1985 in Northern Ireland

Events during the year 1985 in Northern Ireland.

Incumbents

 * Secretary of State - Douglas Hurd (until 3 September), Tom King (from 3 September)

Events

 * 28 February - 1985 Newry mortar attack: The Provisional Irish Republican Army carries out a mortar attack on the Royal Ulster Constabulary police station in Corry Square at Newry, killing nine officers in the highest loss of life for the RUC on a single day.
 * 3 July - Thousands of Loyalists demonstrate against a proposed Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) decision to re-route a church parade away from the 'Tunnel' (the Catholic Obins Street) area of Portadown.
 * 6 July - RUC decide to allow a church parade through the area, but impose a ban on similar marches on 12 and 13 July.
 * 7 July - Serious clashes occur in Portadown between Nationalist protesters and police as the parade of 2,500 Orangeman, passes through the Catholic Obins Street. Eight policemen are injured and three people arrested.
 * 12–13 July - Further rioting in Portadown, this time between Loyalists and the RUC, as the Orange Order and Royal Black Institution parades are re-routed from the 'Tunnel' area. 52 policemen are injured and 43 people arrested during these two days of rioting.
 * 15 November - Taoiseach Garret FitzGerald, and the British Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher, sign the Anglo-Irish Agreement at Hillsborough Castle, County Down. Treasury Minister Ian Gow resigns in protest at the deal.
 * 23 November - A mass rally of Democratic Unionist and Ulster Unionist Party members against the Anglo-Irish Agreement is held outside Belfast City Hall under the slogan Ulster Says No.

Arts and literature

 * 24 October - Anne Devlin's play Ourselves Alone is performed for the first time.
 * Castleward Opera stages its first annual opera festival at Castle Ward, a National Trust house near Strangford in County Down, with a performance of Così fan tutte.
 * Gerry Anderson begins broadcasting on BBC Radio Foyle from Derry.
 * The last native speaker of Rathlin Island Irish dies.

Football

 * Irish League
 * Winners: Linfield


 * Irish Cup
 * Winners: Glentoran 1 - 1, 1 - 0 Linfield


 * Derry City F.C. joins the League of Ireland, having been out of senior football since 1972.

Motorcycling

 * Robert Dunlop wins 250cc race at the Cookstown 100.

Rugby Union

 * 30 March - The Irish rugby team wins the Triple Crown and Five Nations Championship at Lansdowne Road. They beat England 13.

Snooker

 * 28 April - Dennis Taylor wins the Embassy World Snooker Championship.

Births

 * 1 January - Steven Davis, footballer
 * 1 February - Dean Shiels, footballer
 * 3 March - Sam Morrow, footballer
 * 29 May - Jeff Hughes, footballer
 * 15 June - Nadine Coyle, singer
 * 29 June - Conall Murtagh, footballer
 * 23 July - William Dunlop, motorcycle racer (killed in crash 2018)
 * 2 September - Marissa Callaghan, footballer
 * 3 October - Kevin Seaward, marathon runner
 * 14 October
 * Emmet Friars, footballer
 * Alanna Nihell, boxer
 * 2 November - John Lowry-Corry, Viscount Corry
 * 18 November - Jonny Harkness, footballer