Civil rights march in Belfast. Image courtesy of the Trustees of the Buzz Logan Photographic Archive at The Linen Hall.
The importance of the civil rights movement in Northern Ireland cannot be overstated. The impact it had on future events makes it one of the most significant aspects of our recent history. The collections at The Linen Hall have a critical role to play in understanding Northern Ireland’s past, and crucial to this is the material held on civil rights.
Inspired by the civil rights leaders in the United States and their example of peaceful, non-violent protest, civil rights protesters took to the streets full of ideals, hoping to end prejudice, bigotry, and discrimination in Northern Ireland and to create a fair, just, and non-sectarian society.
Driven by community engagement with our unique archives, At the Crossroads: The Campaign for Civil Rights in Northern Ireland charts this ground-breaking movement for social change and trailblazing grassroots activism and asks us to reflect on a truly pivotal moment in our history.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
At the Crossroads: The Campaign for Civil Rights in Northern Ireland is a project developed by The Linen Hall. The project was supported by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade Reconciliation Fund and also received financial support from the Northern Ireland Community Relations Council, which aims to promote a pluralist society characterised by equity, respect for diversity and recognition of interdependence. The views expressed in the project do not necessarily reflect those of the Community Relations Council.
The Linen Hall also received an Archives Revealed grant from The National Archives to sort, catalogue and make accessible the archive of the Northern Ireland Civil Rights Association, its Chairperson P.J. McClean, and ephemera collected contemporaneously over decades.
