1. The O’Neill Years 1963-69

Question 1

Who became Northern Ireland’s Prime Minister in what month of 1963?

Answer 1

Terence O’Neill became Northern Ireland’s Prime Minister in March 1963.

Question 2

How long had Lord Brookeborough been in power in N.I. before being replaced by O’Neill?

Answer 2

20 Years.

Question 3

Why was O’Neill’s leadership weakened?

Answer 3

O’Neill’s leadership was weakened right from the start as most of his Party’s MPs had wanted
another minister, Brian Faulkner, to get the job.

Question 4

What did O’Neill wish to do to NI?

Answer 4

O’Neill wanted to ‘transform the face of Ulster’ - making it more modern and
helping unionist and nationalist relations if it was to prosper.

Question 5

What did O’Neill create to drive the economy forward?

Answer 5

He created a Ministry of Development to drive the economy forward.

Question 6

What did O’Neill launch to spearhead economic modernisation and who was it led by?

Answer 6

Launching an Economic Council to spearhead economic modernisation, led by Brian Faulkner.

Question 7

Why did O’Neill set up 5 economic zones?

Answer 7

Setting up five economic zones to ensure the modernisation of existing industries and to help bring new
industries to the province.

Question 8

How much did O’Neill invest in the local economy?

Answer 8

He invested £900 million in the local economy.

Question 9

What did O’Neill do to the transport system?

Answer 9

He kickstarted the modernisation of the transport system (road and rail).

Question 10

What did O’Neill begin cooperation with?

Answer 10

He began cooperation with the Irish Trades Union Congress.

Question 11

What new city did O’Neill create?

Answer 11

He created the new city of Craigavon.

Question 12

Where did O’Neill build a new university campus?

Answer 12

Building a new university campus in Coleraine.

Question 13

As a result of O’Neill’s economic policies who built factories in NI?

Answer 13

Several international companies - including
Michelin, DuPont, Goodyear, ICI and Grundig built factories in Northern Ireland.

Question 14

What began to be constructed and what would it link?

Answer 14

Work started on the construction of the M1
motorway which would link Belfast and
Dungannon.

Question 15

What agreement was signed with the Dublin government as a result of the policies of O’Neill?

Answer 15

An agreement was signed with the Dublin
government over the supply of electricity.

Question 16

What did Belfast benefit from as a result of the policies of O’Neill?

Answer 16

Belfast benefitted from the opening of a new
oil refinery.

Question 17

What % were unemployment levels never lower than?

Answer 17

Unemployment levels were never lower than 7%.

Question 18

What happened as a result of O’Neill’s policies in terms of unemployment?

Answer 18

A lack of work in industries such as linen and
shipbuilding meant that over 20,000 jobs were
lost.

Question 19

Who did the government have to give money to and why?

Answer 19

The government had to give money to
shipbuilders Harland and Wolff to keep the
company open.

Question 20

Where did it prove difficult for O’Neill to attract investment to and why?

Answer 20

Attracting investment to areas west of the
River Bann proved to be more difficult as companies viewed the region as being too far
from their export markets to open factories.

Question 21

Why did nationalists feel that O’Neill’s economic policies were biased towards unionists?

Answer 21

This last fact alone had significant implications, not
only for unemployment in the west (over 12.5 per cent)
but also for feeding allegations of bias in government
policy.
This was because the majority of the population in the
west was nationalist.

Question 22

Apart from the economy what else did O’Neill know there would have to be improvements in to change NI?

Answer 22

Relations with the Republic of Ireland and relations within Northern Ireland.

Question 23

What was the “hand” of friendship?

Answer 23

As a result of their troubled past, the Prime Ministers of the two parts of Ireland had not met since 1925.

This changed in January 1965 when O’Neill met with the Taoiseach Sean Lemass at Stormont. The two men
discussed issues of common concern, such as the economy whilst their ministerial colleagues discussed issues
such as tourism and electrical link-ups.

