"Free Derry Corner" at the corner of Lecky Road and Fahan Street in the Bogside. The Bogside is a neighbourhood outside the city walls of Derry, Northern Ireland. The slogan was first painted in January 1969 by John Casey.

Free Derry (Irish: Saor Doire) was a self-declared autonomous nationalist area of Derry, Northern Ireland, between 1969 and 1972. Irish (ga ''Gaeilge'' is a Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family originating in Ireland and historically spoken by the Irish. Irish nationalism (Náisiúnachas Éireannach refers to political and sociological movements and sentiment that embodies a love for Irish ancestry, culture and language and Northern Ireland (Tuaisceart Éireann Ulster Scots: Norlin Airlann) is a Country within the United Kingdom, lying in the northeast of Year 1969 ( MCMLXIX) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Year 1972 ( MCMLXXII) was a Leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar.

Residents of the area built barricades and carried arms to prevent the armed police forces, the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) and the Ulster Special Constabulary (B Specials), and later the British Army from operating in the area. A barricade is any object or structure that creates a barrier or obstacle to control block passage or force the flow of Traffic in the desired direction A weapon is a Tool used either in Hunting, or attack or defence in Combat for the purpose of subduing enemy personnel or to destroy enemy weapons The Royal Ulster Constabulary GC was the name of the Police force in Northern Ireland from 1922 to 2001 The Ulster Special Constabulary (USC (commonly called the "B-Specials" was a reserve police force in Ireland. The British Army is the land armed forces branch of the British Armed Forces. Both the Official IRA and the Provisional IRA were recognised by the residents and were active in the area. The term Official Irish Republican Army or Official IRA (informally the Officials) refers to one of the two organisations&mdashthe other being the Provisional The Provisional Irish Republican Army (Óglaigh na hÉireann ( IRA; also referred to as the PIRA, the Provos, or by some of its supporters as the

Name and location

The name "Free Derry" was taken from a sign painted on a gable wall on the corner of Lecky Road and Fahan Street in January 1969 which read: “You are now entering Free Derry" (that corner subsequently became known as "Free Derry Corner"). ^[1] The area was initially referred to in the media simply as "the area" ^[2], and later as "the no-go area of Derry. "^[3]

The Museum of Free Derry^[4] uses the term to describe "the area covering the Bogside, Brandywell, Creggan, Bishop Street and Foyle Road. The Bogside is a neighbourhood outside the city walls of Derry, Northern Ireland. "

Background

Derry City lies on the border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. Northern Ireland (Tuaisceart Éireann Ulster Scots: Norlin Airlann) is a Country within the United Kingdom, lying in the northeast of Ireland ( Irish: Éire, ˈeːrʲə is a country in north-western Europe. It has always had a majority nationalist, Roman Catholic population. Irish nationalism (Náisiúnachas Éireannach refers to political and sociological movements and sentiment that embodies a love for Irish ancestry, culture and language and Until the 1960s, however, the Ulster Unionist Party had a majority on the local council, Londonderry Corporation. The Ulster Unionist Party ( UUP, sometimes referred to as the Official Unionist Party or OUP or in a historic sense simply the Unionist Party The unionists maintained their majority by manipulating the constituency boundaries (gerrymandering), by allowing only ratepayers to vote in local elections (as opposed to one man, one vote) and by denying houses to nationalists outside "their" constituency of South Ward ^[5]. Gerrymandering is a form of redistribution in which electoral district or Constituency boundaries are manipulated for electoral advantage " One man one vote " is a slogan used in pointing out a perceived imbalance in a given voting system The result was that there were far more nationalist families (about 2,000) than unionists (practically none) on the housing waiting list, and that housing inside the South Ward (which corresponded closely with what would become Free Derry^[4]) was crowded and of a very poor condition. ^[5]

The Guildhall, where members of the Derry Housing Action Committee disrupted meetings of Londonderry Corporation in 1968. The Derry Housing Action Committee (DHAC together with the Northern Ireland Civil Rights Association (NICRA organised the October 5 1968 civil rights demonstration in

