1956 in Northern Ireland explained

Events during the year 1956 in Northern Ireland.

Incumbents

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.

23 April – Belfast-born author C. S. Lewis and American poet Joy Gresham have a civil marriage at Oxford register office.^[3]

Winners: Linfield

Winners: Distillery 2 - 2, 0 - 0, 1 - 0 Glentoran

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.

20 February – James Cousins, poet and writer (born 1873).
18 March – Benjamin Glazer, Academy Award-winning writer, producer and director (born 1887).
23 July – Ella Young, poet (born 1867).
5 August – J. M. Andrews, second Prime Minister of Northern Ireland (born 1871).
25 November – Robert Bruce Bowers, cricketer (born 1897).

Book: Hanley. Brian. Miller. Scott. The Lost Revolution: The Story of the Official IRA and the Workers' Party. Dublin. Penguin Ireland. 2009. 14.
Book: Smyth, Clifford. Clifford Smyth
. Clifford Smyth. Ian Paisley: Voice of Protestant Ulster. Edinburgh. Scottish Academic Press. 1987. 0707304997. registration.
Book: Hooper, Walter. C. S. Lewis: A Complete Guide to His Life & Works. 2005. HarperCollins. 978-0-06-063880-1. 79.