1968 AD

                                             "Campaign for Social Justice  - Civil Rights Association - People's Democracy Association / Young Socialist Alliance - Derry Citizen's Action Committee."                                      

1968 AD In the 6 Counties "artificially partitioned" from the 9 Counties in the Ulster Province by the British Imperial Coalition Government and still under the control of the Ascendancy "Official" Unionist Stormont Government. the population there were in principal supposed to be all British citizens with the same rights as the people in Britain, but those in the Ascendancy authority there had been allowed to treat the Catholic Irish population "however they liked" with no restraint from those in the British Labour Government also, under Harold Wilson in Britain. Things were finally coming to a "head," as the people there could take no more of the ongoing Ascendancy's blatant continuing "sectarianism and ethnic oppression" and owing to the original programme begun there by the "Campaign for Social Justice" who always sought recourse for "Constitutional" reform through proof of "statistics," some of what they had found out came under the jurisdiction of Austin Currie, a young Irish Nationalist M.P. who was now one of the "Opposition" Nationalist  M.P.'s sitting in the "Official" Unionist "dominated" Stormont Parliament in Belfast and he publicly advised them of the situation that had applied since 1945 up until the present time. There was definite "statistical proof" that the Unionists in control in the local Dungannon area had allocated 71 % of all the "housing" to non - Catholics despite the fact that the Catholic Irish in the area made up 53 % of the population, which meant they had only received 29 % of the"housing" there, and although he now raised this "blatant unfair" issue in the Stormont Parliament it received "no action" or re - action from those in there who were in overall authority. Despite this, it was now out in the "open" and publicly recorded for all to see, who were concerned in any way, and also as to employment there, although overall the Catholic Irish were 1/3 of the population, at the shipbuilding firm of Harland & Wolfe only a token 100 were employed out of a work force of 10,000.

    All the heads of the Derry Council in Co. Derry, which was predominantly a Catholic Irish area, were all Unionists although the Catholic Irish there were holding down 33 % of the jobs, and in the Public Service the Catholic Irish were holding only 11 % of the positions although they were 1/3 of the overall population there also.

January 8th: The "Anti - Treaty IRA" at this time was at it's "lowest ebb," but were still active in the Irish Land Leagues and such similar associations throughout Ireland.

April - May: The new Kinvard Park Housing Estate at Caledon in one of the 6 Counties "artificially partitioned" by the British Imperial Coalition Government in the Ulster Province and still under British Government  control and the Ascendancy "Official" Unionst Stormont Government had a majority non - Catholic population where the Irish Catholic Mac Kennas had moved into the "vacant" No 9 and the Irish Catholic Goodfellows into the "vacant" No 11 where they had in desperation "squatted" into the premises there after "encouragement" by Austin Currie their local Catholic Irish Nationalist M.P. in the Stormont Parliament, as a protest against the Unionist controlled Council who "denied" houses to the Catholic Irish there. 

June: No. 9 was "allocated" to an "unmarried" Emily Beattie a 19 year old girl who worked for the local Unionist Council lawyer who was also trying to obtain the seat in Co. Armagh one of these 6 Counties.

June 18th: The Irish Catholic Goodfellows were physically "thrown out" of No.11, which was by now covered by the Press and also shown on the T.V. 

June 19th: Austin Currie the local Irish Nationalist M.P. again raised this "unfair" housing issue also in the Ascendancy "Official" Unionist controlled Stormont Parliament where he was told by John Taylor, the hard line "Official" Unionist, that he was wasting everybody's time and he was also then "physically thrown out" of the "Official" Unionist controlled Stormont Parliament, so he went to No. 9 personally and "occupied" the house himself where he was then served with a writ and then thrown out "physically" from there again into the street by an Ascendancy "Official" Unionist R.U.C. policeman who turned out to be Miss Beattie's brother and the whole affair was also reported and shown on T.V., which now brought "mass protests." The following Saturday, 2,500 Irish Catholics accompanied by a group of non - Catholics and students from Co. Derry, Co. Fermanagh and Co. Tyrone another 3 of these Counties protested by carrying out a "march" in the rain while singing, " We will overcome."     

     Bernadette Josephine Devlin, (later on Mac Aliskey) from Co. Tyrone in Central Ulster, one of these 6 Counties, who had been educated at Queen's University in Belfast, became a member of the "Civil Rights Association," and the Peoples Democracy Association who were a "Left Wing" group concerned with Civil Rights with "no military wing" and little "public support," made up of students from the Queen's University in Belfast.

    In the meantime the "Official" Sinn Fein Party / Republican Clubs were not so involved in the "south" and were now called the Worker's Party committed to "Socialism" and "opposed" to terrorism as their "military wing" had been done away with.

