Conn & Patricia McCluskey KEY PERSONALITIES Conn & Patricia McCluskey

Background Both Catholics, Dr. Conn and Patricia McCluskey lived in Dungannon, Co. Tyrone. They played an important role in highlighting the widespread discrimination against Catholics, especially in the area of Public Housing.

Dungannon Dungannon, where the McCluskeys lived, was one of those councils where there was blatant (very obvious) discrimination. The population of the town was evenly balanced between Catholics and Protestants. However, because of gerrymandering (see previous notes), 14 Protestants were elected to the Council and only 7 Catholics.

Homeless Citizens League (HCL) Conn & Patricia McCluskey founded the Homeless Citizens League in May 1963. The HCL decided on Direct Action to bring the issue of housing to a head. It staged protests and organised Squatting (occupying houses illegally). This echoed the sit-ins organised by Blacks in America, where they were not allowed to sit in certain parts of restaurants, etc. Soon the McCluskeys were asked by other Nationalists in N. Ireland to help them organise protests of their own.

Campaign for Social Justice in N. Ireland (CSJNI) As the campaign spread beyond Dungannon, the McCluskys set up the Campaign for Social Justice in N. Ireland in Jan. 1964. This organisation was strongly influenced by the Black Civil Rights Movement in the USA. Like the American Civil Rights Movement, the aim of the CSJNI was to campaign peacefully for Civil Rights for Catholics in N. Ireland.

The CSJNI Campaign The CSJNI ignored Stormont and concentrated its efforts on Westminster MP’s. This was because Section 75 of the Government of Ireland Act stated that the Westminster Parliament was supreme over all matters in N. Ireland. They launched a letter-writing campaign to the new British Prime Minister, Sir Alec Douglas Hume and to the leader of the Labour Party Harold Wilson.

Northern Ireland – The Plain Truth This was the name of the booklet published by the McCluskeys and which was presented to MP’s in Westminster. It outlined the many forms of discrimination in operation against Catholics in N. Ireland. Patricia McCluskey explained this “London-centred” approach when she said….:

“We cannot remember a time in their 40 years of rule when Unionists have conceded anything of importance which the opposition in Stormont asked for. Therefore we decided that all our resources should be given over to publicity outside of Ireland.”

Wilson becomes Prime Minister In 1964, the Labour Party came to Power in the UK and Harold Wilson became PM. Wilson was sympathetic to the CSJNI. However, although Wilson was sympathetic to the Catholic plight in N. Ireland, once in power he did not want to get bogged down in the affairs of the North, and so there was no real change in policy towards N. Ireland. The efforts of the McCluskeys led to the establishment of the Northern Ireland Civil Rights Association (NICRA) in 1967.