The Derry Housing Action Committee (DHAC) was formed in March 1968 by members of the Derry Branch of the Northern Ireland Labour Party and the James Connolly Republican Club,^[6] including Eamonn McCann and Eamonn Melaugh. The Derry Housing Action Committee (DHAC together with the Northern Ireland Civil Rights Association (NICRA organised the October 5 1968 civil rights demonstration in See also Labour Party of Northern Ireland The Northern Ireland Labour Party was a political party which operated from 1924 until 1987 Eamonn McCann (b 1943 Derry, Northern Ireland) is an Irish Journalist, Author, and Political activist. It disrupted a meeting of Londonderry Corporation in March 1968 and again in May, blocked traffic by placing a caravan that was home to a family of four in the middle of the Lecky Road in the Bogside, and staged a sit-down protest at the opening of the second deck of the Craigavon Bridge. The Craigavon Bridge is one of two Bridges in Derry, Northern Ireland. ^[7] After the meeting of Londonderry Corporation was again disrupted in August, Eamonn Melaugh telephoned the Northern Ireland Civil Rights Association (NICRA) and invited them to hold a march in Derry. The Northern Ireland Civil Rights Association ( Cumann Chearta Sibhialta Thuaisceart Éireann) was an organisation which campaigned for Civil rights in Northern The date chosen was 5 October 1968, an adhoc committee was formed (although in the event most of the organizing was done by McCann and Melaugh^[7]) and the route was to take the marchers inside the city walls, where nationalists were traditionally not permitted to march. Events 869 - The Fourth Council of Constantinople is convened to decide about what to do about Patriarch Photius of Constantinople Year 1968 ( MCMLXVIII) was a Leap year starting on Monday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. ^[8] The Minister for Home Affairs, William Craig, made an order on 3 October prohibiting the march on the grounds that the Apprentice Boys of Derry were intending to hold a march on the same day (according to Martin Melaugh of CAIN "[t]his particular tactic. __FORCETOC__ William (Bill Craig (b 2 December 1924) is a Northern Ireland Politician best known for forming the Ulster Vanguard The Apprentice Boys Of Derry are a Protestant fraternal society with a worldwide membership founded in 1814 CAIN ( Conflict Archive on the Internet) is a database containing information about Conflict and Politics in Northern Ireland from 1968 to the Present . . provided the excuse needed to ban the march"^[7]). When the marchers attempted to defy the ban on 5 October they were stopped by a police (Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC)) cordon. The Royal Ulster Constabulary GC was the name of the Police force in Northern Ireland from 1922 to 2001 A number of people, including Stormont MP Eddie McAteer and Westminster MP Gerry Fitt were struck by batons. The Parliament of Northern Ireland was the home rule Legislature of Northern Ireland, created under the Government of Ireland Act 1920, A Member of Parliament, or MP, is a representative elected by the voters to a Parliament. Eddie McAteer (1914 - 28 March 1986) was an nationalist politician in Northern Ireland. The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative body in the United Kingdom and British overseas territories Gerard "Gerry" Fitt Baron Fitt ( 9 April 1926 &ndash 26 August 2005) was a Northern Irish politician ^[9] Subsequently the police "broke ranks and used their batons indiscriminately on people in Duke Street". Marchers trying to escape met another party of police and "these police also used their batons indiscriminately. "^[10] Water cannons were also used. The police action caused outrage in the nationalist area of Derry, and at a meeting four days later the Derry Citizens' Action Committee (DCAC) was formed, with John Hume as chairman and Ivan Cooper as vice-chairman. John Hume (born 18 January 1937) is a former Politician in Northern Ireland, founding member of the Social Democratic and Labour Party Ivan Averill Cooper (born 1944 is a former politician from Northern Ireland who was a Member of Parliament of Northern Ireland, and founding member of the SDLP ^[11]

