6 January – The Ulster Defence Association (UDA) confirms that all weaponry under its control has been put verifiably beyond use.[1]
8 January
PSNI Constable Peadar Heffron is seriously injured as a bomb explodes under his car in Randalstown. Dissident republicans are blamed for the attack.[2][3]
20 January – Talks between Sinn Féin and the DUP about the devolution of policing and justice powers to the Northern Ireland administration come to an end.[5]
23 January – The Sinn Féin party executive meets to discuss the talks position.[6]
26 January – The two Prime Ministers remain in the Hillsborough Castle talks and all-party discussions begin.[8]
27 January – The two Prime Ministers leave without an agreement being reached, giving the parties 48 hours to reach agreement, otherwise the governments would publish plans for moving the political process forward.[9]
31 January
Talks, which have continued all week, break for the day with reports of "considerable progress" having been made.[10]
At the annual Bloody Sunday commemoration march, the victims' families call for the immediate release of the delayed Saville Inquiry report.[11]
February
3 February – Peter Robinson resumes his role as First Minister, but has yet to convince his party to accept a deal.[12]
5 February – Justice and policing powers are to be devolved to Northern Ireland's power-sharing government from 12 April 2010 following agreement between Sinn Féin and the DUP, endorsed by the presence of the British and Irish Prime Ministers.[13][14]
6 February – Mark Durkan delivers his final address to the SDLP as party leader at its annual conference in Newcastle, County Down, where a new leader will be elected.[15]
7 February – The SDLP elect Margaret Ritchie (current Minister for Social Development) as new party leader, making her the first female leader of a major NI party.[16]
19 February – A mortar bomb is abandoned near a police station in Keady, supposedly by Dissident republicans, leading to a long security alert.[17]
22 February – A car bomb weighing up to 250 lbs explodes outside Newry Courthouse damaging buildings. No-one is killed or injured; dissident republicans are blamed for the attack.[18]
March
9 March – A cross-community vote on devolving policing and justice powers is to be held in the NI Assembly, it is announced.[13]
14 November – Sinn Féin president Gerry Adams announces that he plans to step down as an MP and Stormont assembly member to stand for election in the Irish Republic.[20]
December
29 December – Thousands of bottles of water are sent to Northern Ireland by the Scottish Government to help supply households cut off from mains supplies.[21]
Arts and literature
26 January
A blue plaque is unveiled at Montrose Street South, Ballymacarrett, Belfast, the location of the house in which playwright Sam Thompson was born, on the 50th anniversary of the first performance of his controversial play Over The Bridge.[22]
