January 1979: West/East Movement
In January 1979, American actor Ted Cassidy (Lurch from the Addams Family), died at the age of 46. Meanwhile in Northern Ireland, a man who was believed to be playing a misleading role lost his life.
Political Developments in January 1979
1979 began with further developments on segregation. A memorandum from D.C. White at the Development Office to K.P. Bloomfield at the DOE outlined more details on the population movement in Derry, from the West Bank to the East Bank. It began with a general background of the situation;
GENERAL
Over the past 10 years, there has been a continuing movement of population - almost entirely Protestant - within Londonderry from the West Bank of the Foyle (i.e. Donegal side) to the East Bank. There has also been a substantial exodus of Protestants to other parts of NI and to GB.
This movement has been particularly marked from around 1972/3 and since so that it does not show up in the 1971 Census figures. Evidence may however be drawn from a variety of sources some of which this paper will touch on.
It should be recorded that there has been for many years not only a substantial and growing Roman Catholic majority on the West Bank but also quite a strong Roman Catholic minority on the East Bank.
A further point to be noted is that the Roman Catholic majority on West Bank is more absolute in the lower age groups and on East Bank there are probably more Roman Catholic children than Protestant children of school age.
It should also be noted that there is little or no evidence of any substantial Roman Catholic movement from East Bank to West Bank. Indeed the West/East movement is not solely a Protestant one but many Roman Catholic movements have also taken place so that there is ground for thinking that the River Foyle could, in the future, represent a social divide for some.
Clearly, the conscious division is unhealthy for many reasons.
INDICATIONS OF POPULATION MOVEMENT
Some of the evidence of population movement may be drawn from the following on which comment is offered -
(a) Local Election results.
(b) School population.
(c) Church congregations.
(d) Housing.
(e) Clubs/Sporting organisations.
(f) Businesses/Professions.
Elections
In the 1973 Council Elections, Unionist West Bank first preferences totalled 3,968, electing 3 Councillors out of 16. In 1977 they polled 1,970 electing 2 Councillors. (Alliance 1973 - 2,379 - 2 Councillors; 1977 - 1,090 - 1 Councillor). The Unionist candidates attributed the fall in votes to "the drift in population" (Londonderry Sentinel May 25, 1977). Note that on the East Bank, SDLP voters in 1977 elected 4 Councillors out of 11 - an increase of 1 on 1973 results.
Schools
Enrolment in Protestant primary schools on West Bank was c1,400 in 1968. Today, it is c500, some of whom travel from the East Bank. The implications of this portend very serious consequences for Foyle and Londonderry College (merged recently in the face of tradition mainly as an act of self-preservation) and Templemore I.S. (which has a good deal of spare capacity).
On the East Bank, a new Controlled PS (Lisnagelvin) was opened in 1973 (incorporating two smaller schools), but another projected PS is now not likely to be built because of a lack of demand by Protestant school children. It may be that Roman Catholic primary school children form a majority on East Bank at present.
Churches
There has been a drastic fall in the membership of many Protestant Churches on the West Bank. This has been felt by all denominations, and many churches are being maintained from a sense of loyalty and tradition. All 6 Presbyterian Churches have been badly affected, with the fall in membership approaching one-third overall. This crude statistic conceals the fact that nearly half of their existing membership measured by “families” now live on the East Bank, and of the West Bank "families”, many consist of 1 or 2 elderly persons. One very fine Presbyterian Church (Great James Street) building is being closed and put on the open market for sale. A replacement Church (against the judgment of many) is to be built on the East Bank, and there are fears that this may, in time, lead to the closure of other West Bank Churches.
Church of Ireland congregations have also been severely reduced but here again, ties of loyalty still bring persons across the River. The relatively new St. Peter’s Church built to serve an area of expanding population (Belmont), now finds itself in the midst of an area of a very rapidly declining Protestant population.
Carlisle Road Methodist Church - an excellent building and the only West Bank Methodist Church - has no longer sufficient numbers to justify the services of a full-time Minister. Two Methodist West Bank Mission Halls have closed.
Smaller denominations are in like case, the Baptists, for example, being in search of an East Bank site for relocation of their Church.
Housing
Information from various Estate Agents over a period is to the effect that it is a rare event indeed for a Protestant to view a house for sale on the West Bank, let alone buy one. The number of new Protestant households set up on the West Bank in the past 5 years in owner-occupied houses is unlikely to exceed double figures. It is of interest to note that some Clergymen of West Bank Churches have themselves moved house to East Bank recently. It is understood that of about 200 new West Bank houses built within the past 2 years, possibly 2 have been bought by Protestants.
In the public housing sector, there are only 3 areas where there is a substantial Protestant element, namely, Cloughglass, Northland and Fountain. Of the two former, Protestants are forming a decreasing proportion while in Fountain a large proportion of the tenants are elderly and suffer from occasional harassment which could have the effect of causing them to seek accommodation elsewhere.
Clubs
The sole and oldest established West Bank Cricket Club - City of Derry - closed in 1978 because of a lack of support. The City (Social) Club closed some 5 years ago, and the Northern Counties Club has been passing through difficult times. The YMCA Club was severely damaged and closed, and the Presbyterian Working Men's Institute was destroyed. Neither will be re-established on the West Bank.
Businesses/Professions
Because of the bombings, many West Bank businesses (mainly Protestants) have relocated to the East Bank, and new ones have been opened. As well, professional people (e.g. solicitors, architects, estate agents) have transferred or opened offices on the East Bank. The result has been to provide outlets for a wide range of goods and services which previously would have been available only on the West Bank. Several West Bank businesses (including the largest store) have changed from Protestant to Roman Catholic hands, itself a sign of the movement which has taken place.
