, Greencastle, Belfast. • 13 April 1972: The IRA detonated a car-bomb on Main Street, Ballymoney, County Antrim. Despite a warning to evacuate the area, a Protestant civilian, Elizabeth McAuley (aged 64), was killed. • 14 April 1972: members of the Provisional IRA destroyed radio equipment used by the Official IRA to broadcast requests for Long Kesh inmates. • 17 April 1972: A British Army officer and three soldiers were shot and wounded by an IRA unit at Divis Flats, Belfast. A nine-year-old boy was also injured. • 17 April 1972: A 20-year-old student teacher (Patrick McGee) was killed by the British Army in the course of an exchange of fire with an IRA unit in Divis Flats. • 19 April 1972: An off-duty UDR soldier, James Elliott (aged 36), was abducted and killed by the IRA near Newtownhamilton, County Armagh. He was found shot dead by the side of the road at Altnamackan, near Newtownhamilton. • 3 May 1972: The British Army reported 29 shooting incidents involving the IRA on the previous night. Two soldiers were wounded in the Springfield area of Belfast, while a military observation post was raked with gunfire at Corry's timber yard. • 4 May 1972: Three RUC officers on a mobile patrol were wounded in an IRA machine gun attack in Derry. • 9 May 1972: The British Army reported that five IRA members launched 18 small-arms attacks on a military post at Bligh's Lane, Derry. • 10 May 1972: An IRA bomb set a fire that destroyed the Belfast Co-operative store. • 17 May 1972: A British soldier (Ronald Hurst, aged 25), was shot dead by an IRA sniper while repairing a damaged perimeter fence at the British Army base in Crossmaglen, County Armagh. • 17 June 1972: The IRA exploded a 150–200 lb car bomb outside the Woodvale Arms public house at the end of the Shankill Road, Belfast. 18 people were injured in the blast despite a 20-minute warning. • 18 June 1972: Three British soldiers (Arthur McMillan (aged 37), Ian Mutch (aged 31) and Colin Leslie (aged 26)) were killed in an IRA booby-trap bomb attack. The bomb had been left in a derelict house in Bleary, County Armagh. • 19 June 1972: An associate of the Official IRA (Desmond Mackin, aged 37) was shot dead by the Provisional IRA during a dispute in the Cracked Cup Social Club, Leeson Street, Lower Falls, Belfast. An army Land Rover was escorting a lorry that was transporting a crippled helicopter, damaged in a crash landing, toward RAF Aldergrove in County Antrim. IRA volunteers detonated a bomb hidden in two milk churns as the convoy passed, catching seven soldiers in the blast, killing three and injuring four of them. Immediately after the blast, the IRA opened fire on the lorry that had been following the Land Rover and three more soldiers including a helicopter pilot were injured. The three soldiers killed in the blast were Lance-Corporal David Moon (24) of No. 664 Squadron AAC, Private Christopher Stevenson (24) of the Parachute Regiment and Sergeant Stuart Reid (28) of the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers. Malachy Bernard O'Kane, a farmer, was convicted of the attack and was ordered to serve at least 25 years of a life term. • 27 June 1972: A civilian was shot dead by the IRA after attempting to drive through one of their vehicle checkpoints. • 7 July 1972: A civilian was shot dead after crashing his car into an IRA roadblock. • 9 July 1972: A UDA member was shot dead by the IRA in the Markets area of Belfast. • 11 July 1972: A British soldier was shot dead in an IRA gun attack in Derry. • 16 July 1972: Two British soldiers were killed in an IRA landmine attack on their armoured vehicle in Crossmaglen, County Armagh. In Belfast an RUC officer was killed in an IRA gun attack on his patrol car. A member of the IRA Youth Section (Na Fianna), was killed by a rubber bullet fired by security forces in Strabane, County Tyrone. • 19 July 1972: A five-month-old boy, Alan Jack, was killed when an IRA car bomb exploded on Canal Street in Strabane. He was the youngest victim of the Troubles up to that point. • 19 July 1972: A Protestant civilian (Henry Gray, aged 71), was shot dead by IRA members while trying to prevent the bombing of a bar in Springfield Road, Belfast. The IRA officially apologised for this set of attacks in 2002. An IRA volunteer was killed in a gun battle with British troops in the Markets area of Belfast. • 21 July 1972: A number of car bombs exploded in Derry. No casualties were reported. • 