August: A further attempt was now made to obtain normal "Civil Rights" from the Ascendancy "Official" Unionist controlled Government in the Stormont Parliament in Belfast in Co. Antrim one of the 6 Counties as the "Civil Rights Association" held their "first" march "peacefully" with over 3,000 people who were both Catholic and non - Catholic attending, going from Coalisland to the town of Dungannon, while 1500 Unionists who were against the Catholic Irish receiving their "normal civil rights," who were "egged on" by the religious fanatic and hard - liner the Rev. Ian Paisley's Unionist Volunteers / U.V.F. held a meeting nearby intending to bring about "confrontation," and the Ascendancy "Official" Unionist R.U.C. police to avoid this occurring, on this occasion, ensured the two bodies were kept "separated." The Rev. Ian Paisley who had by now built up a "hard - core" following to suite his particular agendas, of 10,000 or more, had begun a campaign also against Terence O Neill the "Official" Unionist Prime Minister there in the 6 Counties, and was backed up by his second in command, Ronald Bunting, who was the actual commandant of the Paisleyite U.V.F. / Ulster Volunteer Force, which included members from the Ascendancy "Official" Unionist "B" Special Reserve police and both had also founded another body, the Constitution Defence Committee / CDC. The Rev. Ian Paisley, the "leader" of his own Independent Free Presbyterian Church group, that had no connection with the real "Presbyterian Church," had already served a prison "sentence" for leading a previous march through an Irish Catholic area in Belfast, causing a "riot."

August: In the Irish Republic a Bill to do away with "Proportional Representation," similar to the one previously put forward by Eamonn de Valera for the first past the post method, was "rejected once again" by a referendum of the voters there in Eire, just as it had been in 1959.

    Edward Mac Lysaght the Chief Herald of the Irish "Office of Arms," died at the grand old age of 98 years and 4 months, and had been originally born on his way to Australia to a family from Co. Clare in the north - west of the Munster Province, and on his return to Ireland he had later on became the "Chief Genealogical Officer" and Keeper of Manuscripts at the Irish National Library in the Irish Republic.

October: The Civil Rights members in the 6 Counties "artificially partitioned" from the 9 Counties in the Ulster Province that were still under the control of the Ascendancy "Official" Unionist Stormont Government there intended to demonstrate their demand for "Democracy" and their "Civil Rights" once again, and this time they were to march to the City of Derry, which openly symbolised to all the actual "social injustices" that were carried out in the north, as the majority population there in that city were Irish Catholics and the statistics of the "blatant gerrymandering" carried out there stood out for all to see. The non - Catholic Apprentice Boys Association was inspired to create further confrontation, after they had learnt of the "Civil Rights" members intention to "march" and they too decided to hold a march also along the same route.

October 3rd:  Although the "Civil Rights Association" in these 6 Counties in the Ulster Province were to be led by a non - Catholic Ivar Cooper and a Catholic John Hume they were "banned" by William Craig the Ascendancy "Official" Unionist Stormont Government's Minister for Home Affairs.

October 5th: Despite the ban 2,000 Civil Rights marchers assembled at the Waterside area on the east bank of the River Foyle intending to march over to Derry City, and when they reached the Craigavon Bridge the Ascendancy "Official Unionist R.U.C. police and their "B. Specials," carrying "guns" in their holsters, "barred" their way and told them to "disperse" and as they retraced their steps, another body of "Official" Unionist R.U.C. police also "barred" their way, who then carried out a "baton charge" on the "Civil Rights" marchers, and all of this "unconcealed" violence was to be reported once again and especially seen on the T.V. in England for the "first time." (This further introduced the British general population there in Britain as to what was really "going on" in the north - east of Ireland). The Ascendancy "Official" Unionist R.U.C. police were seen "blatantly and violently" attacking the peaceful Civil Rights marchers, which included many student "girls," while Gerry Fitt the Independent Labour M.P. who sat in the Westminster Parliament, also received a "cut" on his head and the T.V. viewers in England were also "amazed to see" the marchers were carrying signs calling for, "One man, One vote," as they had no idea that any such "discrimination" actually occurred in a British Government occupied state. 87 other people were also injured beside Gerry Fitt who was still bleeding when he was interviewed on T.V. that night as the "Official" Unionist R.U.C. police carried out many "arrests" of the Civil Rights marchers, including Bernadette Devlin one of the University students, although she was one of those who had been under "attack" and they "charged" her with 4 offences, including riotous behaviour and incitement and she was given 6 months "imprisonment" on each count to run concurrently, to which she was to naturally appeal.  