The first barricades

Another group formed as a result of the events of 5 October was People's Democracy, a group of students in Queen's University Belfast. People's democracy is also a term used to refer to the People's Republic. Queen's University Belfast is a university in Belfast, Northern Ireland. They organized a march from Belfast to Derry in support of civil rights, starting out with about forty young people on 1 January 1969. Belfast ( is the capital city of Northern Ireland and the seat of government in Northern Ireland. New Year See also New Year The Ancient Romans began their consular year on January 1st since 153 BC Year 1969 ( MCMLXIX) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. ^[12] The march met with violent opposition from anti-civil rights counter-demonstrators at several points along the route. Finally, at Burntollet Bridge, five miles outside Derry, they were attacked by a mob of about two hundred wielding clubs, some of them studded with nails, and stones. The police, who were at the scene, failed to protect them. Dozens of marchers were taken to hospital. The remainder continued on to Derry where they were attacked once more on their way to Craigavon Bridge before they finally reached Guildhall Square, where they held a rally. ^[12] Rioting broke out after the rally. Police drove rioters into the Bogside, but did not come after them. In the early hours of the following morning, 5 January, members of the RUC charged into St. Columb's Wells and Lecky Road in the Bogside, breaking windows and beating residents. ^[2] In his report on the disturbances, Lord Cameron remarked that "for such conduct among members of a disciplined and well-led force there can be no acceptable justification or excuse" and added that "its effect in rousing passions and inspiring hostility towards the police was regrettably great. "^[13]

That afternoon over 1,500 Bogside residents built barricades, armed themselves with steel bars, wooden clubs and hurleys, and told the police that they would not be allowed into the area. DCAC chairman John Hume told a meeting of residents that they were to defend the area and no-one was to come in. ^[2] Groups of men wearing armbands patrolled the streets in shifts. John 'Caker' Casey, a local activist, painted "You are now entering Free Derry" in white paint on the gable wall of a house on the corner of Lecky road and Fahan Street. ^[14] That corner, which was a popular venue for meetings, later became known as "Free Derry Corner". On 7 January, the barricaded area was extended to include the Creggan, another nationalist area on a hill overlooking the Bogside. ^[15] A pirate radio station calling itself "Radio Free Derry" began broadcasting to residents^[16], playing rebel songs and encouraging resistance. ^[17] On a small number of occasions attempting law-breakers were dealt with by the patrols. ^[18] Despite all this, however, the Irish Times reported that "the infrastructure of revolutionary control in the area has not been developed beyond the maintenance of patrols. "^[16] Following some acts of destruction and of violence late in the week, members of the DCAC including Ivan Cooper addressed residents on Friday 10 January and called on them to dismantle the barricades. The barricades were taken down the following morning. ^[19]

April 1969

Over the next three months there were several violent clashes, with local youths throwing stones at police. ^[20] Violence came to a head on Saturday 19 April after a planned march from Burntollet Bridge to the city centre was banned. A protest in the city centre led to clashes with 'Paisleyites' (members of the unionist community in sympathy with the anti-civil rights stance of Ian Paisley). Ian Richard Kyle Paisley (born 6 April 1926 styled The Rt Hon Police attempting to drive the protestors back into the Bogside were themselves driven back to their barracks. A series of pitched battles followed, and barricades were built (under the supervision of Bernadette Devlin, newly-elected MP for Mid Ulster). Josephine Bernadette Devlin McAliskey (born 23 April 1947, in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland) also known as Bernadette Devlin Mid Ulster is a Parliamentary Constituency in the British House of Commons. ^[21] Police pursuing rioters broke into a house in William Street and severely beat the occupant, Samuel Devenny, his family and two friends. Devenny was brought to hospital "bleeding profusely from a number of head wounds. "^[22] At midnight four hundred RUC men in full riot gear and carrying riot shields occupied the Bogside. ^[23] Convoys of police vehicles drove through the area with headlights blazing. ^[24]

The following day several thousand residents, led by the DCAC, withdrew to the Creggan and issued an ultimatum to the RUC — withdraw within two hours or be driven out. With fifteen minutes of the two hours remaining, the police marched out through the Butcher's Gate, even as the residents were entering from the far side. ^[23] The barricades were not maintained on this occasion, and routine patrols were not prevented.

