2002 in Northern Ireland

Incumbents

• Monarch – Elizabeth II

  Events

• 9 January – Holy Cross dispute: Confrontations outside Holy Cross Primary School, a Roman Catholic girls' school in the largely Protestant Ardoyne district, during the afternoon school run, explode into widespread sectarian rioting which spreads across north Belfast and continues on 10 January, when the school is closed.
• 14 February – Kilkeel fishing boat The Tullaghmurray Lass is lost with all three crew in the Irish Sea.
• February – West Belfast Task Force recommends creation of the Gaeltacht Quarter, Belfast.
• 14 March – Lisburn and Newry are granted city status.
• 5 April – The first recruits of the new Police Service of Northern Ireland graduate.
• May – May 2002 Belfast riots
• 31 May to 3 June – 2002 Short Strand clashes
• 4 October – "Stormontgate": Denis Donaldson, Sinn Féin’s Northern Ireland Assembly group administrator, and two others are arrested for intelligence-gathering.
• 14 October – The Northern Ireland Assembly and the Executive are suspended by order of the Secretary of State.
• Work is completed on the renovation of the Albert Memorial Clock, Belfast.

  Arts and literature

• David Park's novel The Big Snow is published.
• Richard Dormer's one-man play Hurricane opens at the Old Museum Arts Centre, Belfast.

  Sport

Football

• Irish League
• Irish Cup
• FAI Cup

  Gaelic Athletic Association

• Ulster Senior Football Championship Final
• All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Final

  Golf

• Senior British Open Championship held at Royal County Down Golf Club,.
• Graeme McDowell turns professional and wins that season's Volvo Scandinavian Masters.

  Ice Hockey

• Belfast Giants won the Ice Hockey Superleague championship.

  Deaths

• 8 January – David McWilliams, singer, songwriter and guitarist.
• 26 February – Helen Megaw, crystallographer.
• 19 March – David Beers Quinn, historian.
• 13 April – Desmond Titterington, racing driver.
• 17 May – James Chichester-Clark, Fifth Prime Minister of Northern Ireland.
• 28 August – Jim McFadden, ice hockey player.
• 3 October – John Erritt, Deputy Director of the British Government Statistical Service.
• 17 October - Derek Bell, harpist and composer.