This is a chronology of activities by the Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA), in 1990 and 1991.
1990
January–February 2 January 1990: Ulster loyalist Harry Dickey, a member of the Ulster Defence Association (UDA) and Ulster Democratic Party, was killed by a Provisional IRA booby trap bomb attached to his car outside his home, Larkfield Manor, Sydenham, East Belfast.Malcolm Sutton's Index of Deaths from the Conflict in Ireland: 1990. Conflict Archive on the Internet (CAIN).McKittrick, David (1999). Lost lives. Mainstream, p. 1190; an IRA unit threw a blast bomb at a Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) base in Stewartstown, County Tyrone. 3 January 1990: an Ulster Defence Regiment (UDR) soldier was seriously injured in an IRA under-car booby trap bomb attack in Magherafelt, County Londonderry.Irish Independent, 4 January 1990. two British soldiers were injured after a device exploded behind a garden wall in Ardoyne, North Belfast.O'Brien, p. 201 4 January 1990: a British soldier was slightly injured by an explosive device off New Lodge Road, North Belfast. an explosive device was thrown at a joint British Army-RUC mobile patrol at Springfield Road, west Belfast. 5 January 1990: several shots were fired and a blast bomb thrown at Antrim Road RUC base, Belfast. 9 January 1990: a UDR soldier (Olven Kilpatrick) was shot dead by the IRA on Main Street, Castlederg, County Tyrone. In a follow-up operation, two RUC officers were injured by a bomb left by the IRA unit. the IRA claimed responsibility for a anti-personnel bomb defused by the British Army at Hazelwood, Poleglass, Belfast. The IRA claimed they had aborted the operation because of the presence of civilians. 10 January 1990: the IRA detonated a bomb hidden in a derelict house by command wire as a British Army patrol passed in Stratheden Street in the New Lodge area of Belfast, injuring two soldiers.Irish Independent, 11 January 1990. an IRA unit threw two blast bombs at a three-vehicle British Army-RUC convoy on the Springfield Road, Belfast. The IRA claimed to have scored hits on two of vehicles. 11 January 1990: a part-time UDR soldier escaped injury after he discovered a bomb under his car which was subsequently destroyed when the device exploded in Maghera, County Londonderry. four companies were forced by IRA threats to issue public statements that they would not supply contractors working for British security forces in Northern Ireland. an IRA unit threw a blast bomb into the RUC station in Randalstown, County Antrim. an IRA unit threw a blast bomb into the RUC station in Toomsbridge, County Antrim. 12 January 1990: a bomb caused minor damage to a restaurant on the Lisburn Road, Belfast. petrol bombs were thrown at the RUC base at Coalisland, County Tyrone. 13 January 1990: a bomb caused some damage to the perimeter fence at Lisanelly Barracks, Omagh, County Tyrone. 15 January 1990: a bomb destroyed Sion Mills RUC station. Several homes were extensively damaged, although there were no injuries. A second van bomb, targeting security forces driving to the scene of the first along the Sion Mills road, was defused after failing to detonate.Aberdeen Press and Journal, 17 January 1990. 16 January 1990: the IRA was blamed for two letter bombs defused at Aldershot Garrison in Aldershot, England, both addressed to senior British Army officers.Oppenheimer, p. 87 17 January 1990: the IRA detonated a car bomb in the multi-storey car park of the Victoria Shopping Centre on Chichester Street, Belfast. 18 January 1990: a Semtex bomb was discovered under an RUC Reserve officer's car in East Belfast. A man and a woman were arrested afterwards. A third person was also charged.Sunday Tribune, 21 January 1990. an attack on a member of the British security forces was apparently foiled after a revolver and of Semtex explosives was found ready in Cookstown, County Tyrone.Irish Independent, 19 January 1990. 20 January 1990: the IRA carried out a mortar attack on the RUC/British Army base at Newtownhamilton, County Armagh.O'Brien, Brendan (1999). The Long War: The IRA and Sinn Féin, Syracuse University Press, p. 207; One unexploded projectile landed within the compound, another on civilian property.Sunday Life, 21 January 1990. a UDR soldier was seriously injured when a bomb exploded under his car outside his parents' home at Plumbridge, County Tyrone.Fortnight, No. 282, pp. 20–21. Fortnight Publications, 1990. 21 January 1990: an IRA unit opened fire on a British Army mobile patrol and an observation post in the New Lodge area of Belfast. There were no reported casualties."Teletype", Ireland Today, Volume 1 No. 2, Noraid, 1990Irish Independent, 22 January 1990. 22 January 1990: RUC Inspector Derek Monteith was shot dead by an IRA unit in Kilburn Park, Armagh town. Up to 30 rounds were fired through his kitchen door, hitting him five times in the head, neck and body.McKittrick, pp. 1191–1192 the IRA planted a bomb in a snooker hall adjoining Queen Street RUC station in Belfast city centre. The bomb was discovered and defused by the British Army.Sunday Independent, 28 January 1990.Sunday Life, 23 January 1990. 27 January 1990: a bomb was found under the car of DUP councillor Paul McLean in Magherafelt, County Londonderry. The IRA said he was targeted because he worked for a firm which supplied the British security forces. a IRA van bomb damaged an RUC station in Lisbellaw, County Fermanagh. 