2010 in Northern Ireland explained

Events during the year 2010 in Northern Ireland.

Incumbents

• First Minister - Peter Robinson
  • Acting First Minister - Arlene Foster (11 January – 3 February)
  • deputy First Minister - Martin McGuiness Secretary of State - Shaun Woodward (until 11 May), Owen Paterson (from 11 May)

Events

January

• 6 January – The Ulster Defence Association (UDA) confirms that all weaponry under its control has been put verifiably beyond use.^[1]
• 8 January
  • PSNI Constable Peadar Heffron is seriously injured as a bomb explodes under his car in Randalstown. Dissident republicans are blamed for the attack.^{[2] [3]}
  • Iris Robinson scandal emerges.
• 11 January – Peter Robinson temporarily steps aside as First Minister, designating Arlene Foster to act in his place.^[4]
• 20 January – Talks between Sinn Féin and the DUP about the devolution of policing and justice powers to the Northern Ireland administration come to an end.^[5]
• 23 January – The Sinn Féin party executive meets to discuss the talks position.^[6]
• 25 January – UK Prime Minister, Gordon Brown and Taoiseach Brian Cowen travel to Hillsborough Castle for talks with the parties.^[7]
• 26 January – The two Prime Ministers remain in the Hillsborough Castle talks and all-party discussions begin.^[8]
• 27 January – The two Prime Ministers leave without an agreement being reached, giving the parties 48 hours to reach agreement, otherwise the governments would publish plans for moving the political process forward.^[9]
• 31 January
  • Talks, which have continued all week, break for the day with reports of "considerable progress" having been made.^[10]
  • At the annual Bloody Sunday commemoration march, the victims' families call for the immediate release of the delayed Saville Inquiry report.^[11]

February

• 3 February – Peter Robinson resumes his role as First Minister, but has yet to convince his party to accept a deal.^[12]
• 5 February – Justice and policing powers are to be devolved to Northern Ireland's power-sharing government from 12 April 2010 following agreement between Sinn Féin and the DUP, endorsed by the presence of the British and Irish Prime Ministers.^{[13] [14]}
• 6 February – Mark Durkan delivers his final address to the SDLP as party leader at its annual conference in Newcastle, County Down, where a new leader will be elected.^[15]
• 7 February – The SDLP elect Margaret Ritchie (current Minister for Social Development) as new party leader, making her the first female leader of a major NI party.^[16]
• 19 February – A mortar bomb is abandoned near a police station in Keady, supposedly by Dissident republicans, leading to a long security alert.^[17]
• 22 February – A car bomb weighing up to 250 lbs explodes outside Newry Courthouse damaging buildings. No-one is killed or injured; dissident republicans are blamed for the attack.^[18]

March

• 9 March – A cross-community vote on devolving policing and justice powers is to be held in the NI Assembly, it is announced.^[13]
• 17 March – Peter Robinson and Martin McGuinness are to meet President of the United States Barack Obama in Washington, D.C., it is announced.^[19]

April

• 12 April – Justice and policing powers are to be devolved to Northern Ireland's power-sharing government.^[14]

May

• 6 May – 2010 UK General Election takes place and the results for Northern Ireland are: Democratic Unionist Party (8 Seats), Sinn Féin (5 Seats), SDLP (3 Seats), Alliance (1 Seat) and Independent (1 Seat). The First Minister of Northern Ireland, Peter Robinson, loses his seat of Belfast East to Naomi Long of the Alliance Party, giving the Alliance Party its first Westminster seat since 1974.

July

• 11–14 July – 2010 Northern Ireland riots occur.

September

• 22 September – Tom Elliott is elected to be leader of the Ulster Unionist Party (UUP).

