Bloody Sunday, Brexit, and the Future of Northern Ireland

Ireland has a long and complicated history. That history changed dramatically in 1922 when, after a protracted conflict between Irish nationals and British occupation troops, Ireland finally gained independence from England. Part of the agreement that gave the Irish their independence included the creation of the country of Northern Ireland, which was made up of six predominantly protestant counties in the northern part of the island. This arrangement remained constant until 1969 when England sent troops into Northern Ireland in order to quell recent disturbances caused by Irish Republicans who were protesting their mistreatment at the hands of the Northern Irish police forces. At first, many Catholics welcomed the English troops because they felt they would be treated better than the tactics used by the sectarian police in Northern Ireland. These protests began to become more violent as the frustrated minority had become fed up with their treatment and began to demand civil rights. The “troubles” began to become more regular, with bombings and murders, up until January 30, 1972. That day changed the history of Northern Ireland and arguably impacts the country today and will continue to impact the country in the future.

On January 30, 1972, a group of peaceful protesters marched through the streets of Derry, Northern Ireland seeking better treatment for the catholic minority in the North. After violence had continued to increase over several years, starting in 1969, British soldiers arrived in order to police the country. These forces included British paratroopers who had recently been in combat situations until they were dispatched to Northern Ireland to help maintain law and order. On January 30, 1972 these paratroopers were dispatched, along with other forces in order to quell any disturbances that might arise during planned demonstrations. Many witnesses described the actions of the troops prior to the eruption of gunfire. There were reports that day that these soldiers were seizing and beating civilians and causing damage in the catholic parts of the city. In an effort to intimidate protesters, many of whom were very young, the troops used heavy handed methods to try and dissuade the crowds from protesting.

One of these protesters was a 17-year-old young man named John Duddy. He was at the protest that day and ended up at some point that afternoon on the Bogside Road, joining other protestors. Like the other protestors, he was unarmed. During the afternoon the paratroopers came down the Bogside Road towards the protestors who had set up barricades in the street. These paratroopers had been specifically ordered not to pursue any protestors down this road in order to avoid any potential and unnecessary confrontations. Even though they could not reach the heavily armed paratroopers, protestors were throwing rocks towards the soldiers.

Suddenly, and without warning, the soldiers opened fire towards the protestors. John Duddy turned and ran. He ran down the street away from the troops. A witness later described what happened. He saw a soldier take aim at the fleeing young man and shoot him. The bullet went through his shoulder and lodged in his chest, killing the teenager. He was the first casualty of what would become known as “Bloody Sunday.” The soldiers continued to shoot indiscriminately into the crowd, killing thirteen (a fourteenth would later die of his wounds) and wounding another fourteen. Half of the dead were teenagers.

One of the dead was 17-year-old Gerard Donaghy. As he ran away, he was shot in the elbow, with the bullet eventually lodging in his stomach. He was taken to a nearby house by witnesses where he was examined by a doctor. After the examination, Donaghy was loaded into a private vehicle for a trip to the hospital. While being transported to the hospital, British soldiers stopped the vehicle and took the young man to a nearby airbase where he died. The soldiers claimed that after he died, 4 nail bombs were found in his pockets while his body lay at the airbase. The witnesses, the doctor and the people transporting him to the hospital, all claimed that he did not have any such things in his pockets. They all claimed that the British troops planted the evidence on Donaghy.

The British government held an initial inquiry, and the government determined that after being fired upon, the troops had merely returned fire in self-defense and found all fault with the protestors for the violence of Bloody Sunday. This was not surprising to the Catholic minority as they felt that the report was filled with untruths and that the soldiers had been totally at fault. The actions of the troops and their leadership was completely whitewashed in this initial report. This however would not be the final inquiry.

After this incident, the violence exploded in Northern Ireland. This incident was a rallying cry for recruitment for IRA fighters and the English became more despised by the Irish nationalists, who used this incident as evidence of the British treatment of the Catholic minority. The next twenty years consisted of violence, bombings and death that consumed Northern Ireland and eventually, England itself. These incidents and bombings were carried out for over twenty years after Bloody Sunday. The IRA planted bombs in England that resulted in civilian deaths, while the Ulster Defense Association (UDA), a protestant group in Northern Ireland, inflicted their own carnage throughout the catholic neighborhoods in the north. These incidents went on from 1969 through the late 1990’s. Many of the attacks became legendary and resulted in reprisals from the other side.

One incident in 1974 was named the “Romper Room murder.” Ann Ogilby, a protestant, single mother of four, was having an affair with an UDA leader. She became pregnant and gave birth to his child. His wife arranged a trial conducted by other UDA wives. She was convicted by the kangaroo court and sentenced to death. She was kidnapped along with her six-year-old daughter and brought to a place that the UDA referred to as the Romper Room. Her daughter was taken away to buy candy. Ann was brought into a room with a hood placed over her head where she was beaten to death by two teenagers using sticks and clubs. Her daughter returned to hear her mother being murdered and begging for her life.

Another incident involved a group of UDA militants going into a Catholic bar in 1994 armed with rifles. They began firing indiscriminately and ended up murdering six unarmed Catholic civilians and wounding 5 others. The IRA, at one point bombed Harrod’s Department Store in London during the Christmas shopping season, which resulted in six deaths and numerous injuries. In fact, the IRA conducted several bombings in London during Christmas, which put the entire city on edge during this time. There were also famous hunger strikes carried out by IRA members languishing in prison. Several, including Bobby Sands starved themselves to death in a protest over the mistreatment.