28 January 1990: a civilian (Charles Love) was killed when he was hit by debris when an IRA bomb exploded on Derry's walls during a Bloody Sunday march. The security forces described his death as a "freak accident" as he was a quarter of a mile from the bomb, which was targeting security forces.McKittrick, p. 1192 Love was a member of Republican Youth. He is commemorated at a Sinn Féin-organised march in his home town of Strabane each year. 2 February 1990: an IRA bomb exploded in a CastleCourt shopping complex in Belfast city centre causing minor damage. It was the fourth bomb attack at the premises in two years. an IRA bomb threat caused disruption on the Dublin-Belfast railway line. a bomb attached to the underside of a car belonging to a member of the security forces was spotted by its owner in Castlederg, County Tyrone.Liverpool Echo, 2 February 1990. a woman and her daughter were held hostage in their by armed men claiming to represent the IRA in the Shantallow area of Derry. a single shot was fired at a British Army foot patrol near Stewartstown, County Tyrone. Soldiers returned fire but there were no reported injuries.Mid-Ulster Mail, 8 February 1990. 4 February 1990: a bomb attached to the underside of a building contractor's car in Portadown, County Armagh exploded prematurely during gale-force winds. Nearby houses were damaged but no reported injuries.Dundee Courier, 5 February 1990. 6 February 1990: a part-time RUC Reserve officer was seriously injured by a bomb hidden in a hay shed on his farm at Lack, County Fermanagh."Month in Focus", Police Beat, Volume 12 No. 3, Police Federation for Northern Ireland, 1990 7 February 1990: a car bomb exploded in Waring Street, near Belfast city centre.Sandwell Evening Mail, 7 February 1990. the Short Brothers factory was damaged by a bomb. The IRA warned that they would not leave any warnings for further attacks on the factory. In a further statement issued on 10 February the IRA reversed this decision and indicated they would continue to issue warnings. the IRA detonated a large Semtex shrapnel bomb as a British Army mobile patrol passed on the Monagh bypass in the Turf Lodge area of Belfast. 8 February 1990: an IRA attack was foiled after British security forces found and defused a "ready" van bomb at a farm near Lurgan, County Armagh.Sandwell Evening Mail, 9 February 1990. 11 February 1990: three British soldiers were injured when their Gazelle helicopter was shot down after being hit by machine-gun fire from an IRA unit on a border area south of Clogher, County Tyrone (see:1990 British Army Gazelle shootdown). a Semtex booby-trap bomb attached to the underside of a car was defused in Portrush, County Antrim.Irish Independent, 12 February 1990. 16 February 1990: an off-duty UDR soldier was shot and injured as he drove a tractor at Drummanor Forest Park off the Cookstown-Omagh road, County Tyrone.Irish Independent, 17 February 1990. an attack was foiled in the Oakman Street area of the Falls Road, Belfast, after British security forces uncovered a primed shrapnel bomb with a command wire. Several arrests were made afterwards. 17 February 1990: a booby-trap bomb targeting RUC officers left in a derelict house in the St James' area of Belfast was defused.Sunday Life, 18 February 1990. a car bomb caused extensive damage to a hotel on Black's Road in south Belfast.Fortnight, No. 283, pp. 20–21. Fortnight Publications, 1990. two British soldiers were injured by a landmine in the Dunmurry area of Belfast. 19 February 1990: the IRA detonated a Semtex bomb by command wire as a joint British Army-RUC patrol approached in Mizen Gardens, Belfast. 20 February 1990: the IRA bombed a British military recruitment office in Leicester, England. Two people were injured. a van and a car driven by an IRA unit carrying light machine guns were spotted by a British Wessex helicopter near Newtownhamilton, South Armagh. The IRA unit split up in several vehicles, but one of the cars was pinpointed by the aircraft, and three IRA volunteers were arrested by a party of three soldiers and two RUC officers after landing from their helicopter in Silverbridge. Afterwards, a crowd of 40 civilians attacked the security forces, allowing the escape of the three IRA men. A number of automatic weapons were confiscated in the aftermath by the RUC, among them two light machine guns.Harnden, pp. 395–396 an IRA booby-trap bomb disguised as a brick in a wall was defused by the British Army on the Ballymurphy Road, West Belfast.Irish Independent, 21 February 1990. an IRA unit fired several shots at British soldiers in the vicinity of Woodbourne RUC station, Belfast. 21 February 1990: a single mortar mounted in a tractor was fired at Kinawley RUC station. An explosion was reported in the area, although it's unclear whether the projectile hit the base. 23 February 1990: a bomb exploded in Newry train station, demolishing a ticket booth and severing part of the railway line, as delegates from the Irish Congress of Trade Unions (ICTU) were travelling to the organisation's annual women's conference.Sunday Life, 25 February 1990. A civilian was forced at gunpoint to drive the bomb to the site, while the other passengers were held hostage for several hours."Patrick's Day wedding for terror victim", Drogheda Independent, 16 March 1990. 24 February 1990: a Semtex booby-trap bomb attached to the underside of a car belonging to a member of the security forces was defused after falling from the vehicle outside a social club in Cookstown, County Tyrone. an incendiary bomb caused "minor" damage to a newly opened hardware chain store at Lisnagelvin in Derry. The IRA denied responsibility and alleged "Loyalist racketeers" were behind the attack. a bomb partially exploded in the foyer of the Slieve Donard Hotel, County Down, during an ICTU conference. It was suspected the attack, and another the previous day, were linked to an ICTU protest campaign against IRA bomb attacks on the Dublin-Belfast railway.Evening Herald, 24 February 1990. The IRA denied any knowledge of the ICTU conference and claimed the hotel was targeted for serving members of British security forces. an IRA unit fired twenty shots at Woodbourne RUC station, Belfast. There were no reported injuries. The following day the IRA claimed the attack was a warning to contractors carrying out work on the base.Irish Independent, 25 February 1990.