1969 AD - 1 January

                                                                                                                                "Fianna Fail Party -  Civil Rights Marchs."  

1969 AD  In the Irish Republic the political Fianna Fail Party that was now under the leadership of Jack Lynch won the "General Elections" gaining 2 further seats, giving them an overall majority," and Frank Aiken the long serving member of the Fianna Fail Party "retired" as their Minister for External Affairs, while the Irish Labour Party had put up 99 candidates and received an "increase" also in their vote in the Dublin area, but lost 3 of their previous seats in the "rural" areas.

     Eamonn de Valera was to be elected the President of Ireland "again" by the majority of the Irish population until 1973.

     The political Fine Gael Party, who were the "Opposition" in the Irish Republic, elected Dr. Garret Fitz Gerald as their new "leader. "

     Industrial Exports in the Irish Republic had also exceeded Agricultural Exports for the first time this year.

January: In the 6 Counties "artificially partitioned" from the 9 Counties in the Ulster Province still under the control of the British Government and the "Official" Unionist Ascendancy Government, the British Military Forces now had only 1 Brigade, 3 Battalions and 1 armoured car.

    The Ascendancy "Official " Unionist R.U.C. Central Headquarters at Knock issued  a recommendation that they should "disarm," but it was "ignored," and later on they kept a low profile until they were to join in with the British Military Forces on their patrols.

     The "Peoples Democracy Association" who were still out to bring about "reform" in these 6 Counties in the Ulster Province was made up mostly of "students" from Queen's University, and among their young leaders were Michael Farrell and Bernadette Devlin who had decided to carry out another Civil Rights march from Belfast to Derry over 4 days to keep the pressure on Terence O Neill the Ascendancy "Official" Unionist Prime Minister in the Stormont Parliament in Co. Antrim to live up to his previous promises to bring about "reform." They were hoping to conjole him in to bringing forward the few Civil Rights that had been previously nominated, as soon as possible, as any "reform" in these 6 Counties under the Ascendancy "Official" Unionists was always given "grudgingly," without goodwill, and due to this long time negative attitude it always took longer then necessary, if at all, and the students were also pushing for their simple "rights" that should have also already existed under British Common Law, (One Man One Vote), which was by the way "not included" in his previous proposed "reforms."

     Their Civil Rights march was to be over 75 mile from Belfast to Derry, and 60 of the "students" turned up early in the morning outside of the Belfast City Hall, and at 9.a.m. they set off accompanied by the Ascendancy "Official"" Unionist R.U.C. police, who kept directing them onto "detours" to which they objected strongly and Major Ronald Bunting and his Paisleyite followers were to also be allowed to walk "ahead" of them shouting out "abuse" until they eventually considered that they had done enough in this regard to "antagonize" the Civil Rights marchers and they then vacated the scene. The numbers of the people who were involved in the Civil Rights march quickly grew to 100 as they arrived at Templepatrick, where on approaching the town of Antrim in Co. Antrim their main antagonist Major Ronald Bunting was already there waiting for them on the bridge with his Paisleyite followers "banging away" on their Lambeg drum and instead the Ascendancy "Official" Unionist R.U.C. police then formed a firm line in "front" of the Civil Rights marchers, and the marchers then had to ask the "Official" Unionist R.U.C. police to let them through, but they "refused" to do so, and the Civil Rights marchers were then "loaded into the "Official" Unionist R.U.C. police tenders and taken to a "hall" on the other side of Antrim for the night. During the march, the Civil Rights marchers had been constantly "confronted" by a disruptive agitated large crowd, but despite this they were to finally carry it out without too much further trouble, as the "Official" Unionist R.U.C. police this time kept out of it. 

