List of bombings during the Troubles facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

This article lists some important bombings that happened during a period called The Troubles in Northern Ireland, and also afterwards. The Troubles was a conflict that lasted from about 1968 to 1998. During this time, there were more than 10,000 bomb attacks in Northern Ireland, the Republic of Ireland, and Great Britain. These bombings caused a lot of damage and sadly, many people were hurt or killed.

Bombings in the Early Years (1969-1971)
- First Attacks and Tragic Losses
Intense Bombings (1972-1974)
- A Year of Many Explosions (1972)
- Attacks Beyond Northern Ireland (1973-1974)
Continuing Violence (1975-1979)
- Attacks on Public Places (1975)
- High-Profile Targets (1976-1979)
Later Bombings (1980-1999)
Later Bombings (2001)
See also

Bombings in the Early Years (1969-1971)

First Attacks and Tragic Losses

In the early years of The Troubles, bombs started to be used. These attacks often targeted places like TV stations or police.

August 5, 1969 – The Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) bombed the Raidió Teilifís Éireann (RTÉ) TV station in Dublin, Republic of Ireland. It caused a lot of damage.
August 11, 1970 – Two police officers from the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) were killed by a hidden car bomb in Crossmaglen, County Armagh. They were the first RUC officers to die because of the IRA.
November 2, 1971 – An IRA bomb exploded at a bar in Belfast, killing three people and hurting many others.
December 4, 1971 – The UVF bombed a Catholic bar in Belfast, killing 15 people and injuring 17.
December 11, 1971 – Four people, including two children, were killed in a bombing at a furniture company. The IRA was thought to be responsible.

Intense Bombings (1972-1974)

A Year of Many Explosions (1972)

1972 was a very difficult year with many bombings. It was one of the worst years of the conflict.

February 22, 1972 – The Official IRA bombed an army base in England, killing seven people. This was thought to be in response to an event called Bloody Sunday.
March 4, 1972 – A bomb exploded without warning in a restaurant in Belfast. Two people died, and 130 were injured.
March 23, 1972 – The IRA set off a huge car bomb in Belfast city centre. Seven people were killed, including two RUC officers, and 148 were injured.
July 21, 1972 – This day became known as Bloody Friday. The IRA set off 22 bombs in Belfast city centre. Nine people were killed, and 130 were injured.
July 31, 1972 – A car bomb in Claudy, County Londonderry, killed nine people. The IRA was suspected.
August 22, 1972 – An IRA bomb went off too early at a customs office in Newry. Three IRA members and six civilians were killed.
September 14, 1972 – The UVF bombed a hotel in Belfast, killing three people and injuring 50. A 91-year-old woman was the oldest person killed during The Troubles.
October 31, 1972 – The Ulster Defence Association (UDA) bombed a pub in Belfast, killing two Catholic children.
December 1, 1972 – Two car bombs set off by loyalist groups in Dublin, Republic of Ireland, killed two people and injured 127.
December 28, 1972 – Loyalists bombed Belturbet, County Cavan, Republic of Ireland, killing two teenagers. Another bomb exploded in Clones, County Monaghan.

Attacks Beyond Northern Ireland (1973-1974)

Bombings also happened in England and the Republic of Ireland, showing the conflict spread further.

March 8, 1973 – The IRA bombed the Old Bailey courthouse in London, killing one person and injuring over 200. On the same day, 11 bombs exploded in Northern Ireland.
June 12, 1973 – An IRA bomb in Coleraine, County Londonderry, killed six people. There wasn't enough warning given.
September 10, 1973 – The IRA set off two bombs at railway stations in Central London, injuring 13 people.
December 18, 1973 – A car bomb exploded in Westminster, London, injuring 60 people.
February 4, 1974 – An IRA bomb on a bus carrying British soldiers and their families on the M62 motorway killed 12 people.
May 2, 1974 – The UVF bombed a bar in Belfast, killing six Catholic civilians and injuring 18.
May 17, 1974 – The UVF set off four bombs in the Republic of Ireland (three in Dublin, one in Monaghan). These attacks killed 33 civilians, including a pregnant woman.
June 17, 1974 – The IRA bombed the Houses of Parliament in London, injuring 11 people.
July 17, 1974 – The IRA bombed the Tower of London, killing one person and injuring 41.
October 5, 1974 – IRA bombs at two pubs in Guildford, England, killed four soldiers and one civilian, and injured 65.
November 21, 1974 – IRA bombs at pubs in Birmingham, England, killed 21 civilians and injured 182.
December 19, 1974 – The IRA set off a large car bomb outside a store on Oxford Street in London, injuring 9 people and causing huge damage.

Continuing Violence (1975-1979)

Attacks on Public Places (1975)

Many bombings in this period targeted public places, causing fear and casualties.

March 13, 1975 – A UVF member accidentally blew himself up while trying to plant a bomb in a Belfast pub, also killing a civilian woman.
April 12, 1975 – The Red Hand Commando bombed a Belfast pub, killing six Catholic civilians and injuring 50.
August 27, 1975 – The IRA bombed a pub in Surrey, injuring 33 people.
October 9, 1975 – The IRA bombed a tube station in London, killing one person and injuring 20.
November 29, 1975 – The UDA bombed Dublin Airport, killing a staff member and injuring 10.
December 31, 1975 – The Irish National Liberation Army (INLA) bombed a pub in Portadown, killing three people and injuring 30.

