On This Day / February 3, 1971
Go BackReproduced with permission from The Irish News.
19710203
Reference Date
19710203
Publication Date
Listen Along in Éamons Voice
Summary: On This Day – 3rd February 1971, the lifting of the parades ban sparked rival marches, Ballymurphy hosted a rare night of calm, a Catholic priest prayed at Stormont, and General Freeland warned peace would be a long struggle. Edited by Éamon Phoenix.
Marches Planned as Ban Lifted | On This Day – 3rd February 1971
STREET marches and demonstrations are planned by several groups on both sides of the political fence following the lifting of the Government ban on parades and processions with the biggest expected at Newry on Saturday.
But the ‘first-footers’ will be the Apprentice Boys of Derry No Surrender Club who have sent invitations to Apprentice Boys’ Clubs in Belfast and elsewhere to join them in a parade in Lisburn.
Republicans and civil rights supporters from Fermanagh, Belfast and Dublin will join in the Newry march, organised by the Oliver Craven Republican Club.
It is being staged in protest against the imprisonment of Mr Frank McManus, MP.
Ballymurphy’s Night of Harmony
BALLYMURPHY was in the news again last night – but this time there were no riots, no gas, rubber bullets or stones.
In fact, a Unionist Cabinet Minister, his wife and daughter and a Unionist MP were there for a social event which they thoroughly enjoyed.
The occasion was the presentation in St Thomas’s Secondary School, Whiterock Road of ‘Oklahoma’ by Newtownabbey Amateur Operatic Society.
Priest Prays at Stormont
THE Catholic Chaplain at Stormont, who was appointed by the hierarchy on December 31 last, conducted the prayers there yesterday before the start of business in the presence of a fair attendance of members from both sides of the House.
This is the first time in the 50- year history of the Stormont Parliament that a priest has performed this duty.
The new chaplain is Fr Robert Murphy, PP, Newtownards. The two Protestant Unionist MPs, the Rev Ian Paisley and the Rev William Beattie did not attend.
General Freeland on IRA
WHEN General Sir Ian Freeland leaves NI this week on retirement from the British Army he will take away memories, not only of street rioting, but also of the people’s generosity.
When he took over the command here in August 1969, Belfast, was on the verge of civil war.
General Freeland confessed that the road to peace was going to be a long haul. He said the IRA was always a serious problem.
Its aims were sinister and the organisation had obviously been doing a lot of the terror attacks, bombings, etc.
(Éamon Phoenix editor’s note: The violence of August 1969 had led to the creation of a new Ministry of Community Relations.
However, nightly rioting and sectarian clashes in Belfast, the lifting of the parades ban, the mounting IRA bombing campaign and disputed shootings by British troops pointed to a bleak future.)
On This Day – 3rd February 1971
Further Reading on Irish History:
List of other On This Day columns
Other resources: National Library of Ireland Irish News CAIN Archive
19710203
Reference Date
19710203
Publication Date
Listen Along in Éamons Voice
Listen Along in Éamons Voice
Summary: On This Day – 3rd February 1971, the lifting of the parades ban sparked rival marches, Ballymurphy hosted a rare night of calm, a Catholic priest prayed at Stormont, and General Freeland warned peace would be a long struggle. Edited by Éamon Phoenix.
Marches Planned as Ban Lifted | On This Day – 3rd February 1971
STREET marches and demonstrations are planned by several groups on both sides of the political fence following the lifting of the Government ban on parades and processions with the biggest expected at Newry on Saturday.
But the ‘first-footers’ will be the Apprentice Boys of Derry No Surrender Club who have sent invitations to Apprentice Boys’ Clubs in Belfast and elsewhere to join them in a parade in Lisburn.
Republicans and civil rights supporters from Fermanagh, Belfast and Dublin will join in the Newry march, organised by the Oliver Craven Republican Club.
It is being staged in protest against the imprisonment of Mr Frank McManus, MP.
Ballymurphy’s Night of Harmony
BALLYMURPHY was in the news again last night – but this time there were no riots, no gas, rubber bullets or stones.
In fact, a Unionist Cabinet Minister, his wife and daughter and a Unionist MP were there for a social event which they thoroughly enjoyed.
The occasion was the presentation in St Thomas’s Secondary School, Whiterock Road of ‘Oklahoma’ by Newtownabbey Amateur Operatic Society.
Priest Prays at Stormont
THE Catholic Chaplain at Stormont, who was appointed by the hierarchy on December 31 last, conducted the prayers there yesterday before the start of business in the presence of a fair attendance of members from both sides of the House.