Samuel Devenny suffered a heart attack four days after his beating. On 17 July he suffered a further heart attack and died. ^[25] Thousands attended his funeral, and the mood was sufficiently angry that it was clear the annual Apprentice Boys' parade, scheduled for 12 August, could not take place without causing serious disturbance. The Apprentice Boys Of Derry are a Protestant fraternal society with a worldwide membership founded in 1814

August – October 1969

Westland Street, in the Bogside. The headquarters of the Derry Citizens Defence Association were at number 10. The Derry Citizens Defence Association (DCDA was an organisation set up in July 1969 in response to a perceived threat to the nationalist community of

The Apprentice Boys' parade is an annual celebration by unionists of the relief of the Siege of Derry in 1689, which began when thirteen young apprentice boys shut the city's gates against the army of King James. For context see the Williamite War in Ireland and Jacobitism. James II of England and Ireland James VII of Scotland (14 October 1633 &ndash 16 September 1701 was King of England, King of Scots, Later that same year James At that time the parade was held on 12 August each year. Participants from across Northern Ireland and Britain marched along the city walls above the Bogside, and many were openly hostile to the residents. ^[26] On 30 July 1969 the Derry Citizens Defence Association (DCDA) was formed to try to preserve peace during the period of the parade, and to defend the Bogside and Creggan in the event of an attack. The Derry Citizens Defence Association (DCDA was an organisation set up in July 1969 in response to a perceived threat to the nationalist community of The chairman was Seán Keenan, an Irish Republican Army (IRA) veteran; the vice-chairman was Paddy Doherty, a popular local man sometimes known as "Paddy Bogside" and the secretary was Johnnie White, another leading republican and leader of the James Connolly Republican Club. Seán Keenan (died 3 March 1993) was an Irish republican from Derry, Ireland who was interned without trial on three occasions This article deals with the Irish republican organisation opposed to the Anglo-Irish Treaty styling itself "Irish Republican Army" as it existed from the time of the Treaty Patrick (Paddy Doherty (born 1926 is a former activist in Derry, Northern Ireland. John ( Johnnie) White (died 2007 was Officer Commanding the Official Irish Republican Army (Official IRA in Derry, Northern Ireland Street committees were formed under the overall command of the DCDA and barricades were built on the night of 11 August. ^[27] The parade took place as planned on 12 August. As it passed through Waterloo Place, on the edge of the Bogside, hostilities began between supporters and opponents of the parade. Fighting between the two groups continued for two hours, then the police charged up William Street, followed by the 'Paisleyites'. They were met with a hail of stones and petrol bombs. The ensuing battle became known as the Battle of the Bogside. The Battle of the Bogside was a very large communal Riot between the mostly unarmed residents of the Bogside area of Derry city in Northern Ireland allied Late in the evening, having been driven back repeatedly, the police fired canisters of CS gas into the crowd. CS gas is the common name for 2-chlorobenzalmalononitrile (also called o-Chlorobenzylidene Malononitrile (chemical formula C10H5ClN2 Youths on the roof of a high-rise block of flats on Rossville Street threw petrol bombs down on the police. ^[28] Walkie-talkies were used to maintain contact between different areas of fighting and DCDA headquarters in Paddy Doherty's house in Westland Street^[29], and first aid stations were operating, staffed by doctors, nurses and volunteers. Women and girls made milk-bottle crates of petrol bombs for supply to the youths in the front line^[30] and "Radio Free Derry" broadcast to the fighters and their families. On the third day of fighting, 14 August, the Northern Ireland Government mobilised the Ulster Special Constabulary (B-Specials), a force greatly feared by nationalists in Derry and elsewhere. The Ulster Special Constabulary (USC (commonly called the "B-Specials" was a reserve police force in Ireland. ^[28] Before they engaged, however, British troops appeared at the scene, carrying automatic rifles and sub-machine guns. The RUC and B-Specials withdrew, and the troops took up positions outside the barricaded area.

