1983 in Northern Ireland

Events

*23 May - The Bushmills Distillery in County Antrim celebrates its 350th anniversary.
*30 May - The inaugural meeting of the New Ireland Forum takes place at Dublin Castle.
*10 June - Gerry Adams of Sinn Féin is elected the new Member of Parliament for West Belfast.
*23 September - Maze Prison escape: 38 prisoners hijack a lorry and escape from HM Prison Maze; one guard dies of a heart attack and twenty others injured. Nineteen of the prisoners are later apprehended.
*21 November - Three elders shot dead during service in Darkley Pentecostal Church, County Armagh. The shooting was claimed by the Catholic Reaction Force [ [http://www.larkspirit.com/history/chronology.html Larkspirit Irish History] ] .
*The airfield at Sydenham, Belfast is opened as the Belfast Harbour Airport.

Arts and literature

port

Football

*Irish League::Winners: Linfield

*Irish Cup::Winners: Glentoran 1 - 1, 2 - 1 Linfield

* Pat Jennings becomes the first footballer to play in 1,000 Football League matches.

Motorcycling

*Robert Dunlop wins Newcomers 350cc Isle of Man TT race.

Births

*2 February - Bridget McKeever, international hockey player.
*9 May - Alan Campbell, sculler.
*17 June - Connie Fisher, actress and singer.

Deaths

*20 April - Sarah Makem, traditional singer (b.1900).
*4 July - John Bodkin Adams, general practitioner in Eastbourne cleared of murdering one of his patients (b.1899).
*21 August - Francis Evans, British diplomat (b.1897).
*15 November - John Rea, hammered dulcimer player.
*23 December - Colin Middleton, artist (b.1910).

Full date unknown

*F. S. L. Lyons, historian (b.1923).

References