Bloody Sunday
Deaglán de Bréadún
Just witnessed two officials bringing a heavy red box/trunk up the stairs of the City Hotel here in Derry. It’s the advance material on the Bloody Sunday Report which is being given out to selected media reps on a confidential, “lock-in” basis. The burden of the Report won’t be generally released until 3.30pm.
As I drove into Derry, I experienced a frisson of ‘Free State’ guilt. We have neglected this city for the most part since the early days of the Troubles. When I was Northern Editor I had an ambition to get a staff journalist from the IT appointed here, but it didn’t come to fruition.
There’s a lot of nervousness in the air. People are hoping for the best and certainly expecting the Widgery Report to be discredited. The crunch issue is expected to be whether or not soldiers are to be referred for prosecution.
