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On this day

December 18

1781
Politics

December 18, 1781

Yelverton's Act Introduced in Irish Parliament

On December 18, 1781, Barry Yelverton introduced a significant bill in the Irish Parliament, which would later become known as Yelverton's Act. This legislation aimed to amend Poynings' Law, a long-standing statute that had subjected Irish parliamentary legislation to prior approval by the English (and later British) Privy Council. Yelverton's initiative was a crucial step towards greater legislative independence for the Kingdom of Ireland, reflecting the growing assertiveness of the Irish Patriot Party. The act, passed in 1782, marked a temporary but important shift in the constitutional relationship between Ireland and Great Britain.

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1980
Battles

December 18, 1980

First H-Block Hunger Strike Ends

On December 18, 1980, the first H-Block hunger strike in Northern Ireland concluded after 53 days. Seven Irish republican prisoners in Maze Prison (known as Long Kesh) had embarked on the strike to regain Special Category Status, which afforded them political prisoner rights rather than being treated as common criminals. The strike ended following intervention from Cardinal Tomás Ó Fiaich, the Catholic Primate of All Ireland, and promises of concessions from the British government. Although the immediate demands were not fully met, the hunger strike drew significant international attention to the prisoners' plight and the broader conflict in Northern Ireland.

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1983
Battles

December 18, 1983

IRA Bombing at Harrods, London

On December 18, 1983, a car bomb detonated by the Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA) exploded outside Harrods department store in Knightsbridge, London. The attack occurred at lunchtime, a busy period for Christmas shoppers, resulting in the deaths of six people, including three civilians and three police officers, and injuring many more. The IRA claimed responsibility, stating the bombing was a response to British policy in Northern Ireland. This act of terrorism, widely condemned, was part of the IRA's campaign to pressure the British government regarding the status of Northern Ireland during The Troubles.

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