Stormont was abolished and Direct Rule from Westminster was introduced in March 1972 , just six weeks after Bloody Sunday , when the Unionist government refused to hand over responsibility for law and order to Westminster . In its 50-year history , only one piece of legislation was passed that was introduced by a Nationalist member , The Wild Birds Protection Act . In October 1971 , as the Troubles worsened , Gerard Newe had been appointed as a junior minister at Stormont , in an attempt to improve community relations . Fifty years after it came into existence , Newe was the first Catholic to serve in a Northern Ireland government , but because he was neither an MP nor a Senator , his appointment could last only six months
Bloody Sunday
Bloody Sunday (1972)
Parliament of Northern Ireland