2024 in Northern Ireland

Events from the year 2024 in Northern Ireland.

Incumbents

 * First Minister of Northern Ireland:
 * Vacant (until 3 February)
 * Michelle O'Neill (since 3 February)
 * deputy First Minister of Northern Ireland:
 * Vacant (until 3 February)
 * Emma Little-Pengelly (since 3 February)
 * Secretary of State for Northern Ireland:
 * Chris Heaton-Harris (until 5 July)
 * Hilary Benn (since 5 July)

January

 * 1 January – Figures released by the Police Service of Northern Ireland show there were a total of 71 deaths on Northern Ireland's roads during 2023, the highest number for eight years.
 * 2 January – Provisional data released by the Met Office indicates 2023 was the second warmest year on record in the UK behind 2022, with Wales and Northern Ireland experiencing their warmest year on record during 2023.
 * 8 January –
 * The High Court in Belfast dismisses a libel case brought against writer Malachi O'Doherty by Sinn Féin MLA Gerry Kelly over two radio interviews during which O'Doherty claimed Kelly had shot a prison officer during the 1983 Maze Prison escape. Kelly was tried and acquitted for the shooting in 1987, and has always denied responsibility, although the officer concerned has claimed Kelly fired the shot.
 * The junior doctors' union, the Northern Ireland Junior Doctor Committee, is to ballot its members on industrial action over pay, which is significantly lower than that for junior doctors in England, Scotland and the Republic of Ireland.
 * 14 January – Gerry Murphy of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions (ICTU) tells BBC News NI's Sunday Politics that it will evaluate next steps after a one-day strike planned across several sectors on 18 January, although such action is not endorsed by major unions involved in the dispute.
 * 15 January – Road gritters belonging to the GMB and Unite unions announce a week-long strike from Thursday 18 January, coinciding with a period of cold weather and snow in Northern Ireland.
 * 17 January – The current session of the 7th Northern Ireland Assembly is suspended following the failure of Democratic Unionist Party to support nominations to elect Mike Nesbitt (UUP) or Patsy McGlone (SDLP) to the role of Speaker of the Northern Ireland Assembly.
 * 18 January – Around 100,000 public sector workers in Northern Ireland stage a one-day strike, affecting public transport, education and healthcare services. Demonstrations also take place in Belfast, Derry, Omagh and Enniskillen in what is billed as Northern Ireland's largest strike for 50 years.
 * 19 January – The High Court in London rules that former Sinn Féin president Gerry Adams can be sued in a personal capacity by victims of IRA bomb attacks in England.
 * 23 January – Chris Heaton-Harris, the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, announces the deadline to call the next Northern Ireland Assembly election will be extended until 8 February to allow the DUP to hold further talks about restarting the Northern Ireland Executive.
 * 25 January – The remains of a teenage boy found at Bellaghy peatland in County Londonderry could date back to 500BC, police have said.
 * 29 January
 * An urgent meeting of the DUP executive is called following the passing over the deadline to restore power sharing at Stormont. The DUP endorses a deal aimed at restoring the Northern Ireland Executive.
 * Colum Eastwood, the leader of the Social Democratic and Labour Party, says he "cannot in good conscience" attend this year's St Patrick's Day celebration at the White House because of the US response to the Israel–Hamas war.
 * 31 January – 2024 Northern Ireland Executive Formation: Details of a deal between the UK government and Democratic Unionist Party aimed at restoring the Northern Ireland Executive are published. It includes reducing checks and paperwork on goods moving between Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

