Ireland in 2009


Heavy snow affects Ireland in February Arguments over the controversial payouts to Troubles dead Cowen struggles to deal with the collapsing economy Trouble in Lurgan following dissident republican activity and arrests

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Table of Contents

Northern Ireland: January
Northern Ireland: February
Northern Ireland: March
Northern Ireland: April
Northern Ireland: May
Northern Ireland: June
Northern Ireland: July
Northern Ireland: August
Northern Ireland: September
Northern Ireland: October
Northern Ireland: November
Northern Ireland: December
Republic of Ireland: January
Republic of Ireland: February
Republic of Ireland: March
Republic of Ireland: April
Republic of Ireland: May
Republic of Ireland: June
Republic of Ireland: July
Republic of Ireland: August
Republic of Ireland: September
Republic of Ireland: October
Republic of Ireland: November
Republic of Ireland: December



Northern  Ireland: January

Man stabbed in lung during gang attack, Jan 1st Belfast Telegraph
Executive 'must work for economy', Jan 1st BBC
Crime crackdown nets 54 arrests, Jan 2nd BBC
Northern Ireland's record abortion figures shock, Jan 2nd Belfast Telegraph
Double whammy for Northern Ireland homeowners, Jan 3rd Belfast Telegraph
Hijackers push woman out of car, Jan 4th BBC
Grammar schools defy 11-plus axe, Jan 4th Guardian Observer
Hospital pressures hit surgery, Jan 5th BBC
Quarter of NI firms to cut jobs, Jan 5th Belfast Telegraph
Rabies victim dies of infection, Jan 6th BBC
Strike row boy back at Movilla, Jan 6th Belfast Telegraph
Petrol and food bills slashed, Jan 7th Belfast Telegraph
'IRA men' on trial for blackmail, Jan 7th BBC
[Loyalist Mark] Haddock in court over feud murder,  Jan 8th BBC
[Sinn Féin Vice President Pat] Doherty stands down in reshuffle, Jan 8th BBC
[Prisoner] allowed to die while officers drank tea, Jan 9th Belfast Telegraph
Protest outside defence firm ends, Jan 9th BBC
McCartney murder, Omagh bomb and Northern Bank Robbery 'in cold storage', Jan 10th Belfast Telegraph
Coalisland's 'ghostly attraction', Jan 10th Guardian
Rally demands end of Gaza strife, Jan 10th BBC
Belfast art set to collide with quantum physics, Jan 11th Guardian Observer
Teen in hospital after stabbing, Jan 11th BBC
Gerry Adams driver tells court over fear of 'blackmail threat', Jan 12th Belfast Telegraph
Police arrest anti-war protesters, Jan 12th BBC
Ombudsman called in after protest, Jan 13th BBC
Robert Hamill inquiry: police 'had evidence that officer protected killer', Jan 13th Belfast Telegraph
Assembly questions banking chiefs, Jan 14th BBC
Father and son on trial over Northern Bank cash, Jan 14th Belfast Telegraph
250 arrested in PSNI blitz on crime, Jan 15th Belfast Telegraph
Ex-detectives being re-employed, Jan 15th BBC
20,000 jobs 'could go in 2009', Jan 16th BBC
[Gerry] Adams claims dissidents extorting drug dealers, Jan 16th Irish Times
High winds bring down power lines, Jan 17th BBC
Bus company warned over 'no God' signs, Jan 17th Belfast Telegraph
Woman killed as tree falls [is] named, Jan 18th BBC
Call to put time limit on Troubles crime inquiries, Jan 18th Guardian Observer
Northern Irish jobless rate 'could rise to 6%', Jan 19th Guardian
Attack motive 'could be racism', Jan 19th BBC
Snowfalls lead to traffic chaos, Jan 20th BBC
Bus crashes in snowball 'prank', Jan 20th BBC
GCHQ lacked techology to track Omagh bombers, say security sources, Jan 21st Guardian
Huge increase in NI unemployment, Jan 21st BBC
Men deny UDA member [Tommy English] murder charge, Jan 22nd BBC
Number of suspended officers highest since PSNI formed, Jan 22nd Belfast Telegraph
Credit crunch crushes SDLP's dreams of Fianna Fáil merger, Jan 23rd Guardian
Troubles victims' payment planned, Jan 23rd BBC
Anger over compensation plans for IRA and Loyalists' killers families, Jan 24th Guardian
[SDLP leader Mark] Durkan in 'power games' attack [on DUP and Sinn Féin], Jan 24th BBC
NI brothers killed in avalanche, Jan 25th BBC
Inquests into Troubles deaths to be kept secret, Jan 25th Guardian Observer
Ulster Bank to lay off 750 staff, Jan 26th BBC
[Deputy First Minister Martin] McGuinness in plea over Presbyterian savers, Jan 26th Belfast Telegraph
Go-ahead for £18m  Causeway centre, Jan 27th BBC
[Education minister Catriona] Ruane to spell out school transfer plans, Jan 27th Belfast Telegraph
NI Troubles legacy to cost £300m, Jan 28th BBC
Protests disrupt launch of Northern Ireland Troubles payout proposals, Jan 28th Guardian
Lorry left dangling from ferry during Irish sea crossing, Jan 29th Guardian
Firms announce hundreds of jobs for Northern Ireland, Jan 29th Belfast Telegraph
Legal aid body is damned in report, Jan 30th Belfast Telegraph
Rapist gets 18 years for attacks, Jan 30th BBC
300lb car bomb found, Jan 31st
BBC
Railway teen death 'suspicious', Jan 31st BBC

