The Northern Ireland Civil Rights Association was an organisation which campaigned for civil rights for the Roman Catholic minority in Northern Ireland during the late 1960s and early 1970s.

Since Northern Ireland's creation, the Roman Catholic minority community had suffered from discrimination under the unionist and wholly Protestant government.

The civil rights campaign which began in the mid-1960s attempted to achieve reform by publicising, documenting, and lobbying for an end to abuses in areas such as housing, unfair electoral procedures, discrimination in employment and the Special Powers Act.

NICRA had five main demands:

i) "one man, one vote" which meant extension of the local government franchise from ratepayers to all men and women over 21
ii) an end to gerrymandering which meant unionists were elected even in districts with Catholic majorities
iii) an end to discrimination in housing
iv) an end to discrimination in jobs
v) the disbandment of the B-Specials, the Ulster Special Constabulary, which many viewed as sectarian.

27 April 1968, NICRA held a rally to protest at the banning of a republican Easter parade. On 24 August 1968 the Campaign for Social Justice (CSJ), NICRA, and other groups, held the first civil rights march in Northern Ireland from Coalisland to Dungannon, in County Tyrone. Loyalists organised a counter demonstration in an effort to get the march banned and in fact the rally was officially banned. Despite this the march took place and passed off without incident. The publicity surrounding the march encouraged other protesting groups to form branches of NICRA.[13]

On 27 August 1968, the Derry Housing Action Committee (DHAC), which protested against housing discrimination and provision in Derry, organised another protest in the Guildhall, Derry council chamber. Immediately after the protest Eamon Melaugh telephoned NICRA and invited them to organise a march in Derry.

Produced by Kieran Sheedy

Presented by Poilin Ni Chiarain

First broadcast 11th October 1988

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