WED. MARCH 1, 2000: In Dungannon, County Tyrone, four cars owned by Catholic priests were burned out in a sectarian attack on St Patrick's Parochial House, which also resulted in the evacuation of two houses.
WED. MARCH 8, 2000: Another Long Kesh escapee, Paul "Dingus" Magee (51) was arrested by 26-County Special Branch police on foot of an extradition warrant directing his extradition to the Six Occupied Counties in connection with the killing of SAS Captain Herbert Westmacott in Belfast 20 years ago.
THURS. MARCH 9, 2000: Paul "Dingus" Magee was freed on bail by the Dublin High Court and is to have an Article 40 inquiry into the legality of his detention.
SUN. MARCH 12, 2000: The home of Elizabeth Curley (65) in Bleerick Drive, in the Greystone area of Antrim town, was targeted in an arson attack. A neighbour noticed smoke coming from the flat and raised the alert.
WED. MARCH 15, 2000: Three men were arrested by the RUC who stopped two cars travelling on the A1 dual carriageway near Hillsborough, Co Down. Five hundred pounds of home-made explosives were found in one of the cars.
THURS. MARCH 16, 2000: William Ian Thompson (28), from Breezemount Manor, Hamiltonsbawn, near Armagh appeared at Banbridge magistrate's court charged with possession of arms and explosives and membership of the loyalist death squad the LVF.
FRI. MARCH 17, 2000: Loyalists protesters delayed an Ancient Order of Hibernian's St Patrick's Day parade through Kilkeel, Co Down. A series of bomb alerts disrupted the parade and scuffles broke out between the RUC and the loyalists.
Loyalists attending Corcrain Orange Hall for a St Patrick's Day celebration turned their attentions to the nationalists in the nearby Garvaghy Road, the Lambeg drum pounding as sectarian insults, including derogatory comments about Rosemary Nelson, were shouted across to gathering nationalist youths. Shortly before 6.30pm, the British Army and RUC had mounted an extensive operation involving over a hundred armoured vehicles and several hundred armed Crown force personnel. As tension mounted, angry nationalist youths clashed with RUC men dressed in full riot gear including balaclavas and visors. A nationalist teenager was beaten by a gang of riot clad RUC officers, then dragged into the back of a RUC Landrover where the beating continued. The upper thigh bone of one of his legs was smashed completely from the thigh to his knee. Surgeons operating to save the limb have inserted a pin into his hip and a second in his knee.
SAT. MARCH 18, 2000: Students from Queen's University Belfast leaving Renshaw's Hotel in University Street became involved in a confrontation with the RUC. About 300 students shouted Republican slogans and pelted the RUC, dressed in riot gear, with stones, bottles and bricks. Serious fighting broke out and trees and paving stones were torn up and thrown at the police. Nine people were arrested and charged with public order offences.
MON. MARCH 20, 2000: Francesca Feeney (20) and her 10-month-old baby Rebecca were treated in hospital after a loyalist petrol bomb attack on their home at Glenview cottages, just outside Glenarm near Larne shortly before 1.15am. The device was thrown through the bedroom window they were sleeping in. The window had been first smashed with a brick. Francesca believes her family was targeted because she is Catholic and her partner Protestant. This is the third time the family have been attacked. Francesca Feeney has said it is unlikely that her family will return to their home outside Glenarm.
Four Belfast men -- Gearóid Mag Uaid (36), Joseph Gerard Kearney (41), Kevin Rainey (20) and Michael Ó Coileáin McGrogan (36) were charged at Lisburn magistrate's court charged with possession of explosives with intent to endanger life or property.
TUES. MARCH 21, 2000: Angelo Fusco, who was arrested near his home in Tralee, County Kerry, in January and served with British extradition warrants, was granted bail by the High Court in Dublin. He is fighting an attempt to extradite him to the Six Counties to serve a life sentence imposed for the killing of SAS Captain Herbert Westmacott in 1980. Judge Finnegan granted bail, with conditions, to Fusco on his own bond of £500 and two independent sureties of £5,000 each.
The Orange Order announced that it had received an invitation to march through Dublin city centre and that they would do so on May 28.
Paratrooper Lee Clegg, whose conviction over the deaths of two Belfast teenagers was overturned earlier this year, has been promoted to corporal by the British army. He was jailed for life in 1993 for murdering Karen Reilly (18) and wounding Martin Peake (17) who also died but was released after three years.
THURS. MARCH 23, 2000: Bus Átha Cliath (Dublin Bus) workers began a two-day strike, the first of a series of stoppages in the city.
FRI. MARCH 24, 2000: A 16-year-old youth was attacked as he walked in the grounds in St Gerard's Church, on the Antrim Road, Belfast He was struck on the head before having his arms slashed with a knife.
SAT, MARCH 25, 2000: At the annual meeting of the Ulster Unionist Party David Trimble's leadership was challenged by the Rev Martin Smyth. Trimble got 57% and Smyth 43% of the vote.
TUES. MARCH 28, 2000: Bus Átha Cliath workers started a three-day strike in Dublin.
FRI. MARCH 31, 2000:
A massive search operation was carried out in the Ardowen estate in Craigavon, Co Armagh involving hundreds of members of the Parachute Regiment, RIR and RUC. According to reports gardens, garages and vehicles were searched and the top end of the housing estate was sealed off.
Residents were ordered out of their gardens and told to go indoors. Some 40 military and RUC
vehicles were parked near the nursery school at the top of the estate but left shortly before the children were due to leave the nursery school.
Continue