February

 * 1 February –
 * A Statutory Instrument paving the way for the Northern Ireland Executive to be re-established is passed by the House of Commons.
 * A one-day transport strike takes place in Northern Ireland, affecting bus and train services; school support workers also stage industrial action.
 * 3 February –
 * 2024 Northern Ireland Executive Formation:
 * The Northern Ireland Assembly meets to elect a new Speaker. Edwin Poots, a former leader of the DUP, is chosen to be the Assembly's 7th Speaker.
 * The Northern Ireland Executive is restored after the DUP ends its two-year boycott; Sinn Féin's Michelle O'Neill is appointed as First Minister, becoming the first nationalist politician to hold the post, while the DUP's Emma Little-Pengelly is appointed deputy.
 * SDLP MLA Matthew O'Toole is nominated as Leader of the Opposition.
 * Justin McNulty is suspended from the SDLP for leaving the Assembly sitting early to manage Laois GAA at a Gaelic football match in Wexford.
 * 4 February – Prime Minister Rishi Sunak arrives in Northern Ireland to visit ministers following the restoration of the Executive.
 * 5 February – Sunak visits Stormont along with Taoiseach Leo Varadkar to mark the restoration of the Executive.
 * 6 February –
 * The Public Prosecution Service confirms that two former British Army soldiers who handled the IRA agent known as Stakeknife will not be prosecuted over a series of kidnappings and murders as there is insufficient evidence to support a case against them.
 * Families who use the Northern Ireland Children's Hospice urge MLAs to intervene at plans to cut the number of beds at the hospice.
 * 8 February –
 * The Public Prosecution Service confirms that a former soldier, known as Soldier F, is to face prosecution for the murder of Patrick McVeigh in Belfast in 1972, as well as six counts of attempted murder. Three other former soldiers will also be prosecuted for attempted murder.
 * Health Minister Robin Swann confirms he will be the Ulster Unionist Party candidate for the Westminster constituency of South Antrim at the next general election.
 * 9 February –
 * First Minister Michelle O'Neill attends a police graduation ceremony at Garnerville in East Belfast, becoming the first Sinn Féin politician to do so.
 * The Department of Health announces that funding for the Northern Ireland Children's Hospice has been reinstated, but that this will not reverse plans to reduce the number of beds.
 * A man, aged 44, is charged with the attempted murder of Detective Chief Inspector John Caldwell in February 2023.
 * 12 February – First Minister Michelle O'Neill rules out introducing water charges for Northern Ireland during her time in office.
 * 14 February –
 * First Minister Michelle O'Neill rules out increasing the regional rate by 15% to raise revenue.
 * Assembly member Patrick Brown is censured by the Northern Ireland Local Government Standards Commission following an investigation prompted by his criticism of the process for a senior appointment at Newry, Mourne and Down District Council, which were posted on social media.
 * 15 February – DUP councillor Luke Poots is disqualified from holding public for four years by the Northern Ireland Local Government Commissioner following a conflict-of-interest over a planning application.
 * 16 February – First Minister Michelle O'Neill appears as a guest on RTÉ's The Late Late Show, where she says she wants to attend events important to the unionist community because it is important for politicians to "step outside of our traditional comfort zones".
 * 19 February – Junior doctors in Northern Ireland vote to take industrial action, and a 24-hour strike is announced for 6–7 March.
 * 20 February – Infrastructure Minister John O'Dowd announces that construction will begin on the A4 Enniskillen Southern Bypass in the summer of 2025.
 * 21 February –
 * The Unite, GMB and Siptu unions announce plans for a three-day strike on Translink bus and train services from 27 February.
 * The Public Prosecution Service announces that a former RUC officer connected with the Ulster Volunteer Force's Glenanne gang will not face prosecution for ten Troubles-era murders due to lack of evidence.
 * Following a trial at Belfast Crown Court, Daniel Sebastian Allen is sentenced to at least 29 years in prison for killing four people in a house fire in County Fermanagh in 2018. Allen had previously pleaded guilty to the manslaughter of his partner, Denise Gossett, by reason of a suicide pact, and to the murders of her son Ronan, daughter Sabrina, and Sabrina's young daughter Morgana.
 * 23 February –
 * Sammy Wilson announces his resignation as DUP Chief Whip at Westminster.
 * Following a trial at Antrim Crown Court, Jennifer Lennox of Portglenone is sentenced to three concurrent 11 month terms in prison for possession of ammunition in suspicious circumstances, and for two counts of possession of articles for use in terrorism, all of which are suspended for three years. Police had found 54 balaclavas and 118 bullets at her house.
 * 25 February – A planned 72-hour strike on Translink bus and train services planned for 27, 28 and 29 February is called off following negotiations, and the receipt of an improved pay offer, which union members will now be balloted on.
 * 26 February – Healthcare workers and civil servants in Northern Ireland are offered a 5% pay increase by Stormont.
 * 27 February – First Minister Michelle O'Neill and Deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly attend a women's football match at Windsor Park between Northern Ireland and Montenegro.
 * 28 February – The High Court in Belfast rules that conditional immunity from prosecutions for Troubles-era crimes, contained in the Northern Ireland Troubles (Legacy and Reconciliation) Act 2023, is in breach of the European Convention on Human Rights.
 * 29 February –
 * First Minister Michelle O'Neill announces the Executive has agreed to raise the Regional rate by 4% from April.
 * A group of estate agents announce they will stop posting properties on PropertyPal, Northern Ireland's largest properties-for-sale website, after PropertyPal announced an increase in the fees for posting advertisements.

