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The Battle of Bogside
The Battle of the Bogside was a three-day riot that took place in Derry, Northern Ireland. The riot involved thousands of Catholic/Irish nationalist residents of the Bogside district, organized under the Derry Citizens' Defence Association. The residents clashed with the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) and loyalists. The violence led to the deployment of British troops on the streets which were sent to disperse the riot. -
The formation of 14 Intelligence Company
The 14th Intelligence Company, also known as the Special Reconnaissance. is a British Army special forces unit that conducts surveillance operations in Northern Ireland. The 14th Intelligence Company was created because of the MRF's failure when 2 agents were captured by The Provisional IRA. Additionally, SAS officers would form the unit's command. During the Troubles, men from the SAS and SBS would serve tours with 14 Companies. -
Bloody Sunday
Bloody Sunday was a massacre that occurred when British paratroopers opened fire on a civil rights demonstration in Londonderry, Northern Ireland. The demonstration was a march by the Northern Ireland Civil Rights Association (NICRA) against internment. The Bogside, a predominantly Catholic area of Londonderry, was the site of the massacre.
British soldiers shot 26 unarmed civilians, killing 13 and injuring 14 others. -
Donegall Street Bombing
The Donegall Street bombing occurred in Belfast, Northern where The Provisional IRA planted a car bomb in the city center, killing seven men and injuring 148 people. The public expressed mixed views on the IRA's action. -
Bloody Friday Bombings
Bloody Friday was a series of bombings in Belfast. The Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA) planted at least 24 bombs, 20 of which exploded in 80 minutes. Nine people were killed, including seven civilians and two soldiers, and 130 others were seriously injured. The bombings were a response to Bloody Sunday and were part of an attempt by the IRA to show that British forces had no control over events. -
Bombing of Guildford pubs in southern England
The Provisional IRA detonated two 6-pound (2.7-kilogram) gelignite bombs at two pubs in Guildford, Surrey, England. The pubs were targeted because they were popular with British Army personnel stationed at Pirbright barracks The blasts killed four soldiers and a civilian, aged between 17 and 21, and injured 65 people. The Guildford Four and Maguire Seven were wrongly convicted before the IRA claimed responsibility. -
The IRA bombing of Birmingham
The Provisional IRA bombed two pubs in Birmingham, England, killing 21 people and injuring 182 others. The bombings took place in the Tavern in the Town and the Mulberry Bush pub. The bombings are part of the Troubles, the conflict over the fate of Northern Ireland. -
The official deployment of the SAS in Northern Ireland
The Special Air Service (SAS) has been officially deployed in Northern Ireland since 1976. In 1976, a 12-man troop of SAS was deployed to Bessbrook, the site of a recent bus terrorist attack. Between 1976 and 1978, the SAS killed ten people in Northern Ireland, seven IRA volunteers and three bystanders. -
The kidnapping of Captain Robert Nairac
Captain Nairac was abducted by the IRA while on an undercover operation in a pub in south Armagh in 1977.
He was then taken to Flurry Bridge in County Louth where he was beaten and shot dead. Captain Nairac was abducted by the IRA while on an undercover operation in a pub in south Armagh in 1977. He was then taken to Flurry Bridge in County Louth where he was beaten and shot dead. -
The death of John Boyle during an SAS operation
The SAS killing of a teenage boy in a village graveyard caused outrage. John Boyle was just 16 when, visiting an old family grave, found an IRA arms cache under a fallen tombstone. When he returned home, he told his father who then told the police. John returned to the graveyard the next morning and was shot dead by SAS soldiers who had been observing him. Soldiers had claimed they opened fire because John lifted a rifle and pointed it at them. A secret RUC report said John was shot in the back. -
Warrenpoint Ambush
The Warrenpoint ambush was a guerrilla attack by the Provisional IRA. The ambush involved two roadside bombs planted by the IRA. The bombs were detonated remotely as the group drove a military vehicle towards Nuri on the dual carriageway from Warrenpoint. Five soldiers were injured, two seriously, and reinforcements were sent in after the first explosion. About 20 minutes later, a second explosion occurred, hiding in a gate lodge opposite a Castle. Twelve soldiers died. -
Lord Mountbatten’s assassination
Lord Mountbatten was assassinated by the IRA. The assassination happened on Mountbatten's boat when he was in his vacation home, Classiebawn Castle, in Ireland. The IRA smuggled a radio-controlled bomb onto the boat before it launched on August 27, 1979, and detonated it when Mountbatten was several hundred yards offshore.