Austin Currie
A civil rights trailblazer who began by squatting in a house and spent a lifetime challenging injustice on both sides of the Irish border.
1939–2021 (age 82)·Irish politician·Birthday: October 11·The Silent Generation
Biography
Austin Currie's political career was defined by a foundational act of defiance. As a young Nationalist Party member in 1968, he staged a squat in a council house in Caledon, County Tyrone, to protest discriminatory housing allocation by the Unionist government. This dramatic move helped catalyze the emerging Northern Irish civil rights movement. Elected to the Parliament of Stormont, he later co-founded the Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP) with John Hume and others, advocating for peaceful, constitutional nationalism. After the collapse of the Stormont government, he was elected to Dáil Éireann in the Republic, serving for Fine Gael and becoming a Minister of State. His unique trajectory—from a protestor in Northern Ireland to a government minister in the Republic—made him a living bridge between two political cultures. Currie's voice was one of persistent, pragmatic opposition to violence, whether from paramilitaries or the state, and he worked tirelessly within democratic institutions to advance the cause of equality and, eventually, reconciliation.
The Silent Generation
1928–1945
Born between the Depression and the end of WWII. Too young to fight, old enough to remember. They became the conformist middle managers of the 1950s — and the civil rights leaders who quietly dismantled Jim Crow.
Austin was born in 1939, placing them squarely in The Silent Generation. The events that shaped this generation — world wars, depression, and rapid industrialization — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Austin Was Born
The biggest hits of 1939
#1 Movie
Gone with the Wind
Best Picture
Gone with the Wind
Austin's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1939Born
World War II begins; The Wizard of Oz premieres
Gas: $0.19/galMin wage: $0.30/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Over the Rainbow" — Judy GarlandBest Picture: Gone with the Wind
1944Started school
D-Day: Allied forces land at Normandy
Gas: $0.21/galHome: $3,400Min wage: $0.30/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Swinging on a Star" — Bing CrosbyBest Picture: Going My Way
1952Became a teenager
Queen Elizabeth II ascends the throne
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $8,350Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Blue Tango" — Leroy AndersonBest Picture: The Greatest Show on Earth
1955Could drive
Rosa Parks refuses to give up her bus seat
Gas: $0.29/galHome: $9,550Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Rock Around the Clock" — Bill Haley & His CometsBest Picture: Marty
1957Could vote
Sputnik launches the Space Age
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $10,550Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"All Shook Up" — Elvis PresleyBest Picture: The Bridge on the River Kwai
1960Turned 21
Kennedy-Nixon debates become first televised presidential debates
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $11,900Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Theme from A Summer Place" — Percy FaithBest Picture: The Apartment
1969Turned 30
Apollo 11: humans walk on the Moon; Woodstock festival
Gas: $0.35/galHome: $15,550Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Sugar, Sugar" — The ArchiesBest Picture: Midnight Cowboy
1979Turned 40
Iran hostage crisis begins; Three Mile Island accident
Gas: $0.86/galHome: $37,900Min wage: $2.90/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"My Sharona" — The KnackBest Picture: Kramer vs. Kramer
1989Turned 50
Berlin Wall falls; Tiananmen Square protests
Gas: $1.00/galHome: $79,100Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"Look Away" — ChicagoBest Picture: Driving Miss Daisy
1999Turned 60
Columbine shooting; Y2K panic builds
Gas: $1.17/galHome: $113,900Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Believe" — CherBest Picture: American Beauty
2009Turned 70
Michael Jackson dies; Bitcoin created
Gas: $2.35/galHome: $148,500Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Boom Boom Pow" — The Black Eyed PeasBest Picture: The Hurt Locker
2019Turned 80
First image of a black hole; Hong Kong protests
Gas: $2.60/galHome: $224,400Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"Old Town Road" — Lil Nas XBest Picture: Parasite
2021Died at 82
January 6 Capitol breach; COVID vaccines roll out globally
Gas: $3.01/galHome: $298,900Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Joe Biden"Levitating" — Dua LipaBest Picture: CODA
Key Achievements
- Led the 1968 Caledon squat, a pivotal event that galvanized the Northern Irish civil rights movement.
- Was a founding member of the Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP) in 1970.
- Served as a Member of Parliament in both Northern Ireland (Stormont) and the Republic of Ireland (Dáil Éireann).
- Appointed as Ireland's first Minister of State with responsibility for Children's Rights in 1994.
Did You Know?
He was the first person ever elected to parliaments in both parts of Ireland.
He ran for President of Ireland in 1990, finishing third behind Mary Robinson and Brian Lenihan.
His daughter, Emer Currie, is a senator in the Irish parliament (Seanad Éireann).
“I took that house in Caledon because a key is a better argument than a pamphlet.”
