NI July to December 2013 in pictures
- Published
A long-awaited heat-wave at the beginning of July brought temperatures to near 30C for some parts of Northern Ireland. People took advantage of the warm weather and bank holidays to head to the beach or bask outside in the sun
July also saw the annual Belfast Pride parade take to the streets of Belfast in a sea of colour and costumes. The parade, now in its 23rd year, is said to be the biggest in Ireland, attracting thousands of participants and spectators
Tens of thousands of Orangemen and women took part in the annual Twelfth celebrations across Northern Ireland with a flagship parade in Londonderry as part of the city's UK City of Culture year. Belfast City Hall hosted the 'Orangefest' celebrations, which featured street theatre and food demonstrations in an attempt to bring greater footfall into the city centre
The Twelfth was also an opportunity for young people to get into spirit as organisers sought to make the day more family friendly
Former Eastenders actor Ross Kemp followed the parades in north Belfast as he filmed part of a TV programme looking into the tensions behind parading in Northern Ireland
The day ended with disturbances in the Woodvale area of north Belfast as police enforced a Parades Commission decision that prevented the Ligoniel Orange lodges from returning past the Ardoyne shops. Protesters have remained present with nightly protests at what has become known as 'Camp Twaddell'
The heatwave lasted long enough for fans to enjoy an outdoor Bruce Springsteen concert at the King's Hall in Belfast. The artist known as 'The Boss' played a host of classic songs, including Born To Run and The River, to thousands of fans
August saw the much anticipated World Police and Fire Games come to Northern Ireland. The event, which ran over 10 days, attracted almost 6,700 international competitors and was the largest sporting event to take place in Northern Ireland. The opening ceremony, held at the King's Hall in Belfast, saw live music, dancing and acrobatic performances as the athletes paraded round the purpose-built venue
Hundreds of competitors took part in the cycling races at Stormont, which took in the entire estate, including the roads surrounding Parliament Buildings
PSNI Chief Constable Matt Baggott took part in the Pairs Fly Fishing competition. This was held at Killylane Reservoir, Ballymena, County Antrim
In Derry, the City of Culture celebrations continued as the city played host to the All-Ireland Fleadh, It was the first time the event had been taken to Northern Ireland. Organisers said an estimated 430,000 people had visited the city for music and dance
August also saw the death of poet Seamus Heaney, who died at the age of 74 after suffering ill health. Heaney was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1995 "for works of lyrical beauty and ethical depth, which exalt everyday miracles and the living past"
Following a funeral service held at the Church of the Sacred Heart in Dublin, Seamus Heaney was laid to rest in his native Bellaghy in County Londonderry in early September. Since his burial, the village has seen a surge of visitors to pay their own tributes
September also saw the development committee at Ards Borough Council recommend Exploris Aquarium be closed after a takeover deal collapsed. A private firm was due to take over the running of the attraction, but the deal fell through
US diplomat Richard Haass and Harvard professor Meghan O'Sullivan arrived in Belfast in September to chair all-party talks on some of the most divisive issues confronting Northern Ireland - parading, flags and the past.
October marked the 20th anniversary of the Shankill bomb. Nine Protestant civilians were killed in the 1993 attack in Belfast, as well as one of the IRA bombers - Thomas Begley. Hundreds of people attended a service on the Shankill Road to remember the nine victims
A week later, a remembrance service was also held in in Greysteel, County Londonderry, 20 years after eight people were murdered at the Rising Sun bar in 1993. Two gunmen from the Ulster Freedom Fighters (UFF) opened fire on the bar on 30 October, 1993. They shot dead seven people and another man later died of his injuries.
In October, Liam Adams, a brother of Sinn Féin's Gerry Adams, was convicted of raping and abusing his daughter. Adams, 58, from Bernagh Drive, Belfast, was found guilty of 10 offences against his daughter, Áine Adams
In November, Northern Irish jockey AP McCoy became the first jump jockey to ride 4,000 winners when he triumphed with the second of two rides at Towcester. The 18-time champion reached the unprecedented milestone on Mountain Tunes
A Sinn Féin lord mayor attended an Armistice Day ceremony for the first time in the party's history. Máirtin Ó Muilleoir (left) took part in an event in Belfast commemorating the end of World War One. He said he had taken the decision as he wanted to show "respect to the unionist tradition"
Father Alec Reid, who was a key figure in the Northern Ireland peace process, acting as a go-between between the IRA and politicians, died in a Dublin hospital, aged 82. He was a member of the Redemptorist order, secretly acting as a conduit between the republican movement and the SDLP
As part of the Lumiere festival in Derry, the Edwardian department store building, Austins, was wrapped in an audio-visual projection called Voyage. The city was transformed with 17 light sculptures and other installations across buildings for four nights. The festival of light ran over four evenings in November and attracted almost 180,000 people
Towards the end of November, masked men hijacked a car in north Belfast before placing a bomb on board and ordering the driver to take it to Victoria Square Shopping Centre in Belfast city centre. The device partially exploded inside the car. It followed a similar incident in Derry when a bus driver was ordered to drive to a police station with a bomb on board
At the beginning of December, South Africa's first black president and anti-apartheid icon Nelson Mandela died at the age of 95. Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness said that Nelson Mandela had always been an inspiration in his life. Former First Minister Lord Trimble paid tribute to Mr Mandela's sense of humour and the example he had set for others. Sinn Féin president Gerry Adams (pictured) attended the funeral in South Africa
In December, Northern Ireland's all-time leading goal-scorer David Healy announced his retirement. The striker, who scored 36 goals in 95 international appearances, was without a club since leaving Bury in May.
Rory McIlroy holding the Australian Open trophy after winning the tournament by one shot from Adam Scott - his only tournament win in 2013. McIlroy, who won five times around the world in 2012, admitted 2013 had been a frustrating year "with some things off the course"
A few weeks after a device partially exploded at Victoria Square, a small bomb exploded in Belfast's Cathedral Quarter. A warning had been phoned to a newspaper, but police said the bomb had been left in a different place. The alert caused disruption to local bars and restaurants who were gearing up for one of the busiest weekends of the year. The device exploding was captured on camera by local cafe owner, Mark Ashbridge
Just days after a small bomb exploded in the Cathedral Quarter, a man believed to be a fire bomber burst into flames in a golf shop in Belfast city centre. He ran off with his clothes on fire, dropping the device as he passed shoppers in the Cornmarket area. No-one was injured in either of the bombings, which were blamed on dissident republican paramilitaries
- Published31 December 2013
- Published30 December 2013