January 2nd: The Civil Rights march being carried out by the "People's Democracy Association" and their supporters to try and ensure that "reforms" were actually going to be brought in, in these 6 Counties in the Ulster Province was now continued on across Co. Antrim, after being "re - routed" by the "Official" Unionist R.U.C. police there, and were by now coming up against further confrontation as their main antagonist Major Ronald Bunting and his Paisleyite followers were increasing in numbers and were also carrying "weapons," and were always there "ahead" of them first, with their onging "verbal abuse," and the "Official" Unionist R.U.C. police always "refused" to shift them out of the way. James Chichester - Clark the Ascendancy "Official"" Unionist Stormont Minister for Agriculture also appeared on the scene with his brother, Robyn Chichester - Clark, who was also an "Official" Unionist M.P., and they "supported" the "Official" Unionist R.U.C. police for re - routing the marchers and for not "removing" the abusive Paisleyites, and there was by now massive Press and T.V. coverage of the events that were now occurring. Local Irish Catholics along the way were also "joining in" with the Civil Rights marchers, and by night time they all came to a stop near Maghera at a hall there, where 1,000 of the Paisleyite followers "attacked" the village of Maghera itself, smashing windows, and damaging the "shops and houses" there, while the Paisleyites also demanded that James Chichester - Clark stop the Civil Rights march and have it "re - routed" around the town, so he contacted Captain William Long the Ascendancy"Official" Unionist Stormont Minister for Home Affairs.

January 3rd: The "Official" Unionist R.U.C police now "prevented" the Civil Rights marchers from going through the town, and made them go instead through Glenshane Pass towards Dungiven, and by this time there were to be 500 marchers in the Civil Rights group when they were to arrive in Dungiven, were Michael Farrell the Civil Rights leader addressed them, stating that all they were seeking were normal Civil Rights for all of the population in these 6 Counties that were still under the control of the Ascendancy "Official" Unionist Stormont Government. The Civil Rights marchers then set out for the town of Feeney, but after about a mile the "Official" Unionist R.U.C police tried to stop them from proceeding any further, but they pushed on through their line until they reached the town of Claudy and Captain William Long the Ascendancy "Official" Unionist Minister of Home Affairs now appeared on T.V. together with the 2 hard - line extremists, the Rev. Ian Paisley and Major Ronald Bunting, and later that night both the Rev. Ian Paisley and Ronald Bunting spurred on the non - Catholics in Derry at the Guild hall to" Stop the Catholic onslaught on Derry," John Hume, and the Civil Rights non - Catholic leader Ivor Cooper along with Eamonn Mac Cann tried to "settle down" all of the people there who were also waiting to greet the marchers when they arrived into Derry, who by now were well aware that the Paisleyites had been blocking the Civil Rights marchers along the way and in response to their continuing intimidating actions they had since "surrounded" the Guild hall there and also those who had gathered together inside the hall in "opposition" to the Civil Rights, march came out of the hall, and the "Official " Unionist R.U.C. police then tried to "separate" these 2 opposition groups, and "matters" were to become a little edgy in Derry City during the night. 

     Meanwhile the "Anti - Civil Rights" group who were among the Paisleyites met at the Killaloo Orange Hall outside of Claudy in Co. Derry were they made preparations to "confront" the Civil Rights marchers "again" the next day, getting together truckloads of bottles and stones, which they "dumped" along the side of the roadway where the Civil Rights marchers would have to pass by while Major Ronald Bunting the Paisleyite leader in the meantime had gathered together all of his Paisleyite followers to carry out their intended plan to "derail" the Civil Rights march.

