SUN. DECEMBER 2, 2001: A nationalist father-of-seven was knocked down as he stood onthe pavement at the corner of Spamount Street and North Queen Street in the New Lodge area of Belfast. A car suspected of being used in the incident was found burnt out in the loyalist Tiger's Bay area and eyewitnesses said a crowd of about 15 loyalists stood cheering at the junction of North Queen Street and Duncairn Gardens as the car sped away from the scene.
At a meeting of the Ulster Unionist Council David Trimble got 57% to 43% backing for his handling of the decommissioning issue. Relatives unveiled a six-foot cross to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the loyalist death squad bombing of McGurk's Bar in North Queen Street Belfast when 15 people were killed.
MON. DECEMBER 3, 2001: Francis Mulholland from Glengormley near Belfast, an alleged drug dealer, was shot dead by the loyalist death squad the Red Hand Defenders as he sat in a car on the Upper Crumlin Road in Belfast.
WED. DECEMBER 5, 2001: A bomb hoax at Belfast International Airport cause widespread disruption.
Leading loyalist and associate of Billy Wright (King Rat), Mark Fulton (41) of Hobson Park, Portadown, Co Armagh was charged at Craigavon magistrates court with conspiracy to murder Rodney Jennett some time between April 1 and May 11, 2001.
FRI. DECEMBER 7, 2001: Garda Sergeant John Eiffe, a member of the 26-County Special Branch, was shot dead by his comrades as they attempted to arrest four men attempting to raid the Allied Irish Bank in Abbeyleix, Co Laois.
The US State Department named the Continuity IRA, the Orange Volunteers and the Red Hand Defenders as groups whose supporters are banned from the US.
A nationalist mother-of-two received a threatening letter purporting to be from the Red Hand Defenders, the LVF and the Orange Volunteers at her home in the Short Strand area of Belfast. The letter contained a bullet and said the “next one is for you”.
SUN. DECEMBER 9, 2001: Four people from Belfast were arrested during an affray between members of the Provisionals youth wing and the RUC and British army at a “demilitarisation” protest in Crossmaglen, south Armagh.
TUES. DECEMBER 11, 2001: Derek Lenehan of Drumheath Drive, Blanchardstown in Dublin was shot dead and another man seriously injured in the vicinity of Carrickasticken Road and New Road, outside Forkhill, Co Armagh, having earlier been taken from a pub in the south Armagh area.
WED. DECEMBER 12, 2001: British agent William Stobie was shot dead by the Red Hand Defenders loyalist death squad as he got into a car outside his home at Forthriver Road in Belfast.
The British Police Ombudsman in the Six Counties Nuala O’Loan published a report on the investigation into the Omagh bombing which found, amongst other things, that the RUC Special Branch had failed to pass warnings they had received prior to the bombing from informants to the RUC in Omagh and further said that Special Branch had failed to pass on intelligence documents on to the Omagh bomb investigation team.
SUN. DECEMBER 16, 2001: A bomb exploded at a customs post at the Killyhevlin industrial estate near Enniskillen, Co Fermanagh. A warning was given and no one was hurt.
The main street in Ballinamallard, Co Fermanagh was evacuated after claims were made that a device had been left at a hotel. Nothing was found.
WED. DECEMBER 19, 2001: A report issued by the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency said that the number of shootings, bombings and killings increased during the period 2000/2001, with 331 shooting incidents compared to 131 in the previous 12-month period. Eighteen people were killed in the conflict, compared to seven in 1999/2000 and the number of people injured rose by more than 25% from 878 in 1999/2002 to 1,101.
THURS. DECEMBER 20, 2001: Eight members of Republican Sinn Féin were charged at the Special non-jury Court in Dublin with membership of an illegal organisation, following their arrest at a meeting on December 17. They were: Des Long, Limerick, Vice-President, Matt Conway, Kildare, Ard-Chomhairle member, Paddy Kenneally, Ennis, Co Clare, chairperson of Comhairle na Mumhan, Joe Lynch, Limerick, spokesperson for Republican Sinn Féin in Limerick, Bobby McNamara, Tipperary town, member of local Seán Treacy Cumann, Christy Dunne, Limerick, member of local Brugha-Sabhat Cumann, Pat O’Shea, Limerick, member of local Brugha-Sabhat Cumann and Ger Bromell, Limerick, member of local Brugha-Sabhat Cumann.
