30 Jul 2023
Having grown up in the Republic, hearing of the troubles on the news on tv and in the press, I couldn’t pass by the opportunity to see this area with my own eyes, with a guide with a direct personal to the troubles in general and Bloody Sunday in particular. I believe all of the guides who do this tour have similar connection, at least with Bloody Sunday.
John really was very informative and more than willing to answer questions. The tour ended up well more than an hour, and I didn’t feel it passing, despite the poor weather. John is a first cousin of the first person to have been killed on Bloody Sunday, John (Jack) Duddy (RIP).
One of the expressions John used a number of times during the tour was “give us a job, give us a house, & give us a vote” which he said was all the catholic people in Derry were looking for around that time, late 1960s, early 1970s.
I consider the time spent on the tour was time very well spent, and feel I have a much better and more informed awareness of the horrific events of Bloody Sunday, and the context in which it occurred.