Editing Austin Currie (section)

==Early life==
Born in [[Coalisland]], [[County Tyrone]] on 11 October 1939, Austin was the eldest of 11 children<ref>{{Cite news|title=Tributes paid to 'founding father' of civil rights movement Austin Currie|language=en-GB|work=belfasttelegraph|url=https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/northern-ireland/tributes-paid-to-founding-father-of-civil-rights-movement-austin-currie-41036009.html|access-date=2021-11-12|issn=0307-1235}}</ref> born to Mary (née O’Donnell) and John Currie. He was educated at the renowned [[St Patrick's Academy, Dungannon]], and graduated in politics and history from [[Queen's University Belfast]].<ref>{{Cite web|date=2021-11-10|title=Austin Currie obituary|url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2021/nov/10/austin-currie-obituary|access-date=2021-11-12|website=the Guardian|language=en}}</ref> On 20 June 1968, he [[squatted]] at a Kinnard Park house given to a Unionist secretary during a housing protest in [[Caledon, County Tyrone|Caledon]].<ref>{{cite news |last=Clarke |first=Liam |title=Lord Kilclooney: 'I'm impressed by Martin McGuinnness' development' |url=http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/northern-ireland/lord-kilclooney-im-impressed-by-martin-mcguinnness-development-34302140.html |url-status=live |work=[[Belfast Telegraph]] |date=21 December 2015 |access-date=23 December 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190607111031/https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/northern-ireland/lord-kilclooney-im-impressed-by-martin-mcguinnness-development-34302140.html |archive-date=7 June 2019}}</ref> All 14 houses in the new council development had been allocated to Protestants.<ref name=Dwyer>{{cite news |last=Dwyer |first=T. Ryle |title=The spark that lit the Troubles is still smouldering in the embers |url=http://www.irishexaminer.com/viewpoints/columnists/ryle-dwyer/the-spark-that-lit-the-troubles-is-still-smouldering-in-the-embers-73911.html |url-status=live |work=[[Irish Examiner]] |date=4 October 2008 |access-date=4 September 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160915004922/http://www.irishexaminer.com/viewpoints/columnists/ryle-dwyer/the-spark-that-lit-the-troubles-is-still-smouldering-in-the-embers-73911.html |archive-date=15 September 2016}}</ref> Then a sitting MP in the home rule Parliament of Northern Ireland, Currie's protest was unanimously approved by the Nationalist Party the next day.<ref name="CA">{{cite web |title=A Chronology of the Conflict – 1968 |url=http://cain.ulst.ac.uk/othelem/chron/ch68.htm |url-status=live |publisher=Conflict Archive on the Internet (CAIN) |access-date=11 July 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110806142228/http://cain.ulst.ac.uk/othelem/chron/ch68.htm |archive-date=6 August 2011}}</ref> This was one of the catalysts of the [[civil rights movement in Northern Ireland]].<ref name=Dwyer/>