Chronology of Provisional Irish Republican Army Actions (1970-1979) - 1978

1978

• 12 January 1978: A UDR soldier was shot dead by the IRA in Newry.
• 13 January 1978: The IRA seriously damaged the Guildhall in Derry in a bomb attack. There were no injuries.
• 23 January 1978: A number of British soldiers were wounded and had to be airlifted to hospital following an IRA mortar attack on Forkill British Army/RUC base in County Armagh. The mortars were fired from a flatbed truck and hit the sleeping quarters. Afterward, three RUC officers were hurt by a booby-trap bomb planted in the truck.
• 30 January 1978: A supermarket employee was shot and wounded during a robbery of the premises in Killygordon, County Donegal. The man died of his injuries five days later.
• 4 February 1978: A civilian was accidentally shot dead during an IRA attack on an RUC foot patrol on Shore Road, Belfast.
• 7 February 1978: A UDR soldier was shot dead by the IRA near Pomeroy, County Tyrone.
• 8 February 1978: A UDR soldier and his 10 year old daughter were killed in an under-car booby-trap bomb attack outside their home in Maghera, County Londonderry.
• 17 February 1978: Eleven Protestant civilians and an RUC officer were killed and 23 badly injured in the La Mon Restaurant Bombing, at Gransha near Belfast.
• 17 February 1978: A British Lieutenant Colonel was killed and two other soldiers injured when the Gazelle helicopter he was travelling in was attacked by an IRA unit. The helicopter crashed while taking evasive manoeuvers during the engagement.
• 26 February 1978: An IRA volunteer was shot dead by an undercover British Army unit at an arms-dump in Ardboe, County Tyrone.
• 28 February 1978: An RUC officer was shot dead in an IRA sniper attack in the Rosemount area of Derry City.
• 1 March 1978: A British soldier was killed in an IRA machine-gun attack on British Army patrol on the Cliftonpark Avenue in Belfast.
• 3 March 1978: The IRA launched a gun attack on a British Army checkpoint on Donegall Street, Belfast. A civilian who helped the British Army to search people was shot dead.
• 4 March 1978: A British soldier was killed in a booby-trap bomb attack in Crossmaglen, County Armagh. The soldier was killed while attempting to remove an Irish flag from a telegraph poll. The flag was wired to a landmine below the poll and exploded when it was removed.
• 17 March 1978: An IRA unit and an SAS unit became embroiled in a gun battle in a field near Maghera, County Londonderry. One British soldier was killed in the battle. Prominent IRA member Francis Hughes was wounded and arrested after the shoot out.
• 14 April 1978: A UDR soldier was shot dead while driving a school bus near Pomeroy, County Tyrone.
• 15 April 1978: An RUC officer was killed in a booby-trap bomb attack outside his home near Armoy, County Antrim.
• 22 April 1978: An RUC officer was shot dead by the IRA at his home in Lisburn.
• 25 May 1978: Two civilians were kidnapped by the IRA in Belfast and later killed and secretly buried. Their remains were found in 1999 in County Monaghan. It was revealed that the two had been executed for robbing an IRA-run bar. They had also admitted stealing IRA weapons for use in robberies, but had apparently handed back the weapons and any money they gained from robberies.
• 3 June 1978: An alleged criminal was shot dead by the IRA near Jonesborough, County Armagh.
• 10 June 1978: An IRA volunteer was shot dead by undercover British soldiers while hijacking a car in the Bogside area of Derry City.
• 16 June 1978: An RUC officer was shot dead by the IRA in the Foyle Street area of Derry.
• 17 June 1978: An IRA unit ambushed an RUC vehicle near Camlogh, County Armagh. One RUC officer was killed outright and another was captured. The IRA gave back the body of the second officer on 9 July. A post-mortem revealed that he had in fact died of his wounds soon after the ambush. The second officer was also a member of the Orange Order.
• 20 June 1978: Three IRA volunteers and a passing UVF member were shot dead by undercover British soldiers during an attempted bombing at a Post Office depot on Ballysillan Road, Belfast.
• 25 June 1978: A UDR soldier was shot dead by during a bomb and sniper ambush of a British military convoy near Belcoo, County Fermanagh.
• 4 July 1978: An RUC officer was shot dead by the IRA outside Castlederg RUC barracks in County Tyrone.
• 12 July 1978: A British soldier was killed in an IRA radio-controlled booby-trap bomb attack while on foot-patrol in Crossmaglen, County Armagh.
• 19 July 1978: A British soldier was killed in an IRA remote-controlled bomb attack in Dungannon, County Tyrone.
• 2 August 1978: An RUC officer was shot dead in an IRA drive-by shooting while on foot-patrol in Ballymena, County Antrim.
• 8 August 1978: A civilian was wounded when a bomb exploded near her home on Forfar Street, Belfast. It is thought that it was planted by the IRA and meant for a British Army patrol. She died of her wounds on 27 September 1978.