A deputation including Eamon McCann met senior army officers and told them that the army would not be allowed in until certain demands were met, including the disarming of the RUC, the disbandment of the B-Specials and the abolition of Stormont (the Parliament and Government of Northern Ireland). The Parliament of Northern Ireland was the home rule Legislature of Northern Ireland, created under the Government of Ireland Act 1920, Executive Committee of the Privy Council of Northern Ireland was the government of Northern Ireland created under the Government of Ireland Act 1920. The officers agreed that neither troops nor police would enter the Bogside and Creggan districts. ^[31] A 'peace corps' was formed to maintain law and order. When the British Home Secretary, Jim Callaghan, visited Northern Ireland and announced his intention to visit the Bogside on 28 August, he was told that he would not be allowed to bring either police or soldiers with him. Leonard James Callaghan Baron Callaghan of Cardiff, KG, PC (27 March 1912 – 26 March 2005 was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1976 to 1979 Callaghan agreed. ^[32] Accompanied by members of the Defence Committee, he was "swept along by a surging crowd of thousands" up Rossvile Street and into Lecky Road, where he "took refuge" in a local house,^[33]and later addressed crowds from an upstairs window. In preparation for Callaghan's visit the "Free Derry" wall was painted white and the "You are now entering Free Derry" sign was professionally re-painted in black lettering. ^[34]

Following Callaghan's visit some barricades were breached, but the majority remained while the people awaited concrete evidence of reform. ^[35] Still the army made no move to enter the area. Law and order was maintained by a 'peace corps'—volunteers organised by the DCDA to patrol the streets and man the barricades. There was very little crime. Punishment, in the words of Eamonn McCann, "as often as not consisted of a stern lecture from Seán Keenan on the need for solidarity within the area. "^[36] In September the barricades were replaced with a white line painted on the road. ^[37]

The Hunt Report on the future of policing in Northern Ireland was presented to the Stormont cabinet in early October. Jim Callaghan held talks with the cabinet in Belfast on 10 October following which the report's recommendations were accepted and made public. They included the recommendation that the RUC should be 'ordinarily' unarmed, and that the B-Specials should be phased out and replaced by a new force. The new RUC Chief Constable, Arthur Young, an Englishman, was announced, and travelled to Belfast with Callaghan. Colonel Sir Arthur Edwin Young, KBE, CMG, CVO, KPM (15 February 1907 – 20 January 1979 was the Commissioner of the City of The same day, Seán Keenan announced that the DCDA was to be dissolved. On 11 October Callaghan and Young visited the Free Derry, and on 12 October the first military police entered the Bogside, on foot and unarmed. Military police ( MPs) are normally the Police of a Military Organization. ^[38]