January 4th: The Ascendancy "Official" Unionist R.U.C. police stopped the Civil Rights marchers once again at Cumber Church, and warned them that Major Ronald Bunting and his Paisleyites were waiting for them to appear, and 40 "Official"" Unionist R.U.C. police then went ahead, and there were by now 350 of the Anti - Civil Rights Unionists there waiting for them to appear, who were wearing "white arm bands," who were now under the outright control personally of the Rev. Ian Paisley who was their "real leader," the hard - line religious fanatic with his U.V.F / Ulster Volunteer Force. They then began to carry out their planned "attack" as the Civil Rights marchers approached, who were being led by Betty Sinclair who was their non - Catholic "Chairman," As they reached the Burntollet Bridge over the River Faughan, situated 7 mile out from Derry, the Paisleyites now under the direct leadership of the fanatical Rev. Ian Paisley pelted the Civil Rights marchers with "stones, sticks and bottles," and also began attacking them "physically" with "nail - studded clubs, iron bars and crow bars." As the terrified Civil Rights marchers began to flee from this intended perpertrated violence that was now being carried out on them, they were also "seized" and "kicked badly" by the other Anti - Civil Rights protagonists, and there was soon "blood" everywhere, and to "add" to their misery among their attackers also at this point were also members of the Ascendancy "Official" Unionist R.U.C. "B" Special police. The other "Official" Unionist R.U.C. police who were also on duty at the scene made "no attempt" to stop this bloody onslaught on the Civil Rights marchers and the T.V. crew who were present during the march were "recording" all of this turmoil and brutality on film, including the actions of those "Official" Unionist R.U.C. police who were also involved in the conflict and among their attackers, for all the "World" to see. "None" of those who had carried out these violent attacks on the Civil Rights marchers were ever to be "arrested," and instead 80 of the Civil Rights marchers were "arrested" instead and taken into custody. Despite all of this, the Civil Rights marchers who were to survive the attacks, although they were badly injured, still "pushed on" with the rest of their surviving group in to Derry where they were "attacked" once again there also by another group of Anti - Civil Rights opponents, but still undaunted they continued on until they finally reached the City Hall were they were given a hero's welcome by the Citizen's Action Group. Further "ethnic and sectarian" attacks then broke out again, as the Paisleyites kept up their attacks on the marchers around the City Hall itself and on learning about this ongoing abuse the Irish Catholics from the Bogside area then came out to "assist" those who were still under attack, and the "Official" Unionist R.U.C. police then "attacked" them also, driving them back to the Bogside where they also broke into their "homes and their stores." That night there was further "rioting" in the Catholic Bogside, which was a strong Irish Nationalist area, were Irish Catholic houses were "burnt," and "barricades" were then erected by the residents there to protect the Catholic Irish community there. The "Official"" Unionist R.U.C. police were then sent in to pull the "barricades" that were set up there to protect the population there down and they too went out of control completely, using "mindless violence" against the Irish Catholic population there and their property just because they knew they could do it with "immunity." The stupidity of all of this was that the violent scenes that had occurred were to be "seen" all over Ireland and on the British T.V. for all to see, with 163 people being also treated at the hospital. The result of all of this further "civil, ethnic and sectarian" mindless "siege mentality" violence was that the Civil Rights movement was now "stronger" then ever, and the "Official"" Unionist R.U.C. police in these 6 Counties "artificially partitioned" from the 9 Counties in the Ulster Province, because of the "inexcusable actions" of those in authority there were now totally on the outer. Once again the the golden rule came through for all to see, "If you want to make anything stronger, persecute it."

January 5th: Terence O Neill the Ascendancy "Official" Unionist Prime Minister of the Stormont Government in these 6 Counties in the Ulster Province also came out personally publically and verbally "attacked" the Civil Rights marchers and the "students" as hooligans, and praised the "Official" Unionist R.U.C. police for doing a good job, while also threatening to use the powers of the "Official"" R.U.C. "B" Special police together with the R.U.C. police and anyone who previously gave Terence O Niell the benefit of the doubt now knew that he was "not" a fair minded liberal as he had previously tried to make out. The Civil Rights movement now wanted intervention from Harold Wilson the Labour Prime Minister of Britain who was supposed to be the "leader" of the British Imperial Government and not sympathetic to the "blatant sectarianism" that was still occurring in these 6 Counties in Ulster Province that were still under his control.

