2020 in Northern Ireland

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See also:	2020 in the United Kingdom 2020 in Ireland Other events of 2020 List of years in Northern Ireland

Events from the year 2020 in Northern Ireland.

Incumbents

• First Minister of Northern Ireland – Arlene Foster
• Deputy First Minister of Northern Ireland - Michelle O'Neill
• Secretary of State for Northern Ireland – Julian Smith (24 July 2019 – 13 February 2020), Brandon Lewis (13 February 2020-)

Events

January

• 9 January – The UK and Irish governments publish a deal aimed at restoring the Northern Ireland Executive; the Democratic Unionist Party gives its backing to the agreement.[1]
• 10 January – Sinn Féin gives its backing to a deal to restore power-sharing government to Northern Ireland for the first time since 2017.[2]
• 11 January – The Northern Ireland Assembly reconvenes after a three-year hiatus; DUP leader Arlene Foster is appointed Northern Ireland's first minister, while Sinn Féin's Michelle O'Neill is appointed deputy first minister.[3]
• 13 January – Same-sex marriage is legalised in Northern Ireland.[4]

February

• 5 February - the PSNI found a Continuity Irish Republican Army bomb in a lorry in Lurgan, County Armagh.
• 11 February – The first same-sex marriage ceremony to be held in Northern Ireland takes place at a hotel in Carrickfergus, County Antrim.[5]
• 27 February – Authorities confirm the first case of coronavirus in Northern Ireland.[6]

Sport

Deaths

• 9 January – Jimmy Shields, football player (b. 1931)[7]
• 24 January – Seamus Mallon, Gaelic footballer and politician (b. 1936)[8]
• 14 February – Godfrey O'Donnell, priest[9]
• 16 February – Harry Gregg, football player, Munich air disaster survivor (b. 1932)[10]
• 13 March – Ivan Davis, politician (b. 1937)[11]
• 17 March – Betty Williams, political activist (b. 1943)[12]
• 3 August – John Hume, politician (b. 1937)[13]

See also

• 2020 in politics and government
• 2020 in the United Kingdom
• History of Northern Ireland
• List of years in Northern Ireland

Specific issues

• 2017 Northern Ireland Assembly election

External links

General news sites

• BBC News page for Northern Ireland

Articles

• Stormont talks: DUP says discussions are at a 'critical moment', bbc, January 9, 2020.
• Stormont talks: Draft deal to break deadlock published, Jan 9, 2020, bbc.
• DUP leader says draft deal 'not perfect', Jan 9, 2020. bbc.

References

1. Madden, Andrew (9 January 2020). "DUP accept governments' draft agreement to restore Stormont, Sinn Fein 'studying' text". Belfast Telegraph. Independent News and Media. Retrieved 12 January 2020.
2. "Sinn Féin agrees to rejoin NI government after deal". BBC News. BBC. 10 January 2020. Retrieved 10 January 2020.
3. "Stormont deal: Arlene Foster and Michelle O'Neill new top NI ministers". BBC News. BBC. 11 January 2020. Retrieved 11 January 2020.
4. "Same-sex marriage now legal in Northern Ireland". BBC News. BBC. 13 January 2020. Retrieved 13 January 2020.
5. "Same-sex marriage: Couple make history as first in NI". BBC News. BBC. 11 February 2020. Retrieved 11 February 2020.
6. "Northern Ireland diagnoses first coronavirus case". BBC News. BBC. 27 February 2020. Retrieved 27 February 2020.
7. "Jimmy Shields: An appreciation". Southampton FC.
8. "Former NI deputy first minister Seamus Mallon dies". 24 January 2020 – via www.rte.ie. Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
9. "Rev Fr Godfrey O'Donnell, ICC President 2012–2014". Irish Churches.
10. Sport, Telegraph (17 February 2020). "Harry Gregg, former Manchester United goalkeeper and Munich air disaster hero, dies aged 87" – via www.telegraph.co.uk.
11. "Ivan Davis: Tributes pour in for 'man of the people'". www.newsletter.co.uk.
12. "Tributes pour in as Nobel Prize winner and 'a true soldier of peace' Betty Williams dies at 76" – via www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk.
13. "Former SDLP leader and Nobel laureate John Hume dies". Raidió Teilifís Éireann (RTÉ). 3 August 2020. Retrieved 3 August 2020.