1. THE CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT

2. By the 1960’s, Catholics were beginning to break new ground in N
By the 1960’s, Catholics were beginning to break new ground in N. Ireland.
A new generation of middle-class Catholics was emerging.
Catholics such as John Hume, Austin Currie and Bernadette Devlin had benefited from free secondary and third-level education as a result of the British Welfare State.
They were no longer prepared to accept second-class citizenship, like previous generations of Catholics.

3. Breakthrough
In 1966, Gerry Fitt broke the Unionist hold on Westminster seats when he won the West Belfast seat for the Republican Labour Party.
Fitt made many friends in Harold Wilson’s Labour Government in London and highlighted the plight of Catholics in N. Ireland.
Because of things like this, and following on from the work of the McCluskey’s, the Northern Ireland Civil Rights Association (NICRA) was formed in 1967.

4. NICRA NICRA had 5 basic demands: One person, One Vote.
The redrawing of electoral boundaries and an end to gerrymandering.
Laws against all forms of discrimination.
The end of the Special Powers Act.
An end to the B-Specials.

5. The Civil Rights Assoc. was very much influenced by the success of the Black Civil Rights Assoc. in the USA, led by Martin Luther King.
NICRA was now using a new approach; no longer was there a call for the ending of Partition;
Instead NICRA said that if Catholics were citizens of the UK, then they were entitled to the same rights as everyone else in the UK.

7. Dawn of The Troubles
The “spark” which began The Troubles in N. Ireland happened in the village of Caledon, near Dungannon in Co. Tyrone.
In 1968, two Catholic families were denied a house by the local Council.
Instead the house was given to a year old unmarried Protestant girl.
Austin Currie successfully raised the matter in the Council and again at Stormont.

8. After a heated debate at Stormont, Currie was ordered to leave the chamber.
He then went to Caledon and occupied the house in protest.
He was later evicted by the RUC.
The incident gained widespread publicity and thousands attended a public rally a few days later.

10. The First March
NICRA staged its first public protest-march on 24th Aug
They marched from Coalisland to Dungannon, in order to highlight discrimination in housing.
This was the first Civil Rights March held in N. Ireland.
The marchers sang the anthem of the American Civil Rights Movement: “We Shall Overcome”.

11. About 2000 people took part and this was joined by more when it reached Dungannon.
In response, Ian Paisley led 1500 Loyalist demonstrators to confront them in Dungannon.
The RUC kept the 2 groups apart and the occasion passed off without violence.
However, this pattern of demonstration and counter-demonstration would be repeated many times.

12. The Second March
The Derry Housing Action Committee (DHAC), which had been formed in March of 1968, invited NICRA to hold a similar march in Derry.
The march happened on Oct. 5th 1968.
This march proved to be a turning point for N. Ireland.
The march was banned by the Minister for Home Affairs, William Craig.
The reason he gave was it would clash with a separate march taking place at the same time and over the same route, organised by the Apprentice Boys of Derry.
However, this march had only been organised by the Apprentice Boys after they heard about the planned Civil Rights March!

13. Despite the ban, the march went ahead.
The RUC used water cannons and police batons on the peaceful marchers.
Gerry Fitt MP had invited 3 Labour MP’s from Britain to observe the march.
Fitt himself was one of the many marchers badly beaten by the police.
Teams of journalists witnessed these incidents and within 24 hours RTE footage of the attacks was being shown all over the world.
N. Ireland & in particular Derry was now an international news story.