March

 * 1 March – SSE plc, Northern Ireland's largest supplier of gas, announces it will cut its prices by 22.8% from April.
 * 4 March – Funding for Northern Ireland's only free specialist counselling service for victims of sexual violence is extended for a year as a replacement provider had not been lined up in time for the expiry of the contract with Nexus on 31 March.
 * 5 March – Andrew Muir, the Minister for Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs, announces that American XL bully ownership will be restricted in Northern Ireland, with owners required to obtain an exemption certificate, while the dogs will need to be muzzled and on a lead in public.
 * 6 March – Junior doctors in Northern Ireland begin a 24-hour strike over pay, the first time they have staged industrial action.
 * 7 March – A report into the Troubles-era British Army spy known as Stakeknife concludes that he probably cost more lives than he saved.
 * 10 March – The Police Service of Northern Ireland issue a fresh appeal over the murder of John Haggan, a police constable shot dead at Dunmore Greyhound Stadium in Belfast on 10 March 1994.
 * 12 March – The Unite, GMB and Siptu unions have voted to reject a 5% pay offer from Translink, together with a one-off payment of £1,500 for the 2023–24 financial year.
 * 13 March –
 * Translink says it has no more money to offer a higher pay increase after public transport workers rejected an offer of 5% the previous day.
 * The Advertising Standards Agency bans a video by TikToker Danielle Walsh in which she drank four VK cocktails in under 90 seconds.
 * 15 March – Trade unions representing transport workers agree to re-enter talks with Translink over their pay dispute.
 * 16 March – Traditional Unionist Voice leader Jim Allister announces a formal "partnership" with Reform UK at the next general election.
 * 17 March – Northern Ireland Paralympic runner Jason Smyth and professional dance partner Karen Byrne win RTÉ's Dancing with the Stars.
 * 19 March – A Stormont debate on an aspect of the Windsor Framework is inconclusive, requiring the UK government to decide whether to approve or veto the piece of legislation.
 * 20 March – Members of three teaching unions – NASUWT, INTO and NAHT – vote to accept a pay offer proposed by Education Minister Paul Givan that includes increasing the starting salary of a teacher from £24,000 to £30,000.
 * 22 March – Health Minister Robin Swann announces a £70m financial package for social care providers and hospices to help them deal with rising costs, such as the increase in the minimum wage from April.
 * 26 March – BBC Sport Northern Ireland wins Best Sport Programme at the Royal Television Society Awards for their coverage of the 2023 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship final.
 * 27 March – Health Minister Robin Swann announces a £9m funding package for dental services in Northern Ireland, aimed at improving access to dentists and increasing pay for dentists.
 * 29 March – Sir Jeffrey Donaldson resigns as leader of the Democratic Unionist Party after being charged with rape and other historical sexual offences. Gavin Robinson is appointed interim leader until a new leader can be elected.
 * 30 March – First Minister Michelle O'Neill says she is determined the Stormont Assembly and Executive will continue to function following the resignation of Jeffrey Donaldson as DUP leader.
 * 31 March – The UK government says it will work alongside the Northern Ireland Executive to maintain stability at Stormont.