In December 1967 O’Neill travelled to Dublin to meet Lemass’ successor, Jack Lynch.

Question 24

What did O’Neill do to improve relations with nationalists?

Answer 24

O’Neill met Cardinal William Conway. Cardinal Conway was the Archbishop of Armagh and, therefore,
spiritual leader of the country’s Catholics.

● When Pope John XXIII died in June 1963, O’Neill offered the government’s official condolences.

● O’Neill began to visit Catholic hospitals and schools.

● O’Neill increased the funding that the Northern Ireland government gave to Catholic schools and hospitals.

Question 25

Explain the opposition to Lemass’ visit to Stormont in January 1965?

Answer 25

There was opposition to Lemass’ visit to Stormont in January 1965 from within O’Neill’s own Cabinet.
Minister of Commerce, Brian Faulkner, complained that he knew nothing about what O’Neill was
planning.

Question 26

What was the public opposition to Lemass’ Stormont visit in January 1965?

Answer 26

Although there was no significant public opposition to Lemass’ Stormont visit, there was strong objection from Rev
Ian Paisley, the leader of the Free Presbyterian Church.

In addition to his concerns about the influence of the Catholic
Church in the Republic, Paisley objected to any links with the South,
especially as Articles II and III of its constitution laid claim to the
whole island of Ireland.

Question 27

What changed by Jack Lynch’s visit to NI in 1967?

Answer 27

When Taoiseach Jack Lynch visited Northern Ireland in December 1967, the visit was agreed in advance by O’Neill’s cabinet,
implying that by then such a visit had become more acceptable.

Question 28

Why did tensions increase in 1966 and what happened as a result?

Answer 28

Tensions increased in 1966 with the commemorations for the 50th anniversaries of the Easter Rising and the Battle of the Somme. Rioting broke out.

Question 29

What happened in May and June 1966 in terms of violence in NI?

Answer 29

2 Catholics died in May and June 1966, the result of a series of gun attacks by the re-emerging Ulster
Volunteer Force (UVF). O’Neill responded by banning the organisation.

Question 30

What happened to O’Neill as the violence grew in NI?

Answer 30

As the situation worsened, O’Neill found that his support within his own party was weakening.
In September 1966 he revealed a plot by Ulster Unionist Party backbenchers to remove him as leader.
There were also growing rumours of opposition from Deputy Prime Minister, Brian Faulkner and Agriculture
Minister, Harry West.

Question 31

What happened to O’Neill’s support by late 1967?

Answer 31

By late 1967 O’Neill’s support within unionism in general and the Ulster Unionist Party in particular was dwindling. His party was divided over strategy while opinion polls indicated increasing support within the
Unionist population for Paisley’s policies.

Question 32

How did nationalists initially think of O’Neill’s policies?

Answer 32

Catholic leaders – both political and religious – were initially supportive of O’Neill’s policies.

Shortly after Lemass visited Stormont, the Nationalist Party decided – for the first time ever - to take up the role
of official opposition in Stormont.

Question 33

What were the problems with what O’Neill was trying to do?

Answer 33

There were problems with what O’Neill was trying to do. His policies made nationalists believe
that there were going to be more and more reforms. Since O’Neill did not have total support for his policies within
his own party, this was going to be very hard to achieve.

Some of the things that O’Neill did led to a negative reaction, particularly amongst a new generation of Catholic
leaders.

Question 34

Why did the new town’s name anger nationalists?

Answer 34

The decision to name the new town linking Lurgan and Portadown after Northern Ireland’s founder, Lord
Craigavon, did not go down well.

Question 35

Why did Northern Ireland’s new university campus anger nationalists?

Answer 35

Northern Ireland’s new university was sited in Coleraine (a Protestant town) rather than Londonderry (a
Catholic city and the second largest population area within Northern Ireland).

Question 36

Why were nationalists angry at the new foreign investment in NI?

Answer 36

O’Neill was less than successful in attracting foreign investment to the areas west of the River Bann which
was a more nationalist area.