Eire/Ireland : 40TH ANNIVERSARY OF CIVIL RIGHTS 1968 – 2008

40TH ANNIVERSARY OF CIVIL RIGHTS 1968 – 2008

Historical Background

Forty years ago, in 1968, a series of events took place here which changed the face of Northern Ireland irrevocably. These events were the culmination of attempts since the early 1960s by a number of different organisations and individuals to highlight injustices in Northern Ireland . The Campaign for Social Justice, the Derry Housing Action Committee and the Campaign for Democracy in Ulster were examples of this. Their concern was not with the great constitutional issues which had dominated political debate thereto, but with the everyday issues which dominated people's lives. In 1967, the Northern Ireland Civil Rights Association was founded to address all these issues. The following year, inspired by the courage of Civil Rights leaders in the United States , and by their example of peaceful non-violent protest, Civil Rights protesters began to take to the streets of Northern Ireland . Their objective was to bring an end to injustice in the system of public authority housing provision, injustice in public and private employment practices, injustice in voting and representational rights, and the arbitrary and oppressive powers available to the state to suppress dissent.

The things that happened during that pivotal year had a profound effect upon our society, and precipitated an avalanche of change which left no part of our community untouched. Such was the importance of these events, and what they led to, that it is appropriate and even necessary, 40 years later, to commemorate them in a sober and reflective way, to seek to learn from what happened, to consider the significance of the Civil Rights Movement for our society today and the continuing resonance of the issues which it addressed, and the ideals which underpinned it.A number of those who were active in leadership positions in the Civil Rights Movement in 1968, have established a broad based Civil Rights Commemoration Committee to commemorate the events of 1968, in such a way as to serve the historical record as best we can, and to generate a balanced and inclusive reflection upon that year.

Sunday 04/27/08, key figures associated with the civil rights movement in Derry assembled at the gave of the late Mrs. Mary Ellen O'Doherty, the “Mother of Irish Civil Rights” to mark her 100th birthday on April 28, 1908. She died last year on June 16th, surrounded by her loved ones from at home and abroad, in hospital, after a short illness.

Former Mid-Derry MP and former Minister for Community Relations in the ill-fated 1974 Stormont Executive, Mr. Ivan Cooper gave a short oration as did her son, Fionnbarra, a co-founder of NICRA in 1967.A wreath of fresh flowers, formed into the figures "100" was laid on her gave by her daugher Deirdre and a grand-dauhter, Emma, an under-graduate from Belfast, Pics and an audio/vidual recording were made by Luke Coyle, a son of the Late 'Vinny', who was Chief Marshall of around 700 stewards during the civil rights era.

Copies of pics can be obtained on request via rights.civil@googlemail.com

Mary Ellen O'Doherty {1908-2007)