April

 * 3 April –
 * The Department of Health confirms it is considering whether to supply people with type 1 diabetes with an automated insulin delivery system.
 * Attorney General Dame Brenda King warns of potential offences from social media posts about former DUP leader Jeffrey Donaldson.
 * 9 April – Funding of £141m is announced for improvements to the Belfast–Dublin line from the Peace Plus Initiative.
 * 11 April – Mid and East Antrim Borough Council is refused permission to rename its town hall complex after the late Queen Elizabeth II.
 * 12 April – An inquest into the 1976 Kingsmill massacre rules it to have been an overtly sectarian attack by the IRA.
 * 14 April – Alan McGuckian is installed as the new Roman Catholic Bishop of Down and Connor in a ceremony at West Belfast's St Peter's Cathedral.
 * 17 April – Further education lecturers belonging to the Universities and Colleges Union and NASUWT have voted to accept an improved pay offer that will increase the minimum salary of a lecturer to £30,000 from £24,496, as well as giving all lecturers an 8.4% pay rise plus an additional £1,000.
 * 19 April – The Public Prosecution Service announces that fifteen former soldiers investigated for perjury over the Bloody Sunday massacre will not face any charges because of "insufficient" evidence.
 * 21 April – Robin Swann, who is the perspective Ulster Unionist candidate for South Antrim, announces he will step down from his post as Health Minister once the general election campaign begins.
 * 22 April –
 * The Court of Appeal quashes the 1976 conviction of Patrick Thompson for the murder of four British soldiers after ruling the conviction was "unsafe" because of confession evidence used against him at the original trial.
 * Legislation will clear 26 Northern Ireland postmasters convicted as a result of the Horizon IT scandal.
 * 23 April – Alliance Party MLA Patrick Brown resigns his South Down seat in the Northern Ireland Assembly, citing personal reasons for doing so.
 * 24 April – Jeffrey Donaldson appears at Newry Magistrates' Court to face charges of historic child abuse.
 * 25 April – MLAs vote to approve Northern Ireland's budget for 2024–25, although it is apposed by the Ulster Unionists, including Health minister Robin Swann.
 * 27 April – TUV leader Jim Allister, whose party agreed a formal partnership with Reform UK for the upcoming general election, distances himself from remarks in which Reform's deputy leader, Ben Habib, suggested some migrants travelling to the UK in small boats should be left to drown.
 * 29 April –
 * The Public Prosecution Service announces that two soldiers who shot dead unarmed civilians Annette McGavigan, 14, and 41-year-old William McGreanery, in Derry in 1971 will not face prosecution because of insufficient evidence.
 * SDLP Councillor Lilian Seenoi-Barr is set to become Northern Ireland's first black mayor after being selected as the next first citizen of Derry City and Strabane District Council.

