Bloody Sunday and its Consequences

• Bloody Sunday was one of the most tragic and significant events during the Troubles in Northern Ireland.
• On 30 January 1972, civil rights groups organised a peaceful march in Derry/Londonderry to protest against internment, which allowed for the detention of people without trial. The Northern Ireland government had banned the march, but despite this, between 15,000 and 30,000 people gathered to demonstrate.
• As the march progressed, British soldiers from the Parachute Regiment were deployed to the Bogside area, where they had been ordered to deal with potential disturbances.
• The soldiers were instructed to use live ammunition if they encountered any serious threats, such as an IRA sniper. As the marchers approached, the soldiers claimed they were fired upon and responded by opening fire on the crowd.
  • In the chaos that followed, 26 civilians were shot, 13 of whom died on the day, with a 14th dying from his injuries four months later.
  • The soldiers later claimed that they only opened fire after being shot at first and that they believed they were under attack.

• However, eyewitnesses and survivors strongly contested this version of events, insisting that the marchers were unarmed and posed no threat.
• The IRA denied any involvement in the shootings. In response to the killings, the British government quickly set up an inquiry to investigate what had happened. Lord Widgery, the Lord Chief Justice of England, led this inquiry.
• When the Widgery Report was published in April 1972, it largely cleared the soldiers of any wrongdoing, stating that their actions were justified because they had been fired upon first.
• However, the report was widely criticised and dismissed as a cover-up by the nationalist community, who felt that it had failed to properly account for the soldiers' actions or to provide justice for the victims.
• The Widgery Report caused widespread outrage and further deepened the mistrust between the Catholic community and the British government.
• In 1998, more than 25 years later, a new inquiry was launched under the direction of Lord Saville. This investigation, known as the Saville Inquiry, took 12 years to complete and involved extensive witness testimony and forensic analysis.
• The final report, published in 2010, concluded that the British soldiers had fired on the marchers without justification. The report found that none of the victims had posed any threat to the soldiers and that the killings were both "unjustified and unjustifiable."
• Following the release of the Saville Report, British Prime Minister David Cameron publicly apologised on behalf of the British government, acknowledging that the soldiers' actions were wrong.

The Consequences of Bloody Sunday

• The events of Bloody Sunday had far-reaching consequences that extended well beyond the immediate aftermath of the shootings.

• The shock, anger, and grief that followed the killings were felt deeply by the nationalist community in Northern Ireland, particularly in Derry/Londonderry. Father Edward Daly, who later became the Bishop of Derry, was present at the march and administered the Last Rites to some of the victims.
• Reflecting on the impact of Bloody Sunday, he observed that many young people in the city, who had previously been peaceful, were radicalised by what they witnessed.
• Many of those who were present at Bloody Sunday or who lost loved ones as a result of the shootings became determined to seek revenge, leading them to join the IRA.
• As a result, recruitment to the IRA surged, and the level of violence in Northern Ireland escalated dramatically. In 1972, the year of Bloody Sunday, nearly 500 people were killed, making it the bloodiest year of the Troubles.
• Bloody Sunday also severely damaged relations between the British and Irish governments. Taoiseach Jack Lynch contacted British Prime Minister Edward Heath to express his deep concern about the impact of Bloody Sunday on the relationship between the two countries. The event also provoked international condemnation.
• On 31 January 1972, the Irish ambassador to London, Dr Donal O'Sullivan, was recalled to Ireland as a protest against the killings.
• Two days later, on 2 February, a crowd in Dublin set fire to the British embassy, burning it to the ground in anger over the events in Derry/Londonderry.
• The pressure on the British government to address the violence in Northern Ireland intensified after Bloody Sunday.
• The event became a powerful symbol of the injustices faced by the Catholic community and was a key turning point in the conflict, leading to greater international awareness of the Troubles and the suffering endured by those in Northern Ireland.
• The legacy of Bloody Sunday remains deeply ingrained in the collective memory of the people of Northern Ireland as a reminder of the consequences of violence and the need for justice and reconciliation.

Defining Key Terms

• Parachute Regiment: An elite unit of the British Army known for its rapid deployment capabilities. On Bloody Sunday, soldiers from this regiment were responsible for the shootings, claiming they had been fired upon first, a claim later disproven by investigations.

• IRA (Irish Republican Army): A paramilitary organisation that sought to end British rule in Northern Ireland and reunify Ireland. The IRA was active during the Troubles, using violent tactics to pursue its goals. Bloody Sunday greatly increased support for the IRA among the Catholic community.
• Lord Widgery: The Lord Chief Justice of England who led the initial inquiry into Bloody Sunday. His Widgery Report largely exonerated the British soldiers involved, a conclusion that was widely criticised as a cover-up and led to decades of mistrust.
• Cover-up: Refers to the perceived whitewashing of the events of Bloody Sunday by the Widgery Report, which was accused of failing to hold the soldiers accountable for their actions. This term reflects the nationalist community's belief that the truth was deliberately obscured.
• Lord Saville: The head of the Saville Inquiry, a second, more comprehensive investigation into Bloody Sunday launched in 1998. The Saville Report, published in 2010, overturned the findings of the Widgery Report, concluding that the shootings were unjustified and unjustifiable.
• David Cameron: The British Prime Minister from 2010 to 2016, who, following the release of the Saville Report, publicly apologised on behalf of the British government for the actions of the soldiers on Bloody Sunday, acknowledging that the killings were wrong.
• Father Edward Daly: A Catholic priest who became a symbol of the horrors of Bloody Sunday when he was photographed waving a white handkerchief while leading wounded civilians to safety. Daly later became the Bishop of Derry and remained an important figure in the community.
• Taoiseach Jack Lynch: The Prime Minister of the Republic of Ireland from 1966 to 1973, who responded to Bloody Sunday by expressing his concerns to the British government and recalling the Irish ambassador to London in protest against the killings.
• Dr Donal O'Sullivan: The Irish ambassador to London during Bloody Sunday. He was recalled to Ireland by the Irish government as a diplomatic protest against the actions of the British Army during the event.