Roy Garland Irish News 30 August 2010
The McCluskey Civil Rights Summer School addressed serious issues at Carlingford on Saturday.
Archive for category McCluskey Civil Rights Summer School
“The Legacy of the Civil Rights Movement”
Saturday 28 August 2010
in
Holy Trinity Church, Carlingford, Co Louth
Below are copies of some of the presentations from the McCluskey Civil Rights Summer School. Please note they are available in both Powerpoint and PDF formats. For printing and ease of use the PDF is probably the best one to download.
Coming to live in Northern Ireland in 1960 was for me a culture shock.
My first experience of democracy Northern Ireland style was when I went to vote. The choice was between abstentionist republican, labour and Ulster unionist. Seeing abstentionism as a wasted vote I had decided to vote labour. On presenting my voting card I was informed that I had already voted. I then noted that Antoin’s name beside mine was also crossed off although he had not voted at that stage. I was given a pink ballot paper. This would count in the event of a tie, I was told. All the polling officials were unionist and only the unionist party had agents present. In a state of frustration, anger and helplessness I voted for the republican! In those days, Westminster elections were left to abstentionist republicans and Stormont elections to the Nationalist Party.