November

• 14 November – Sinn Féin president Gerry Adams announces that he plans to step down as an MP and Stormont assembly member to stand for election in the Irish Republic.^[20]

December

• 29 December – Thousands of bottles of water are sent to Northern Ireland by the Scottish Government to help supply households cut off from mains supplies.^[21]

Arts and literature

• 26 January
  • A blue plaque is unveiled at Montrose Street South, Ballymacarrett, Belfast, the location of the house in which playwright Sam Thompson was born, on the 50th anniversary of the first performance of his controversial play Over The Bridge.^[22]
  • Formation of Opera Company NI is announced, funded by the Arts Council of Northern Ireland, and incorporating the best resources from Castleward Opera and Opera Fringe.^[23]
• 31 January – Successful Belfast4Haiti music events are held in Belfast – One day, One cause, 50 Acts.^[24]
• 15–30 October – 48th Ulster Bank Belfast Festival at Queen's.^[25]
• Miriam Gamble's poetry collection The Squirrels Are Dead is published.^[26]

Sport

• 21 January – Kris Meeke, winner of the Intercontinental Rally Challenge title in 2009, crashes out of the Monte Carlo Rally for the second year running.^[27]
• 23 January – Antrim International Cross Country Races.^[28]
• 3 May – Deep RiverRock Belfast City Marathon.^[29]
• 26–30 July – Northern Ireland Milk Cup 2010, Coleraine.^[30]

Rugby Union

• 6 January – Ireland 29-11 Italy^[31]
• 13 February – France 33-10 Ireland
• 27 February – England 16-20 Ireland
• 13 March – Ireland-Wales
• 20 March – Ireland-Scotland

GAA

• 17 March – St. Galls (Antrim) defeat Kilmurry Ibrickane (Clare) to win the All-Ireland Senior Club Football Championship for the first time in club history.
• 18 July – Tyrone defeat Monaghan to win the Ulster Senior Football Championship.
• 19 September – Cork defeat Down to win the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship, while Tyrone defeat Cork in the Minor final.

Deaths

• 12 January – Allen McClay, businessman and philanthropist (born 1932)
• 30 September – Sir Barry Shaw, barrister, first Director of Public Prosecutions for Northern Ireland (born 1923)
• 16 December – A. T. Q. Stewart, historian (born 1929)