The rise of Republicanism

The Irish Republican Army (IRA) had been militarily inactive since the end of the Border Campaign in 1962. This article deals with the Irish republican organisation opposed to the Anglo-Irish Treaty styling itself "Irish Republican Army" as it existed from the time of the Treaty The Border Campaign ( December 12 1956 – February 26 1962) was a campaign of Guerrilla warfare ( codenamed Operation It was low in both personnel and equipment—Chief of Staff Cathal Goulding told Seán Keenan and Paddy Doherty in August 1969 that he "couldn't defend the Bogside. Cathal Goulding ( 2 January 1923 - 26 December 1998) was Chief of Staff of the Irish Republican Army and the Official I haven't the men nor the guns to do it. "^[39] During the 1960s the leadership of the Republican Movement had moved to the left. The Republican Movement is a collective term used to describe the Irish Republican Army (IRA and other political social and paramilitary organisations associated with it Its focus was on class struggle and its aim was to unite Catholics and Protestants in order to overthrow capitalism, both British and Irish. Class struggle is the active expression of Class conflict looked at from any kind of socialist perspective Capitalism is the Economic system in which the Means of production are owned by private Persons and operated for Profit and where ^[40] Republican Clubs were formed in Northern Ireland, where Sinn Féin was proscribed. Sinn Féin () is a political party in Ireland. The current party led by Gerry Adams was formed following a split in January 1970 ^[41] These were involved in the formation of NICRA in 1967. ^[42] In Derry, the James Connolly Republican Club worked closely with Labour Party radicals, with whom they set up the DHAC and DUAC. The DCDA was formed initially by republicans, who then invited other nationalists to join. ^[43] Although there were tensions between the younger leaders like Johnnie White and the older, traditional republicans such as Seán Keenan, both sides saw the unrest of 1968-69 as a chance to advance republican aims, and the two shared the platform at the Easter commemoration in April 1969. The Easter Rising (Éirí Amach na Cásca was a rebellion staged in Ireland in Easter Week, 1916 ^[44]

The events of August 1969 in Derry, and more particularly in Belfast where the IRA was unable to prevent loss of life or protect families burned out of their homes, brought to a head the divisions that had already appeared within the movement between the radicals and the traditionalists and led to a split in January 1970 into the Official IRA and the Provisional IRA. The term Official Irish Republican Army or Official IRA (informally the Officials) refers to one of the two organisations&mdashthe other being the Provisional The Provisional Irish Republican Army (Óglaigh na hÉireann ( IRA; also referred to as the PIRA, the Provos, or by some of its supporters as the ^[45] Initially, both armies organised for defensive purposes only, although the Provisionals were planning towards an offensive campaign. ^[46] In Derry there was far less hostility between the two organisations than elsewhere. Householders commonly paid subscriptions to both. ^[47] When rioters were arrested after the Official's Easter parade in March 1970, Officials and Provisionals picketed their trial together. ^[48] At the start the Officials attracted most of the younger members. ^[49] Martin McGuinness, who in August 1969 was a young stone-thrower, initially joined the Officials, but a few months later left to join the Provisionals. James Martin Pacelli McGuinness (Máirtín Mag Aonghusa born in Derry on 23 May 1950 is the Deputy First Minister of Northern Ireland. ^[50]

Relations between the army and the residents had steadily disimproved since the first appearance of troops in August 1969. In September, after clashes between nationalist and unionist crowds that led to the death of a Protestant man, William King, the army erected a 'peace ring' to enclose the nationalist population in the area they had previously controlled. Roads into the city centre were closed at night and people were prevented from walking on certain streets. ^[51] Although some moderate nationalists accepted this as necessary, it angered many young people. Clashes between youths and troops became more frequent. The riot following the Official Republican Easter parade in March 1970 marked the first time that the army used 'snatch squads', who rushed into the Bogside wielding batons to make arrests. ^[52] The snatch squads soon became a common feature of army arrest operations. There was also a belief that they were arresting people at random, sometimes several days after the alleged offence, and based on the identification of people that they had seen from a considerable distance. ^[53] The rioters were condemned as hooligans by moderates, who saw the riots as hampering attempts to resolve the situation. The Labour radicals and Official Republicans, still working together, tried to turn the youth away from rioting and create a socialist organization (one such organization was named the 'Young Hooligans Association) but to no avail. Socialism refers to a broad set of economic theories of social organization advocating state or collective ownership and administration of the Means of production and distribution ^[54] The Provisionals, while disapproving of riots, viewed them as the inevitable consquence of British 'occupation' of Ireland. ^[55] This philosophy was more attractive to rioters, and some of them joined the Provisional IRA. The deaths of two leading Provisionals in a premature explosion in June 1970 resulted in young militants becoming more prominent in the organization. Nevertheless, up to July 1971 the Provisional IRA remained numerically small. ^[56]

