Blood Sunday Tour

Before coming to Ireland Paul had us each write a memo. Since we were going to Derry, I decided to write about Bloody Sunday. Bloody Sunday took place in Derry on January 30, 1972. On that day,  a civil rights march, held to protest internment of suspected IRA members without trial, ended when British soldiers fired on unarmed civilians. 14 men were killed, half of whom minors. The Saville Inquiry, which investigated the events, released its findings in 2010. They found the British soldiers actions "unnecessary and unjustifiable."

To prep for my memo I researched, I watched a BBC documentary, and I read testimonies from that day. But nothing could have prepared me for Big John's tour.

Big John works on peace and reconciliation efforts in Ireland. Before this though Big John was a member of the IRA. At 6'6" Big John's nickname rings true. You'd think that his size and past would make him intimidating, but in person John exudes warmth.  He's quick to laugh and absolutely hysterical.

On Thursday, we met John and started our tour. He kept showing us pictures as he explained the events of that day. I think the pictures played dual role- they certainly helped set the scene and make it more real, but I couldn't help but think that he also used them as evidence. The events of Bloody Sunday were contested (who shot first and why) for almost 40 years. At one point in the tour, John showed us the exact spot where a teenager was shot in the middle of the street. The boy's father ran out to get him and was also shot. The father had just enough time to reach out and touch his son before he passed out. The father survived, but his son didn't.

Then we walked into an open plaza and John pulled out a picture of a boy running across that same plaza on Bloody Sunday. That boy was John. It hit me then that he wasn't just telling us stories- he was reliving that day. John told us that as he ran for cover, his friend and classmate was shot in the back and paralyzed. John crouched and watched as a British solider walked up to his friend and shot- killing him. So much for the "shooting armed men" defense. The solider then looked at John and shrugged his shoulders. I wasn't  surprised to  learn that the events of Bloody Sunday led to an upshot in IRA membership. 

John's tour made it clear that the events  of Bloody Sunday, and  really all the Troubles, are still incredibly raw.