The Gooner Forum

A long time coming and at long last some peace for the families of the victims. What is so sad is it has taken so long and so much money to come to a conclusion that was clear to all oh so many years ago.

The apology is long overdue but all credit to the british goverment for a well scripted apology.

Hopefully this will go some way to healing long term wounds in the north, and not actually do the opposite bringing up old animosity.

http://report.bloody-sunday-inquiry.org/

I found the wording regarding Martin McGuiness a bit odd. He "was probably carrying a machine gun"? He was a brigade commander, he was tooled up big time.

The real shame about Bloody Sunday (obviously apart from the murders of innocent peace activists) is that both communities' extremist elements used the events of that day to proliferate hatred and brainwash their youth which helped lead to over 20 years of violence that took so many other innocent lives.

Of course Bloody Sunday was not the sole cause of the ensuing "Troubles" but it did directly influence the escalation in violence.

I think it's a brave and right thing the British govt have done and hopefully it will help to heal the wounds on both sides and we can all just get on with our lives in peace.

The report and indeed the apology were welcome and indeed warmly received here in Derry, but as Bren said they were a long time in coming and I would add they may never have come were it not for the determination of the victim’s families to clear the names of their loved ones.
As for that day itself, I was just 8 years old, yet the magnitude and horror of what happened did not escape me. Most of those killed were from the housing estate where I lived (Creggan) and they and their parents would all have been known to my mother. And even to this day seeing footage on television can reduce me to tears.

As news began to filter through about what was happening, there was panic as parents, wives and husbands made their way to the scene to try to establish that their family members were safe. This amid rumour and reports of Paratroopers moving through the crowd firing from the hip and of women being shot. In the end 13 people had been shot dead in ten minutes of murderous mayhem.

The funerals took place just three days later from my local parish church, 300 metres from my front door, and the victims laid to rest in the cemetery which backed on to our back garden. So many mourners had gathered, that I can remember being unable to get beyond the path which lead to my front door. It rained continuously throughout and the newspaper headline the following day read “even the heavens criedâ€

Great post goonersid. It was long overdue (the apology, not the great post).

These murders and the slandersous Widgery report dug hundreds of graves. I can't see prosecutions happening. Is there a strong appetite for convictions goonersid?

Cockerill's chin wrote:Great post goonersid. It was long overdue (the apology, not the great post).

These murders and the slandersous Widgery report dug hundreds of graves. I can't see prosecutions happening. Is there a strong appetite for convictions goonersid?

I think opinion is divided, I myself don't see the point. After the Good Friday agreement all the Republican and Loyalist murderers where freed on licence. So to prosecute anyone now would be futile, and they would have as much right to be set free the next day, as those released under the Good Friday Agreement.
It is time to "move on" as they say. Those who were involved that day will have to live with what they did, and now in the eyes of the world and indeed their own people, they are no different to the republican and loyalist para-military murder squads.

goonersid wrote:

Cockerill's chin wrote:Great post goonersid. It was long overdue (the apology, not the great post).

These murders and the slandersous Widgery report dug hundreds of graves. I can't see prosecutions happening. Is there a strong appetite for convictions goonersid?

I think opinion is divided, I myself don't see the point. After the Good Friday agreement all the Republican and Loyalist murderers where freed on licence. So to prosecute anyone now would be futile, and they would have as much right to be set free the next day, as those released under the Good Friday Agreement.
It is time to "move on" as they say. Those who were involved that day will have to live with what they did, and now in the eyes of the world and indeed their own people, they are no different to the republican and loyalist para-military murder squads.

Great post, goonersid. Says it all. Agree with every word. Peace on.

RIP to all those who died on the day. Watched an interesting programme recreating the day and it really was horrific.