These “troubles” as they are often referred to, resulted in over three thousand five hundred deaths. The violent incidents were reported on the news throughout the world and were thought to be sectarian, in that the combatants were identified by their religion (Catholic vs. Protestant). This religious identifier is a bit misleading in that historical and political differences were as important as religion in the conflict. Each religious group identified politically with one side or the other in regards to the conflict.

Finally, on Good Friday, April 10, 1998 both sides of the conflict sat down with the help of the United States (Retired US Senator George Mitchell) and reached an agreement that would end the troubles in Northern Ireland. This agreement was a document outlining how Northern Ireland would be governed going forward. The agreement included the British and Irish governments. One of the provisions in the document however called for a referendum on the Ireland reunification if, and when, it appeared likely to pass a majority vote. This would allow for the reunification of Ireland once a majority of voters wanted that to take place.

Once the troubles ended, another inquiry was commenced by the government to look into the Bloody Sunday massacre. This commission included testimony of witnesses and soldiers who were there. This inquiry was known as the Savile Inquiry and was commenced in 1998 and finally published in 2010. This inquiry was attempting to get a definitive answer to what actually happened in 1972, and to disprove or prove the whitewashed inquiry that was published during the height of the troubles.

This inquiry determined that the commander Colonel Wilford, disregarded orders and entered an area he was told not to. The soldiers then overreacted and shot unarmed civilians, many of whom were running away, and those attempting to render aid to injured victims. These civilians posed no threat or danger whatsoever to the troops and the killings were completely unjustified. Prime Minister David Cameron issued a public apology for the murders after the report was published.

Recently, (March 2019), many relatives of the slain victims were seeking to prosecute the soldiers for murder and the courts in England have yet to rule how, if any, prosecutions would go forward. These families are demanding justice based on the report, but many loyalists are trying to establish a statute of limitations in order to prevent any prosecutions as a result of the publication of the Savile findings.

The newest wrinkle involved in the Northern Ireland situation is Brexit. Northern Ireland voted overwhelmingly to stay in the European Union. After the United Kingdom voted to leave the EU, Northern Ireland politicians were frustrated. They felt this would have a significant and unpleasant economic consequence and they were afraid of what would happen with the border between Ireland and Northern Ireland. Currently, as both countries are part of the EU there is an open border in place between the countries. I recently visited there and there was no indication, other than a welcome sign that you had entered the country of Northern Ireland. That will certainly change after Brexit and Northern Ireland leaves the EU. Many in the North wonder if the violence will return and what form it may take. As for England, many there feel that Northern Ireland is a drain on their tax dollars and costs the English over 10 Billion dollars a year in support. Coupled with their economic difficulties, England appears to be less committed to the country than ever before. Now, with the EU support of Ireland and Ireland’s economic strength, many in the North wonder if they would be better off reuniting with the Irish Republic.

Here is where the connection with the results of Bloody Sunday, way back in 1972 come back to intersect with modern day history. As a result of Bloody Sunday, the violence between the IRA and British troops skyrocketed. Bombings were brought to London proper and affected the citizens in a real way. Thousands of people lost their lives to the violence and many more were wounded in the guerilla war between the two parties. After this period of violence, both sides eventually came to the bargaining table in an effort to put an end to the bloodshed and find a way to move forward in a way more equitable for all concerned. Part of this cease fire agreement allowed for a referendum at any time the parties felt it would inevitably succeed. Keeping in mind that when the British left Ireland in 1922 they created Northern Ireland out of the six most Protestant counties on the island. This worked well for the English for many years until the minority Catholic population, sick of the mistreatment at the hands of the English, protested in order to gain equal rights. Currently, the once large population gap between Protestants in Northern Ireland and Catholics has virtually disappeared. The Good Friday Agreement and the referendum on Reunification could be significant within the next several years. The Good Friday Agreement came about after the prolonged violence, which escalated as a result of Bloody Sunday. The English thought that the use of overwhelmingly deadly force would quell all of the disturbances and make the Catholic problem go away. Instead it made it worse and now is likely to result in England leaving the island permanently and the reunification of Ireland. This referendum will be all but inevitable as the Catholic population increases. Coupled with the uncertainties of Brexit and the potential economic consequences for the North, this inevitability is fast approaching.

In the end, it was the violence of Bloody Sunday and the mistreatment of the minority Catholic population that led to the ongoing troubles, which led to the Good Friday Agreement which will eventually lead to the reunification of Ireland.

On a personal note, I have travelled to Northern Ireland several times in the last couple of years. Crossing the border was like driving into a new state in the United States. I visited Belfast and that is where the reality of the violence really comes to life. There is a giant wall separating the Catholic and Protestant neighborhoods. Each night at nine o’clock the giant gates between the two parts of the city are locked. The police drive around in armored vehicles and murals of dead fighters and remembrances of major events are depicted in the murals. On the Catholic side I distinctly remember a tribute to hunger striker, Bobby Sands (and others) and a giant “Fuck the Queen” sign painted on the giant wall. You can almost feel the tenseness between the two sides as you drive around certain parts of the city. It seems very possible that the hard border could ignite a new conflict if the Brexit negotiators cannot figure out a solution to this problem. Hopefully the violence of Bloody Sunday and its aftermath never return to Northern Ireland a long last peaceful resolution takes the place of the historic solutions suffered through by the people there.