1956 in Northern Ireland
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Events during the year 1956 in Northern Ireland.
Events
- 12 December – The Irish Republican Army launches its Border Campaign[1] with the bombing of a BBC relay transmitter in County Londonderry, burning of a courthouse in Magherafelt by a unit led by 18-year-old Seamus Costello[1] and of an Ulster Special Constabulary post near Newry and blowing up of a half-built British Army barracks at Enniskillen. A raid on Gough Barracks in Armagh is beaten off after a brief exchange of fire.
- 14 December – Border Campaign: An IRA column under Seán Garland detonates bombs outside Lisnaskea Royal Ulster Constabulary station before raking it with gunfire. Further attacks on Derrylin and Roslea RUC barracks are beaten off.
- 21 December – The Government of Northern Ireland under Basil Brooke uses the Special Powers Act to intern several hundred republican suspects without trial.
- 30 December – Border Campaign: The IRA Teeling Column under Noel Kavanagh again attacks the Derrylin RUC barracks, killing constable John Scally, the campaign's first fatality.
- Ulster Protestant Action, a loyalist Protestant fundamentalist vigilante group, is founded at a special meeting at the Ulster Unionist Party's offices in Glengall Street, Belfast.[2]
- Tayto (Northern Ireland) established by the Hutchinson family to manufacture potato chips at Tandragee, County Armagh.
Arts and literature
- 23 April – Belfast-born author C. S. Lewis and American poet Joy Gresham have a civil marriage at Oxford register office.[3]
Sport
Births
- 14 January – Ronan Bennett, novelist and screenwriter.
- 5 February – Jackie Woodburne, actress.
- 7 February – Rose-Marie, singer (died 2024).
- 11 April – Bobby Storey, Provisional Irish Republican Army activist, escapee and Sinn Féin politician (died 2020).
- 15 April – Christopher Dye, Coordinator of Tuberculosis Monitoring and Evaluation at the World Health Organization and Gresham Professor of Physic.
- 7 May – David Catherwood, composer and conductor.
- 24 May – Michael Jackson, Anglican Bishop of Clogher (2002 - ).
- 2 September – Angelo Fusco, Provisional Irish Republican Army volunteer and escapee.
- 3 September – Pat McGeown, Provisional Irish Republican Army volunteer, participant in the 1981 Irish hunger strike (died 1996).
- 13 September – Bobby Campbell, footballer.
- 19 September – Gerry McElhinney, footballer.
- 10 October – Amanda Burton, actress.
- 18 November – Noel Brotherston, footballer (died 1995).
- Full date unknown – Don Mullan, writer and film producer.