• 11 August 1978: An undercover British soldier was shot dead in an IRA ambush on the Letterkenny Road in Derry.
• 17 August 1978: A British soldier was killed in an IRA carbomb attack on a British patrol in Forkill, County Armagh.
• 19 August 1978: Two ex-British soldiers were killed in IRA gun attacks in Belfast and Keady.
• 5 September 1978: A British soldier was shot dead by the IRA in Newry.
• 11 September 1978: The IRA shot dead an off-duty RUC officer in Loughmacrory, County Tyrone.
• 21 September 1978: The IRA carried out a large bomb attack against Eglington airfield. The Terminal building, two hangars and four planes were destroyed in the attack. There were no injuries.
• 28 September 1978: The IRA launched a gun attack on a British Army foot-patrol on Waterloo Place, Derry. A civilian who helped the British Army to search people was shot dead.
• 29 September 1978: The IRA fired shots at the car of an RUC officer in Newry. A civilian who was travelling in the car was accidentally shot dead.
• 6 October 1978: A UDR soldier was shot dead while at a cattlemart in Newry.
• 12 October 1978: A civilian was killed when the IRA bombed a train at Belfast Central station. A bomb warning was given but there was not enough time to carry out a full evacuation.
• 12 November 1978: A British soldier was killed when an IRA booby trap bomb detonated as a British patrol passed by in Crossmaglen, County Armagh.
• 14 November 1978: The IRA launched a large-scale bombing offensive in towns across Northern Ireland. Serious damage was caused to the centres of Castlederg, Enniskillen, Armagh, Belfast and Cookstown. There were 37 injuries in the attacks although warnings were issued.
• 16 November 1978: A firefighter was killed when an IRA grenade exploded in a house which had been set alight in a bomb attack in the Andersonstown area of Belfast.
• 24 November 1978: An IRA volunteer was shot dead in an undercover British Army ambush in Maureen Avenue in Derry.
• 26 November 1978: The Deputy-Governor of Long Kesh Prison was assassinated by the IRA outside his home in Belfast.
• 27 November 1978: An off-duty UDR soldier was shot dead by the IRA near Durham Street, Belfast.
• 30 November 1978: The IRA carried out 14 bomb attacks in towns and villages across Northern Ireland. The IRA also issued a statement saying it was preparing for a "long-war".
• 1 December 1978: The IRA carried out 11 bomb attacks on towns across Northern Ireland. There were no injuries.
• 14 December 1978: A Prison Officer who worked at Crumlin Road Jail was shot dead by the IRA while leaving the prison.
• 17 December 1978: The IRA carried out bomb attacks on cities in England including Bristol, Coventry, Liverpool, Manchester and Southhampton.
• 19 December 1978: A British soldier was shot dead by an IRA sniper while guarding other soldiers who were raiding a house in the New Lodge area of Belfast.
• 21 December 1978: A four man IRA unit ambushed a British patrol near St. Patricks church in Crossmaglen, County Armagh. The IRA unit fired a large number of shots from three Armalites and one AK-47. Three British soldiers were killed in the ambush. The British Army unit returned fire but the IRA unit made their escape in a van which had been fitted with armour-plating.