Bloody Sunday: Massacre in Northern Ireland

On January 30, 1972, a total of 13 Irish Catholics were killed by British soldiers in the Ulster city of Derry in what has become known as ""Bloody Sunday."" (This is the second ""Bloody Sunday"" in modern Irish history and should not be confused with the first one, November 20, 1920, when agents of Michael Collins assassinated the entire British Secret Service in Dublin.) The British government undertook a judicial inquiry by the Lord Chief Justice, Lord Widgery, which has come to be seen as a cover-up for British army atrocities. Mullan--an eyewitness at Bloody Sunday, now a civil rights worker in Northern Ireland-here examines onsite reports of more than 100 citizens and members of the British army about what happened. The accounts admit that the march turned ugly when stones were thrown at the soldiers by local boys. Events thereafter, however, are debated by both sides. The British claim they were returning fire from IRA gunmen and bomb throwers, yet the eyewitnesses included here deny seeing even one gun or a bomb. The royal coroner notes that the army ""ran amok,"" and former prime minister John Major states that those killed ""should be regarded as innocent of any allegation that they were shot whilst handling firearms or explosives."" Mullan also presents statements from Soldier ""A"" and a British officer who declare they were instructed, ""We want some kills tomorrow,"" and who state that the soldiers were firing dumdum bullets, which had been outlawed under the Geneva Convention. This detailed study adds to our knowledge of a pivotal event in modern Irish history. (Oct.)