This is the first time in the 50- year history of the Stormont Parliament that a priest has performed this duty.
The new chaplain is Fr Robert Murphy, PP, Newtownards. The two Protestant Unionist MPs, the Rev Ian Paisley and the Rev William Beattie did not attend.
General Freeland on IRA
WHEN General Sir Ian Freeland leaves NI this week on retirement from the British Army he will take away memories, not only of street rioting, but also of the people’s generosity.
When he took over the command here in August 1969, Belfast, was on the verge of civil war.
General Freeland confessed that the road to peace was going to be a long haul. He said the IRA was always a serious problem.
Its aims were sinister and the organisation had obviously been doing a lot of the terror attacks, bombings, etc.
(Éamon Phoenix editor’s note: The violence of August 1969 had led to the creation of a new Ministry of Community Relations.
However, nightly rioting and sectarian clashes in Belfast, the lifting of the parades ban, the mounting IRA bombing campaign and disputed shootings by British troops pointed to a bleak future.)
On This Day – 3rd February 1971
Further Reading on Irish History:
List of other On This Day columns
Other resources: National Library of Ireland Irish News CAIN Archive
19710203
Reference Date
February 3, 2021
Publication Date
Listen Along in Éamons Voice *
Summary: On This Day – 3rd February 1971, the lifting of the parades ban sparked rival marches, Ballymurphy hosted a rare night of calm, a Catholic priest prayed at Stormont, and General Freeland warned peace would be a long struggle. Edited by Éamon Phoenix.
Marches Planned as Ban Lifted | On This Day – 3rd February 1971
STREET marches and demonstrations are planned by several groups on both sides of the political fence following the lifting of the Government ban on parades and processions with the biggest expected at Newry on Saturday.
But the ‘first-footers’ will be the Apprentice Boys of Derry No Surrender Club who have sent invitations to Apprentice Boys’ Clubs in Belfast and elsewhere to join them in a parade in Lisburn.
Republicans and civil rights supporters from Fermanagh, Belfast and Dublin will join in the Newry march, organised by the Oliver Craven Republican Club.
It is being staged in protest against the imprisonment of Mr Frank McManus, MP.
Ballymurphy’s Night of Harmony
BALLYMURPHY was in the news again last night – but this time there were no riots, no gas, rubber bullets or stones.
In fact, a Unionist Cabinet Minister, his wife and daughter and a Unionist MP were there for a social event which they thoroughly enjoyed.
The occasion was the presentation in St Thomas’s Secondary School, Whiterock Road of ‘Oklahoma’ by Newtownabbey Amateur Operatic Society.
Priest Prays at Stormont
THE Catholic Chaplain at Stormont, who was appointed by the hierarchy on December 31 last, conducted the prayers there yesterday before the start of business in the presence of a fair attendance of members from both sides of the House.
This is the first time in the 50- year history of the Stormont Parliament that a priest has performed this duty.
The new chaplain is Fr Robert Murphy, PP, Newtownards. The two Protestant Unionist MPs, the Rev Ian Paisley and the Rev William Beattie did not attend.
General Freeland on IRA
WHEN General Sir Ian Freeland leaves NI this week on retirement from the British Army he will take away memories, not only of street rioting, but also of the people’s generosity.
When he took over the command here in August 1969, Belfast, was on the verge of civil war.
General Freeland confessed that the road to peace was going to be a long haul. He said the IRA was always a serious problem.
Its aims were sinister and the organisation had obviously been doing a lot of the terror attacks, bombings, etc.
(Éamon Phoenix editor’s note: The violence of August 1969 had led to the creation of a new Ministry of Community Relations.
However, nightly rioting and sectarian clashes in Belfast, the lifting of the parades ban, the mounting IRA bombing campaign and disputed shootings by British troops pointed to a bleak future.)
On This Day – 3rd February 1971
Further Reading on Irish History:
List of other On This Day columns
Other resources: National Library of Ireland Irish News CAIN Archive
On This Day is a daily column in the Irish News looking back either 50 or 100 years. The column was compiled by Dr Éamon Phoenix from the mid 1980s until autumn, 2022. The Foundation is very grateful to the Irish News for giving permission to reproduce Eamon’s columns. Funding gratefully received from Ireland’s Department of Foreign Affairs and the Magill Trust.
* The Foundation has worked hard to recreate Eamon’s distinctive voice through AI. Since this is an emerging technology, occasional imperfections may be audible.