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| 1969, Jan. 1 |
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| In Northern Ireland, Catholic students held a 73-mile civil rights march from Belfast to Londonderry to protest discrimination. They were attacked by Protestant demonstrators. | 1 |
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| Jan. 7–15 |
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| At a meeting of Commonwealth prime ministers in London, there were sharp discussions of British immigration restrictions, as well as of the Rhodesian and Nigerian situations. | 2 |
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| Jan. 17 |
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| A new Trade Union Bill was passed, designed to check wildcat strikes. The government proposed a Permanent Commission on Industrial Relations but, after long and acrimonious discussions, yielded to the pressure from the trade unions and abandoned the bill (June 18) in return for the Trade Union General Council's promise to set up machinery to forestall and control strikes. | 3 |
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| Jan. 27 |
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| The Protestant leader Paisley was sentenced to three month's imprisonment for actions against Catholics in Northern Ireland. | 4 |
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| Feb. 27 |
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| Victory of the Unionists in Northern Ireland (the ruling party since 1921; advocates of the Union of Ireland and Great Britain), but there was a heavy vote for Paisley and the Protestant extremists. | 5 |
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| April |
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| Franchise extended to 18-year-olds. | 6 |
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| April 20 |
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| Major religious conflicts in Belfast and Londonderry, following the election to parliament of Bernadette Devlin, a fiery 22-year-old Catholic leader. On the request of the Belfast government, the British government decided to send troops to help guard key utilities. | 7 |
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| April 23 |
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| The Northern Ireland government accepted the demand for universal adult suffrage in local elections, thus breaking the power of Protestant minorities in some localities. | 8 |
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| April 28 |
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| Resignation of Prime Minister Terence O'Neill of Northern Ireland, who was succeeded (May 1) by Major James Chichester-Clark. | 9 |
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| Aug. 2–4 |
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| Huge riots in Belfast, the worst in 30 years, were followed by similar disturbances in Londonderry and other towns. Rejecting Ireland's peace-force bid, British troops took control over Ulster security and urged reforms. | 10 |
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| Aug. 18 |
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| Conferences held between British prime minister Wilson and Prime Minister Chichester-Clark of Northern Ireland. It was decided that a British commander should assume control of security and that the largely Protestant part-time security force should be phased out. The British government was to have a voice in Northern Ireland's affairs and press for further reforms. | 11 |
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| Dec. 18 |
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| The British Parliament voted to abolish the death penalty. | 12 |
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