1983 in Northern Ireland

Centuries:	; ; 20th; 21st; ;
Decades:	1960s; 1970s; 1980s; 1990s; 2000s;
See also:	1983 in the United Kingdom; 1983 in Ireland; Other events of 1983; List of years in Northern Ireland;

Events

7 February - The airfield at Sydenham, Belfast, reopens to commercial flights as Belfast Harbour Airport.^[1]
23 May - The Bushmills Distillery in County Antrim celebrates its 375th anniversary.
30 May - The inaugural meeting of the New Ireland Forum takes place at Dublin Castle.
10 June - Gerry Adams of Sinn Féin is elected the new Member of Parliament for West Belfast.
25 September - Maze Prison escape: 38 prisoners, using guns, escape from HM Prison Maze in the largest prison escape in U.K. history; one guard dies of a heart attack and twenty others are injured. Nineteen of the prisoners are apprehended within three days.
21 November - Three elders are shot dead during a service in Darkley Pentecostal Church, County Armagh. The shooting is claimed by the Catholic Reaction Force.^[2]

15 May - Charabanc Theatre Company's first production, Lay Up Your Ends, written by Martin Lynch with Marie Jones and other members of the company, is premiered at The Arts Theatre, Belfast.
9 November - Christina Reid's first play, Tea In A China Cup, is premiered at the Lyric Theatre, Belfast.
Bernard MacLaverty's novel Cal is published.

Winners: Linfield

Winners: Glentoran 1 - 1, 2 - 1 Linfield

Pat Jennings becomes the first footballer to play in 1,000 Football League matches.

20 April - Sarah Makem, traditional singer (born 1900).
4 July - John Bodkin Adams, general practitioner in Eastbourne cleared of murdering one of his patients (born 1899).
21 August - Francis Evans, British diplomat (born 1897).
15 November - John Rea, hammered dulcimer player.
23 December - Colin Middleton, artist (born 1910).