High-Profile Targets (1976-1979)

Some bombings aimed at important figures or large groups of people.

March 17, 1976 – The UVF bombed a pub in Tyrone, killing four people and injuring 50.
July 21, 1976 – Christopher Ewart-Biggs, the British Ambassador to Ireland, was killed in Dublin by a bomb in his car.
February 17, 1978 – An IRA bomb at the La Mon Restaurant near Belfast killed 12 civilians and injured 30.
March 30, 1979 – Airey Neave, a politician, was killed by a bomb in his car as he left the Palace of Westminster in London. The INLA said they were responsible.
August 27, 1979 – 18 British soldiers were killed by an IRA bomb in Warrenpoint. On the same day, four people, including the Queen's cousin Lord Louis Mountbatten, were killed by an IRA bomb on a boat.

Later Bombings (1980-1999)

Targeting Military and Police (1980s)

Bombings continued to target military and police forces, as well as public places.

January 17, 1980 – An IRA bomb went off too early on a train near Belfast, killing three people.
October 10, 1981 – Two civilians were killed and over 20 British soldiers were injured in an IRA bombing outside the Chelsea Barracks in London.
July 20, 1982 – 11 British soldiers and seven military horses died in IRA bomb attacks in Regent's Park and Hyde Park, London. Many people watching were also injured.
September 16, 1982 – The INLA set off a bomb in Belfast, killing a British soldier and two children.
December 6, 1982 – An INLA bomb at the Droppin' Well Bar in County Londonderry killed 11 British soldiers and six civilians.
December 17, 1983 – An IRA car bomb killed three police officers and three civilians, and injured 90, outside a department store in London.
October 12, 1984 – The IRA bombed the Grand Brighton Hotel, where the Conservative Party Conference was happening. Five people were killed, including a politician.
February 28, 1985 – An IRA mortar attack on the Newry RUC station killed nine officers.
November 8, 1987 – This was known as the Remembrance Day bombing. 11 civilians were killed by an IRA bomb during a service in Enniskillen. One of the victims' fathers, Gordon Wilson, became a famous peace campaigner.
June 15, 1988 – Six off-duty British soldiers were killed by an IRA bomb on their minibus in Lisburn.
August 20, 1988 – Eight British soldiers were killed by an IRA roadside bomb near Ballygawley.
September 22, 1989 – Eleven Royal Marine musicians were killed by the IRA at Deal Barracks in England.

Attacks in the 1990s

Bombings continued into the 1990s, with some very large and destructive attacks.

April 9, 1990 – Four soldiers were killed when the IRA set off a very powerful bomb under their vehicle in Downpatrick, County Down.
July 20, 1990 – The IRA bombed the London Stock Exchange.
July 30, 1990 – A politician, Ian Gow, was killed by a car bomb outside his house.
October 24, 1990 – The IRA used "proxy bombs." They tied three men into cars loaded with explosives and made them drive to British Army checkpoints. Three soldiers and one driver were killed.
February 7, 1991 – The IRA launched a mortar attack on 10 Downing Street in London, where the Prime Minister lives. One mortar shell exploded in the garden.
February 18, 1991 – An IRA bomb exploded at Victoria Station, London, killing one person and injuring 38.
May 31, 1991 – The IRA used a large truck bomb to attack a barracks in County Armagh. Three soldiers were killed, and many others were wounded.
April 10, 1992 – This was the Baltic Exchange bombing. A van with a ton of explosives went off in London, killing three people and injuring 91. It caused £800 million in damage.
September 19, 1992 – The IRA detonated a huge bomb at the Northern Ireland forensic science laboratory in Belfast. The building was destroyed, and 700 houses were damaged.
March 20, 1993 – The Warrington bombings in England killed two children and wounded 56 people. This caused widespread protests.
April 24, 1993 – The 1993 Bishopsgate bombing in London killed one person, wounded 30, and caused huge damage.
October 23, 1993 – This was the Shankill Road bombing. An IRA bomb went off too early at a fish shop in Belfast, killing eight civilians, one UDA member, and one IRA member.
March 9-13, 1994 – The IRA fired mortar bombs onto the runway at Heathrow Airport in London, but no one was hurt.
September 12, 1994 – The UVF planted a bomb on the Belfast-Dublin train. It partly exploded, injuring two women.

End of the Conflict and Aftermath (1996-1999)

Even as peace talks began, some bombings still occurred.

February 9, 1996 – The 1996 Docklands bombing in London killed two civilians.
June 15, 1996 – The 1996 Manchester bombing was a very large IRA bomb in Manchester, England. It destroyed a big part of the city centre and injured over 200 people. It was the biggest bomb on the British mainland since World War II.
October 7, 1996 – The IRA set off two car bombs at the British Army headquarters in Lisburn. One soldier was killed and 31 were injured.
August 15, 1998 – The Omagh bombing was carried out by a group called the Real Irish Republican Army (RIRA). It killed 29 civilians in Omagh, County Tyrone. This was one of the deadliest attacks of The Troubles.
March 15, 1999 – A lawyer named Rosemary Nelson was killed by a car bomb in Lurgan, County Armagh. A loyalist group claimed responsibility.

Later Bombings (2001)

March 4, 2001 – The RIRA bombed the BBC Television Centre in London, causing some damage.
August 3, 2001 – An RIRA car bomb injured seven civilians in Ealing, west London.