January 6th: Terence O Neill the Ascendancy "Official" Unionist Prime Minster of the Stormont Government in these 6 Counties "artificially partitioned" from the 9 Counties in the Ulster Province now called up a large force of R.U.C "B" Special police to add to their other "Official"" Unionist R.U.C. police forces in these 6 Counties .

January 9th: Terence O Neill went to London to see Harold Wilson the British Labour Prime Minister as the whole thing was now getting too much for him in these 6 Counties, which were still under both of their control in the Ulster Province while  the Rev. Ian Paisley, the real instigator of many of these Troubles, and his second in command, Major Ronald Bunting walked out of the court where they were being tried over their part in the previous riots they had instigated in Armagh in Co. Armagh, another of the 6 Counties "artificially partitioned" from the 9 Counties in the Ulster Province.

January 11th: At Newry in Co. Down, which is another of the 6 Counties "artificially partitioned" from the 9 Couties in the Ulster Province, which was an Irish Catholic area also near the "artificial border," another Civil Rights "People's Democracy" march occurred, and the Ascendancy "Official" Unionist R.U.C. police there tried to "divert" it also, taking on the Civil Rights leaders, Michael Farrell, Kevin Boyle, and John Hume who tried to settle it all down there, but they still kept on.

January 15th: The position of Terence O Neill the Ascendancy "Official" Unionist Prime Minster of the Stormont Government in these 6 Counties in the Ulster Province under his control, was by now not "too good" with his previous "Official" Unionist supporters, and he was also in a "weak" position now as the overall leader of the "Official" Unionist Party and Harold Wilson the British Labour Party Prime Minister of the British Imperial Government put further pressure on him now to set up an "inquiry" into the previous behaviour of the "Official"" Unionist R.U.C. police, which was to further "upset" the Ascendancy hard - liners.

January 23rd: Brian Faulkner the Ascendancy "Official" Unionist hard - line Deputy Prime Minister who was also the Minister for Commerce in the Stormont Government in these 6 Counties in the Ulster Province still under their control, "resigned," abandoning the "sinking ship," to realign his own position in the overall scheme of things, stating that Terence O Neill was giving into the "radical minority."

January 25th: William Morgan the "Official" Unionist Minister for Health and Social Services in the Stormont Government in these 6 Counties in the Ulster Province still under their control, also "resigned," along with another "Official" Unionist M.P.

January 28th: Terence O Neill the Ascendancy "Official" Unionist Prime Minister of the Stormont Government in these 6 Counties in the Ulster Province still under their control, changed the Public Order Act making "sit down" demonstrations and "occupying" public buildings "illegal" and the Irish Nationalists then threatened to carry out a campaign of "civil disobedience" to offset the crackdown on any of their further Civil Liberties.

      The Rev. Ian Paisley, the radical ethnic and sectarian extremist, and his cohort Major Ronald Bunting were "sentenced" to three months imprisonment for their previous involvement in the "riots" in Armagh in Co. Armagh, one of these 6 Counties "arttificially partitioned" from the 9 Counties in the Ulster Province, which only gave them further prestige among their Paisleyite followers.

      Terence O Neill the Ascendancy "Official" Unionist Prime Minister of the Stormont Government in these 6 Counties still under his control in the Ulster Province, was "jeered" at a Newtownards Town Hall meeting in Co. Down in the south - east of Ulster, another of the 6 Counties "artificially partitioned" from the 9 Counties in the north of Ireland.

January 30th: 13 Ascendancy "Official" Unionist M.P.s on the backbench, together with Joseph Burns a junior "Official" Unionist Minister in the Stormont Government also "resigned" from the Stormont Government in these 6 Counties still under their control in the Ulster Province, seeking a "change" in leadership, while those remaining claimed "solidarity" with Terence O Neill's Cabinet, and this meant that the "Official" Unionists were now also officially split in these 6 Counties in Ulster.

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