      The "Civil Rights Association" was to now also "split" into 2 groups, with the moderates in Derry under John Hume's leadership forming the "Derry Citizen's Action Committee" to try and still use "peaceful" democratic means to bring about Civil Rights in these 6 Counties "artificially partitioned from the 9 Counties in the Ulster Province, which were still under the control of the Ascendancy "Official" Unionist Stormont Government, while the more militant Civil Rights group was to then form around the "People's Democracy Association," based on the younger Queen's University students who were also demanding their "equal democratic right to jobs," the right to one man one vote, and the right to housing, while Gerry Fitt the Westminster Independent Labour M.P. was "warning" anyone who would listen that the 6 Counties "artificially partitioned" in Ulster Province were on the brink of Civil War.

November 4th: The effect of the Ascendancy "Official" Unionist R.U.C. police's brutality that was blatantly carried out on the Civil Rights marchers for all to see finally brought a reaction from Harold Wilson the British Labour Prime Minister, who requested the attendance of the Ascendancy "Official" Unionist leaders, Terence O Neill, Brian Faulkner and William Craig in London whom he told to introduce "reforms" into these 6 Counties "artificially partitioned" from the 9 Counties in the Ulster Province, that were still under their control, "immediately." Terence O Neill was ready to "resign," but Harold Wilson and James Callaghan the British Minister for Home Affairs got him to stay on and he then then came out "publicly" and stated that "housing reform" was going to occur, and that the Unionist Derry Corporation was to be "suspended and replaced" by a Development Commission. There was also going to be an appointment of an "Ombudsman," and he was intending to do away with the "blatant property owning right" of the Company "vote" for an individual to have up to 6 votes, while the Special Powers Act would be reviewed, which "never" happened and there was to be an uneasy lull over the following weeks in these 6 Counties in Ulster Province as everyone waited for some "reforms" to occur.

       The moderates, in these 6 Counties in Ulster Province, such as those under John Hume, were pleased that something might soon be done to bring about "reform" there, and to this end they wanted to give Terence O Neill the Ascendancy "Official" Unionist Prime Minster in these 6 Counties in Ulster breathing space, but the others, such as the Queen's University student's group, were not so easily "convinced" that the road ahead was going to be made any easie, while the hard - line Unionists on the other hand were "not pleased" with any such talk of "reform," and the Paisleyites under the leadership of the extremist the Rev. Ian Paisley were angry at even the mention of any Civil Rights at all for the Irish Catholic population, as they saw it as giving in to "illegal" protests.

     Meanwhile, the "Civil Rights Association" stopped their activity to await the introduction of the promising reforms, and Terence O Neill was receiving no great opposition from his own Ascendancy "Official" Unionist Party who knew now they had to face the inevitable, except for the real hard - liner Unionists led by Sir William Craig who "denounced" all of the "reforms," while the Attorney - General also stated that all summonses from October and November issued by the Ascendancy "Official" Unionist R.U.C. police in these 6 Counties in the Ulster Province were to be adjourned until May 1969 and William Fitz Simmons the "Official" Unionist Minister for Development also "resigned" from the Orange Order.

     The Rev. Ian Paisley, the hard - line religious extremist, who was the leader of his Independent Free Presbyterian Church group, was now to be "imprisoned" for obstructing the Civil Rights march previously where there had been many people "injured," but no deaths, and it was to lead on to a weekend of "rioting" then being carried out on the Catholic Irish Bogside region, which was an Irish Nationalist area.

November 8th: A local branch of the "Civil Rights Association" was also formed in Armagh in Co. Armagh in the south- east of the Ulster Province, another of the 6 Counties "artificially partitioned" from the 9 Counties in the Ulster Province, as they considered Terence O Neill was still offering very little by way of "reform," as there was no sign of "one man one vote," or any other "reforms" really occurring by now and they gave notice of their intention to the Ascendancy "Official" Unionist R.U.C. police to hold a "protest" march on the 30th November, and the local Orange Order and the Unionists now also wanted it "banned," as they had banned an intended march there the previous Easter, but this time they did not interfere.

November 19th: Douglas Hutchinson a local non - Catholic leader who was accompanied by his compatriot, the Rev. Ian Paisley, demanded the Ascendancy "Official" Unionist R.U.C. police "ban" the march or else, and warnings were placed in the letter boxes in Armagh in Co. Armagh by the Constitution Defence Committee / CDC and their leader Major Ronald Bunting an associate of the extremist the Rev. Ian Paisley who was determined to hold a march through the Irish Catholic area of Armagh in opposition to their "Civil Rights Association" march on the same day.