Two men, Séamas Cusack and Desmond Beattie, were shot dead in separate incidents in the early morning and afternoon of 8 July 1971. They were the first people to be killed by the army in Derry. In both cases the army claimed that the men were attacking them with guns or bombs, while eye-winesses insisted that both were unarmed. The Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP), the newly-formed party of which John Hume and Ivan Cooper were leading members, withdrew from Stormont in protest, but among the residents there was a perception that 'moderate' policies had failed. The Social Democratic and Labour Party ( SDLP; Páirtí Sóisialta Daonlathach an Lucht Oibre is one of the two major nationalist parties in Northern Ireland The result was a surge of support for the IRA. The Provisionals held a meeting the following Sunday at which they called on people to "join the IRA". Following the meeting people queued up to join^[57] There was large-scale rioting. The army post at Bligh's Lane came under sutained attack, and troops there and around the city came under fire from the IRA. ^[58]

Internment and the third Free Derry

The deteriorating military situation in Derry and elsewhere led to increasing speculation that internment without trial would be introduced in northern Ireland, and on 9 August 1971 hundreds of republicans and nationalists were lifted in dawn raids. Internment is the imprisonment or confinement of people commonly in large groups without trial Events 48 BC - Caesar's civil war: Battle of Pharsalus - Julius Caesar decisively defeats Pompey at Pharsalus Year 1971 ( MCMLXXI) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display full calendar of the 1971 Gregorian calendar. In Derry, residents came out onto the streets to resist the arrests, and fewer people were taken there than elsewhere; nevertheless many leading figures including Seán Keenan and Johnnie White were interned. ^[59] In response barricades were erected once again and the third Free Derry came into existence. ^[60] Unlike its predecessors, this Free Derry was marked by a strong IRA presence, both Official and Provisional. It was defended by armed paramilitaries—a no-go area, one in which British security forces were unable to operate. The term no-go area has a Military origin and was first widely used in the context of the Bush War in Rhodesia.

Gun attacks on the army increased. Six soldiers were wounded in the first day after internment, and shortly afterwards a soldier was killed—the first to be killed by either IRA in Derry. ^[60] The army moved in in force on 18 August to dismantle the barricades. A gun battle ensued in which a young Provisional IRA officer, Eamonn Lafferty, was killed. A crowd staging a sit-down protest was hosed down and a number of people, including John Hume and Ivan Cooper, were arrested. After several days, with barricades re-appearing as quickly as they were removed, the army abandoned their attempt.

The Derry Provisionals had little contact with the IRA elsewhere. They had few weapons (about twenty) which they used mainly for sniping. ^[61] At the same time, they launched their bombing campaigh in Derry. Unlike Belfast, however, they were careful to avoid killing or injuring innocent people. Eamonn McCann wrote that "the Derry Provos, under Martin McGuinness, had managed to bomb the city centre until it looked as if it had been hit from the air without causing any civilian casualties. "^[62]

Although both IRAs operated openly, neither was in control of Free Derry. The barricades were manned by unarmed 'auxilliaries'. ^[63] Crime was dealt with by the Free Derry Police, which was headed by Tony O'Doherty, a Derry footballer and Northern Ireland International. Tony O'Doherty (born December 12, 1946 in Derry, Northern Ireland) is a former Northern Irish footballer and footballing manager Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a Team sport played between two teams of eleven players and is widely considered The Northern Ireland national football team represents Northern Ireland in international football. ^[64]

Bloody Sunday

The Bloody Sunday memorial in Rossville Street. Bloody Sunday (Domhnach na Fola is the term used to describe an incident in Derry, Northern Ireland, on 30 January 1972 in which 26 All of the dead belonged to Free Derry.

