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

1979

5 January 1979: Two IRA volunteers were killed in Ardoyne, Belfast, when the bomb they were transporting in a car exploded prematurely.
4 February 1979: Former prison officer Patrick MacKin (60), and his wife Violet (58), were shot dead by the IRA at their home in Oldpark Road, Belfast. This was part of an escalating campaign against prison officers, co-inciding with the Dirty protest and Blanket protest in the Maze prison.
14 February 1979: A British soldier was shot dead by an IRA sniper on the Abercorn road in Derry.
19 March 1979: An IRA unit launched a mortar attack on Newtownhamilton British army base. One British soldier was killed.
22 March 1979: Richard Sykes, then British Ambassador to the Netherlands, and his Dutch valet, Krel Straub, were killed in a gun attack in Den Haag, Netherlands. The IRA also carried out 24 bomb attacks across Northern Ireland.
5 April 1979: Two British soldiers were killed when IRA snipers attacked Andersonstown British Army barracks in Belfast.
11 April 1979: Two British soldiers were killed when IRA snipers ambushed their armoured mobile patrol in the Ballymurphy area of Belfast.
13 April 1979: An off-duty UDR soldier was shot dead by the IRA in Tynan, County Armagh. He was also a member of the Orange Order.
16 April 1979: An IRA unit shot dead a Prison Officer in Clogher, County Tyrone.
17 April 1979: Four RUC officers were killed when the IRA exploded an estimated 1,000 pound van bomb at Bessbrook, County Armagh, believed to be the largest bomb used by the IRA up to that point. Three of the officers were also a member of the Orange Order.
19 April 1979: A prion officer was killed and three others seriously injured in an IRA gun and bomb attack outside Armagh Prison. The injured officers claimed IRA volunteers later showed up at the hospital dressed as doctors to "finish them off" but ran off after one of the officers noticed them and started screaming. In Belfast a British soldier was shot dead by an IRA sniper.
25 April 1979: A UDR soldier was shot dead by an IRA sniper while driving a lorry in County Tyrone.
29 April 1979: A UDR soldier was shot dead by an IRA sniper in Edendork, Tyrone.
6 May 1979: Two undercover British soldiers were shot dead by an IRA unit in Lisnaskea, County Fermanagh. The IRA unit ambushed their car.
9 May 1979: A British soldier was killed in an IRA bomb attack on his foot-patrol in the Turf Lodge area of Belfast.
19 May 1979: An ex-UDR man was shot dead by the IRA while delivering bread to a shop in Garrison, County Fermanagh (www.operationbanner.com)
20 May 1979: An RUC officer was shot dead by the IRA outside of a church in Derry.
3 June 1979: Two RUC officers were killed when the IRA detonated a bomb underneath their patrol vehicle near Crossmaglen, County Armagh.
6 June 1979: A UDR soldier was shot dead in an IRA attack on a British Army base on the Malone Road in Belfast.
9 June 1979: During a gun battle between the IRA and the British Army, an IRA volunteer was shot dead.
19 June 1979: A UDR soldier was shot dead by the IRA in Omagh, County Tyrone.
22 June 1979: An RUC officer was shot dead by the IRA near Coagh, County Tyrone.
24 June 1979: An off-duty UDR soldier was shot dead by the IRA while at his home in Markethill, County Armagh.
8 July 1979: A British soldier was killed in an IRA bomb attack on his foot patrol in Crossmaglen, County Armagh.
15 July 1979: A Catholic civilian was shot dead in the car-park of Falls Bowling Club on Andersonstown Road, Belfast. The Sutton Database claims that he was shot by the IRA. However, Lost Lives claims that the IRA denied responsibility and says that there is no obvious motive.
17 July 1979: An IRA unit launched a bomb attack on a British Army patrol in Roslea, County Fermanagh. A civilian who was in the area was killed by shrapnel.
2 August 1979: Two British soldiers were killed by the IRA in a landmine attack at Cathedral Road, Armagh town. In Belfast an RUC officer was shot dead by an IRA sniper
7 August 1979: A civilian was shot dead by the IRA during a raid on a bank in Tramore, County Waterford.
27 August 1979: An IRA bomb killed Earl Mountbatten of Burma at Mullaghmore, County Sligo the British Queen's first cousin, as well as The Dowager Baroness Brabourne, Mountbatten's elder daughter's mother-in-law (aged 83), The Hon. Nicholas Knatchbull, Mountbatten's elder daughter's fourth son (aged 14) and Paul Maxwell, a 15 year old Protestant youth from County Fermanagh who was working as a crew member. On the same day, the IRA launched the Warrenpoint ambush, which resulted in the death of 18 British soldiers at Narrow Water Castle, near Warrenpoint, County Down. As a British convoy passed, the IRA unit detonated a roadside bomb, killing six soldiers. IRA sniper fire then drove the soldiers to cover behind a nearby gatehouse, where a second bomb was detonated and killed a further twelve.
14 September 1979: A Prison Officer was shot dead by the IRA off the Crumlin Road in Belfast.
19 September 1979: Another Prison Officer was shot dead by the IRA outside the Crumlin Road Prison in Belfast.
8 October 1979: An undercover British soldier was shot dead when his car was ambushed by an IRA unit on the Falls Road, Belfast.
12 October 1979: The IRA shot dead a solicitor as he left Andersonstown British Army/RUC base in Belfast.
15 October 1979: A UDR soldier was shot dead by the IRA in Roslea, County Fermanagh.
19 October 1979: An off-duty UDR soldier was shot dead by the IRA in Fintona, County Tyrone.
28 October 1979: A British soldier and an RUC officer were killed when an IRA unit launched a heavy machine gun attack on Springfield Road Barracks, Belfast,
29 October 1979: An off-duty UDR soldier was shot dead by the IRA in Dungannon, County Tyrone.
5 November 1979: A Prison Officer was shot dead by the IRA outside the Crumlin Road Prison, in Belfast.
13 November 1979: A British Beaver reconnaissance aircraft was hit six times by an IRA unit which had mounted a roadblock in south County Armagh. In Crossmaglen a British soldier was killed in an IRA booby-trap bomb attack.
23 November 1979: A Prison Officer was shot dead by the IRA while at his home in Glengormley, County Antrim.
3 December 1979: A Prison Officer was shot dead by the IRA at his home in Belfast.
16 December 1979: A landmine bomb killed four British soldiers near Dungannon, County Tyrone. Another soldier was killed by a booby-trap bomb at Forkill, County Armagh. A former member of the Ulster Defence Regiment (UDR), James Fowler, was shot dead by the IRA in Omagh, County Tyrone.
17 December 1979: A Prison Officer was shot dead by the IRA off the Crumlin Road in Belfast.
22 December 1979: An off-duty RUC officer was shot dead by an IRA sniper while travelling in his car in County Monaghan.

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