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Northern Ireland: February

Four horses die in car collision, Feb 1st BBC
Internet boom in DIY abortion pills, Feb 1st Guardian Observer
University of Ulster scheme a £250m boost to economy, Feb 2nd Belfast Telegraph
MP [William McCrea] knew of LVF leader [Billie Wright] death threat, Feb 2nd BBC
£1.4bn to be spent on Northern Ireland infrastructure projects, Feb 3rd Belfast Telegraph
Royal couple on one-day NI visit, Feb 3rd BBC
Plans to stop cigarette displays, Feb 4th BBC
Bomb defused in north Belfast, Feb 4th Belfast Telegraph
Snow brings chaos to travel and schools, Feb 5th Belfast Telegraph
DUP meets Loyalists over weapons, Feb 5th BBC
11-plus returns in Northern Ireland, Feb 6th Guardian
[Security forces] agents 'attended INLA death plot', Feb 6th BBC
[PUP] MLA calls for city runway inquiry, Feb 7th BBC
Thug to serve 12 years [for sectarian attack] as victim lies in coma, Feb 7th Belfast Telegraph
Town fire 'treated as suspicious', Feb 8th BBC
Man held over car crash at house, Feb 8th BBC
DUP Speaker orders colleague out of  Stormont in Gerry Adams IRA row, Feb 9th Guardian
[Environment minister Sammy] Wilson bans adverts warning of climate change, Feb 9th Belfast Telegraph
Pipe bombs defused on city street, Feb 10th BBC
Barefoot girl, 5, found walking alone in snow, Feb 10th Belfast Telegraph
City shooting 'was brutal murder', Feb 11th BBC
Dentist accused of murder faces sex and drug charges, Feb 11th Belfast Telegraph
'No confidence' in [environment minister Sammy] Wilson: MLAs, Feb 12th BBC
Belfast museum faces legal challenge over Darwin exhibition, Feb 12th Guardian
[Northern Bank] raid accused handled robbery cash, Feb 13th BBC
Lost boys rescued from mountain, Feb 13th BBC
Pair jailed over bid to swindle 94-year-old grandmother, Feb 14th Belfast Telegraph
Shop worker threatened with gun, Feb 14th BBC
Five arrested over estate violence, Feb 15th BBC
Row over climate change ad will not cost minister his job, says colleague, Feb 15th Guardian Observer
Local rate increase of up to 8.5%, Feb 16th BBC
Motorists' fury at M-way madness, Feb 16th Belfast Telegraph
Labour party to become an official party in Northern Ireland, Feb 17th Belfast Telegraph
Jump in stop and search power use, Feb 17th BBC
Compensation for flood-hit farmers unveiled, Feb 18th Belfast Telegraph
Stormont urged to 'end subsidies', Feb 18th BBC
Sinn Féin pay £15K to settle case [with former employee], Feb 19th BBC
PSNI to swoop on crime gangs, Feb 19th Belfast Telegraph
Assembly spends £2m on empty building, Feb 20th Belfast Telegraph
Sinn Fein launches united Ireland drive, Feb 20th Belfast Telegraph
NI 'orange and green', McGuinness, Feb 21st BBC
Economy, Lisbon top SF Ard Fheis agenda, Feb 21st RTÉ
Man arrested after death in town, Feb 22nd BBC
Security alert is declared a hoax, Feb 22nd BBC
'Jail badger baiters' says [Environment Minister Sammy] Wilson, Feb 23rd BBC
Voyeur lawyer [Richie MacRitchie] gets suspended term, Feb 23rd BBC
Police hunt for boys' bodies at Belfast nature reserve, Feb 24th Belfast Telegraph
House prices drop sharply again, Feb 24th BBC
[Michael] McIlveen murder verdicts welcomed, Feb 25th BBC
Government rejects Troubles payout plan, Feb 25th Guardian
£500m Belfast rebirth is planned, Feb 26th Belfast Telegraph
Call centre firm creates 500 jobs, Feb 26th BBC
Ulster [Bank] profits plunge 76% as property debts mount, Feb 27th Irish Independent
Realignment of Irish left gets off to rocky start, Feb 27th Guardian
Tories' reform plan for Stormont, Feb 28th BBC
Helicopter, luxury cars, home and £2m seized from Ulster millionare, Feb 28th Belfast Telegraph

