Events

• 15 March - Rosemary Nelson, Lurgan solicitor killed in a car bomb attack by loyalist paramilitary group, Red Hand Defenders.
• 14 May - The fully renovated St George's Market in Belfast reopens its doors.
• 22 May - The electorate of the entire island of Ireland go to the polls to vote on the Good Friday Agreement.
• 23 May - People North and South give their overwhelming support to the Good Friday Agreement.
• 21 October - Peter Mandelson arrives in Belfast as the new Secretary of State for Northern Ireland.
• 29 November - Ten designated ministers are appointed to the power-sharing Northern Ireland Assembly.
• 2 December - The Irish Government ratifies changes to Articles 2 and 3 of the Constitution. Direct rule from Westminster in Northern Ireland ends.
• 13 December - The first meeting of the North/South Ministerial Council takes place in Armagh.
• Nuala O'Loan is appointed as first Police Ombudsman for Northern Ireland.

Arts and literature

• Ciaran Carson publishes The Ballad of HMS Belfast: A Compendium of Belfast Poems.
• Seamus Heaney publishes a verse translation of Beowulf from the Old English.
• Glenn Patterson publishes his novel The International.

Sport

Athletics

• The 27th IAAF World Cross Country Championships were held 27 28 March in Belfast.

Football

• Irish League

Winners: Glentoran

• Irish Cup

Winners: Portadown (as Cliftonville were disqualified)

Golf

• The Amateur Championship is held at Royal County Down Golf Club, (winner:Graeme Storm).

Births

Deaths

January to June

• 11 January - Brian Moore, novelist (b.1921).
• 15 January - Robert Lowry, Baron Lowry, Lord Chief Justice of Northern Ireland (b.1919).
• 28 January - Markey Robinson, artist (b.1918).
• 15 March - Rosemary Nelson, solicitor killed by loyalist paramilitary group.
• 4 April - Sir James Flanagan, first and only Roman Catholic Chief Constable of the Royal Ulster Constabulary. (b.1914).
• 3 May - Paddy Kennedy, Republican Labour Party Councillor and MP (b.1942).
• 6 June - Billy Brown, musician and artist (b.1943).
• 29 June - Declan Mulholland, actor (b.1932).

July to December

• 1 July - William Whitelaw, 1st Viscount Whitelaw, first Secretary of State for Northern Ireland.
• 15 August - Paddy Devlin, a founder of the SDLP, a member of the 1974 Power Sharing Executive and author (b.1925).
• 21 August - Noel Larmour, cricketer and diplomat (b.1916).
• 23 August - James White, science fiction novelist (b.1928).
• 15 October - Josef Locke, tenor (b.1917).

Full date unknown

• Eamon Collins, Provisional Irish Republican Army activist and writer (b.1954).