A loyalist mob attacked the Ashmore Hostel for women and children, off Conway Street in Belfast over a seven-hour period with only token interference by the British Crown Forces.
Mountpottinger Baptist church in the Short Strand area of east Belfast was burned to the ground by dissident loyalists, the Loyalist Volunteer Force, a group associated with Billy Wright of Portadown.
WED. APRIL 2, 1997: The Loyalist Volunteer Force (LVF) launched an arson attack on a Protestant-owned haulage firm in Portadown causing over £100,000 worth of damage. In New Mills, County Tyrone they attempted to burn down a post office shouting 'IRA' and 'Orange bastard' at the Protestant employee as they fled.
THURS. APRIL 3, 1997: Controlled explosions were carried out on suspect devices which caused chaos on the M1 and M6 motorways in England.
SAT. APRIL 5, 1997: Fire raged through St MacNissis's Church on the Magheralane Road in Randalstown, County Antrim as parishioners slept. The entire building was destroyed in the blaze.
Approximately 30 minutes later St Comgall's church a short distance away on the Dublin Road, County Antrim came under arson attack, completely destroying a church.
Vandals daubed paint on the walls of the Catholic Church of Our Lady in Harryville.
The windows of St Patrick's Church of Ireland hall in Donaghmore, Co Tyrone were damaged in an attempted arson attack. The property suffered scorch damage to its window frames.
SUN. APRIL 6, 1997: Mullavilly parish church between Portadown and Tandragee in County Armagh was razed to the ground, the third Catholic church in the Six Counties to be attacked by arsonists in 48 hours.
WED. APRIL 9, 1997: Ciarán Delaney (23) from Bawnmore Park in Newtownabbey, Belfast was waiting with a friend for a lift to work when a death squad gunman fired a shot at him, wounding him in the neck.
Orangemen in County Antrim voted to reject a compromise with nationalist residents of the village of Dunloy .
THURS. APRIL 10, 1997: British Crown Forces carried out a series of raids in South Armagh. Five men were arrested at a farmhouse while another two were arrested later. Two weapons were seized during the raids; an AK47 and a Barrett Light 50 sniping rifle. Two cars were also seized during the raids.
The Provisionals' military wing shot and seriously wounded a member of the British paramilitary police (RUC). Constable Alice Collins was on guard duty at the Crown Court in Bishop Street in Derry city when she was struck in the chest by a single shot.
SAT. APRIL 12, 1997: Nationalist homes in the Limestone Road area of north Belfast were attacked by loyalist gangs. The incidents started around 6.30pm when loyalists threw bottles and smashed windows. British soldiers and police with about 17 Land Rovers arrived and were also attacked.
A British army helicopter landed a squad of soldiers in Tullyfinnegan, near the County Monaghan town of Emyvale, four miles south of the Border.
SUN. APRIL 13, 1997: About 12 nationalist families moved out of their homes on the Limestone Road after assaults made on the area by loyalist mobs.
TUES. APRIL 15, 1997: Republican Sinn Féin held a press conference in Belfast in relation to the Westminster election on May 1.
In County Down, St Coleman's Catholic church in Annaclone near Banbridge was extensively damaged on in another arson attack.
British policemen (RUC) fired eight plastic bullets during a riot in Lurgan, County Armagh. Rioting involving up to 200 people began between nationalists and loyalists from the Taghnevan and Mourneview estates respectively. The RUC came under petrol-bomb attack during the incident.
THURS. APRIL 17, 1997: In another arson attack in Newtownards a blaze gutted the lounge and two bedrooms of a house in the Victoria Parks area. Nobody was injured in the attack which occurred at 8.30pm.
In the County Antrim town of Crumlin an arson attack caused extensive smoke and scorch damage to Camlin's Bar, Main Street.
An arson attack badly damaged the Gate Inn pub and restaurant near Aghalee, County Antrim. Loyalist slogans were daubed on the wall of the building after it was set alight.
A catalogue of injuries inflicted by British troops was outlined by lawyers for three men as they appeared on charges in a British court at Banbridge, County Down. Bernard McGinn (40), Castleblayney, County Monaghan, Micheál Caraher (30), Cullyhanna, County Armagh and Martin Mines (28), Crossmaglen, County Armagh were among seven men arrested on April 10 during British Crown Forces raids in South Armagh. Two rifles, one a Barrett Light 50 sniping rifle, were seized during the raids.