AS many went about their business in the run-up to Christmas, doing the Christmas shopping or going to the Christmas party, finding their own season of goodwill and joy, very little of either was to be found in North Belfast.
For the people of the Limestone Road and Newington area, this season of goodwill found them under constant attack from the forces of loyalist bigotry and hate.
In this part of north Belfast the Christmas period saw the nationalist community come under brick, stone and bottle attack. Many nationalist homes were damaged.
But far worse than this; loyalist gunmen have been active.
FRI. DECEMBER 21, 2001. Around 7pm locals living in the Westrock area of Whiterock Road claimed that a number of men and women, some armed, tried to hi-jack a car.
Locals claimed it was a Republican action as those involved claimed to be members of the Republican Movement.
After the group withdrew from the area a bomb was found and the RUC called for the bomb squad.
Locals claimed that the Brits statement that the bomb was a hoax was rubbish.
One local woman stated: “I’ve been around far too long and witnessed a lot of things and know by the way the Brits were getting on that this was no hoax. I believe it was a ambush and the target was no doubt the Peelers [RUC]. I think it didn’t happen because there was too many people about. The whole thing had the hallmarks of a Republican set-up. There’s no doubt about that,” she added.
Loyalist crowds attacked the homes of nationalists living in the Serpentine Road at around 9.45pm. Stones and bottles were used to attack nationalist houses. Fighting once more took place in the Limestone Road, Newington areas of north Belfast.
The fighting that started around 9.45pm went on into the small hours of Saturday morning.
Once again, as so many times before, nationalist homes in the area were attacked by loyalists using everything from stones, bottles and bricks to doctored fireworks that are more like small bombs than fireworks.
Fighting took place as nationalists came out to defend their families and homes.
Brits/RUC in the area, as always, turned a blind eye to loyalist rioters as they faced down nationalist who had come onto the streets to defend themselves.
Around 2.30am loyalists moved to the North Queen Street area where they once again set about attacking nationalist homes and again as the nationalist community stand in defence of their families, homes and area, fighting took place. The loyalists were forced back to the Tigers Bay area.
Brit/RUC occupation forces flooded the area and the fighting subsided after some time. Tension was very high.
SAT. DECEMBER 22, 2001: Minor trouble once again broke out at the Whitewell as loyalist rioters and nationalist street fighters faced each other.
As Brit/RUC occupation forces flooded the area a stand-off took place. Tension stayed high.
Once again the people of the Limestone Road and Newington came under attack from loyalists. Minor stone throwing took place early in the day. For those nationalists living in this part of north Belfast they knew only too well that this was only the start of what was to come as night drew in.
Around 10.30pm loyalists stepped up their attacks on the nationalist people of Limestone Road and Newington area. Many homes were damaged as a constant rain of bricks, stones and bottles was aimed at the backs of houses sitting on the so-called peace line.
Once again, as so often before, loyalist gunmen fired a number of shots from the darkness.
The trouble went on into the small hours of Sunday when the loyalists withdrew, happy for now about the job they had done; leaving nationalists to once again keep their lonely vigil in their darkened bedrooms, ever watchful.
SUN. DECEMBER 23, 2001: The last Sunday before Christmas day is a time for many to go to their place of worship, as everyone has a right to do without fear, not just at Christmas but at any time.
Here in north Belfast the right to worship ones God, when you come from a Catholic community; that right to worship means you do so faced with foul mouth loyalist bigots as they shout about Our Lady and the Pope.
Nothing is sacred to the bigots of the loyalist Tigers Bay, “God nor man”. The hate towards their fellow man runs far too deep. Sunday, the day Orangism claims to hold high, gives no peace from loyalist attacks on the nationalist people.
As Sunday grew into night the loyalist gangs were on the streets of north Belfast. Their targets are once again those nationalist families living on the so-called peace lines, the easy target. No great task for these brave men of loyalism. Again loyalist gunmen (UDA/UFF) under the cover of the loyalist mob and darkness open fire.
One woman whose home has come under attack from loyalists using stones, bricks, fireworks and petrol bombs, told SAOIRSE that it’s only been luck that there hasn’t been a death toll in this area.
She added: “Many people have been hurt in these attacks on our area [Limestone Road, Newington]. What people are suffering here at the hands of these loyalists doesn’t make news. And then there’s the stress of it all.