21 July 1972: A train was derailed and the Belfast-Dublin railway was blocked by the explosion of an IRA bomb in Portadown. • 23 July 1972: A UDR soldier was kidnapped and shot dead by the IRA in the Ardoyne area of Belfast. • 24 July 1972: A British soldier was shot dead by an IRA sniper in Ballymurphy, Belfast. • 29 July 1972: A customs caravan and a car showroom were bombed in Derry. In Operation Motorman, the biggest British military operation since the Suez crisis, the army used 12,000 soldiers supported by tanks and bulldozers to dismantle barricades and take IRA held "no go areas" in Belfast and Derry. • 9 August 1972: An IRA volunteer was killed when a bomb exploded accidentally in a garage in Newry. • 17 September 1972: an IRA volunteer was shot dead by the British Army during a riot in the Creggan area of Derry. • 22 September 1972: a British soldier was killed in an IRA sniper attack in Crossmaglen, County Armagh. • 24 October 1972: two British soldiers were killed in separate IRA sniper and bomb attacks in Belfast and Armagh. One RUC officer (Robert Keys, aged 55) was killed in a rocket attack on the RUC/British Army base in Belleek, County Fermanagh. This marks the first recorded use of an RPG-7 by the IRA. Two IRA volunteers, John Brady (aged 21) and James Carr (aged 19), were killed in a premature bomb explosion in the Bogside, Derry. A British Army bomb disposal expert, Paul Jackson (aged 21), was killed while attempting to defuse an IRA bomb, Strand Road, Derry. An off-duty UDR soldier (William Bogle, aged 27) was shot dead by the IRA outside a post office, Main Street, Killeter, near Castlederg, County Tyrone. • 7 December 1972: a widowed mother of ten, Jean McConville, was kidnapped and shot dead by an IRA squad, purportedly for being an informer, although her family denied the claim. Her remains were missing for many years until it was recovered and interred next to her late husband. The IRA denied any involvement in the killing until the 1990s, when it issued an acknowledgement and helped to locate the body. An investigation many years later by N.I. Ombudsman Nuala O'Loan found no evidence she had been an informer. • 8 December 1972: a British soldier (John Joesbury, aged 18) died two days after being shot by the IRA while on mobile patrol, Whiterock Road, Ballymurphy, Belfast. • 10 December 1972: a British soldier (Stewart Middlemass, aged 33) was killed by a booby-trapped bomb attached to a rocket launcher by the IRA at Fort Monagh British Army, Turf Lodge, Belfast. • 13 December 1972: an off-duty RUC officer (James Nixon, aged 49) was shot dead by the IRA outside the Chester Park Hotel, Antrim Road, Belfast. • 16 December 1972: an IRA volunteer (Louis Leonard, aged 26) was shot dead by loyalists at his butchers shop in Derrylin, County Fermanagh. • 18 December 1972: Ulster Unionist Party councillor, who was also a member of the Police Authority, William Johnston (aged 48), was kidnapped from his home on the Drumarg estate, Armagh. He was found shot dead a short time later at Knockbane, near Middletown, County Armagh. • 20 December 1972: an off-duty UDR soldier (George Hamilton, aged 28) was shot dead by the IRA at his workplace, a building site at Kildoag, Claudy, County Londonderry. • 24 December 1972: a British soldier (Colin Harker, aged 23) died three months after being shot by an IRA sniper on Lecky Road, Derry. He was injured on 14 September 1972. • 27 December 1972: an IRA volunteer (Eugene Devlin, aged 22) was killed by the British Army during an attempted sniper attack on their patrol on Townsend Street, Strabane, County Tyrone. • 28 December 1972: an IRA volunteer (James McDaid, aged 30) was shot dead by the British Army while walking across a field at Ballyarnet, County Londonderry. ==1973==