Four British police (RUC) members in Fermanagh who were suspended on full pay after claims they took part in Orange Order disturbances last summer returned to duty.
British Direct-Ruler Patrick Mayhew announced that the case of two British soldiers — Scots Guards Mark Wright and James Fisher — imprisoned for life for murdering 18-year-old Peter McBride from the New Lodge area of Belfast in 1992 would be referred to the Life Sentence Review Board in October.
FRI. APRIL 18, 1997: Three Mark-16 mortars were discovered in bogland at Cullion Road near Draperstown, Co Derry.
The road and rail network in England was paralysed by two bombs and a series of bomb warnings.
SAT. APRIL 19, 1997: A fourth man was flown to England, where he was charged in connection with the February 9, 1996 Docklands explosion in London. He was named as Seamus McArdle (29), whose parents are natives of Crossmaglen. Another south Armaghman, Patrick McKinley (32), from Mullaghbawn has already been charged in connection with the Docklands explosion, which ended the Provisionals unilateral and unconditional ceasefire.
SUN. APRIL 20, 1997: A bomb found on the Ednagee Road near Castlederg, Co Tyrone was removed for forensic examination by Crown Forces.
MON. APRIL 21, 1997: Fire damage was caused by the British-backed loyalist death squad the LVF to the Provisionals' office in the Shantallow area of Derry. A series of bomb warnings caused widespread disruption in London.
WED. APRIL 23, 1997: A sealed barrel containing 120 bullets and 80 shotgun cartridges was found by 26-County police near the village of Blackrock, eight miles south of Dundalk, Co Louth.
THURS. APRIL 24, 1997: Twenty-Six County police arrested one of the 1983 Long Kesh escapees, Dermot McNally at his home in Sligo. The police were acting on 14 extradition warrants supplied by British police (RUC). He was brought before Dublin District Court on the same day where extradition proceedings began. McNally was remanded in custody until May 1.
A used mortar and ammunition were found by 26-County police in Rockmarshall Wood, Jenkinstown, Co Louth, three miles from the Border.
FRIDAY. APRIL 25, 1997: The Vice-President of Republican Sinn Féin, Des Long of Limerick, was refused entry to the United States.
The Portadown loyalist Billy Wright, known as 'King Rat', was moved from Maghaberry prison to a punishment wing of the H-Blocks, H6, the rest of which is occupied by INLA prisoners.
SAT. APRIL 26, 1997: A twelve-year-old boy, Gavin McKenna from Lurgantarry, Lurgan, Co Armagh, was injured by a plastic bullet by a British soldier. Two families, in Kinsale Park and Sperrin Park, were forced to flee their homes when their houses were attacked by arsonists in the Caw area of Derry's Waterside.
SUN. APRIL 27, 1997: A contingent of 50 Orangemen rallied on Belfast's Ormeau Bridge to hear the chaplain of Ballynafeigh Orange Lodge issue a bigoted outburst against nationalists and Catholics.
Four nationalists coming home from a dance in St Patrick's Hall, Portadown were set upon by an Orange mob. St Nicholas's Church in Carrickfergus, Co Antrim was seriously damaged by fire in another sectarian attack.
MON. APRIL 28, 1997: The US immigration service is to appeal the decision to grant political asylum to former political prisoner Brian Pearson.
Two guns were found in Maghaberry jail after INLA prisoners took a warder hostage in protest at a decision to move loyalist 'King Rat' Billy Wright to the INLA block in Long Kesh.
TUES. APRIL 29, 1997: Loyalist prisoners protested on the roof of the H-Blocks of Long Kesh because of the tough security measures introduced by the British government after an escape tunnel was found in the prison.
TUES./WED. APRIL 29/30, 1997:
Relatives visiting Provisional prisoners in Long Kesh had to had to endure physical and verbal abuse from the mob of 100 loyalist protesters demonstrating in the prison car-park against the recent punitive "security" clamp-down following the failed tunnel escape attempt by the Provisionals.
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