An anti-internment protest organised by the Northern Ireland Civil Rights Association (NICRA) at Magilligan Camp in January 1972 was met with violence from the 1st Battalion, The Parachute Regiment (1 PARA). The Northern Ireland Civil Rights Association ( Cumann Chearta Sibhialta Thuaisceart Éireann) was an organisation which campaigned for Civil rights in Northern ^[65] NICRA had organised a march from the Creggan to Derry city centre, in defiance of a ban, on the following Sunday, 30 January 1972. Events 1648 - Eighty Years' War: The Treaty of Münster is signed ending the conflict between the Netherlands and Spain Year 1972 ( MCMLXXII) was a Leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Both IRA's were asked, and agreed, to suspend operations on that day to ensure the march passed off peacefully. ^[66] The army erected barricades around the Free Derry area to prevent marchers from reaching the city centre. On the day, march organisers turned the march away from the barriers and up to Free Derry Corner, but some youths proceeded to the barrier at William Street and stoned soldiers. Troops from 1 Para then moved into Free Derry and opened fire, killing thirteen people, all of whom were subsequently found to be unarmed. ^[67] A fourteenth shooting victim died four months later in June 1972. ^[68] Like the killing of Cusack and Beattie the previous year, Bloody Sunday had the effect of hugely increasing recruitment to the IRA, even among people who previously would have been 'moderates'. Bloody Sunday (Domhnach na Fola is the term used to describe an incident in Derry, Northern Ireland, on 30 January 1972 in which 26 ^[69]

February - July 1972

Both Provisional and Official IRA stepped up attacks after Bloody Sunday, with the tacit if not the active support of the residents. ^[70] Local feelings changed, however, with the killing of Ranger William Best by the Official IRA. Best was a 19-year-old local man who was home on leave from the British Army at his parents' house in the Creggan. He was abducted, interrogated and shot. The following day 500 women marched to the Republican Club offices in protest. ^[71] Nine days later, on 29 May, the Official IRA declared a ceasefire. The Provisional IRA initially stated that they would not follow suit, but after informal approaches to the British Government they announced a ceasefire from 26 June. Martin McGuinness was the Derry representative in a party of senior Provisionals who travelled to London for talks with William Whitelaw, the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland. William Stephen Ian Whitelaw 1st Viscount Whitelaw, KT, CH, MC, PC, DL (28 June 1918 &ndash 1 July 1999 commonly known as The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland is the chief minister in the Government of the United Kingdom with responsibilities for Northern Ireland ^[72] The talks were not resumed after the ending of the truce following a violent confrontation in Belfast when troops prevented Catholic families from taking over houses in the Lenadoon estate. ^[73]

Political pressure for the action against the "no-go" areas increased after the events of Bloody Friday in Belfast. Bloody Friday is the name given to the bombings by the Provisional Irish Republican Army 's (IRA Belfast Brigade in and around Belfast, Northern Ireland An army attack was considered inevitable, and the IRA took the decision not to resist it. ^[74] On 31 July 1972, Operation Motorman was launched when several thousand British troops, equipped with tanks, armoured cars and armoured bulldozers, dismantled the barricades and occupied the area. Events 30 BC - Battle of Alexandria: Mark Antony achieves a minor victory over Octavian 's forces but most of his army subsequently Year 1972 ( MCMLXXII) was a Leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Operation Motorman was an operation carried out by British Army forces in Northern Ireland during The Troubles.

References

Bibliography

• Devlin,Bernadette, The Price of my Soul, 1st edition, 1969
• Lord Cameron, Disturbances in Northern Ireland, HMSO, 1969 (CAIN Web Service)
• McCann, Eamonn, War and an Irish Town, 2nd edition, 1980, ISBN 0-86104-302-2
• Ó Dochartaigh, Niall, From Civil Rights to Armalites: Derry and the Birth of the Irish Troubles, Palgrave MacMillan, 2005, ISBN 1 4039 4431 8
• Report of the Police Ombudsman for Northern Ireland into a complaint made by the Devenny family on 20 April 2001 (The Pat Finucane Centre)

External links

• Bloody Sunday Trust, The Battle of the Bogside