Monarch - Elizabeth II22 January – Report by the Police Ombudsman for Northern Ireland states that the Special Brunch of the then Royal Ulster Constabulary had colluded with loyalist paramilitaries in a number of murders and attempted murders in Northern Belfast between 1989 and 2002.28 January – Special Sinn Féin Ard Fheis approves a motion calling for devolution of policing and justice to the Northern Ireland Assembly and support for the police services.30 January, the Prime Minister confirms that assembly elections will go ahead as planned on 7 March. The 'transitional assembly' is thus dissolved, after which campaigning for the elections begins.7 March – Elections took place for the suspended Northern Ireland Assembly.April – A 100-metre stainless steel 'spire of hope' is installed on St Anne's Cathedral, Belfast.8 May – Power devolved; Northern Ireland Assembly meets; Ian Paisley becomes the second First Minister of Northern Ireland, with Martin McGuinness as Deputy First Minister.8–10 June – First Garden Show Ireland staged, at Hillsborough Castle, launched by Dermot O'Neill.26 June – Former Royal Canadian Mounted Police Assistant Commissioner Al Hutchinson is announced as the successor to Nuala O'Loan as Police Ombudsman for Northern Ireland.28 June – Shaun Woodward MP appointed Secretary of State for Northern Ireland.June – Barbary lion cub is born at Belfast Zoo, the first Barbary lion to be born in Ireland.17 July – Meeting of the North/South Ministerial Council including the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) for the first time.31 July – End of Operation Banner, the British Army deployment in Northern Ireland.30 October – Ryanair starts services from George Best Belfast City Airport.October – Peter Robinson, Minister of Finance, introduces the first draft budget for consultation.5 November – Al Hutchinson takes up the post of Police Ombudsman for Northern Ireland.13 December – IKEA open their first store in Ireland at the Holywood Exchange, Belfast.December – Aer Lingus launch flights from their first base outside the Republic of Ireland at Belfast International Airport.29 December – Nuala O'Loan, former Police Ombudsman for Northern Ireland, is appointed Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire in the New Year Honours 2008.Secretary of State for Northern Ireland - Peter Hain, replaced by Shaun Woodward.First Minister - Ian PaisleyDeputy First Minister - Martin McGuinnessArts and literature
8 February - Writer, broadcaster and journalist, Benedict Kiely, dies.16 February - Maria Eagle, direct rule Arts Minister, announces a "one-off payment" of £150,000 to sustain the Belfast Festival at Queen's for one more year.19 October - The 45th Belfast Festival at Queen's opens with a smaller than usual programme due to lack of funding.18 December - Arts Minister, Edwin Poots, announces a grant of £300,000 over three years for Belfast Festival at Queen's.Malachi O'Doherty's memoir The Telling Year: Belfast 1972 is publishedl.6 January - 30th Belfast International Cross Country Event, Stormont Estate, Belfast.1 February - Armagh International 5k Road Race, The Mall, Armagh.3 February - Northern Ireland and Ulster Cross Country Championships, University of Ulster, Coleraine. Individual winners: Kelly Reid and Brian Campbell.17 February-18 February - Irish Indoor Athletics Championships, Odyssey Arena, Belfast.2007 Cricket World Cup: In a successful world cup debut, the Ireland cricket team qualified from the group stage for the Super 8 stage, notably defeating Pakistan cricket team in the process.
European Championship Qualifiers24 March -
Liechtenstein 1 - 4 Northern Ireland28 March - Northern Ireland 2 - 1 Sweden22 August - Northern Ireland 3 - 1 Liechtenstein8 September -
Latvia 1 - 0 Northern Ireland12 September -
Iceland 2 - 1 Northern Ireland17 October - Sweden 1 - 1 Northern Ireland17 November - Northern Ireland 2 - 1 Denmark21 November -
Spain 1 - 0 Northern IrelandNorthern Ireland came third in the group and failed to qualify.
Other International MatchesNorthern Ireland 0 - 0 Wales (6 February)Setanta CupWinners: Drogheda UnitedIrish LeagueWinners: LinfieldIrish CupWinners: Linfield15 July - Tyrone defeat Monaghan 1-15 to 1-13 in the final of the Ulster Senior Football Championship.8 September - 9 September - Walker Cup takes place at Royal County Down Golf Club, Newcastle, County Down.Pádraig Harrington wins the British Open in Carnoustie, Scotland. Rory McIlroy wins the silver medal for leading amateur. Darren Clarke misses the cut.12 May - North West 20017 August - Ulster Grand Prix, Dundrod.RBS Six Nations Championship4 February - Wales 9 - 19 Ireland11 February - Ireland 17 - 20 France24 February - Ireland 43 - 13 England10 March - Scotland 18 - 19 Ireland17 March -
Italy 24 - 51 IrelandIreland finished in second position in the Championship after
France.
2007 Rugby World CupIreland 32 - 17 NamibiaIreland 14 - 10 GeorgiaIreland 3 - 25 FranceIreland 15 - 30 Argentina3 January - Sir Cecil Walker, Ulster Unionist Member of Parliament for North Belfast (1983–2001), heart attack. (born 1924) 8 January - David Ervine, leader of the Progressive Unionist Party, heart attack leading to stroke and brain haemorrhage. (born 1953).8 February - Benedict Kiely, writer, broadcaster and journalist (born 1919).16 February - Norman Miscampbell, British Conservative Party MP (born 1925).22 February - Miriam Mone, fashion designer (born 1965).2 April - Emma Groves, blinded by a rubber bullet in 1971, became a leading campaigner for banning the use of plastic bullets, co-founder of the United Campaign Against Plastic Bullets (born 1920).12 June - Eamonn Coleman, Gaelic footballer and manager (born 1948).24 June - Derek Dougan, footballer (born 1938).1 August - Tommy Makem, folk musician, artist, poet and storyteller (born 1932).6 September - John Kelly, Sinn Féin Councillor and MLA (born 1936).30 September - Len Graham, footballer (born 1925).17 October - Sammy Duddy, member of the Ulster Political Research Group (born 1945).3 November - Martin Meehan, Sinn Féin politician and former volunteer in the Provisional Irish Republican Army (born 1945).13 November - Alec Cooke, Baron Cooke of Islandreagh, businessman and politician (born 1920).31 December - Tommy Dickson, footballer (born 1929). 