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Northern Ireland: March


Suspension of prison guards [over Colin Bell] 'a stitch-up', March 1st Guardian Observer
Irish police find arms at border, March 1st BBC
Shoppers horrified as store guard dies, March 2nd Belfast Telegraph
[Ian] Paisley [Jnr] cleared over holiday home, March 2nd BBC
Man found guilty of double murder [of David McIlwaine and Andrew Robb], March 3rd BBC
Ulster motorbike ace [Gordon] Crockard in horror smash, March 3rd Belfast Telegraph
Dissident threat level is raised, March 4th BBC
NI inquiries have £300m price tag, March 4th BBC
Former policeman, 72, held in inquiry into murder of RUC detective, March 5th Guardian
15% of MI5-workload is NI related, March 5th BBC
British officers to go back undercover in Northern Ireland, March 6th Guardian
McGuinness criticises Ulster police chief for recalling covert army units, March 6th Guardian
[Gerry Adams says chief constable] Orde risks losing majority of republican support, March 7th BBC
[Former chief ombudsman Nuala] O'Loan is given new UN envoy role, March 7th BBC
Two die in 'barbaric' army attack, March 8th BBC
Brown condemns N Ireland killings, March 8th BBC
Northern Ireland fears return of terrorist past as soldiers shot dead, March 8th Guardian Observer
Antrim shootings: political reaction, March 8th Guardian Observer
SRR: secret army unit that sparked old hatred in Ulster, March 8th London Times
Real IRA claims murder of soldiers in Northern Ireland, March 8th Guardian
Police hunt for 'Real IRA' gunmen, March 9th BBC
Fears for Army killings fall-out, March 9th BBC
[Gordon] Brown holds security talks in Northern Ireland, March 9th Guardian
Gunmen 'shot at people on the ground', March 9th Belfast Telegraph
N Ireland attack was 'inevitable', March 9th Al Jazeera
Irish America stunned by RIRA attack, March 9th Belfast Telegraph
Orangemen in first official meeting with Irish government, March 9th Belfast Telegraph
Bored teenagers blamed as lurid graffiti makes comeback after attack at barracks, March 10th Guardian
Police officer killed in shooting, March 10th BBC
Wife warned policeman of danger 'hours before attack', March 10th Guardian
Continuity IRA shot dead officer, March 10th BBC
Dissidents 'behind city alert', March 10th BBC
Arrests over NI policeman murder, March 10th BBC
Protests over dissident murders, March 11th BBC
Northern Ireland security heightened in wake of shootings, March 11th Telegraph
Police discuss dissident threat, March 12th BBC
Peace process under attack, March 12th An Phoblacht
Police race to stop Real IRA bomb, March 12th Guardian
Widow 'numb' at policeman murder, March 12th BBC
Court fire 'started deliberately', March 12th BBC
Northern Ireland bill becomes law, March 12th BBC
Funeral of shot policeman, March 13th BBC
Northern Ireland birth totals highest for 17 years, March 13th Belfast Telegraph
Talks with dissidents ruled out, March 14th BBC
Hardliners vent their fury at Martin McGuinness, March 14th Guardian
Two arrests over NI police murder, March 14th BBC
Ex IRA prisoner [Colin Duffy] held over murders, March 14th Guardian Observer