A good many new Roman Catholic-operated enterprises have sprung up on West Bank
many of them in former shirt factories which have ceased to operate because of transfer or closure. All this has strengthened a tendency towards independence of two distinct entities divided by the River instead of the previous inter-dependence of “City and Waterside."
To add some additional context, they then covered the causes;
CAUSES
The reasons for the movement of population are varied, but most of them are not far to seek. Among them may be mentioned the following:-
(a) Political fears.
(b) The general pattern of violence and destruction.
(c) Specific acts of violence (especially murders) and intimidation.
(d) A change of residence to EB by virtually all RUC personnel.
(e) Transfer of place of work.
Political Fears
There is a vague feeling in many minds that the Foyle could be used to form a natural political boundary and that, at some future time, there might be a strong temptation on the part of a Government to regard the West Bank (which is geographically an enclave of Northern Ireland within Donegal) as an area which could be ceded (without much regret) to the Republic. Many Protestant people who harbour such a feeling have moved from the West Bank. Their views may seem strange and unreasonable, but they exist and are strongly held by many.
General Pattern of Violence and Destruction
By far the greater part of the violence and destruction in Londonderry has taken place on the West Bank. In the early 1970s, there was a daily confrontation between hooligans and the Army. There was a pattern of violence and destruction on Saturdays during peak shopping hours and in consequence, people were deterred from entering the City. While violence has eased there are often highly inflammatory speeches on Saturdays in the main shopping centre which have an intimidating effect on many people. Such things have led to substantial numbers deciding to move away to a more restful environment and not to come back even to shop. Very often this has meant somewhere away from Londonderry District, e.g. to Limavady, to Coleraine/Portrush/Portstewart, to Bangor.
Specific Acts of Violence
There have been several assassinations or serious personal attacks in "mixed" areas, e.g. of RUC, reserve policemen, UDR, prison warders, and businessmen. The result has been a gradual exodus of remaining Protestants. While there has not been a great deal of overt intimidation there has been some e.g. at Belmont close to the large and growing Shantallow development and what was once "mixed" with a small Protestant majority is now almost wholly Roman Catholic.
RUC Personnel
A very potent factor has been the change of residence of RUC personnel. Many married RUC men (c60 at one time), and their families lived at Belmont. Now, not one remains. There was a hostel for unmarried RUC men on the West Bank, which was damaged and closed, and new temporary accommodation has been provided on the East Bank. Other individual RUC personnel have sold up and moved. Now, although the RUC Headquarters are on West Bank it is believed that only 2 RUC men and their families are in residence on West Bank (One of these; to his credit, is the Chief Superintendent).
While the very real concern of RUC men for the safety of themselves and their families is appreciated, the reaction of many Protestant people is a very natural one. They reason that if the RUC "cannot protect themselves”, then protection may not be capable of being afforded to greatly outnumbered Protestant residents on the West Bank in the event of a resurgence of violence.
The movement of RUC personnel may well have been one of the strongest factors in the whole complex situation, coupled with the existence for a long time of "no-go" areas. Note that the deputation received by Mr Concannon on 9 September 1975 claimed that Belmont Estate (where the RUC lived) was 95% Protestant in 1969 but was then only 7% Protestant.
Location or Transfer of Place of Work
The location of a person's place of work is very important in determining where he will live. It is not the only factor but it becomes more compelling in the Londonderry situation. Severe damage to public offices on the West Bank dictated an East Bank location for many public employees and similarly with the private sector, as mentioned already. Observation confirms the view that most Protestant workers on the East Bank prefer an East Bank residence or a house in Limavady or Coleraine District.
A similar trend is observed where shops or factories have relocated and the flow of such relocation is clearly West to East. The loss of jobs on the West Bank (which is 60% + of the population) is serious.
It’s quite clear that there was a lot involved in this pretty complex matter…
Shootings & Beatings in January 1979
04/01/79 - The INLA fired several shots at an RUC patrol vehicle as it travelled along Glen Road in West Belfast.
06/01/79 - INLA members in a hijacked car exchanged fire with pursuing RUC officers in the Creggan area of Derry. The driver of the hijacked vehicle was injured and arrested.
23/01/79 - INLA gunmen, firing from an occupied house, shot and seriously injured an RUC traffic constable near the Kennedy Way/M1 motorway intersection in Belfast.
28/01/79 - English salesman Arthur Lockett (29) was found dead in Ticknock in the Dublin mountains. He had been beaten with clubs by several men and left for dead. Lockett had been boasting in a pub that he had connections in the British Army. It emerged he had worked in West Germany for a time, where he had business deals with both American and British army personnel at NATO bases. Gardaí initially believed he was killed by the IRA as a suspected British agent, but an INLA member was later jailed for 12 years.
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Bombings in January 1979
05/01/79 - Two members of the IRA, Francis Donnelly (24) and Lawrence Montgomery (24), were killed in a car in Ardoyne, Belfast, when the bomb they were transporting exploded prematurely.
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I’ve also recently released Tales of The Troubles: Volume 1. The Early Years - 1960s. Check it out. It would be a great addition to your library or a gift for someone for Christmas. Stay tuned for Volume 2, covering the 1970s.
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Some recommended reading based on research for this instalment.
Shadows: Inside Northern Ireland's Special Branch by Alan Barker.