May

 * 2 May –
 * Environment Minister Andrew Muir confirms that the sale of single use vapes in Northern Ireland will be banned by April 2025.
 * Two further 48-hour junior doctor strikes are announced from 22 to 24 May and 6–8 June after talks between junior doctors and the Department of Health break down.
 * 4 May – The SDLP announces that it will change the way it makes "civil leadership" appointments following the resignation from the party of two Derry City and Strabane District Council councillors over the appointment of Lilian Seenoi-Barr as the authority's next mayor.
 * 5 May – The 2024 Belfast Marathon takes place, with Kenyans Mathew Kiplimo Kembo and Beatrice Jepkemei winning the men's and women's races respectively.
 * 10 May –
 * Belfast's Great Victoria Street railway station is scheduled to close permanently ahead of a move for train services to Grand Central.
 * The Rise of Race Hatred, a BBC Spotlight documentary exploring the rise in race hate attacks in Northern Ireland wins the nations and regions category at the Amnesty UK Media Awards.
 * 11 May – The Met Office records Northern Ireland's warmest temperature of the year so far, with a reading of 23.8 °C at Magilligan.
 * 17 May – Data released by the Police Service of Northern Ireland indicates that instances of shoplifting in Northern Ireland have increased by 20% over the previous year.
 * 19 May – A 23-year-old man is charged with the murder of 34-year-old Kathryn Parton, whose body was found at her home in east Belfast on 15 May.
 * 20 May – The Stormont Assembly endorses a Legislative Consent Motion to extend the Pet Abduction Bill, introduced at Westminster, to Northern Ireland, making the abduction of cats and dogs a criminal offence.
 * 21 May –
 * Following an agreement between the Northern Ireland and UK governments over the way Northern Ireland's public services are funded, the Northern Ireland budget will receive an extra £24m.
 * Stormont votes in favour of adopting Westminster's Tobacco and Vapes Bill that will gradually phase in a smoking ban from 2027.
 * 28 May –
 * Stormont passes the 2024 budget, its first in three years, despite opposition from the Ulster Unionist Party, and the Assembly's official opposition, the Social Democratic and Labour Party.
 * Conor Murphy announces his return as Economy Minister after temporarily standing down from the role for medical reasons.
 * 29 May –
 * Pat Cullen stands down as chief executive of the Royal College of Nursing in order to seek the nomination as Sinn Féin candidate for Fermanagh and South Tyrone in the general election.
 * Gavin Robinson is ratified as leader of the Democratic Unionist Party, and announces the party will not stand a candidate in Fermanagh and South Tyrone at the general election.
 * 30 May – The trial begins at Belfast Crown Court of three men accused of the murder of journalist Lyra McKee in Derry in 2019.

June

 * 3 June –
 * Lilian Seenoi-Barr is installed as Mayor of Derry City and Strabane.
 * Translink bus and train fares are increased, with bus fares increasing by between 10p and 50p and train fares increasing by 10%.
 * 6 June – Junior doctors in Northern Ireland begin a 48-hour strike at 7am.
 * 12 June – Dr Anne McCloskey, an independent general election candidate for Foyle, is sentenced to 14 days in prison for non-payment of a COVID-19 related fine by Derry Magistrates.
 * 13 June – A teenage boy convicted of raping a 14-year-old girl at a Northern Ireland beauty spot in 2021, when he was a minor, is sentenced to 18 months in prison at Belfast Crown Court.
 * 14 June – Among those from Northern Ireland recognised in the 2024 Birthday Honours are John Caldwell, the PSNI Detective Chief Inspector who survived a murder attempt by dissident republicans, Bronagh Hinds, co-founder of Northern Ireland's Women's Coalition, and Mairtin Mac Gabhann, whose son Dáithí's campaign inspired a change in organ donation rules.
 * 19 June – Sinn Féin launches its 2024 election manifesto, which includes plans for the transfer of fiscal powers from Westminster to Stormont and the creation of an all-Ireland national health service.
 * 20 June – The Alliance Party launches its general election manifesto, with plans including reform of the devolved government at Stormont, and ringfencing funding for integrated eductation.
 * 23 June –
 * UTV airs a general election debate featuring candidates from Northern Ireland's five main political parties: The Democratic Unionist Party's leader Gavin Robinson, Sinn Féin's John Finucane, Social Democratic and Labour Party leader Colum Eastwood, Alliance Party leader Naomi Long and Ulster Unionist Party deputy leader Robbie Butler.
 * The Earl of Shaftesbury says he wishes to transfer his estate's ownership of Lough Neagh "into a charity or community trust model, with rights of nature included".
 * 24 June –
 * The Democratic Unionist Party launches its 2024 election manifesto, with policies including greater access to healthcare, opposition to assisted suicide and the removal of trade barriers within the UK.
 * Trade unions Nipsa and Unison have said they will recommend a new pay offer to be made to school staff.
 * 26 June – The Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP) launches its election manifesto, which includes a "Marshall Plan" to address the backlog in the health service, reforms to Stormont, and a repeal of the Troubles Legacy Act.
 * 27 June – The final televised debate of the 2024 general election takes place on BBC One Northern Ireland and features representatives from Northern Ireland's five main parties.
 * 28 June – The Green Party of Northern Ireland launches its manifesto, which includes plans to take Lough Neagh into public ownership, reforms to Stormont, a tax on the richest one percent of people and protecting public services from cuts.
 * 29 June – The Northern Ireland Conservatives launch their election manifesto with the help of Chris Heaton-Harris, the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland. Policies include upholding the Good Friday Agreement and continuing to invest in Northern Ireland. The Conservatives are fielding five candidates in Northern Ireland.

