Terence O'Neill served as Prime Minister of Northern Ireland from 1963-1969. He sought to improve the economy and reduce tensions between Catholics and Protestants through friendly gestures. However, his actions outraged unionists and failed to meet the demands of the growing Civil Rights Movement. As violence increased between protesters and police in 1968-1969, O'Neill introduced reforms too late to stem the unrest, and resigned in 1969 amid riots and bombings in Belfast.

1. Terence O’Neill
1963-1969

2. • O’Neill was interested in one thing: economic development of NI
• He hoped that economic success would make Catholics less
hostile towards NI
• However he came to power when tensions between Catholics
and Protestants throughout the world was easing. The new Pope
John XXIII changed the church and encouraged good relations
with Protestants
• So O’Neill made friendly gestures towards Catholics; he was first
PM to visit a Cath school and when the Pope died he sent his
condolences. Any where else in the world these gestures
wouldn’t matter BUT in NI it outraged Unionists like Ian Paisley.
• In the south Sean Lemass replaced Dev; he too was focused on
economic development NOT ending partition. O’Neill and
Lemass swapped visits to Belfast and Dublin – huge step forward
in relations between North and South – again Unionists were
enraged.

3. • O ‘Neill wanted to beat the Labour Party by developing the
economy especially east of the Bann.
• He sat up a number of committees to look into future
development
– Benson Report 1963 recommended improving roads and
transport
– Matthew Report 1964 suggested that other cities should
be built up – not just Belfast
– Wilson Report 1965 was to encourage foreign factories to
NI. It warned that developing industry West of the Bann
would be difficult as it was too remote (far away and
without proper roads)
He set up an Economic Council to up these plans into action;
they succeeded and by 1965 unemployment was lowest in
ten years

4. Develop the East, not the West??
• Because of Matthew report it was expected that Derry would
be developed because it was NI’s second city. Instead a new
city called Craigavon was set up in the protestant area of
Portadown.
• Nationalists truly believed now that they were being
neglected by the Unionists govt and believed that they didn’t
develop west of the Bann as it was Catholic not because it was
too far away from Belfast.
• When the Coleraine University Controversy happened
Nationalists then convinced that this was true.

5. NICRA
• Nationalists were sick of being treated unfairly. They felt
that if NI was part of the United Kingdom then Nationalists
should have the same rights as everyone else. So they set
up the Northern Ireland Civil Rights Association (NICRA)
• Inspired by the Black’s Civil Rights Movement in America
• Key people involved were Bernadette Devlin (student),
John Hume, Austin Currie (teachers) and Conn and Patricia
McCluskey (doctor and wife)
• They were not concerned with ending partition
• They wanted to march PEACEFULLY

6. They had 5 demands
• Wanted an end to the Special Powers Act
• Wanted houses to be given out fairly
• Wanted voting to be done by “One man, one vote” – this
would end gerrymandering
• Wanted an end to the B-Specials
• Laws against all forms of discrimination

7. What they did to achieve their aims
• August 1968 Austin Currie the Nationalist MP told two
Catholic families who were on waiting lists for houses to squat
in empty council houses. The RUC evicted them and gave one
house to a single 19 year old Protestant girl.
• 1st March: So NICRA marched to Dungannon. The end of the
march was to be in the town centre so Ian Paisley launched a
Unionist demonstration there. The RUC stopped NICRA from
going into the town
• This pattern continued for years with Unionists marching in
areas where Nationalists had planned and the police would
back up the Unionists.

8. • 2nd march: 5th October 1968 NICRA planned to march in
Derry. The Unionist Apprentice Boys decided to march on the
same day.
• Both marches were banned.
• NICRA marched anyway. It was peaceful until the RUC moved
in and hit men, woman and children with batons. It was
caught on camera and the world saw the images
• After this the British government forced the Stormont Govt in
NI to make reforms like housing according to need, however
the changes did not meet the 5 demands of the Civil Rights
Movement.

9. • 1st January 1969 – The People’s Democracy (split from NICRA
as they thought they were not doing enough) were to march
from Belfast to Derry. They walked though Unionist areas
where they were attacked.
• Worst attack was in Burntollet Bridge where 200 Unionists
including B-Specials attacked with stones and clubs – 13
marchers needed medical help. TV footage shows RUC doing
little to protect the marchers
• Riots in Derry – youths from Catholic Bogside threw stones at
the RUC who attacked back.

10. • April 1969 – more rioting in the Bogside between the RUC
and youths. The RUC men appeared drunk and out of control.
Once they entered a Bogside home, beat the inhabitants and
one died.
• O’Neill brought in “one man, one vote” but it was too little
too late after all the violence.
• Bombs went off in Belfast and O’Neill resigned.

11. O’Neill introduces reforms
• British government pressured O’Neill for reforms
otherwise they would cut off funding for health, education
and social welfare
• Londonderry Corporation was to be replaced by an
appointed development commission
• Councils were to allocate houses on a fair points system
• Sections of the Special Powers Act would be repealed
• An ombudsman would be appointed
• Universal suffrage in local government elections would be
considered
• O’Neill reforms did little to ease the situation