On This Day / March 17, 1971
Go BackReproduced with permission from The Irish News.
19710317
Reference Date
19710317
Publication Date
Listen Along in Éamons Voice
Summary: On This Day – 17th March 1971 Stormont Prime Minister James Chichester-Clark faced political crisis, Brian Faulkner was heckled at a Unionist meeting and Taoiseach Jack Lynch criticised Bernadette Devlin’s political direction. Edited by Éamon Phoenix.
Beleaguered PM May Resign | On This Day – 17th March 1971
AS A question mark hangs over his personal political future, the Stormont Prime Minister, Mr Chichester-Clark will make a major statement at Stormont tomorrow about his London talks yesterday with the British PM, Mr Edward Heath and his Home Secretary, Mr Reginald Maudling.
Shortly after he arrived back in Belfast last night, the Government Press Office said the purpose of Mr Chichester-Clark’s visit ‘was to discuss with UK Ministers further means by which the campaign against IRA terrorism may be waged with increased effectiveness’.
Last night Whitehall treated with reserve reports that the Prime Minister intended to resign if he did not get fifty per cent more troops in NI; control of the troops and power to intern suspects without trial.
Mr Chichester-Clark returned to Belfast as he had left yesterday – in secret.
The NI GOC, Lt. General Harry Tuzo also attended yesterday’s discussions. Direct Rule by Westminster was not on the agenda.
Faulkner Gets Rough Ride
MR Brian Faulkner, Minister of Development, faced a 700-strong angry crowd when he addressed a Unionist meeting at Dromore, County Tyrone last night.
He was heckled and boo-ed and greeted with footstamping and jeering as he delivered a prepared speech with difficulty.
In his speech he appealed for unity in the Unionist Party and support for the Government but the meeting passed a resolution of ‘no confidence’ in the Government and called for its immediate resignation.
As Mr Faulkner walked onto the stage to the tune of The Sash, he was met with shouts of ‘Lundy’ and ‘Up Paisley’.
At one stage he walked to the front of the platform and, amid the uproar, accused a man of saying that he was telling lies.
Mr Faulkner said: ‘I am damned well not going to be called a liar by you or anyone else.’
Later a man lifted a chair and made toward the platform but was restrained by others.
Bernadette is ‘Misdirected’ – Lynch
THE Taoiseach, Mr Jack Lynch said in Washington yesterday he thought Bernadette Devlin’s former idealism was now being misdirected and had lost the support of the majority of the Irish people.
(Éamon Phoenix editor’s note: By March 1971 the Unionist Party was in turmoil, buffeted by right-wing resistance to reform, on the one hand, and IRA violence, on the other.
Brian Faulkner, previously seen as a hardliner, was deemed responsible for removing the power to allocate houses from the councils and vesting it in an impartial Housing Executive.
This, together with the adoption of ‘one man, one vote’ and a pledge to end gerrymandering in Derry and elsewhere spelled the end for Unionist ascendancy west of the Bann.)
On This Day – 17th March 1971
Further Reading on Irish History:
List of other On This Day columns
Other resources: National Library of Ireland Irish News CAIN Archive
19710317
Reference Date
19710317
Publication Date
Listen Along in Éamons Voice
Listen Along in Éamons Voice
Summary: On This Day – 17th March 1971 Stormont Prime Minister James Chichester-Clark faced political crisis, Brian Faulkner was heckled at a Unionist meeting and Taoiseach Jack Lynch criticised Bernadette Devlin’s political direction. Edited by Éamon Phoenix.
Beleaguered PM May Resign | On This Day – 17th March 1971
AS A question mark hangs over his personal political future, the Stormont Prime Minister, Mr Chichester-Clark will make a major statement at Stormont tomorrow about his London talks yesterday with the British PM, Mr Edward Heath and his Home Secretary, Mr Reginald Maudling.
Shortly after he arrived back in Belfast last night, the Government Press Office said the purpose of Mr Chichester-Clark’s visit ‘was to discuss with UK Ministers further means by which the campaign against IRA terrorism may be waged with increased effectiveness’.
Last night Whitehall treated with reserve reports that the Prime Minister intended to resign if he did not get fifty per cent more troops in NI; control of the troops and power to intern suspects without trial.
Mr Chichester-Clark returned to Belfast as he had left yesterday – in secret.
The NI GOC, Lt. General Harry Tuzo also attended yesterday’s discussions. Direct Rule by Westminster was not on the agenda.
Faulkner Gets Rough Ride
MR Brian Faulkner, Minister of Development, faced a 700-strong angry crowd when he addressed a Unionist meeting at Dromore, County Tyrone last night.