• 1 January 1973: a rocket hit Springfield Road RUC base in Belfast, injuring two people. The following night, another rocket was fired at Beragh RUC base, County Tyrone. It missed the target and hit an unoccupied house nearby. • 4 January 1973: a UDR soldier (James Hood, aged 48) was shot dead by the IRA outside his home in Straidarran, near Feeny, County Londonderry. • 5 January 1973: a civilian (Trevor Rankin, aged 18) was shot dead by the IRA outside a Ben Madigan filling station, Shore Road, Belfast. He had been mistaken for an off-duty UDR soldier. • 25 January 1973: William Staunton (aged 46), a resident magistrate died of his injuries three months after being shot on 11 October 1972 outside St Dominic's School, Falls Road, Belfast. • 30 January 1973: a UDA member, Francis Smith (aged 28), was kidnapped and shot dead by the IRA near Rodney Parade, Belfast, allegedly in response to the killing by loyalists of a 15-year-old Catholic boy (Peter Watterson), the previous day. • 2 February 1973: a UDA member (Robert Burns, aged 18), was killed in an IRA drive-by gun attack on the Oldpark Road, Belfast. • 8 March 1973: a British soldier (John Green, aged 21) was shot dead by the IRA while guarding a polling station, Slate Street School, Lower Falls, Belfast. • 13 March 1973: a British soldier (John King, aged 22) was killed by an IRA booby trap bomb while on foot-patrol at Coolderry, near Crossmaglen, County Armagh. • 27 March 1973: a British soldier (Andrew Somerville, aged 20) was killed in an IRA landmine attack on a British mobile patrol in Ballymacilroy, near Ballygawley, County Tyrone. • 28 April 1973: a British soldier (Kerry Venn, aged 23) was shot dead by an IRA sniper while on foot-patrol, Carn Hill, Shantallow, Derry City. • 18 May 1973: an IRA volunteer (Sean McKee, aged 17) was shot dead by the British Army while carrying out a sniper attack on a British patrol on Fairfield Street, Ardoyne, Belfast. • 10 July 1973: the IRA shot dead a former UDR soldier (Isaac Scott, aged 41) outside Tully's Bar in Belleek, County Armagh, near Newtownhamilton. • 17 July 1973: two British soldiers, Christopher Brady (aged 21) and Geoffrey Breakwell (aged 20), were killed by an IRA booby-trap bomb in an electricity junction box at Divis Flats, Belfast. • 13 August 1973: the IRA shot dead an off-duty RUC reservist (William McIlveen, aged 36) at his workplace, a factory on Cathedral Road, Armagh town. The IRA claimed responsibility. • 27 August 1973: the IRA destroyed The Royal Bastion monument to British Governor Walker in Derry with a large bomb. • 28 August 1973: the IRA shot dead a UDR soldier (Kenneth Hill, aged 25) in the Culdee section of Armagh town while evacuating the area during a bomb alert. • 5 September 1973: a Catholic civilian (Patrick Duffy, aged 21) was killed when he triggered a booby-trap bomb by driving his tractor into a field at a farm at Greaghnagleragh, near Belcoo, County Fermanagh. It is believed it was planted by the IRA and intended for the security forces. The RUC had just removed a dummy bomb at the scene. • 5 September 1973: a large office compound was destroyed by an IRA bomb at York Street, Belfast. • 7 September 1973: the IRA shot dead an off-duty UDR soldier (Matthew Lilley, aged 54) near Belcoo, County Fermanagh. • 20 September 1973: five people were injured when an IRA bomb exploded at the headquarters of the Duke of York in London. • 24 November 1973: a patrolling British soldier (David Roberts, aged 25) was killed by an IRA landmine near Carlingford Street, Crossmaglen, County Armagh. • 26 November 1973: the IRA shot dead a civilian (Anthony Braden, aged 58) who was driving his car along Jamaica Street, Ardoyne, Belfast. • 15 December 1973: the IRA shot dead a former RUC officer (Ivan Johnston, aged 34) at Derrynoose near Keady, County Armagh. • 24 December 1973: the IRA left two packages which exploded almost simultaneously in the late evening on Christmas Eve. One was in the doorway of the North Star public house, South Hampstead, which exploded injuring six people, and the other exploded on the upstairs veranda of the nearby Swiss Cottage Tavern, in which an unspecified number of people were injured. • 24 December 1973: two IRA volunteers (Edward Grant and Brendan Quinn) died, killing one civilian (Aubrey Harshaw), when their bomb prematurely exploded in Clarke's Bar, Monaghan Street, Newry. • 26 December 1973: one person was injured when an IRA bomb exploded at Stage Door public house in London. • 31 December 1973: an IRA sniper shot dead a British soldier (Alan Daughtery, aged 23) travelling in an APC on Beechmount Avenue, near Falls Road, Belfast. ==1974==

