1975 in Northern Ireland

none January 2020 1975 Events during the year 1975 in Northern Ireland. Incumbents Secretary of State - Merlyn ReesLynn Brendan 9 March 2025 2 January 2003 Melaugh Martin Rees, Merlyn https://cain.ulster.ac.uk/biography/Rees_Merlyn_1974.html 18 November 2025 Conflict Archive on the Internet Secretary of State for Northern Ireland March 1974-September 1976 Events 10 February – A Provisional IRA (PIRA) ceasefire begins; this ceasefire officially lasts until 23 January 1976.Melaugh Martin A Chronology of the Conflict - 1975: The Irish Republican Army (IRA) Truce https://www.cain.ulst.ac.uk/othelem/chron/ch75.htm#10275 19 November 2025 Conflict Archive on the Internet 20 February – A violent feud erupts between the Official Irish Republican Army (OIRA) and the Irish Republican Socialist Party and Irish National Liberation Army (INLA).Melaugh Martin A Chronology of the Conflict - 1975: 20 February 1975 https://www.cain.ulst.ac.uk/othelem/chron/ch75.htm#20275 19 November 2025 Conflict Archive on the Internet 1 May – Elections take place for the Northern Ireland Constitutional Convention.Melaugh Martin A Chronology of the Conflict - 1975: Constitution Convention Election https://www.cain.ulst.ac.uk/othelem/chron/ch75.htm#1575 19 November 2025 Conflict Archive on the InternetMcKenna Fionnuala 9 March 2025 Constitutional Convention Election (NI) - Thursday 1 May 1975 https://www.cain.ulst.ac.uk/issues/politics/election/rcc1975.htm 19 November 2025 Conflict Archive on the Internet 5 June – United Kingdom European Communities membership referendum takes place across the United Kingdom,Nelsson Richard 5 June 2015 Archive: how the Guardian reported the 1975 EEC referendum https://www.theguardian.com/politics/from-the-archive-blog/2015/jun/05/referendum-eec-europe-1975 19 November 2025 The Guardian Northern Ireland votes to remain in the European Communities with a slight majority.Moore Cormac 28 May 2025 Cormac Moore: 50 years since the first Brexit vote and Ireland is still an afterthought https://www.irishnews.com/opinion/cormac-moore-50-years-since-the-first-brexit-vote-and-ireland-is-still-an-afterthought-32D6QERFQFG7JO36KHBBIF2PMM/ 19 November 2025 The Irish News 17 July – The South Armagh Brigade of the PIRA killed four soldiers at Forkhill, County Armagh with a remote-controlled improvised explosive (Forkhill beer keg bombing).Melaugh Martin A Chronology of the Conflict - 1975: 17 July 1975 https://www.cain.ulst.ac.uk/othelem/chron/ch75.htm#17775 19 November 2025 Conflict Archive on the Internet22 April 2024 Armagh: Man's convictions for murder of soldiers quashed https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-northern-ireland-68854805 19 November 2025 BBC News 31 July – Miami Showband killings: Three members of The Miami Showband, together with two paramilitaries, are killed in an Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) ambush in County Down as they return home to Dublin from playing at a dance in Banbridge.31 July 2015 Miami Showband: Massacre devastated Northern Ireland live music scene https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-northern-ireland-33727399 18 November 2025 BBC News31 July 2025 'Tough day' for survivors of Miami Showband massacre as commemoration events take place https://www.rte.ie/news/ulster/2025/0731/1526211-miami-showband-massacre/ 18 November 2025 RTÉ News 13 August – Bayardo Bar Attack: The PIRA carried out a gun and bomb attack on the Bayardo Bar on the Shankill Road in Belfast, a bar frequented by UVF commanders. Four Protestant civilians