He was heckled and boo-ed and greeted with footstamping and jeering as he delivered a prepared speech with difficulty.
In his speech he appealed for unity in the Unionist Party and support for the Government but the meeting passed a resolution of ‘no confidence’ in the Government and called for its immediate resignation.
As Mr Faulkner walked onto the stage to the tune of The Sash, he was met with shouts of ‘Lundy’ and ‘Up Paisley’.
At one stage he walked to the front of the platform and, amid the uproar, accused a man of saying that he was telling lies.
Mr Faulkner said: ‘I am damned well not going to be called a liar by you or anyone else.’
Later a man lifted a chair and made toward the platform but was restrained by others.
Bernadette is ‘Misdirected’ – Lynch
THE Taoiseach, Mr Jack Lynch said in Washington yesterday he thought Bernadette Devlin’s former idealism was now being misdirected and had lost the support of the majority of the Irish people.
(Éamon Phoenix editor’s note: By March 1971 the Unionist Party was in turmoil, buffeted by right-wing resistance to reform, on the one hand, and IRA violence, on the other.
Brian Faulkner, previously seen as a hardliner, was deemed responsible for removing the power to allocate houses from the councils and vesting it in an impartial Housing Executive.
This, together with the adoption of ‘one man, one vote’ and a pledge to end gerrymandering in Derry and elsewhere spelled the end for Unionist ascendancy west of the Bann.)
On This Day – 17th March 1971
Further Reading on Irish History:
List of other On This Day columns
Other resources: National Library of Ireland Irish News CAIN Archive
19710317
Reference Date
March 17, 2021
Publication Date
Listen Along in Éamons Voice *
Summary: On This Day – 17th March 1971 Stormont Prime Minister James Chichester-Clark faced political crisis, Brian Faulkner was heckled at a Unionist meeting and Taoiseach Jack Lynch criticised Bernadette Devlin’s political direction. Edited by Éamon Phoenix.
Beleaguered PM May Resign | On This Day – 17th March 1971
AS A question mark hangs over his personal political future, the Stormont Prime Minister, Mr Chichester-Clark will make a major statement at Stormont tomorrow about his London talks yesterday with the British PM, Mr Edward Heath and his Home Secretary, Mr Reginald Maudling.
Shortly after he arrived back in Belfast last night, the Government Press Office said the purpose of Mr Chichester-Clark’s visit ‘was to discuss with UK Ministers further means by which the campaign against IRA terrorism may be waged with increased effectiveness’.
Last night Whitehall treated with reserve reports that the Prime Minister intended to resign if he did not get fifty per cent more troops in NI; control of the troops and power to intern suspects without trial.
Mr Chichester-Clark returned to Belfast as he had left yesterday – in secret.
The NI GOC, Lt. General Harry Tuzo also attended yesterday’s discussions. Direct Rule by Westminster was not on the agenda.
Faulkner Gets Rough Ride
MR Brian Faulkner, Minister of Development, faced a 700-strong angry crowd when he addressed a Unionist meeting at Dromore, County Tyrone last night.
He was heckled and boo-ed and greeted with footstamping and jeering as he delivered a prepared speech with difficulty.
In his speech he appealed for unity in the Unionist Party and support for the Government but the meeting passed a resolution of ‘no confidence’ in the Government and called for its immediate resignation.
As Mr Faulkner walked onto the stage to the tune of The Sash, he was met with shouts of ‘Lundy’ and ‘Up Paisley’.
At one stage he walked to the front of the platform and, amid the uproar, accused a man of saying that he was telling lies.
Mr Faulkner said: ‘I am damned well not going to be called a liar by you or anyone else.’
Later a man lifted a chair and made toward the platform but was restrained by others.
Bernadette is ‘Misdirected’ – Lynch
THE Taoiseach, Mr Jack Lynch said in Washington yesterday he thought Bernadette Devlin’s former idealism was now being misdirected and had lost the support of the majority of the Irish people.
(Éamon Phoenix editor’s note: By March 1971 the Unionist Party was in turmoil, buffeted by right-wing resistance to reform, on the one hand, and IRA violence, on the other.
Brian Faulkner, previously seen as a hardliner, was deemed responsible for removing the power to allocate houses from the councils and vesting it in an impartial Housing Executive.
This, together with the adoption of ‘one man, one vote’ and a pledge to end gerrymandering in Derry and elsewhere spelled the end for Unionist ascendancy west of the Bann.)
On This Day – 17th March 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.