• 1 January 1974: A Catholic civilian (John Whyte, aged 24) was shot dead during an IRA sniper attack on a British Army patrol on McClure Street, off Ormeau Road, Belfast. • 17 January 1974: The IRA shot dead an off-duty UDR soldier (Robert Jameson, aged 22) near his home at Trillick, County Tyrone. • 25 January 1974: A British soldier (Howard Fawley, aged 19) was killed by an IRA landmine as he and his patrol searched a field at Ballymaguigan, near Ballyronan, County Londonderry. • 26 January 1974: The IRA shot dead a patrolling RUC officer (John Rodgers, aged 50) on Antrim Road, Glengormley, County Antrim. • 4 February 1974: Twelve people were killed in the M62 Coach Bombing, when a bomb exploded on a coach as it was travelling along the M62 motorway at Birkenshaw, England. The dead included eight soldiers, and the wife and two young children of one of the soldiers. • 18 February 1974: A British soldier (Allan Brammagh, aged 31) was killed by an IRA booby-trap bomb hidden in a parcel which was left at the side of the road, while on foot-patrol at Moybane, near Crossmaglen, County Armagh. • 24 February 1974: A civilian (Patrick Lynch, aged 23) was found shot dead at Rathlin Drive, Derry. He was killed by the IRA as an alleged informer. • 13 March 1974: The IRA shot dead a British soldier (David Farrington, aged 23) at a pedestrian checkpoint on Chapel Lane, Belfast. • 9 April 1974: The IRA shot dead John Stevenson, a Commanding Officer of the British Army, at his home near Otterburn British Army base, Northumberland, England. • 2 May 1974: Up to 40 members from the Provisional IRA East Tyrone Brigade attacked the isolated 6 UDR Deanery base in Clogher, County Tyrone with machine gun and RPG fire resulting in the death of Private Eva Martin, a UDR Greenfinch, the first female UDR soldier to be killed by enemy action. • 10 May 1974: The IRA shot dead two patrolling RUC officers, Brian Bell (aged 29) and John Ross (aged 40), on Finaghy Road North, Finaghy, Belfast. • 31 May 1974: A former Royal Navy serviceman, Alfred Shotter (aged 54), was killed by an IRA booby trap bomb hidden in a dustbin at his former home, Strabane Old Road, Gobnascale, Derry. It is believed to have been planted by the IRA. • 18 June 1974: A patrolling RUC officer (John Forsythe, aged 30) was killed by an IRA booby-trap bomb in an entry off Market Street, Lurgan, County Armagh. • 30 July 1974: An IRA sniper shot dead a patrolling British soldier (Bernard Fearns, aged 34) on Hillman Street, New Lodge, Belfast. • 16 September 1974: The IRA shot dead Martin McBirney, a resident magistrate (aged 55), at his home on Belmont Road, East Belfast. • 16 September 1974: The IRA shot dead Rory Conaghan (aged 54), a judge, at his home, Beechlands, off Malone Road, Belfast. • 5 October 1974: A female civilian (Asha Chopra, aged 25) was killed during an IRA sniper attack on an RUC patrol at Greenhaw Road, Shantallow, Derry. • 8 November 1974: An IRA volunteer (Gerard Fennell, aged 28), was shot dead by a British Army sniper from a concealed observation post during the attempted hijacking of a van, Stewartstown Road, Twinbrook, Belfast. ==1975==

• 10 January 1975: the British Army shot dead an IRA volunteer, John Francis Green (aged 27), in a shed on a farm in Tullynageer, near Castleblaney, County Monaghan. • 19 January 1975: The IRA's Balcombe Street Gang shot up two hotels, the Carlton Tower Hotel and Portman Hotel, in London. Twelve people were injured. (See Carlton Tower and Portman Hotel shootings). • 20 January 1975: IRA volunteer Kevin Coen was shot dead by the British Army, at Cassidy's Cross near Kinawley, County Fermanagh. • 24 January 1975: a British soldier (Thomas Lea, aged 32) died eight months after being injured in an IRA bomb attack, Colinward Street, off Springfield Road, Belfast. He was wounded on 5 May 1974. Following a warning telephoned to the Press Association at 16:07 pm, the bomb exploded 17 minutes later injuring 19 people, one of them seriously. Seven bombs were also planted in London, five of them exploded injuring six people. • 17 March 1975: an IRA volunteer (Thomas Smith, aged 28), a native of Dublin, was shot dead by the Irish Army while attempting to escape from Portlaoise Prison in County Laois. • 2 August 1975: the IRA shot dead a former UDR soldier (George McCall, aged 22), while he was walking near his home in Moy, County Tyrone. • 13 August 1975: four Protestant civilians and a member of the UVF were killed in a gun and bomb attack on the Bayardo Bar in Belfast. • 29 August 1975: a British Army bomb-disposal expert (Roger Goad, aged 40) attached to the police was killed attempting to defuse an IRA bomb which had been left in a shoe shop on Church Street, Kensington, London. • 5 September 1975: two people (Robert Lloyd and Grace Loohuis) were killed and 63 injured when an IRA bomb exploded in