On Bloody Sunday : a new history of the day and its aftermath - by the people who were there

In January 1972, a peaceful civil rights march in Northern Ireland ended in bloodshed. Troops from Britain's 1st Battalion of the 'elite' Parachute Regiment opened fire on a group of unarmed and defenceless marchers, leaving in their wake 13 dead and 15 wounded. Seven of those killed were teenage boys. The day became universally known as 'Bloody Sunday'.The events occurred in broad daylight and in the full glare and horrified view of the worlds press, who were covering the legally organised peaceful march for their respective newsagencies.Within a few hours, the British military commander in Northern Ireland was informing the world that they had won an 'IRA gun battle', with civilian casualties resulting from that gun battle and not the Parachute Regiment.Despite witness statements and photographs clearly showing the falsehood of this official explanation, this was to become the accepted official narrative for decades until a family-led campaign instigated one of the most complex and exhaustive legal inquiries in this countries history.In 2010, the victims of Bloody Sunday were fully exonerated when Lord Saville found that the majority of the victims were either shot in the back as they ran away from members of the Parachute Regiments 'undisciplined gunfire' or were cut down running to help someone in need, either dead or wounded, already on the ground.All were found to be unarmed with no gunfire of any kind undertaken by anyone apart from those members of the Parachute Regiment present on that day.The enquiry also found that there were No IRA Gunmen firing at soldiers or in the crowd firing at the soldiers as so long claimed by the British Army. The final report and its damming findings against the British Army and the Parachute Regiment, made headlines all over the world.While many of those present on this day buried the trauma of that horrifying few hours for a lifetime, historian and Irish justice campaigner Juliann Campbell - whose teenage uncle was the first to be killed that day - felt the need to keep recording the interviews of those willing to share their experiences, and over the years collected rare and unpublished accounts of how family and friends were left to deal with the fallout from the march - isolated and alone.Due to her own personal connection to the marchers she was also aware of just how precious such memories were to those who were left behind to survive in its wake. Fifty years on, in this book, survivors, relatives, eyewitnesses and politicians, shine a light on the events of Bloody Sunday, together, for the first time. As they tell their stories, the tension, confusion and anger build with an awful power. ON BLOODY SUNDAY unfolds before us an extraordinary human drama, as we experience one of the darkest moments in modern Irish and British history - and witness the true human cost of conflict."A momentous chronicle, timely and vital, which highlights that the burden of change rests, as always, upon the shoulders of those who suffered and yet, have nurtured the desire that lessons be learned''. - Michael Mansfield QC, who represented a number of families during the Bloody Sunday Inquiry."It's a wonderful book. The technique used - multiple voices speaking directly to us - is very simple but it has a profound effect. It puts us into the middle of the chaos of Bloody Sunday and keeps us there throughout the grief and anger that follow. A wonderful, wonderful book''. - Jimmy McGovern, BAFTA award winning screenwriter and director."This was a day like no other in my lifetime... a day that affected the lives of countless thousands on this Island. A day that many of us will never forget.... ''. - Christy Moore, Irish songwriter.Released in print and digitally to mark the 50th Anniversary of the loss of those killed, on 26 January 2022.Julieann Campbell An award-winning author, Julieann Campbell's seventeen-year-old uncle, Jackie Duddy, was the first person to be killed on 30 January 1972. For more than a decade, Julieann has worked to document and archive the collective experiences of that day. As a former Chair of the Bloody Sunday Trust, she took on the role of family press officer ahead of the Bloody Sunday Inquiry when it was held in 2010.She is a PhD Researcher at Ulster University's School of Law exploring the impact of post-conflict storytelling and is a director of the Pat Finucane Centre for Human Rights. \*\*\*\*\* 'There have been many books written about the events of Bloody Sunday, however, none has wrenched the reader as violently back to those CS gas-choked streets, dumping them right in the heart of the screaming, running, shooting and crying, as Julieann Campbell's On Bloody Sunday. A powerful chronicle of one of the darkest episodes of modern times.' - Sunday Times 'Powerful and moving ... The strength of this important new book lies in the artistry the author brings to the tasks of portraying both the community upon which the massacre was perpetrated, and the individuals within it.' - Irish Times 'Meticulous.... On Bloody Sunday possesses a veracity and cumulative power that sets it apart from previous accounts' - Observer 'A momentous chronicle, timely and vital, which highlights that the burden of change rests, as always, upon the shoulders of those who suffered and yet, have nurtured the desire that lessons be learned.' - Michael Mansfield QC, who represented a number of families during the Bloody Sunday Inquiry. 'It is a vital record of the time, the city, and its people, and more impressive still it does so almost entirely in their own words, their heartbreak, their anger, their resilience, their humour. Julieann Campbell has given their voices, so long silenced, the dignity they deserve. It is a staggering achievement.' - Séamas O'Reilly 'It's a wonderful book. The technique used - multiple voices speaking directly to us - is very simple but it has a profound effect. It puts us into the middle of the chaos of Bloody Sunday and keeps us there throughout the grief and anger that follow. A wonderful, wonderful book.' - Jimmy McGovern, BAFTA winning screenwriter, creator of 'Sunday' (2002) In January 1972, a peaceful civil rights march in Northern Ireland ended in bloodshed. Troops from Britain's 1st Battalion Parachute Regiment opened fire on marchers, leaving 13 dead and 15 wounded. Seven of those killed were teenage boys. The day became known as 'Bloody Sunday'. The events occurred in broad daylight and in the full glare of the press. Within hours, the British military informed the world that they had won an 'IRA gun battle'. This became the official narrative for decades until a family-led campaign instigated one of the most complex inquiries in history. In 2010, the victims of Bloody Sunday were fully exonerated when Lord Saville found that the majority of the victims were either shot in the back as they ran away or were helping someone in need. The report made headlines all over the world. While many buried the trauma of that day, historian and campaigner Juliann Campbell - whose teenage uncle was the first to be killed that day - felt the need to keep recording these interviews, and collecting rare and unpublished accounts, aware of just how precious they were. Fifty years on, in this book, survivors, relatives, eyewitnesses and politicians, shine a light on the events of Bloody Sunday, together, for the first time. As they tell their stories, the tension, confusion and anger build with an awful power. ON BLOODY SUNDAY unfolds before us an extraordinary human drama, as we experience one of the darkest moments in modern history - and witness the true human cost of conflict.