See also

• 2010 in England
• 2010 in Scotland
• 2010 in Wales

Notes and References

1. News: UDA confirm guns decommissioned . BBC NI News . 6 February 2010 . 6 January 2010.
2. News: Car bomb officer Peadar Heffron's leg amputated . BBC NI News . 25 January 2010 . 13 January 2010. https://web.archive.org/web/20100116122934/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/8457169.stm. 16 January 2010 . live.
3. Web site: Robinson and McGuinness condemn attack on policeman in Randalstown . NI Executive – OFMDFM Press Release (8 January 2010) . 25 January 2010 . 25 February 2012 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120225125749/http://www.northernireland.gov.uk/news/news-ofmdfm/news-ofmdfm-080110-robinson-and-mcguinness.htm . dead .
4. News: Peter Robinson steps aside as NI first minister . BBC NI News . 25 January 2010 . 11 January 2010. https://web.archive.org/web/20100114095307/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/8450854.stm. 14 January 2010 . live.
5. News: Northern Ireland policing devolution talks end . BBC NI News . 25 January 2010 . 20 January 2010. https://web.archive.org/web/20100122164707/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/8467974.stm. 22 January 2010 . live.
6. News: Robinson 'surprised' at Sinn Féin saying talks are over . BBC NI News . 25 January 2010 . 22 January 2010. https://web.archive.org/web/20100126100205/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/8475329.stm. 26 January 2010 . live.
7. News: Brown and Cowen 'making progress' in NI talks . BBC NI News . 25 January 2010. 25 January 2010. https://web.archive.org/web/20100128100946/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/8479889.stm. 28 January 2010 . live.
8. News: All-party Northern Ireland crisis talks begin . BBC NI News . 26 January 2010. 26 January 2010. https://web.archive.org/web/20100129204051/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/8481568.stm. 29 January 2010 . live.
9. News: Brown gives parties 48 hours to salvage Northern Ireland power-sharing . The Guardian (27 January 2010). 27 January 2010 . London . Henry . McDonald . 27 January 2010.
10. News: Parties say 'progress' being made at NI talks . BBC NI News . 31 January 2010 . 31 January 2010. https://web.archive.org/web/20100203165225/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/8489806.stm. 3 February 2010 . live.
11. News: Families demand Bloody Sunday inquiry publication . BBC NI News . 31 January 2010 . 31 January 2010. https://web.archive.org/web/20100203184007/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/8489897.stm. 3 February 2010 . live.
12. News: Peter Robinson returns as Northern Ireland first minister . The Guardian (3 February 2010). 3 February 2010 . London . Henry . McDonald . 3 February 2010. https://web.archive.org/web/20100206014910/http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2010/feb/03/northern-ireland-assembly-election-threat. 6 February 2010 . live.
13. News: Northern Ireland agrees power-sharing deal . The Guardian (5 February 2010). 5 February 2010 . London . Henry . McDonald . 5 February 2010. https://web.archive.org/web/20100206234702/http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2010/feb/05/northern-ireland-power-sharing-deal1. 6 February 2010 . live.
14. News: Northern Ireland justice powers to be devolved in April . BBC News NI (5 February 2010). 5 February 2010 . 5 February 2010. https://web.archive.org/web/20100208155148/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/8499992.stm. 8 February 2010 . live.
15. News: Mark Durkan final address as SDLP leader . BBC NI News . 6 February 2010 . 6 February 2010. https://web.archive.org/web/20100209181145/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/8502036.stm. 9 February 2010 . live.
16. News: Margaret Ritchie new SDLP leader . BBC NI News . 7 February 2010 . 7 February 2010. https://web.archive.org/web/20100211145317/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/8502721.stm. 11 February 2010 . live.
17. News: Mortar bomb left near Keady police station . BBC News NI (19 February 2010). 23 February 2010 . 19 February 2010.
18. News: 'Sheer miracle' that Newry court bomb did not kill . BBC News NI (23 February 2010). 23 February 2010 . 23 February 2010. https://web.archive.org/web/20100226005313/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/8529884.stm. 26 February 2010 . live.
19. News: President Obama welcomes NI justice deal . BBC News NI (5 February 2010). 5 February 2010 . 5 February 2010. https://web.archive.org/web/20100208155148/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/8499992.stm. 8 February 2010 . live.
20. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-11751856 Gerry Adams to run for seat in Irish parliament
21. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-12091028 Scotland sends bottled water to Northern Ireland
22. News: Plaque to mark Belfast playwright. BBC NI News. 26 January 2010. 26 January 2010. https://web.archive.org/web/20100130020630/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/8479943.stm. 30 January 2010. live.
23. Web site: New opera company for Northern Ireland. Arts Council of Northern Ireland (26 January 2009). 6 February 2010.
24. Web site: Belfast 4 Haiti. Belfast 4 Haiti website. 5 February 2010. https://web.archive.org/web/20100124082625/http://belfast4haiti.com/. 24 January 2010. dead.
25. Web site: Ulster Bank Belfast Festival at Queen's. Festival website. 28 January 2010.
26. News: Ian. Sansom. David Park. The Guardian Review. London. 21 April 2012. 12.
27. News: Kris Meeke crashes out of the IRC Monte Carlo Rally . BBC NI News . 26 January 2010 . 21 January 2010. https://web.archive.org/web/20100125205827/http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/motorsport/world_rally/8472164.stm. 25 January 2010 . live.
28. Web site: Nelson McCausland welcomes top athletes to Antrim . NI Executive – DCAL Press Release (23 January 2010). 25 January 2010.
29. Web site: 2010 Deep RiverRock Belfast City Marathon . Belfast City Marathon website . 26 January 2010 . https://archive.today/20120721032313/http://www.belfastcitymarathon.com/opencontent/?itemid=1 . 21 July 2012 . dead . dmy-all .
30. Web site: NI MIlk Cup 2010 . Discover Northern Ireland. 26 January 2010.
31. News: James Heaslip and Tomás O'Leary score tries as Ireland ease past Italy . The Guardian (6 February 2010). 6 February 2010 . London . Michael . Aylwin . 6 February 2010. https://web.archive.org/web/20100210042502/http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2010/feb/06/ireland-italy-six-nations-match-report. 10 February 2010 . live.