the lobby of the Hilton hotel in London. • 8 September 1975: a UDA member (Andrew Craig, aged 20) was shot dead by the IRA at the corner of Alfred and Russell streets, Markets, South Belfast. • 1 December 1975: two IRA volunteers, Laura Crawford (aged 25) and Paul Fox (aged 20), died when killed when the bomb they were transporting exploded prematurely at a car park, King Street, Belfast. • 18 December 1975: the IRA killed two British soldiers, Cyril McDonald (aged 43) and Colin McInnes (aged 20), in a bomb attack, Bank Place, near Guildhall Square, Derry. It was later established that the soldiers had been lured out of their sangar by children who offered them sweets. While the soldiers were distracted IRA volunteers lowered a bomb onto the roof of their sangar which exploded a few minutes later. ==1976==

• 5 January 1976: The Kingsmill massacre: Gunmen stopped a minibus carrying eleven Protestant workmen, lined them up alongside it and shot them. Only one victim survived, despite having been shot 18 times. A Catholic man on the minibus was allowed to go free. A group calling itself the South Armagh Republican Action Force, a cover for IRA members, claimed responsibility. Although the Kingsmill massacre was in "direct response" to the killing of six Catholics the night before, the attack was planned before that. • 5 January 1976: A RUC officer on mobile patrol (Clifford Evans, aged 30) was shot dead by an IRA sniper near Castledawson, County Londonderry. • 13 January 1976: Two IRA volunteers (Rosemary Bleakley, aged 18, and Martin McDonagh, aged 23), along with two apparently uninvolved Catholic civilians (Mary Dornan, aged 36, and Ian Gallagher, aged 41) were killed when the bomb they were transporting exploded prematurely in North Street, Belfast. • 17 January 1976: A British soldier Mark Ashford (aged 19) was shot dead in an IRA gun attack on a British checkpoint in Derry City. • 27 February 1976: A UVF member was shot dead by the IRA in a drive-by shooting in the Donegall Pass area of Belfast. • 7 March 1976: The IRA launched six mortar rounds into Belfast International Airport, injuring an RUC member and damaging cars in a parking area and the arrival lounge door. There were no casualties. • 10 March 1976: Former UDA spokesman Sammy Smyth was shot dead by the IRA on Alliance Avenue in Belfast. • 27 March 1976: A bomb at London's Olympia Hall injures at least 80 people. One woman, Rachel Hyams (aged 79), later dies of her injuries. The IRA reportedly take responsibility. • 16 April 1976: Two civilians were killed when a bomb exploded inside their workplace on Servia Street, Belfast. • 19 June 1976: A UDA member was shot dead at his home in Dunmurry, County Antrim. • 30 June 1976: A British soldier was shot dead in an IRA gun-attack on the Springfield Road in Belfast. • 17 July 1976: Two IRA volunteers died when the bomb they were transporting exploded accidentally near Castlederg, County Tyrone. A British soldier was also killed in a bomb attack in Derry City the same day. • 30 July 1976: A UDR soldier was shot dead by the IRA in Moneymore, County Londonderry. • 18 September 1976: A RUC officer was shot dead by an IRA unit while directing traffic in Portadown. • 16 October 1976: Three IRA volunteers died when a bomb they were transporting exploded accidentally at Belfast Gas Works. • 3 December 1976: A RUC reservist Joseph Scott (aged 50), a father of five, was on his regular duty guiding children over a school crossing in the centre of Dungannon. A masked gunman shot him three times in the back before escaping in a nearby car. He died en route to hospital. • 3 December: An army foot patrol around the Short Strand in Belfast came under major gunfire from automatic weapons being fired from nearby nationalist housing. The soldiers returned fire and one IRA gunman was observed to fall, escaping with the aid of supporters into nearby housing. • 3 December: The IRA bombed the Spar Foodliner Supermarket in Belfast. Nearby houses on St Ives Gardens, Stranmillis Road suffered collateral damage. • 4 December: The IRA's Andersonstown unit attempted to explode a car bomb at the loyalist Linfield Football Club at Windsor Park. The 60 lb. device was defused by EOD. The football club was targeted several times during the Troubles. • 4 December: A no-warning bomb exploded a few feet away from an Army OP on Mountview Street in the Oldpark area of Belfast. Several soldiers were