2007 in Northern Ireland

Events

*22 January - report by the Police Ombudsman for Northern Ireland states that the Special Branch of the then Royal Ulster Constabulary had colluded with loyalist paramilitaries in a number of murders and attempted murders in Northern Belfast between 1989 and 2002. [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/6286695.stm]
*28 January - special Sinn Féin Ard Fheis approves a motion calling for devolution of policing and justice to the Northern Ireland Assembly and support for the police services.
*30 January, the Prime Minister confirms that assembly elections will go ahead as planned on 7 March. The 'transitional assembly' was thus dissolved, after which campaigning for the elections began. [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/6154484.stm]
*7 March - Elections are scheduled for the suspended Northern Ireland Assembly.
*April - A 100-metre stainless steel spire is installed at St Anne’s Cathedral, Belfast.
*8 May - Power devolved, Northern Ireland Assembly met, Ian Paisley became the second First Minister of Northern Ireland, with Martin McGuinness as Deputy First Minister.
*26 June - Former Royal Canadian Mounted Police Assistant Commissioner Al Hutchinson is announced as the successor to Nuala O'Loan as Police Ombudsman for Northern Ireland.
*28 June - Shaun Woodward MP appointed Secretary of State for Northern Ireland.
*June - Barbary Lion cub is born at Belfast Zoo, the first Barbary Lion to be born in Ireland.
*17 July - Meeting of the North/South Ministerial Council including the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) for the first time.
*30 October - Ryanair starts services from George Best Belfast City Airport.
*October - Peter Robinson, Minister of Finance, introduces the first draft budget for consultation.
*5 November - Al Hutchinson takes up the post of Police Ombudsman for Northern Ireland.
*13 December - IKEA open their first store in Ireland at the Holywood Exchange, Belfast.
*December - Aer Lingus launch flights from their first base outside the Republic of Ireland at Belfast International Airport.
*29 December - Nuala O'Loan, former Police Ombudsman for Northern Ireland, is appointed Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire in the New Year Honours 2008. [cite news | title = O'Loan made dame in honours list| work = BBC News| date = 2007-12-30| url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/7163301.stm| accessdate = 2007-12-30]

Government

* Secretary of State for Northern Ireland - Peter Hain, replaced by Shaun Woodward.
* First Minister - Ian Paisley
* Deputy First Minister - Martin McGuinness

Arts and literature

*8 February - Writer, broadcaster and journalist, Benedict Kiely, dies.
*16 February - Maria Eagle, direct rule Arts Minister, announces a "one-off payment" of £150,000 to sustain the Belfast Festival at Queen's for one more yearcite news | first=Matthew | last=McCreary | title=Festival future looks bright with £1m deal | work=The Belfast Telegraph | page= 3 | date=2008-02-08 ] .
*19 October - The 45th Belfast Festival at Queen's opens with a smaller than usual programme due to lack of funding.
*18 December - Arts Minister, Edwin Poots, announces a grant of £300,000 over three years for Belfast Festival at Queen's.

port

Athletics

*6 January - 30th Belfast International Cross Country Event, Stormont Estate, Belfast.
*1 February - Armagh International 5k Road Race, The Mall, Armagh.
*3 February - Northern Ireland and Ulster Cross Country Championships, University of Ulster, Coleraine. Individual winners: Kelly Reid and Brian Campbell.
*17 February-18 February - Irish Indoor Athletics Championships, Odyssey Arena, Belfast.

Cricket

2007 Cricket World Cup: In a successful world cup debut, the Ireland cricket team qualified from the group stage for the Super 8 stage, notably defeating Pakistan cricket team in the process.

Football

*"'European Championship Qualifiers [cite web | title=Highs and lows on the road to Euro | work=UEFA Euro 2008 - Northern Ireland | url=http://www.uefa.com/competitions/euro/teams/team=63/index.html| accessdate=2008-01-27] :24 March - Liechtenstein 1 - 4 Northern Ireland :28 March - Northern Ireland 2 - 1 Sweden:22 August - Northern Ireland 3 - 1 Liechtenstein:8 September - Latvia 1 - 0 Northern Ireland:12 September - Iceland 2 - 1 Northern Ireland:17 October - Sweden 1 - 1 Northern Ireland:17 November - Northern Ireland 2 - 1 Denmark:21 November - Spain 1 - 0 Northern Ireland:Northern Ireland came third in the group and failed to qualify.

*Other International Matches
**Northern Ireland 0 - 0 Wales (6 February)

*"'Setanta Cup
**Winners: Drogheda United

*Irish League
**Winners: Linfield

*Irish Cup
**Winners: Linfield

Gaelic Athletic Association

Golf

*8 September - 9 September - Walker Cup takes place at Royal County Down Golf Club, Newcastle, County Down.
*Pádraig Harrington wins the British Open in Carnoustie, Scotland. Rory McIlroy wins the silver medal for leading amateur. Darren Clarke misses the cut.

Motorcycling

*12 May - North West 200
*17 August - Ulster Grand Prix, Dundrod.

Rugby Union

* RBS Six Nations Championship [cite web | title=Ireland | work=RBS Six Nations | url=http://www.rbs6nations.com/en/ireland/417.php | accessdate=2008-01-27] :4 February - Wales 9 - 19 Ireland:11 February - Ireland 17 - 20 France:24 February - Ireland 43 - 13 England:10 March - Scotland 18 - 19 Ireland:17 March - Italy 24 - 51 Ireland:Ireland finished in second position in the Championship after France.

* 2007 Rugby World Cup
**Ireland 32 - 17 Namibia
**Ireland 14 - 10 Georgia
**Ireland 3 - 25 France
**Ireland 15 - 30 Argentina

Deaths

*3 January - Sir Cecil Walker, Ulster Unionist Member of Parliament for North Belfast (1983–2001), heart attack. (b.1924) [ [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/6228809.stm Former MP Cecil Walker dies at 81, BBC News] ]
*8 January - David Ervine, leader of the Progressive Unionist Party, heart attack leading to stroke and brain haemorrhage. (b.1953). [ [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/6242215.stm PUP's Ervine has died in hospital, BBC News] ]
*8 February - Benedict Kiely, writer, broadcaster and journalist (b.1919).
*16 February - Norman Miscampbell, British Conservative Party MP (b.1925).
*22 February - Miriam Mone, fashion designer (b.1965).
*2 April - Emma Groves, blinded by a rubber bullet in 1971, became a leading campaigner for banning the use of plastic bullets, co-founder of the United Campaign Against Plastic Bullets (b.1920).
*12 June - Eamonn Coleman, Gaelic footballer and manager (b.1948).
*24 June - Derek Dougan, footballer (b.1938).
*1 August - Tommy Makem, folk musician, artist, poet and storyteller (b.1932).
*6 September - John Kelly, Sinn Féin Councillor and MLA (b.1936).
*30 September - Len Graham, footballer (b.1925).
*17 October - Sammy Duddy, member of the Ulster Political Research Group (b.1945).
*3 November - Martin Meehan, Sinn Féin politician and former volunteer in the Provisional Irish Republican Army (b.1945).
*13 November - Alec Cooke, Baron Cooke of Islandreagh, businessman and politician (b.1920).
*31 December - Tommy Dickson, footballer (b.1929).

References