July

 * 3 July –
 * A hearing at Newry Magistrates Court rules there is sufficient evidence for Sir Jeffrey Donaldson to stand trial on charges of historical sexual abuse.
 * The railway line between Lisburn and Belfast closes for the summer to facilitate engineering works for Grand Central Station.
 * One person is taken to hospital after a gas explosion at Ballyclare, County Antrim.
 * 4 July –
 * The 2024 United Kingdom general election takes place.
 * Translink is to review the train fare on the Belfast–Dublin line.
 * 5 July –
 * 2024 United Kingdom general election in Northern Ireland:
 * With votes in all 18 constituencies counted, the number of seats won by each party are: Sinn Féin (7), DUP (5), SDLP (2), Alliance Party (1), UUP (1), Traditional Unionist Voice (1), and Independent (1).
 * Sinn Féin wins seven seats, making it the largest party across Northern Ireland.
 * Traditional Unionist Voice (TUV) leader Jim Allister is elected Member of Parliament (MP) for North Antrim taking the seat from the DUP Ian Paisley Jr. This is the first time the TUV has gained an MP seat at Westminster.
 * The newly elected Labour prime minister, Keir Starmer, appoints Hilary Benn as Secretary of State for Northern Ireland.
 * 7 July – Keir Starmer arrives in Northern Ireland for his first visit there as prime minister.
 * 8 July – Starmer travels to Stormont for talks with Northern Ireland's political leaders.
 * 9 July –
 * Colin Crawford is selected to replace Robin Swann as MLA for North Antrim after the latter was elected as a Westminster MP.
 * The Unite union announces two weeks of strike action for refuse collection workers at Armagh, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council beginning on 17 July.
 * 11 July – Peter Martin becomes the DUP MLA for North Down after the previous incumbent, Alex Easton was elected to Westminster.
 * 13 July – Firefighters are called to a large blaze on Newry's Greenbank Industrial Estate.
 * 18 July – The Northern Ireland Executive agrees an action plan for the future management of Lough Neagh.
 * 20 July – A group of estate agents who had stopped posting properties for sale on the PropertyPal website following a dispute over fees have started to use the site again following negotiations.
 * 21 July –
 * A man is arrested on suspicion of attempted murder following a suspected sword attack in Newcastle, County Down.
 * Firefighters are called to a large fire at a chip shop in Armagh with above flats being evacuated.

Scheduled events

 * April – May – 2024 Ulster Senior Football Championship

Holidays
Source:
 * 1 January – New Year's Day
 * 17 March – Saint Patrick's Day
 * 29 March – Good Friday
 * 1 April – Easter Monday
 * 6 May – Early May bank holiday
 * 27 May – Spring May Bank Holiday
 * 12 July – Orangemen's Day
 * 26 August – Summer Bank Holiday
 * 25 December – Christmas Day
 * 26 December – St Stephen's Day

Deaths

 * 26 January – Walter Love, 88, Northern Irish broadcaster (BBC Radio Ulster).
 * 24 February – Chris Nicholl, 77, English-born Northern Irish football player (Aston Villa, Southampton, Northern Ireland national team) and manager.
 * 3 March – Dan McCartan, 84, Northern Irish Gaelic footballer, selector and manager.
 * 18 March – Pearse McAuley, 59, Northern Irish paramilitary (Provisional IRA) and convicted criminal. (body discovered on this date)
 * 24 March – David Capper, 91, Northern Irish journalist and television reporter (BBC Ireland correspondent). (death reported on this date)
 * 28 April – Stephen Grimason, 87, Northern Irish journalist and editor of BBC News NI. (death announced on this date)
 * 17 May – Pat Buckley, 72, Irish Independent Catholic bishop. (death announced on this date)
 * 7 June – Rose-Marie, 68, Northern Irish singer and television personality.