Thugs riot as Ulster weeps, March 15th Belfast Telegraph
Real IRA suspects unmasked, March 15th Belfast Telegraph
'As long as the British remain, there will always be some kind of IRA', March 15th Guardian Observer
$30m investment set aside for NI, March 16th BBC
Plans for military parade in Belfast are halted, March 16th Belfast Telegraph
Northern Ireland policeman murder: two more suspects arrested, March 16th Guardian
Two guns found near murder scene, March 17th BBC
Gerry Adams steps up warnings against use of special forces, March 17th London Times
[Barack] Obama hails 'heroic' NI response, March 17th BBC
Saint's carnival underway in city, March 17th BBC
Funeral for murdered NI soldier [Mark Quinsey], March 18th BBC
12 arrests after South Belfast rioting, March 18th Belfast Telegraph
Jobless increase by 75% in a year, March 18th BBC
[Seamus] Heaney wins top literary award, March 19th BBC
[Alex] Maskey opposes detention period, March 19th BBC
Funeral for murdered sapper Patrick Azimkar, March 20th Belfast Telegraph
NI abortion guidelines published, March 20th BBC
[Thomas] Devlin killing: man to face charge, March 21st Belfast Telegraph
Man arrested for the murder of Stephen Carroll is refusing food, March 21st BBC
DNA tests on bank notes may help catch soldiers' killers, March 22nd Irish Independent
More time in soldier murder probe, March 22nd BBC
Ex-prisoner held over Northern Ireland soldier murders on hunger strike, March 23rd Guardian
Challenge to dissident detentions, March 23rd BBC
Two released in PSNI murder probe, March 23rd BBC
Lampposts alert is declared hoax, March 23rd BBC
Youth faces officer murder charge, March 24th BBC
Second charged with police murder, March 24th BBC
Dissidents target prison warders, March 24th Belfast Telegraph
Former Sinn Féin councillor charged with murdering PC Stephen Caroll, March 25th Guardian
Station re-arrest [of Colin Duffy] on Army murders, March 25th BBC
Northern Ireland killings were an act of war, says hardline republican group, March 26th Guardian
Loyalists' sentences are reviewed, March 26th BBC
Third man in court over policeman's murder, March 26th Belfast Telegraph
[Colin] Duffy charged with Army murders, March 27th BBC
Murder charge Duffy in hunger strike vow, March 27th Belfast Telegraph
[Irish financial advisor Ted Cunningham] laundered part of £26m raid, March 27th BBC
Belfast switches off [for Earth Hour], March 28th Belfast Telegraph
[Northern Ireland and Polish] fans attack police with fireworks, March 28th BBC
Four charged after fans trouble, March 29th BBC
Ulster Unionist Burnside stays silent about PR role for banker 'Fred the Shred', March 29th Guardian Observer
Three held in dissident operation, March 29th BBC
Security alerts close city roads, March 30th BBC
Gangs of Polish football hooligans organised violence, March 30th Belfast Telegraph
Schoolgirl's rapist shot in attack, March 31st BBC
Belfast on high alert, March 31st Belfast Telegraph
Catholics still joining Northern Ireland police force despite attacks, says minister, March 31st Guardian
Hall petrol bombing 'murder bid', March 31st BBC
Sacked workers occupy car factory, March 31st BBC