November 22nd: A 5 Point "reform" in the 6 Counties "artificially partitioned" from the 9 Counties in the Ulster Province was still being touted, but had "not been" introduced as yet.

November 23rd: There was to be further trouble in Dungannon in Co. Tyrone, another of the 6 Counties "artificially partitioned" from the 9 Counties in the Ulster Province, when the "People's Democracy Association" held a meeting in a Market Square restaurant, where the non - Catholics there tried to "break it up" using physical force while the Ascendancy "Official" Unionist R.U.C. police just stood by and did nothing to stop them.

November 30th: 1a.m. The Rev. Ian Paisley, the hard - line religious fanatic, and his right hand man, Major Ronald Bunting, drove into Armagh in Co. Armagh in the south - east of the Ulster Province and parked their car there and at 8 a.m. the Ascendancy "Official" Unionist R.U.C. police opened up the road blocks intending to remove arms from anyone coming in, but soon the crowd around the Rev. Ian Paisley was swelling with "weapons" and by 11a.m. the route the Civil Rights marchers intended to take was "blocked" by a truck and 1,000 Paisley's followers converged on Market Square in the centre of the Civil Rights course, and the "Official" Unionist R.U.C. police erected blockades to keep them apart. Meanwhile, outside of Armagh 5,000 Civil Rights marchers had set off on their march, but were "stopped" at the "Official" Unionist R.U,.C police blockade, where they then held their meeting until 5 p.m. and then "dispersed," while a minor battle was to occur near the Catholic Cathedral in the city centre. The hard - line religious and ethnic extremist Rev. Ian Paisley who had his own particular "agenda" from now on was to continue to be on the "offensive" at all times during the Civil Rights rallies and along with his right hand man, Major Ronald Bunting, he was to be "charged" with "unlawful assembly" over this and he was to become even "more" inflammatory as time went by.  

December 4th: The "Civil Right Committee" meeting now held at Dungannon in Co. Tyrone in Central Ulster Province was also "attacked."

December 9th: Terence O Neill the Prime Minister of the Ascendancy "Official" Unionist Stormont Government in these 6 Counties under his control in the Ulster Province made a speech on T.V. stating that control of the 6 Counties were at the "crossroads," and he appealed for the opportunity to bring in "reform" to stop the "violence and disruption" as the British Imperial Labour Government was by now continually "subsidizing" these 6 Counties "artificially partitioned" by them from the 9 Counties in the Ulster Province to the tune of 100,000,000 pounds a year, so there could now be no "unilateral declaration of independence" by those in the "Ascendancy" who the British Imperial Government had originally put in there with "total" authority.

December 10th: George Forrest an "Official" Unionist M.P. in Central Ulster, died, and this created a "vacancy" for his previous position in the British Westminster Parliament.

December 11th: Terence O Neill the Prime Minister in the Ascendancy "Official" Unionist Stormont Government now felt that he could safely take on Sir William Craig the "Official" Unionist hardliner, who he now "dismissed" from the Stormont Government for making "unilateral declaration of independence" remarks, winning a vote of confidence in doing so from his "Official" Unionist Party themselves and 135,000 persons signed petitions endorsing his move and because of this the moderates in the "Civil Rights Association" now felt that Terence O Neill would surely soon bring about some "reforms" in the 6 Counties in Ulster Province still under his control.

December 14th: The Rev. Ian Paisley, the hard - line religious extremist, who was the leader of his Independent Free Presbyterian Church group, tried to turn the return of the Clyde Valley, a gun running ship, into a drama in the 6 Counties in these Ulster Province, without any success.  

     The Civil Right's march set down by the "People's Democracy Association" for this date was called off after Terence O Neill announced he would bring in "new" measures.

December 18th: The non - Catholic Apprentice Boys at Derry in Co. Derry one of the 6 Counties were to hold one of their ceremonies there without any "incident."

December 20th: The "People's Democracy Association" / Young Socialist Alliance now under Michael Farrell, Loudon Seth and Kevin Boyle announced a Civil Rights march across the north - east of the Ulster Province from Queen's University to begin on January 1st to the 4th January from Belfast to the City of Derry, a journey of 75 miles, and Captain William Long now the Ascendancy "Official" Unionist Minister for Home Affairs in the Stormont Parliament tried to talk them out of it, while the "Derry Citizen's Action Committee" said they would meet them at the "other end" of their journey, and the moderate "Civil Rights Association" gave monetary support only, and Eddie Mac Ateer the leader of the Irish Nationalist "Opposition" in the Stormont Parliament was not "too happy" about it at all.

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