2011 in Northern Ireland

Centuries:	20th; 21st;
Decades:	1990s; 2000s; 2010s; 2020s;
See also:	2011 in the United Kingdom; 2011 in Ireland; Other events of 2011; List of years in Northern Ireland;

Events during the year 2011 in Northern Ireland.

Incumbents

First Minister - Peter Robinson
deputy First Minister - Martin McGuiness
- Acting deputy first minister - John O'Dowd (20 September – 31 October)
Secretary of State - Owen Paterson

Events

4 January – A partial solar eclipse is visible during sunrise in Northern Ireland
5 January – Edward Stevenson elected Orange grand master of the Grand Orange Lodge of Ireland, replacing Robert Saulters, who held the post for 14 years
6 January - Laurence Mackenzie resigns as chief executive of Northern Ireland Water in response to criticism of the organisation's handling of a water shortage
26 January – British prime minister David Cameron announces Sinn Féin's Gerry Adams' resignation from the British House of Commons by appointment as Crown Steward and Bailiff of the Manor of Northstead (technically an "office of profit under the Crown"). This resignation is to enable Adams to stand in the general election in the Republic of Ireland in the Louth constituency, where he is elected on 25 February
28 March – The British government issues a formal apology to the family of Majella O'Hare who was a 12-year-old that was shot and killed by a British paratrooper in 1976.
31 March – HMS Caroline (1914) decommissioned in Belfast
10 June – Sinn Féin's Paul Maskey wins the West Belfast by-election
20 June – 2011 Northern Ireland riots originate in East Belfast
25 June – Peace Bridge across the River Foyle in Derry opens
6 November – Alasdair McDonnell elected new SDLP leader
30 November – Thousands of public sector workers across Northern Ireland take strike action in the biggest walk-out in a generation

The arts

4 January – Author Maggie O'Farrell, born in Coleraine, wins the 2010 Costa novel award for her novel, The Hand That First Held Mine
17 April – Epic fantasy television series Game of Thrones, filmed in Belfast and on location elsewhere in Northern Ireland, premieres on HBO in the United States
1 May – New Lyric Theatre, Belfast, designed by O'Donnell & Tuomey of Dublin, opens
26 September – Singer Rihanna is asked by farmer and Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) alderman Alan Graham to leave his grain field near Ballygilbert when she strips to the waist while recording a music video
October – Lucy Caldwell is awarded the Rooney Prize for Irish Literature
Eoghan Walls's poetry collection The Salt Harvest is published

Sports

GAA

17 March – Crossmaglen Rangers (Armagh) defeated St. Bridgid's (Roscommon) 2–11 to 1–11 to win the All-Ireland Senior Club Football Championship
17 July – Donegal defeat Derry 1–11 to 0–08 to win the Ulster Senior Football Championship

Deaths

2 January – Pete Postlethwaite, 64: English actor, of cancer. Portrayed Giuseppe Conlon, father of Gerard Conlon, one of the Guildford Four, in the 1994 film In the Name of the Father
29 January – Raymond McClean, 78: former SDLP Mayor of Derry, civil rights activist, author.
6 February – Gary Moore, 58: former Thin Lizzy guitarist. Heart attack while on holiday in Estepona, Spain