inside the OP when the 10 lb. bomb exploded and were unhurt. • 4 December: EOD spent seven hours defusing a massive 200 lb. milk churn bomb left by the IRA. Over 300 homes were evacuated as the Army worked on two milk churns packed with high explosives, shrapnel and a primed mortar shell. • 7 December: In Glengormley, North Belfast, three masked men driving a stolen car parked outside a prison officer's house. One of the assailants got out and shot at the off-duty officer but missed. The car was abandoned in Oldpark, Belfast. • 7 December: IRA volunteers threw two hand grenades from a car at two RUCR officers who were on security barrier duty in Kildare Street, Belfast. They managed to kick the grenades away before they exploded, immediately after which shots were fired from another car but missed. The vehicles escaped into the nationalist Derrybeg estate. • 11 December 1976: A British soldier was shot dead by an IRA sniper while on patrol in the Bogside, Derry. • 15 December 1976: A RUC officer was shot dead by an IRA unit while manning a security barrier in Portadown. ==1977==

• 1 January 1977: A British soldier was shot dead by an IRA sniper in Crossmaglen. The IRA also carried out a carbomb attack at Harmin Park, Newtownabbey. A civilian was killed after an inadequate warning was given. • 11 January 1977: A British soldier was shot dead by an IRA sniper at a security barrier in the Oldpark area of Belfast. • 27 January 1977: An RUC officer was shot dead by an IRA unit on the Strand Road in Derry. • 25 March 1977: A UDR soldier was shot dead by an IRA unit in Coalisland, County Tyrone. • 30 May 1977: A civilian was shot dead by the IRA in College Square, Belfast. He was mistaken for an off-duty member of the British Army. • IRA gunmen opened fire on Forkhill RUC Station in South Armagh. • IRA bomb attack on the Royal Victoria Hospital in Belfast. Two women were injured. • A female UDR soldier was shot dead by the IRA in Tynan, County Armagh. • 10 October 1977: Five separate IRA bomb attacks on NI cinemas – The Strand cinema in Belfast, the Tudor cinema in Comber, the Queen's cinema in Bangor, the Regal cinema in Larne and the Regent cinema in Newtownards. • 12 October 1977: The IRA shot dead a civilian near Ballygawley, County Tyrone. The victim was mistaken for an off-duty UDR soldier. • 14–19 October: Multiple IRA bomb attacks targeting commercial premises in Belfast. • 18 October 1977: An ex-RUC officer was shot dead by the IRA near Keady, County Armagh. • 19 October 1977: • The IRA shot dead a civilian at his home on Ainsworth Pass, Belfast. The motive for the killing remains unclear. • IRA bomb attacks on the homes of two prison officers in Belfast. No injuries. • 22 October 1977: • 15 bombs planted by IRA targeting the NI rail network, stations and trains targeted with widespread disruption. • IRA gun attack on a policeman in Eglington near Derry as he drove away from his home. He was wounded in the thigh. • 24 October 1977: For the second time in a month, Forkhill RUC station came under fire from IRA gunmen. No injuries. • 26 October 1977: IRA bomb attack on Greenan Lodge Hotel in Dunmurry, South Belfast. No injuries, but the building was completely destroyed. • 1 November 1977: • RUC officers came under gunfire as their car exited the M1 motorway at the Kennedy Lane roundabout in Andersontown. No injuries. • Multiple bomb alerts in Belfast city centre, both real and hoax. • 2 November 1977: • IRA bomb attack on Homemaker Discount store on Strand Road, Derry. • IRA bomb attack on U Plan store on Lower Donegal Street, Belfast. • IRA bomb attack on large furniture store in the Duncairn area of Belfast. • UDR soldier was killed in an IRA booby-trap bomb attack in Magherafelt, County Londonderry. • 3 November 1977: IRA bomb attack on Northern Furniture store on Dublin Road, Belfast. • 4 November 1977: • Shootings • IRA gunmen opened fire on two RUCR officers sat in their vehicle. The officers returned fire and the assailants fled. • 21-year-old guardsmen Samuel Murphy was shot in the Andersonstown area of Belfast, he died on 14 November. Two IRA members would later be convicted for his murder. • Bombings • An unexploded IRA bomb found attached to the car of a police officer as he arrived at Castlereagh RUC station. It had been wired to his ignition switch, but had failed to detonate. • Blast-bomb thrown at a Sangar outside the Unity Flats in Belfast which was bring