IRA Bombings in London: A History of Terror Attacks from 1973 to 1996
The article recounts five major IRA bombings in London between 1973 and 1996, highlighting the escalation of the conflict from Northern Ireland to the British capital. The first attack detailed is the 1975 London Hilton Hotel bombing, carried out by the Balcombe Street Gang, a sleeper cell led by Joe O'Connell. The bomb, detonated in the hotel lobby, killed two people and injured dozens. The second incident occurred on July 20, 1982, when a nail bomb exploded in Hyde Park during a Household Cavalry procession, killing four soldiers and seven horses, followed by a second bomb in Regent's Park that killed seven military musicians. The third attack was the car bomb outside Harrods on December 17, 1983, which killed six people, including three police officers, and injured around 90. The fourth was the Baltic Exchange bombing on April 10, 1992, the most powerful bomb to hit London since World War II, causing over £700 million in damage and killing three people. The final attack was the Docklands bombing on February 9, 1996, which killed two people and led to the end of the IRA ceasefire. The article also covers the aftermath, including the release of perpetrators under the Good Friday Agreement and the lasting trauma of survivors.
Key facts
- The IRA bombed London multiple times from 1973 to 1996.
- The 1975 Hilton Hotel bombing killed two people.
- The 1982 Hyde Park and Regent's Park bombings killed 11 people.
- The 1983 Harrods bombing killed six people.
- The 1992 Baltic Exchange bombing caused over £700 million in damage.
- The 1996 Docklands bombing killed two people and ended the ceasefire.
- The Balcombe Street Gang was responsible for the Hilton bombing.
- The IRA used Semtex supplied by Libya in several attacks.
Entities
Artists
- Dolours Price
- Marian Price
- Joe O'Connell
- Hugh Doherty
- Eddie Butler
- Harry Dugan
- Dolores O'Riordan
- Muammar Gaddafi
- Margaret Thatcher
- Denis Thatcher
- John Major
- Gerry Adams
- Bill Clinton
- Michael Pedersen
- Pamela White
- Mina Jadeja
- Rajan Parmar
- Philip Geddes
- Kenneth Salvesen
- Jasmine Cochrane-Patrick
- Noel Lane
- Jane Philippa Arbuthnot
- Stephen Dodd
- Jon Gordon
- Danielle Carter
- Paul Butt
- Thomas Casey
- Inam Bashir
- John Jeffries
- James McArdle
- Albert Prick
- Judith Halt
- Grace Lodhuis
- Robert Anthony Lloyd
- Jeffrey Young
- Simon Tipper
- Dennis Daly
- Roy Bright
- Sefton (horse)
- George Mesure
- Laurence Smith
- Graham Barker
- John Heritage
- Robert Livingstone
- John McKnight
- Keith John Powell
- Keith Powell (son)
- Ed Moloney
- David McKittrick
- David McVea
Institutions
- Irish Republican Army (IRA)
- Provisional Irish Republican Army
- Balcombe Street Gang
- Household Cavalry
- Blues and Royals
- Life Guards
- Royal Green Jackets
- Metropolitan Police
- Scotland Yard
- Harrods
- Baltic Exchange
- Sinn Féin
- Daily Mail
- The New York Times
- Samaritans
- International Commission for Disarmament in Northern Ireland
- Northern Ireland Affairs Committee
- British Government
- Good Friday Agreement
- National Museum of Australia
- Royal Museums Greenwich
- Museum of Free Derry
- National Museum of Ireland
- Wikimedia Commons
- Unsplash
Locations
- London
- United Kingdom
- Northern Ireland
- Belfast
- Derry
- Dublin
- Kilkee
- County Clare
- Shannon Airport
- Heathrow
- Fulham
- Kilburn
- Feakle
- Hyde Park
- Regent's Park
- Knightsbridge
- South Carriage Drive
- Horse Guards Parade
- Whitehall
- Mayfair
- Park Lane
- Hilton Hotel
- Harrods
- Hans Crescent
- Baltic Exchange
- St Mary Axe
- City of London
- Staples Corner
- Docklands
- South Quay station
- Marsh Wall
- Isle of Dogs
- Canary Wharf Tower
- Midland Bank
- South Quay Plaza
- County Tyrone
- County Armagh
- Newtownards
- County Down
- Ards Peninsula
- Scotland
- England
- Libya
- Vietnam
- Australia
- Brisbane
- United States
- West Belfast