References

↑ Eclipse signals a duller start to year for workers.^{[link removed]} Belfast Telegraph, 2011-01-04.
↑ "Orange order elect Edward Stevenson as grand master". BBC News Northern Ireland. 5 January 2011. Archived from the original on 5 January 2011. Retrieved 5 January 2011.
↑ "NI Water overwhelmed by 1m contacts from customers". BBC News. 6 January 2011. Retrieved 21 December 2014.
↑ Manor of Northstead British Treasury, 2011-01-26.
↑ Adams resigns from Westminister seat^{[link removed]} Irish Independent, 2011-01-26.
↑ "Louth". RTÉ News. Archived from the original on 2011-02-28.
↑ "Majella O'Hare's brother responds to government apology". BBC News. 2011-03-28. Retrieved 2025-05-08.
↑ "Sinn Fein's Paul Maskey wins West Belfast by-election". BBC News. BBC. 10 June 2011. Archived from the original on 10 June 2011. Retrieved 11 June 2011.
↑ "Alasdair McDonnell elected new SDLP leader". BBC News. BBC. 6 November 2011. Retrieved 6 November 2011.
↑ "Strike to cause major disruption in Northern Ireland". BBC News. BBC. 30 November 2011. Retrieved 30 November 2011.
↑ Derry-born author wins Costa prize. Irish Times, 2010-01-04.
↑ Moore, Rowan (2011-12-11). "Architecture". The Observer. London. p. 21 (The New Review).
↑ Topless Rihanna rattles Northern Ireland farmer with risque video shoot^{[link removed]} Belfast Telegraph, 2011-09-27.
↑ "Novelist and Dramatist Lucy Caldwell Awarded Rooney Prize 2011". Trinity College Dublin. 26 October 2011. Archived from the original on 19 January 2012. Retrieved 2012-04-24.
↑ Sansom, Ian (21 April 2012). "David Park". The Guardian Review. London. pp. 12–13.
↑ Crossmaglen win club football title Archived 2011-03-21 at the Wayback Machine, RTÉ Sport, 2011-03-17
↑ Football Championship Fixtures and Results Archived 2011-07-24 at the Wayback Machine, RTÉ Sport
↑ Pete Postlethwaite death: Gerard Conlon mourns 'screen dad'.^{[link removed]} Belfast Telegraph, 2011-01-04.
↑ Tributes paid to Dr Raymond McClean BBC News, 2011-01-31.
↑ Rock legend Gary Moore found dead^{[link removed]} Sunday Independent, 2011-02-06.
↑ Former Thin Lizzy guitarist Moore dies Irish Times, 2011-02-06.
↑ Lizzy guitarist died of a heart attack^{[link removed]} Irish Independent, 2011-02-08.

[1] Eclipse signals a duller start to year for workers.^{[link removed]} Belfast Telegraph, 2011-01-04.

[2] "Orange order elect Edward Stevenson as grand master". BBC News Northern Ireland. 5 January 2011. Archived from the original on 5 January 2011. Retrieved 5 January 2011.

[3] "NI Water overwhelmed by 1m contacts from customers". BBC News. 6 January 2011. Retrieved 21 December 2014.

[4] Manor of Northstead British Treasury, 2011-01-26.

[5] Adams resigns from Westminister seat^{[link removed]} Irish Independent, 2011-01-26.

[6] "Louth". RTÉ News. Archived from the original on 2011-02-28.

[7] "Majella O'Hare's brother responds to government apology". BBC News. 2011-03-28. Retrieved 2025-05-08.

[8] "Sinn Fein's Paul Maskey wins West Belfast by-election". BBC News. BBC. 10 June 2011. Archived from the original on 10 June 2011. Retrieved 11 June 2011.

[9] "Alasdair McDonnell elected new SDLP leader". BBC News. BBC. 6 November 2011. Retrieved 6 November 2011.

[10] "Strike to cause major disruption in Northern Ireland". BBC News. BBC. 30 November 2011. Retrieved 30 November 2011.

[11] Derry-born author wins Costa prize. Irish Times, 2010-01-04.

[12] Moore, Rowan (2011-12-11). "Architecture". The Observer. London. p. 21 (The New Review).

[13] Topless Rihanna rattles Northern Ireland farmer with risque video shoot^{[link removed]} Belfast Telegraph, 2011-09-27.

[14] "Novelist and Dramatist Lucy Caldwell Awarded Rooney Prize 2011". Trinity College Dublin. 26 October 2011. Archived from the original on 19 January 2012. Retrieved 2012-04-24.

[15] Sansom, Ian (21 April 2012). "David Park". The Guardian Review. London. pp. 12–13.

[16] Crossmaglen win club football title Archived 2011-03-21 at the Wayback Machine, RTÉ Sport, 2011-03-17

[17] Football Championship Fixtures and Results Archived 2011-07-24 at the Wayback Machine, RTÉ Sport

[18] Pete Postlethwaite death: Gerard Conlon mourns 'screen dad'.^{[link removed]} Belfast Telegraph, 2011-01-04.

[19] Tributes paid to Dr Raymond McClean BBC News, 2011-01-31.

[20] Rock legend Gary Moore found dead^{[link removed]} Sunday Independent, 2011-02-06.

[21] Former Thin Lizzy guitarist Moore dies Irish Times, 2011-02-06.

[22] Lizzy guitarist died of a heart attack^{[link removed]} Irish Independent, 2011-02-08.

2011 in Northern Ireland

Incumbents

Events

The arts

Sports

GAA

Deaths

See also

References