manned by soldiers. No injuries. • 25 incendiary bomb attacks mainly in Derry and Belfast targeting commercial premises. • Part-time UDR soldier survived an IRA assassination attempt at his farm in County Londonderry. Explosive device hidden in a manure heap and connected to a wheelbarrow. • 8 November 1977: • Major wholesalers in Corporation Street, Belfast destroyed by IRA car bomb. • Ballylumford power station evacuated due to a hoax device. • 9 November 1977: Three IRA attacks on commercial premises in Belfast city centre. • 11 November 1977: • The IRA detonated a car bomb on King Street, Belfast. A warning was given to evacuate the area although one civilian was killed. • Arson attack by masked IRA gang who stormed the Kildress Inn in Tyrone. • Gallagher's tobacco factory on Henry Street, Belfast hit by several incendiary devices. • 15 November 1977: Several hoax gas cylinders left across Belfast. • 16 November 1977: Car bomb outside supermarket at Rasharkin, County Antrim. • 18 November 1977: • IRA bomb left in the doorway of Polyprint Fabrics exploded on Lisburn Road, Belfast. Significant damage caused, no casualties. • Explosive device left in Spar shop in Cookstown, County Tyrone. Partially detonated with minimal damage caused, • 19 November 1977: Two separate buildings set alight in Belfast as a come-on to security services with bombs planted nearby. No casualties. • 21 November 1977: An Army VCP came under automatic gunfire (either GPMG or Bren) on Monaghan Road in Aughnacloy, County Tyrone close to the Irish border. • 22 November 1977: • IRA incendiary device planted inside a for sale baby blanket intended to explode in-store. A young mother unwittingly purchased the item and discovered the device at her home in Glencairn Pass, Belfast. • Soldier injured by explosive device planted by a Co-op on Springfield Road, Belfast which had been deliberately attacked as a come-on to security services. • Late November 1977: • Two young men injured as one device exploded outside a draper's shop on Ormeau Road, Belfast. • Major conflagration in Smithfield Market in Belfast caused by firebombs. • IRA proxy bomb caused major damage to Corry's timber yard in Belfast. • Explosive device left on prison officer's windowsill. No casualties. • 28 November 1977: Attempted IRA bombing of Newtownhamilton RUC station. Device defused. • 29 November 1977: Dub supermarket in Upper Malone, Belfast bombed by IRA. • 30 November 1977: IRA bombing of two shops on Crumlin Road, Belfast. • 1 December 1977: • Army disposed of two explosive devices left at Ellison's Wholsalers on Great Victoria Street, Belfast. • Two parcels dropped outside SKF Roller Bearings factory on Newtownards Road, Belfast exploded causing minor damage. • 2 December 1977: • Armed masked men forced their way into G&S Wholesalers on Gordon Street, Belfast and planted an explosive device before fleeing. The bomb exploded while the building was being evacuated and two employees suffered minor injuries. • Barr's C&C on Agnes Street off Shankill Road bombed. • 3 December 1977: • Seamus Twomey, a former Chief of Staff of the IRA was arrested in Dublin. • 23 people injured including seven RUC officers and a soldier by an IRA bomb at a large Wellworth's store in Dungannon. • RUC car ambushed by IRA gunmen firing automatic weapons at Clover Hill Bridge on Benburb Road near Moy, County Tyrone. Firefight ensued and the assailants fled across fields. • 5/6 December 1977: Bomb blitz targeting industrial, commercial and transport infrastructure. Thirty devices exploded across the province. • 8 December 1977: • IRA bomb blitz.... • Firebomb attack on Co-op store on York Street, Belfast. • Mortar bombs placed in shop doorways on Albertbridge Road, Belfast made safe by EOD. • Army patrol attacked with grenades on Antrim Road, Belfast. No injuries. • Army patrol attacked with grenades on Grosvenor Road, Belfast. No injuries. • Army patrol attacked with grenades on Rosen Street, Belfast. No injuries. • Army patrol attacked with grenades in the Moyard district of Belfast. No injuries. • Twenty houses badly damaged by IRA bomb on Canterbury Street, Belfast. • Chinese restaurant firebombed by the IRA in the Waterside area of Derry. • 13 December 1977: • Multiple IRA bombings across Belfast targeting commercial premises. Two soldiers injured when two gas cylinders planted in Jackson's Sport on Bedford Street exploded. • Attempted assassination