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Northern Ireland: April

Man released in UDA [Tommy English] murder case, April 1st BBC
FG Wilson laying off more staff, April 1st BBC
Two Northern Ireland men shot in paramilitary style attacks, April 2nd Belfast Telegraph
Man arrested over soldier murders, April 2nd BBC
Manufacturing 'loses 2% of staff', April 2nd BBC
Theft fear sees guns handed in, April 2nd BBC
Bomb found near houses in village, April 3rd BBC
Paisley Jr ordered to reveal source of face jail in Maze prison murder inquiry, April 3rd Guardian
Loyalist Steven Brown gets 30 years for murders of Andrew Robb and David McIlwaine, April 3rd Belfast Telegraph
Charges over £700,000 drugs haul, April 4th BBC
Meningitis advice after girl dies, April 4th BBC
We've lost control of Ardoyne, [Provisional] IRA warns, April 5th Guardian Observer
Praise for [Loyalist] paramilitary leaders, April 5th BBC
IRA infiltrator forced to give his film a miss, April 5th Guardian Observer
Car set on fire in town trouble, April 5th BBC
Northern Ireland First Minister claims Tories and UUP colluding over expenses stories, April 6th Guardian
[Sinn Féin] MLA's home in overnight attack, April 6th BBC
Brothers' company [W G Mitchell] in trouble, April 7th BBC
[SDLP] 'finds £400m for economy', April 7th BBC
Tories vow to end payment of allowances to Sinn Féin MPs, April 8th Guardian
Transfer test groups have talks, April 8th BBC
'40 flee' after World Cup riots, April 9th BBC
Loyalists get funds to oppose racists, April 9th Belfast Telegraph
Dissidents threaten city 'hoods', April 9th BBC
Gun attack treated as attempted murder, April 10th BBC
Northern Ireland attacks on Poles blamed on Loyalists, April 10th Guardian
All changed utterly as 'An Phoblacht' omits IRA Easter message, April 10th Irish Times
Petrol bomb attack on Orange Hall, April 11th BBC
Sex pics lawyer declared bankrupt, April 11th BBC
Pensioner death now murder probe, April 12th BBC
Continuity IRA issues warning of new attacks on police, April 12th Guardian Observer
New film 'may give IRA dissidents ammunition', April 12th Guardian Observer
Real IRA: we murdered Denis Donaldson, April 13th Belfast Telegraph
79-year-old dies in house fire, April 13th BBC
Tests find NI water safe to drink, April 14th BBC
Woman stabbed to death in Bangor, April 14th BBC
Sinn Fein office attacked again, April 15th BBC
Civil servants re-hired after £4m pay-off, April 15th Belfast Telegraph
[Chief Constable Hugh] Orde quits NI police for new role, April 16th BBC
Northern Ireland's £1bn credit card debt, April 16th Belfast Telegraph
Man held after city 'hate crime', April 17th BBC
Firm gives lie detector test to staff, April 17th Belfast Telegraph
Wasteful neighbours may cost you money, April 18th Belfast Telegraph
Man and woman hurt in car ramming, April 18th BBC
Man killed in police bike crash, April 19th BBC
Parades 'must not be exploited', April 19th BBC
Family 'forced out' after attacks, April 20th BBC
Visteon protesters face eviction, April 20th BBC
Murder inquiry after disco attack, April 21st BBC
Sinn Fein to veto victims' definition bill, April 21st Belfast Telegraph
Stormont 'to find £122m of cuts', April 22nd BBC
Second Basque terrorist suspect faces extradition from Northern Ireland, April 22nd Guardian
Transport blow as train and bus fares set to soar, April 23rd Belfast Telegraph
Cut departments to save - [Nigel] Dodds, April 23rd BBC
Ten years for £26m raid launderer, April 24th BBC
[Martin] McGuinness speaks out over threat [from dissidents], April 24th BBC
Loyalist meeting [with leading Catholic] 'significant', April 24th BBC
Teenager critical after assault in West Belfast, April 25th Belfast Telegraph
Warning over stolen rail detonators, April 25th BBC
Man killed in two-vehicle smash, April 26th BBC
Dissident republicans planning to bomb UK, April 26th Telegraph
Dissidents 'make Bogside ghetto', April 27th BBC
Loyalist cab boss in cash review, April 27th BBC
Man killed in shooting incident, April 28th BBC
Council worker threats condemned, April 28th BBC
Duffy to contest 'prison bugging', April 29th BBC
Northern Ireland minister to seek damages for IRA victims from Gaddafi, April 29th Guardian
Ritchie case cost taxpayer £300K, April 30th BBC
Companies to create 140 new jobs, April 30th BBC

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Northern Ireland: May

Family's long fight for justice [for Michael McIlveen] finally draws to a close, May 1st Belfast Telegraph
Visteon dispute nears resolution, May 1st BBC
Parties in North begin posturing for EU election, May 2nd Irish Times
Swine flu: eight suspected cases in Northern Ireland, May 2nd Belfast Telegraph
Leader of gang suspected of Geoff Kerr murder is a British agent, May 3rd Guardian Observer
Bloody Sunday victim Michael Bradley dies, May 3rd Guardian Observer
Belfast marathon brings a splash of colour to city streets, May 4th Belfast Telegraph
Shop assistant held at knifepoint, May 4th BBC
Real IRA allies claim republican activist beaten up in Liverpool, May 5th Guardian
Teenager admits [Harry] Holland killing, May 5th BBC
Queen opens new hospital wing, May 6th BBC
Devolved policing powers 'near', May 6th Belfast Telegraph
Dissidents 'pose serious threat', May 7th BBC
Loyalist paramilitaries must decommission arms, says [NI Secretary] Woodward, May 7th Guardian
Judge to rule on Real IRA case [regarding journalist Suzanne Breen], May 8th BBC
Ulster Bank makes 'large losses', May 8th BBC
Young wife's heartbreak as soldier husband dies [in Afghanistan], May 9th Belfast Telegraph
Trio in court over petrol bombing, May 9th BBC
SF deny 'inflating' MP rent costs, May 10th BBC
Gang attacks fire crews in city, May 10th BBC
Dissidents 'must condemn attack' [on SF man's home], May 11th BBC
Woman arrested after man (44) stabbed to death, May 11th Belfast Telegraph
Further rise in NI jobless total, May 12th BBC