“Our children are really scared. It’s hard to settle them down. And they don’t sleep very well. Our old people likewise are living in fear. To be truthful, we all are.
“It’s depressing to think that tomorrow is Christmas Eve. We really should be getting ready for Christmas day and being with family and friends. I guess that’s in a normal situation. This is far from normal. We are all far too fearful for that.”
The Sunday night went on as the nights have been for so long now: Loyalists keeping up the constant attacks on nationalist homes. Only subsiding in the small hours of the morning.
MON. DECEMBER 24, 2001: Christmas Eve. 7.30am. Fighting broke out on North Queen Street as up to 50 loyalists attacked the homes of nationalists. Nationalists who came out of their homes managed to push the mob back up North Queen Street.
The trouble subsided as Brit/RUC occupation forces flooded into the area.
There was minor stone throwing as the day went on.
Again, as darkness fell stone throwing by loyalists was stepped up, but it subsided again after a time.
Brit/RUC occupation forces were heavy on the ground.
TUES. DECEMBER 25, 2001. Christmas Day 2001 for the people of the nationalist Limestone Road found no joy in the world. As the world found the Christmas cheer and many even peace on earth for this day at least, on the streets of north Belfast loyalist bombers and gunmen were once again active.
Just before 10pm loyalist bombers threw two blast bombs at a group of nationalist youths standing at Newington Street.
At around 10pm loyalist gunmen came out from the loyalist Tigers Bay, opened fire and ran back into Tigers Bay again.
The fears that the nationalist people had of loyalist attacks over this, the most holy of periods in the year, were well founded. The fact that once again the nationalist people were once again very lucky wasn’t lost on the people of the area. The thought of how long they would be lucky was also very much in the minds of local people.
Again, these attacks on the nationalist people for the most went on unreported.
Once again, even on Christmas night, for the people of the Limestone Road, Newington area, the nationalist people found little sleep, sitting in vigil to watch for yet more loyalist attacks. Through this vigilance, sitting in darkened bedroom, they believe they may very well save lives.
WED. DECEMBER 26, 2001: With the daylight came no ease in the tension that could even be found in the air in these streets of north Belfast. But never have the nationalist people of this area let loyalism, Orangism or Brit terror get them down.
As they have always done they go on about their business.
No doubt to the dismay of loyalist terrorism.
Today, once again, groups of loyalists set about attacking nationalist homes. As darkness fell these attacks were to get worse.
THURS. DECEMBER 27, 2001: Loyalist gunmen were once again active in north Belfast. The home of Donna McDaid was shot up with a number of bullets going through a front window into a room where the children toys lay and where the children had been playing.
Mrs McDaid said that loyalists had made a number of threats against her and her family and during rioting the night before loyalists shouted that she was going to be killed.
Just before the shooting at Donna McDaid’s homes it is believed that loyalists had tried to kill a man next door to McDaid’s, knocking on a side gate and calling out Donna McDaid’s name. The man in the house wouldn’t go to the door but shouted out that Donna was asleep. Only ten minutes later the shooting took place. Another in a long list of attacks on the nationalist people of north Belfast at Limestone Road, Newington area, areas where streets like Parkend Street are easy target for loyalists.
FRI. DECEMBER 28, 2001: Friday was once again witness to minor trouble, mostly stone-throwing by loyalists. This went on at Limestone Road, Newington and at Alliance Ave where loyalists attacked the back of nationalist homes from the loyalist Alliance Road.
SAT. DECEMBER 29, 2001: Heavy snow fell on Belfast and children took to the streets as children do to play in the snow.
On the nationalist end of the Ardoyne crowds of youths and children took part in snowball fights but the fun soon turned into a battle with loyalists who came down the Ardoyne Road from Glenbryn and used bricks, bottles and bolts to attack the nationalist children.
As people went to the area fighting between nationalist street fighters and the loyalist rioters took place with nationalists pushing the loyalists back up towards Glenbryn only to be stopped by members of the Provisionals political wing, not for the first time policing the nationalist street fighters and once again taking away their right to defend themselves; The Provisional police doing the RUC’s job for them and doing it well.
SUN. DECEMBER 30, 2001: There was only minor trouble in a number of areas of north Belfast, not as heavy as had been seen in recent days.
Many nationalists believe only the very cold weather may have played a part in keeping loyalist mobs off the streets.
MON. DECEMBER 31, 2001: New Years Eve passed off without any reports of trouble.
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