of a part-time 51-year-old UDR soldier at his farm in Ballymena, County Antrim. A bomb exploded beneath his tractor causing serious injuries and a leg was amputated in hospital. • 14 December 1977: • An undercover British soldier was shot dead in an IRA ambush in the Turf Lodge area of Belfast. • Two RUC officers injured by IRA bomb planted outside a florist on Lisburn Road, Belfast. • Two bombs exploded in Derry, damaging McDowell's electrical shop and Monaghan's furniture store. • 15 December 1977: An UDR mobile border patrol was attacked by IRA gunmen with automatic weapons in Kinawley, County Fermanagh. • 16 December 1977: • The IRA attempted the assassination of a suspected informer. Two gunmen opened fire at Ford's Cross in Crossmaglen on the lorry driver who veered across the road and overturned. He was treated for cuts and bruises. • The IRA failed to kill an off-duty RUC officer in Bangor as he drove home along Newtownards Road. The officer fired back and managed to survive the attack. • 17 December 1977: The IRA fired on a RUC mobile patrol at Dromore, County Tyrone. Two officers suffered injuries. • 18 December 1977: James Clifford, a 53-year-old Protestant civilian, was shot dead outside his home on Belgrave Street in the Shankill area of Belfast. • 20 December 1977: An RUCR officer was maimed by an IRA booby-trap device planted beneath his car on Ashley Avenue, Belfast. • 21 December 1977: Five hotels across Northern Ireland were damaged when IRA firebombs exploded in them. • 22 December 1977: The IRA announced a Christmas ceasefire. ==1978==

• 12 January 1978: A UDR soldier was shot dead by the IRA in Newry. • 13 January 1978: The IRA seriously damaged the Guildhall, Derry, in a bomb attack. There were no injuries. • 30 January 1978: Bernard Brown, a Catholic supermarket employee (aged 50), originally from Northern Ireland, was shot and wounded during an IRA robbery of the premises in Killygordon, County Donegal. He died of his injuries on 3 February. • 26 February 1978: An IRA volunteer, Paul Duffy (aged 23), was shot dead by an undercover British Army unit at an arms cache in the yard of an unoccupied farmhouse in the Coagh/Ardboe area, County Tyrone. • 3 June 1978: An alleged criminal was shot dead by the IRA near Jonesborough, County Armagh. • 19 August 1978: Two former British soldiers were killed in IRA gun attacks in Belfast and Keady. ==1979==

• 5 January 1979: Two IRA volunteers were killed in Ardoyne, Belfast, when the bomb they were transporting in a car exploded prematurely. • 4 February 1979: Former prison officer Patrick Mackin (60), and his wife Violet (58), were shot dead by the IRA at their home in Oldpark Road, Belfast. This was part of an escalating campaign against prison officers, co-inciding with the Dirty protest and Blanket protest in the Maze prison. • 3 March 1979: An Army Air Corps Gazelle was heavily damaged when engaged with machine gun fire by an IRA unit at Glassdrumman, County Armagh, Both the pilot and a Grenadier Guards Major were wounded. In spite of his injuries, the pilot flew the battered helicopter back to Crossmaglen base. • 19 March 1979: An IRA unit launched a mortar attack on Newtownhamilton British army base. One British soldier was killed. • 6 July 1979: The IRA detonated a small bomb at the British Consulate in Antwerp, Belgium, causing damage but no injuries • 14 September 1979: A Prison Officer was shot dead by the IRA off the Crumlin Road in Belfast. • 19 October 1979: An off-duty UDR soldier was shot dead by the IRA in Fintona, County Tyrone. In Crossmaglen, a British soldier was killed in an IRA booby-trap bomb attack. • 23 November 1979: A Prison Officer was shot dead by the IRA while at his home in Glengormley, County Antrim. • 3 December 1979: A Prison Officer was shot dead by the IRA at his home in Belfast. • 16 December 1979: Dungannon land mine attack – A landmine bomb killed four British soldiers near Dungannon, County Tyrone. Another soldier was killed by a booby-trap bomb planted in a concealed observation post in a derelict house at Forkill, County Armagh. A former member of the Ulster Defence Regiment (UDR), James Fowler, was shot dead by the IRA in Omagh, County Tyrone. • 17 December 1979: A Prison Officer was shot dead by the IRA off the Crumlin Road in Belfast. • 22 December 1979: An off-duty RUC officer travelling in his car was shot dead by an IRA sniper in County Monaghan. ==See also==