On the brink of civil war: The two dark weeks that still haunt Northern Ireland
The North stood on the brink of catastrophe following the Gibraltar and Milltown killings 30 years ago
Fr Alex Reid gives last rites to one of the two soldiers murdered. Photograph: Trevor McBride
Thirty years ago, I rang Ian Paisley on a Sunday. That afternoon, everything seemed bleak and hopeless – following dreadful days that had seen the Gibraltar, Milltown and Anderstown killings, some of the worst days of the Troubles.
Normally, Paisley did not take calls on the Sabbath. But he did that day, understanding, I think, my own sense of despondency, one shared by others. Wearing his religious hat rather than his political one he delivered stern, common-sense advice.