2005 in Northern Ireland

Events

*20 January - Belfast man Robert McCartney is murdered outside a bar in the city by members of the Provisional IRA.
*January - During a storm, a lorry is blown off the Foyle Bridge and its driver killed.
*2 February - The Provisional IRA issue a statement to the Republican newspaper An Phoblacht withdrawing from its commitment to the decommissioning of weapons and other deals related to the Northern Ireland peace process.
*9 February - Prime Minister Tony Blair issues a public apology to the 11 members of the Conlon and McGuire families who were wrongly convicted for the Guildford and Woolwich IRA pub bombings of 1974 when seven people were killed. the surviving members of the families were released in 1989 when the scientific evidence against them was discredited.
*17 February - Seven people are detained by Gardaí for suspected activities in relation to the Northern Bank robbery in Belfast in December 2004. £2.3 million sterling is seized in County Cork.
*3 March- Sinn Féin suspends seven members over their alleged involvement in the murder of Belfast man, Robert McCartney, who was killed on January 30
*17 March - St. Patrick's Day: The sisters and fiancée of murdered Belfast-man, Robert McCartney, meet US President George W. Bush in the United States.
*May - Police Service of Northern Ireland takes delivery of its first helicopter, a Eurocopter EC 135.
*5 May- United Kingdom general election, 2005
*7 May- Ulster Unionist Party leader, David Trimble, resigns the leadership after losing his seat in the general election.
*24 June- The IRA apologises unreservedly to the family of 14-year old Kathleen Feeney, whom it shot dead in Londonderry in November 1973. The IRA had previously blamed the British Army for the killing.
*28 July - In what has been described as an "historic" day the Provisional Irish Republican Army ends its armed campaign and orders all its units to dump arms. The organisation also orders its members not to engage in any other activities of any kind.
*2 August - British Army begins to dismantle the observation post on top of Divis Tower in Belfast.
*September - Historical Enquiries Team, unit of the Police Service of Northern Ireland, is established to investigate the 3,269 unsolved murders committed during the Troubles (specifically between 1968 and 1998).
*7 September - At Windsor Park, Belfast, Northern Ireland beat England 1-0. It is the first time since 1927 that the team has beaten England at home.
*14 September- Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, Peter Hain, announces that the government no longer recognises loyalist paramilitary group the Ulster Volunteer Force's ceasefire, due to the UVF's on-going feud with the Loyalist Volunteer Force, and recent violence against the police.
*26 September - In a move described as "the day the gun was taken out of Irish politics", the head of the Independent International Commission on Decommissioning, General John de Chastelain, says that he is satisfied that the Irish Republican Army has completed the decommissioning of its entire arsenal of weapons.
*24 November - Abbas Boutrab becomes the first non republican or loyalist to be convicted in the diplock courts of Northern Ireland - he is convinced of having information that could be used to bomb an airliner.
*25 November - George Best, the man described as the greatest footballer of his or any generation, dies in London after several months of declining health.
*3 December - Parliament Buildings hosted the funeral service for George Best. Approximately 25,000 people gathered in the grounds, with thousands more lining the cortege route.
*8 December - President Mary McAleese meets Queen Elizabeth II at Hillsborough Castle. It is the first time that the two heads of state meet in Ireland.
*19 December- The Civil Partnerships Act 2004 comes into force. The first "gay weddings" are held in Northern Ireland, granting same-sex couples similar legal rights to heterosexual couples.

Arts and literature

port

Football

* Football World Cup 2006 Qualification
**England 4 - 0 Northern Ireland (26 March)
**Poland 1 - 0 Northern Ireland (30 March)
**Northern Ireland 2 - 0 Azerbaijan (3 September)
**Northern Ireland 1 - 0 England (7 September)
**Northern Ireland 2 - 3 Wales (8 October)
**Austria 2 - 0 Northern Ireland (12 October) ::Northern Ireland failed to qualify

*Other International Matches
**Northern Ireland 1 - 4 Germany (4 June)
**Northern Ireland 1 - 1 Portugal (15 November)

*"'Setanta Cup::Winners: Linfield

*Irish League::Winners: Glentoran

*Irish Cup::Winners: Portadown 5 - 1 Larne

*The IFA celebrated it's 125th Anniversary.
*The UEFA under 19 European championship was hosted by Ireland, with the final won by France in Windsor Park on the 29 July.
*There was an all-Irish clash in the first qualifying round of the UEFA Champions League. Shelbourne defeated Glentoran 6-2 on aggregate.

Gaelic games

* Christy Ring Cup Final
**Westmeath 1-23 : 2-18 Down
* All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Final
**Tyrone 1-16 : 2-10 Kerry

Ice Hockey

*Belfast Giants ended the Elite Ice Hockey League season as runners-up to Coventry Blaze.

Motorcycling

*8 February - Robert Dunlop is the first person to be elected to the "Irish Motorcycle Hall of Fame", and comes back out of retirement.

Rugby Union

* RBS Six Nations Championship
**Ireland 28-17 Italy
**Ireland 40-13 Scotland
**Ireland 19-13 England
**Ireland 19-26 France
**Ireland 20-32 Wales
* Autumn Internationals
**Ireland 7-45 New Zealand
**Ireland 14-30 Australia
**Ireland 43-12 Romania

Deaths

*31 January - Robert McCartney, victim of murder allegedly carried out by members of the Provisional Irish Republican Army (b.1971).
*28 April - Mickey Marley, street entertainer.
*13 August - Robbie Millar, chef and restaurateur (b.1967).
*19 August - Mo Mowlam, 11th British Secretary of State for Northern Ireland.
*26 August - Gerry Fitt, founder of the Social Democratic and Labour Party (b.1926).
*4 October - Jim Gray, former Ulster Defence Association leader in east Belfast (b.1958).
*25 November - George Best, former Northern Ireland and Manchester United footballer (b.1946).
*19 December - Charles Brett, lawyer, journalist, author and founding member of the Ulster Architectural Heritage Society (b.1928).