1970s

Political violence intensified and became more deeply rooted with the rise of republican and loyalist paramilitary groups in Northern Ireland. This decade witnessed some of the most horrific atrocities of the Northern Ireland conflict.

Key Events

The period from 1972 to 1976 was marked by intense violence. During this time, security measures dramatically increased, significantly impacting everyday life. Here are some objects that help tell this story.

Voices of '74

Voices of 1974 is a digital archive dedicated to preserving the personal stories and lived experiences of those who lived through this turbulent period. Whether you are a researcher, student, or simply someone seeking to understand these complex times, we invite you to explore these recordings and listen to the stories of those who experienced events firsthand.

‘Ireland - Our Cuba?’ A publication by the Conservative Monday Club in London, this document is composed of articles by Jeremy Harwood, Jonathan Guinness and John Biggs-Davison M.P. on the situation in Ulster and the Conservative perspective on the Troubles. The title ‘Ireland - our Cuba?’ challenges Bernadette Devlin’s call for a socialist republic on the lines of Castro’s Cuba.
Second Ulster Covenant The Grand Orange Lodge published a second Ulster covenant in 1971 to mark the fiftieth anniversary of the founding of Northern Ireland. It was signed by over 300,000 men and women in total.

Vanguard Plaque In 1973 a number of Ulster Unionist Party members left the party to form the Vanguard Unionist Progressive Party, led by William Craig. The split followed the Ulster Unionist Council’s failure to reject British government proposals, including enforced power-sharing and the formalisation of a political relationship with the Republic of Ireland.
‘Willie Whitewash’ This Vanguard poster was produced shortly after the return to direct rule in 1972. It shows the first Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, William Whitelaw, about to whitewash ‘Ulster’s roll of honour’, the list of those who had died between 1969 and 1972. Whitelaw was nicknamed ‘Willie Whitewash’ by unionists who opposed his actions.

The Irish artist Jim Fitzpatrick, who was responsible for the iconic poster of Ché Guevara, produced this poster for Republican Clubs in the early 1970s. The Republican Clubs, associated with the left wing ‘Official Republican Movement’ were established to circumvent a ban on Sinn Féin candidates, who were declared illegal in Northern Ireland in March 1967. This measure was lifted in April 1973. (BELUM.O403.1973)

BELUM.w2012.7 (1) — ‘Civil Disobedience Began with Internment’. The North Derry Civil Rights Association produced this publication in 1971. It relates to the use of a campaign of civil disobedience to protest against internment and details the mistreatment that one internee experienced. The first stage of the protest was a rent and rates strike that at the time of publication was entering its fourth month. Suggestions for further action included other forms of non-payment, withdrawal of savings from government schemes and refusing to send Christmas cards. (BELUM.W2012.7)

Document on Irish Liberation. This document was published by REPSOL for Official Sinn Féin for the World Congress of Peace Forces in Moscow in 1973. It sets out the party’s opposition to Ireland’s entry into the European Economic Community as well as to British rule in Ireland. However, it also states ‘we have realised that armed struggle on its own, or as an end in itself, is doomed to failure’. (BELUM.W2018.2)

Nearly 500 people were killed in a single year in 1972. Some of the most serious atrocities occurred between 1970 and 1980, including Bloody Sunday and Bloody Friday.

Security Forces

Following the escalation of violence, the Hunt Committee report outlined proposals for the reform of the police service. This resulted in the disbanding of the auxiliary police force the Ulster Special Constabulary (USC) in 1970 and the formation of the Ulster Defence Regiment (UDR).

In all, more than 300,000 British soldiers served in Northern Ireland, 503 were killed and more than 3,000 injured. Locally recruited members of the security forces suffered 509 casualties. During the course of the Troubles, 200 full-time members and 103 members of the RUC Reserve were killed and more than 9,000 were injured. Between 1970 and 1992, 199 UDR members and 47 former members were killed, many while they were off duty. On 1 July 1992, the UDR was merged with the Royal Irish Rangers to form the Royal Irish Regiment, a regular unit of the British Army. Seven of its members were killed between 1991 and 1994. Overall, the security forces were responsible for 367 deaths. The British Army was responsible for 302 deaths, the RUC was responsible for 51 deaths and the UDR was responsible for 8 deaths. Of all those who died during the Troubles, 2087 were civilians.

1970s RUC Riot Shield. The RUC Riot Shield from the 1970s is a piece of equipment used by the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC), the police force in Northern Ireland during The Troubles. These shields were designed to withstand impacts from thrown objects, such as bricks and bottles, as well as strikes from clubs or other weapons. (BELUM.W2018.8)

Plastic Bullets
First introduced in 1970 as a tool for British State Troops in Northern Ireland, plastic bullets were initially presented as "non-lethal" weapons. However, many civilians, including children, were tragically injured or killed by these so-called "non-lethal" weapons. (BELUM.U2022.1.6)

Spent CS Gas Cartridges Used in Northern Ireland (Post-1970) These are empty or used cartridges of CS gas, which were deployed in Northern Ireland after 1970. CS gas, commonly known as tear gas, was frequently used during this period for crowd control and riot management. (BELUM.W2018.7.1)

Skulgarde Helmet, Royal Ulster Constabulary. Black, with self adhesive badge (`R.U.C'.) on front, and neck guard attached at back, burnt on right hand side by a petrol bomb. (BELUM.O616.1973)

Metal (tin) bin lid. In the 1970's -80's they were used as alarms for military raids on civilian houses. In some communities galvanised metal bin lids like this were banged on the ground to warn of soldiers entering the area. (BELUM.W2018.4)

Flare Pistol made by Webley, which was adapted to fire rubber bullets. It is believed to have been carried by a soldier during Bloody Sunday.
An anti-riot baton (rubber bullet) used by the British Army in Northern Ireland. During the Troubles three people were killed through the use of rubber bullets by members of the security forces in Northern Ireland.
Plastic Bullet: Pat O’Hagan was struck by this plastic bullet when he was 15 years old. He retrieved it from the street afterwards and wrote his response to the incident on the bullet. The use of plastic bullets by members of the security forces resulted in the death of 14 people during the course of the Troubles.

