In 1798 an expedition of French soldiers under the command of General Humbert landed with a number of Irish insurgents at Killala, Co. Mayo. They headed in the direction of Granard, Co. Longford where they intended to engage the English Forces. However , Humbert's army, by now enlarged with the addition of ill-armed Irish rebels, was attacked by the English at Ballinamuck. After a number of days fighting, Humbert surrendered on the 8th September, 1798 to an immensely superior English army. When the battle was over, 500 bodies lay scattered throughout the battlefield - most of them Irish rebels who had refused to surrender. Unlike their French allies, the Irish survivors were hunted down and mercilessly executed. Resistence to English Rule continued to be a feature of Ballinamuck's history despite severe reprisals such as those inflicted by the landlord, King-Harman, when in 1836 he razed the village and levelled the peasant's cabins to the ground. It was because of such continuous insurrection that in 1846 an imposing cutstone RIC Barracks was erected in the village. The revolutionary nature of the people of NOrth Longford made its contribution in the War of Independence of 1921-22 as many of its menfolk comprised the 'Flying Columns' that were a major factor in forcing the offering of a treaty. This was acknowledged when Michael Collins himself selected Ballinamuck as one of the venues for a morale boosting visit at the height of the conflict.
| Year | What Happened |
|---|---|
| 1972 | Bloody Friday - IRA detonates a number of bombs in Belfast, killing 9 civilians |
| 1972 | The parliament of Northern Ireland is suspended and the British impose direct rule over the province. |
| 1976 | Two women from Belfast, Mairead Corrigan and Betty Williams, receive the Nobel Peace Prize for their work to reconcile religious communities in Northern Ireland. |
| 1980 | IRA prisoners stage hunger strikes; 10 die. |
| 1993 | Downing Street Declaration, which establishes a framework for peace negotiations, is issued by British and Irish prime ministers. |
| 1994 | IRA calls unconditional cease-fire (August 31). |
| 1996 | IRA ends cease-fire by bombing London's Docklands district, injuring over 100 (February 9). |
| 1996 | Peace negotiations begin in Belfast (June 10). Sinn Fein is barred from the negotiations, resulting in limited progress. |
| 1997 | IRA renews cease-fire (July 20); Sinn Fein joins peace negotiations (September 15). |
| 1998 | Historic Northern Ireland peace agreement reached (April 10). Accord is ratified by large majorities in both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland (May 22). |
