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Home , Battle of the Bogside

MAIN POINTS TO REMEMBER

•O’NEILL WAS A NEW BREED OF UNIONIST – HE FELT CATHOLICS SHOULD BE MADE TO FEEL PART OF THE STATE. •O’NEILL FOUND IT DIFFICULT TO PLEASE UNIONISTS AS THEY THOUGHT HE WAS GOING TOO FAR. •HE COULD NOT PLEASE NATIONALISTS BECAUSE HE DID NOT GO FAR ENOUGH. • He was put under pressure by the Civil Rights movement and then the more radical People’s Democracy. • NICRA and P.D. had many similar demands but P.D. were not prepared to wait for Terence O’Neill’s reforms to work whereas NICRA wanted to give him a chance to make changes. • O’Neill could not fully please either community or gain the full backing of the Official Unionist Party and he resigned on 28th April 1969. He was replaced by Major James Chichester Clark. NORTHERN 1968 – 71 WERE INEVITABLE? OVERVIEW June – Oct 1968 Tensions rise as Austin Currie organises a sit-in protest in Caledon Co. Tyrone. Marches after this highlight the inequality in housing. Oct. 1968 RUC officers break up march in Londonderry. The Media report the events world wide. Nationalist Party withdraw its MPs from Stormont in protest at treatment of marchers. November – December 1968 Unionist anger at Civil Rights movement

• O’Neill forced to make reforms to stop Civil Rights marches – 5 point programme • Unionists fear reforms are too much too soon • O’Neill’s “crossroads” speech – N.I. has to decide whether to remain an ignorant prejudiced country or move forward towards being a truly democratic state Jan – April 1969 – O’Neill forced to resign

Militant NICRA members hold march from to Londonderry. Loyalists ambush the marchers at Burntollet Bridge and rioting followed in Londonderry. O’Neill called an election and won, but not convincingly. He realised that hardliners were now in control and he resigned. He was replaced by James Chichester Clark. Summer 1969 – British troops on the streets of N.I.

12th August – rioting in Londonderry after Apprentice Boys parade Battle of the Violence spreads to Belfast. Thousands flee their homes. Fears of a massacre of Catholics – troops sent to N.I. when RUC can’t keep control.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/guides/zchptv4/revision/3

Contemporary Footage – Battle of the Bogside – Watch Violence in Londonderry in 1969 Police were unable Police tried to take to enter the Bogside down the barricades. area. The first of Catholics responded ’s with missiles and ‘no go’ areas had petrol bombs been created Battle of the Bogside

Unionist Government. felt that the RUC had lost control and needed support HOW DID NATIONALISTS REACT TO THE ARRIVAL OF TROOPS?

• AT FIRST CATHOLICS WELCOMED THE TROOPS – THEY FELT THAT THEY HAD COME TO PROTECT THEM. THEIR ‘SAVIOUR’ • MANY HOUSES EVEN GAVE THEM TEA AND SANDWICHES TO SHOW THEIR APPRECIATION • THEY VIEWED THEM AS ‘FAIRER’ THAN THE RUC AND B SPECIALS • MORE EXTREME NATIONALISTS FELT THAT THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT HAD NO RIGHT TO INTERFERE IN IRELAND’S AFFAIRS HOW DID UNIONISTS FEEL ABOUT THE ARRIVAL OF BRITISH TROOPS?

•SOME UNIONISTS SUPPORTED THE BRITISH INTERVENTION. •THEY BELIEVED THE TROOPS WOULD HELP THE RUC WITH SECURITY POLICIES •HOWEVER – SOME UNIONISTS FELT THAT THE BRITISH WERE INTERFERING IN ULSTER’S AFFAIRS AND WERE GIVING IN TO CATHOLIC DEMANDS SUMMER OF 1969 – TASK TIME

1) Why was the outbreak of violence in ~ Londonderry during the Battle of the Bogside such a significant event for future violence in Northern Ireland that would be known as

2) Why did the Nationalist Community welcome the arrival of the in the beginning?

3) Why were the Unionist Community concerned about the arrival of the British Army to Northern Ireland?

Use the other documents to help you with questions 2 & 3

HTTPS://WWW.YOUTUBE.COM/WATCH?V=00PNIESXA9A • WHAT HAPPENED ON THE DAY…

• ALTERNATIVE CLIP HTTP://WWW.BBC.CO.UK/HISTORY/BLOODY_SUNDAY BLOODY SUNDAY – TASK TIME

1. WHAT HAPPENED ON BLOODY SUNDAY? 2. WHAT DATE WAS THIS? 3. HOW DID NATIONALISTS RESPOND TO THE EVENTS ON BLOODY SUNDAY? 4. HOW DID UNIONISTS RESPOND?

USE THE VIDEO LINKS AND THE OTHER DOCUMENTS TO HELP YOU WITH QUESTIONS 1-4 THE TROUBLES – A DIVIDED SOCIETY

. THROUGHOUT THE 1960S – 1990S, NORTHERN IRELAND WENT THROUGH A PERIOD OF VIOLENCE AND CONFLICT WHICH WOULD TO BE KNOWN AS THE TROUBLES. . THE TROUBLES ALSO INVOLVED NUMEROUS RIOTS, MASS PROTESTS AND ACTS OF CIVIL DISOBEDIENCE AND LED TO SEGREGATION AND THE CREATION OF NO-GO AREAS. . MORE THAN 3,500 PEOPLE WERE KILLED IN THE CONFLICT, OF WHOM 52% WERE CIVILIANS, 32% WERE MEMBERS OF THE BRITISH SECURITY FORCES AND 16% WERE MEMBERS OF PARAMILITARY GROUPS. LOST LIVES & CHANGED LIVES IT HAS BEEN ARGUED THAT FOR EVERY ONE IN SIX PEOPLE IN NORTHERN IRELAND HAVE BEEN AFFECTED – DIRECTLY OR IN DIRECTLY THROUGHOUT THE TROUBLES.

THIS MAY BE THROUGH THE LOSS OF A FRIEND OR FAMILY MEMBER OR DAMAGE TO PROPERTY AND / OR IMPACT UPON WORK, EMPLOYMENT AND DAILY LIFE – SPORTS CLUBS, SOCIAL LIVES ETC. This is a good opportunity to talk to an older family member; 1) What do they remember about the Troubles? 2) Do they remember what life was like as a teenager living in Northern Ireland then? 3) How did the Troubles effect them in their day to day lives? 4) Did your parents / grandparents see much segregation and / or friction between the Nationalist & Unionist community? THE ROAD TOWARDS PEACE….

WE WILL BE MOVING ONTO EXPLORING THE INCREASING LEVELS OF VIOLENCE IN NORTHERN IRELAND AND THE PEACE PROCESS IN NORTHERN IRELAND IN OUR FUTURE LESSONS.

BOTH SIDES OF THE COMMUNITY RECOGNISED THE NEED FOR PEACE TO END THE VIOLENCE THAT HAD CONSUMED THE LIVES OF ALL PEOPLE IN NORTHERN IRELAND.

IT WAS NOT GOING TO BE AN EASY JOURNEY FOR EVERYONE. BIG CHANGES WOULD BE MADE TO THE POLITICAL STRUCTURES IN NORTHERN IRELAND