1988 in Northern Ireland

Events during the year 1988 in Northern Ireland.

Incumbents

 * Secretary of State - Tom King

Events

 * 11 January - SDLP leader, John Hume and Gerry Adams of Sinn Féin, have a surprise meeting in Belfast.
 * 6 March - Operation Flavius: A Special Air Service team of the British Army shoots dead a Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA) Active Service Unit (Danny McCann, Seán Savage and Mairéad Farrell, unarmed at the time) in Gibraltar.
 * 16 March - Milltown Cemetery attack: Three men are killed and 70 are wounded in a gun and grenade attack by loyalist paramilitary Michael Stone on mourners at Milltown Cemetery in Belfast during the funerals of the three IRA members killed in Gibraltar.
 * 19 March - Corporals killings in Belfast: British Army corporals Woods and Howes are abducted, beaten and shot dead by Irish republicans after driving into the funeral cortege of IRA members killed in the Milltown Cemetery attack.
 * 15 June - The IRA kills six British soldiers in a bomb attack in Lisburn.
 * 20 August - Ballygawley bus bombing: Eight British soldiers are killed by an IRA bomb attack on their bus in Ballygawley, County Tyrone.
 * 12 October - As Pope John Paul II addresses the European Parliament, Ian Paisley heckles and denounces him as the Antichrist.
 * 19 October - Broadcasting ban against Sinn Féin and other paramilitary linked groups begins.
 * 11 November - Belfast Castle is reopened to the public following major renovation by Belfast City Council.

Arts and literature

 * 3 October - Marie Jones' play Under Napoleon's Nose is premiered on a schools tour.
 * Glenn Patterson's first novel, Burning Your Own, is published.

Football

 * Irish League
 * Winners: Glentoran


 * Irish Cup
 * Winners: Glentoran 1 - 0 Glenavon


 * FAI Cup
 * Winners: Dundalk 1 - 0 Derry City

Golf

 * October 16 - In golf, Ireland (Eamonn Darcy, Ronan Rafferty, Des Smyth) wins the Dunhill Cup at St Andrew's.

Motorcycling

 * Robert Dunlop wins the 125cc race at the Cookstown 100.

Births

 * 3 January – Jonny Evans, footballer
 * 12 January – Chris Casement, footballer
 * 4 July – Conor MacNeill, actor
 * 23 September – Mark Gallagher, footballer
 * 2 November – Lisa Bowman, netball player

Deaths

 * 2 February - Frederick Blaney, cricketer (born 1918).
 * 6 March - Mairéad Farrell, volunteer of the Provisional Irish Republican Army, killed by SAS soldiers during Operation Flavius (born 1957).
 * 6 March - Daniel McCann, volunteer of the Provisional Irish Republican Army, killed by SAS soldiers during Operation Flavius (born 1957).
 * 6 March - Seán Savage, volunteer of the Provisional Irish Republican Army, killed by SAS soldiers during Operation Flavius (born 1965).
 * 2 November - Stewart Parker, poet and playwright (born 1941).
 * 22 December - Jack Bowden, cricketer and hockey player (born 1916).
 * 24 December – Noel Willman, actor and theatre director (born 1941)