and one UVF member were killed.Melaugh Martin A Chronology of the Conflict - 1975: 13 August 1975 https://cain.ulster.ac.uk/othelem/chron/ch75.htm#13875 19 November 2025 Conflict Archive on the InternetLima Linzi 13 August 2025 Commemoration marks 50th anniversary of Bayardo attack https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c70xj3r387eo 19 November 2025 BBC News 22 November – Drummuckavall ambush: The PIRA attacked a British Army observation post at Drummuckavall near Crossmaglen, County Armagh, killing three soldiers.Melaugh Martin 9 March 2025 A Chronology of the Conflict - 1975 https://cain.ulster.ac.uk/othelem/chron/ch75.htm 19 November 2025 Conflict Archive on the Internet 31 December – Central Bar bombing: The INLA carried out a bomb attack on a bar in Gilford, County Down, killing three Protestant civilians.Flavin Michael 13 February 2025 Leadership failings: the Irish republican socialist party, the Irish national liberation army and the Irish people’s liberation organisation, 1974–1992 https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/epdf/10.1080/17539153.2025.2461671?needAccess=true Critical Studies on Terrorism Routledge 18 2 387 10.1080/17539153.2025.2461671 19 November 2025 Taylor & Francis subscription Sutton Malcolm Sutton Index of Deaths - 31 December 1975 https://cain.ulster.ac.uk/cgi-bin/dyndeaths.pl?querytype=date&day=31&month=12&year=1975 19 November 2025 Conflict Archive on the Internet Arts and literature 14 May – Patrick Galvin's We Do It For Love, a satire on The Troubles, opens at the Lyric Theatre.We Do It For Love https://irishplayography.com/play/we-do-it-for-love 19 November 2025 Playography Ireland Irish Theatre InstituteMaume Patrick Dictionary of Irish Biography Dictionary of Irish Biography June 2017 Royal Irish Academy Galvin, Patrick 10.3318/dib.009908.v1 19 November 2025 https://www.dib.ie/biography/galvin-patrick-a9908Mullane Dermot Dougal Jim 11 August 1975 Troubles Satire https://www.rte.ie/archives/2025/0728/1525753-we-do-it-for-love/ 19 November 2025 RTÉ News RTÉ Archives October – Stewart Parker's Spokesong opens at the Lyric (Belfast); his play I’m a Dreamer, Montreal is also written this year.November 2025 The punk rock/new wave band which will become The Undertones is formed in Derry.Quinn Andrew 27 January 2013 The Sunday Interview - Mickey Bradley from The Undertones http://www.derryjournal.com/what-s-on/arts-culture/the-sunday-interview-mickey-bradley-from-the-undertones-1-4726089 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20160304073533/http://www.derryjournal.com/what-s-on/arts-culture/the-sunday-interview-mickey-bradley-from-the-undertones-1-4726089 4 March 2016 18 November 2025 Derry Journal William Peskett's poems The Nightowl's Dissection are published.The nightowl's dissection / William Peskett https://catalogue.nla.gov.au/catalog/1110776 19 November 2025 National Library of Australia 1110776The nightowl's dissection :: William Peskett https://obnb.uk/p7379346-the-nightowls-dissection 19 November 2025 Open British National Bibliography Sport Football Irish League – Winners: LinfieldAbbink Dinant 2 February 2021 Northern Ireland - Final League Tables 1890-1998 https://www.rsssf.org/tablesn/nilhist.html 19 November 2025 RSSSF Irish Cup – Winners: Coleraine 1 – 1, 0 – 0, 1 – 0 Linfield 16 August – Ballinamallard United F.C. established5 June 2025 Ballinamallard begin celebrations for 50th-year re-formation https://www.impartialreporter.com/sport/25210511.ballinamallard-begin-celebrations-50th-year-re-formation/ 19 November 2025 The Impartial Reporter Births 18 February – Keith Gillespie, international soccer player.Keith has always done his Best http://news.bbc.co.uk/sportacademy/hi/sa/football/features/newsid_2059000/2059918.stm 19 November 2025 BBC Sport Academy BBC Sport 9 June – Brian Magee, boxer.Wellings Steve https://www.irishboxingreview.