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.

Black and white photograph of a young boy leaning against a wall, background is the aftermath of a bomb.

Key Events

Sunningdale

Bloody Sunday

Bloody Friday

Punk Gigs

Mary Peters' Win

Nobel Peace Prize

Voices of '74

Explore a digital archive dedicated to preserving the personal stories and experiences of those lived through the events surrounding 1974 and the Ulster Workers' Council Strike.

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.

Willie Whitewash Poster — ‘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. - View Full Image

Civil Disobedience Rededication Began With Internment Leaflet — ‘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. - View Full Image

Political poster 'Resist Repression' — 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. - View Full Image

Document on Irish Liberation leaflet — 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)

Ireland our Cuba poster — ‘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. (BELUM.W2018.3)

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 & Paramilitarism

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)

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.