The rest of the world was heavily influenced by Cold War politics, with local issues often framed in the language of that era.

Politics

Whilst the conflict dominated the headlines, it both compounded and was fuelled by Northern Ireland’s severe social and economic problems. The decline of traditional industries increased unemployment, and extensive housing redevelopment created urban wastelands.

A Firebomber could be anyone in a crowd. Official poster issued by the NI Government. 'A Firebomber could be anyone in a crowd - if you see anything suspicious - dial 999.' Printed black, white and red, showing a crowd of people with one highlighted in red. This poster was produced in 1971 to draw attention to the danger of incendiary devices. In 1977, the year in which most incendiaries were used, the police recorded that more than six hundred had exploded or been defused. (BELUM.O521.1973)

A recruitment brochure for the Ulster Defence Regiment, which at its peak in the 1970s had around 9,000 members. The UDR was a locally-raised regiment, liable for service only in Northern Ireland. During the course of the Troubles 40,000 people served in the UDR. The soldier featured on the cover is Alexander Thompson McKinley from Ballymena who served with the Royal Ulster Rifles and transferred to the UDR. (BELUM.Zg5371)

Republican Paramilitaries

During the course of the Troubles 294 members of the Provisional IRA were killed and the organisation was responsible for 1,768 deaths, almost half the total number of those killed. Overall, republican activists had 395 casualties and were responsible for 2152 deaths. Smaller republican groups – the Irish National Liberation Army (INLA), the Irish People’s Liberation Organisation (IPLO), the Official IRA and the Real IRA – killed 239 people. Of all those who died during the Troubles, 2087 were civilians.

Roll of Honour produced in the Maze Prison in 1974, this roll of honour relates to the Belfast Brigade of the Irish Republican Army. It lists the names of volunteers killed from the First, Second and Third Battalions, Cumann Na mban and Na Fianna Éireann. (BELUM.W2017.6)

IRA Panel. A statement from the Provisional Army Council in late December 1969 signalled the split in the IRA between what became its Official and Provisional wings. For republicans the objectives of defending the Catholic community in the North and ending British rule in Ireland were interlinked. From the mid-1970s the Provisionals began a 'long war' of attrition which they believed would force Britain out of Northern Ireland. (BELUM.W2018.14)

Board from Armagh Gaol — ‘Armagh Gaol 1974’. This Óglaigh na hÉireann (Provisional IRA) board was made by women in Armagh Gaol in 1974. On the reverse the women have listed their names and where they are from in three columns under the headings ‘sentenced, ‘remand’ and ‘interned’. In the case of those sentenced, the duration of their sentence is included. The board was given as a token of thanks to those involved in raising money in support of the prisoners through record sales. (BELUM.W2016.2.1017)

Loyalist Paramilitaries

During the course of the Troubles 96 members of the UDA and Ulster Freedom Fighters (UFF) were killed and the organisations were responsible for 431 deaths. The UVF and the Red Hand Commando were responsible for approximately 569 deaths while 65 members of those organisations were killed during the Troubles. Overall, loyalist activists had 167 casualties and were responsible for 1112 deaths. Other loyalist groups – the Loyalist Volunteer Force (LVF) and Red Hand Defenders – killed 24 people. Of all those who died during the Troubles, 2087 were civilians.

Plaque — This painted glass plaque was made in the Maze prison and includes images associated with the Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) and linked paramilitary organisations the Red Hand Commando and Young Citizen Volunteers. The UVF is a loyalist paramilitary group formed in 1966 in response to a perceived threat to the existence of Northern Ireland from Irish nationalism. (BELUM.W2011.500.22)

cap — Ulster Defence Association Cap. A loyalist paramilitary organisation, the Ulster Defence Association was formed in 1971 and initially promoted itself as the defender of Protestant working-class areas. In 1972 it was estimated to have approximately 40,000 members, but by the late 1970s this had dropped to approximately 10,000. (BELUM.O93.1975)

World Situation

The Yom Kippur War 1973 in the Middle East and the subsequent quadrupling of crude oil prices plunged the Western economy into crisis. The strike protests in Britain in 1974 (especially the strikes of coal miners) helped overthrow the Conservative government. Rampant inflation and strikes peaked during the Winter of Discontent, which led to the election of Margaret Thatcher as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, 1979.

There is no agreement as to the exact number of deaths which resulted from the conflict. These figures are taken from Lost Lives (McKittrick et al., 2007) which provides the most detailed analysis of those who died as a result of the Troubles.

Explore More

Collecting the Troubles

Voices of 1974

1970s

Political violence intensified and became more deeply rooted with the rise of republican and loyalist paramilitary groups in Northern Ireland. This decade witnessed some of the most horrific atrocities of the Northern Ireland conflict.

Key Events

Sunningdale

Bloody Sunday

Bloody Friday

Punk Gigs

Mary Peter's Win

Nobel Peace Prize