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/IBR2012.pdf Irish Boxing Review 2012 978-1471017360 2012 443 (455 in PDF) 21 July – Cara Dillon, folk singerCelebrating 80 Years of Music BBC NI 10 https://downloads.bbc.co.uk/aboutthebbc/northernireland/bbcnistory/Exhibitions/MusicMaking/Musicbooklet.pdf 19 November 2025Cara Dillon https://www.ukfestivalguides.com/artists/cara-dillon/ 19 November 2025 UK Festival Guides 24 July – Gordon Cooke, cricketer.Gordon Cooke http://www.cricketarchive.co.uk/Archive/Players/7/7212/7212.html subscription 19 November 2025 CricketArchive 27 August – Kyle McCallan, cricketer.Kyle McCallan http://www.cricketarchive.co.uk/Archive/Players/4/4338/4338.html subscription 19 November 2025 CricketArchive 4 September – Andrew Patterson, cricketer.Andrew Patterson http://www.cricketarchive.co.uk/Archive/Players/4/4341/4341.html subscription 19 November 2025 CricketArchive 13 October – Oisín McConville, Armagh Gaelic footballer.Free up some points with McConville http://news.bbc.co.uk/sportacademy/hi/sa/special_events/gaelic_sports/newsid_3118000/3118858.stm 19 November 2025 BBC Sport Academy BBC Sport2 February 2023 "We did a lot of soldiering together..." Oisin McConville and Tony McEntee on opposite sides as Wicklow host Sligo in National League https://www.irishnews.com/rollingnews/2023/02/02/news/_we_did_a_lot_of_soldiering_together_oisin_mcconville_and_tony_mcentee_on_opposite_sides_as_wicklow_host_sligo_in_nation-3034521/ 19 November 2025 The Irish News 4 November – Warren Christie, actor.November 2025 Could not find a reliable source Full date unknown Nick Laird, novelist and poet.4 January 2013 Nick Laird: a life in writing https://www.theguardian.com/books/2013/jan/04/nick-laird-life-in-writing 19 November 2025 The GuardianNick Laird https://www.qub.ac.uk/schools/seamus-heaney-centre/filestore/Oldfilestore/LMN/poetry/nicklaird/ 19 November 2025 Seamus Heaney Centre Queen's University Belfast Deaths 23 February – Ernest Blythe, writer, journalist and theatre manager, member of First Dáil and cabinet minister (born 1889).17 February 2025 Ernest Blythe, Ulster-Scots minister in post Civil War Dublin government was an Irish language enthusiast https://www.newsletter.co.uk/news/people/ernest-blythe-ulster-scots-minister-in-post-civil-war-dublin-government-was-an-irish-language-enthusiast-4993132 19 November 2025 News Letter 28 April – Billy McMillen, OIRA officer, killed in feud with the INLA (born 1927).Sutton Malcolm Sutton Index of Deaths - 1975 https://cain.ulst.ac.uk/sutton/chron/1975.html 18 November 2025 Conflict Archive on the InternetMoore Cormac 29 April 2025 Definite line on killing of Liam McMillen - On This Day in 1975 https://www.irishnews.com/news/northern-ireland/definite-line-on-killing-of-liam-mcmillen-on-this-day-in-1975-FGAHL5IQIBDUDINHRZVZHJ4SYU/ 18 November 2025 The Irish News 25 November – Moyna Macgill, stage and film actress, mother of Angela Lansbury (born 1895).26 November 1975 Moyna M'Gill, 80 Actress, is Dead https://www.nytimes.com/1975/11/26/archives/moyna-mgill-80-actress-is-dead-appeared-in-gaslight-film-and-boy.html 19 November 2025 The New York Times 32 See also 1975 in Scotland 1975 in Wales References Northern Ireland Category:1975 in Europe