The North Star Project, 2013-2014 Report Number Twenty — Sunday, Bloody Sunday, Northern Ireland, by Megan Hennen
‘Sunday Bloody Sunday,’ a song by the rock band U2, refers to the 1972 event known as ‘Bloody Sunday’, which had unfolded in the Bogside. On January 30, 1972, Civil Rights marchers made their way around the streets of Derry in what was anticipated to be a peaceful protest against Irish Internment. The British Army stationed in Derry created a blockade preventing the parade from entering the city center. The bulk of the parade rerouted and made its way to the Free Derry Corner in the Bog. However, some of boys stayed to throw stones at the soldiers, as a result, some soldiers relocated to the Corner with the rest of the parade, and within the next thirty minutes, chaos ensued, leaving 13 civilians injured and another 13 dead, 7 of those shot dead being under the age of 20.
Bloody Sunday is still holds a lot of relevance in Northern Ireland today. The victims both dead and alive have yet to receive the justice they’ve been searching for as the soldiers involved had been deemed innocent. Surviving victims and the families of the deceased have continued to campaign for another inquiry of the events and wanting to clear the names of the civilians and bring the soldiers they deem guilty to justice.
These past months since I’ve returned from Northern Ireland, I have seen references to Bloody Sunday used as a marketing ploy a handful of times, namely in the food industry, and this has been a cause for some controversies. With that being said, in this day and age where it is almost second-nature to be politically correct, I assume these references are made more with the song in mind, unknowing of the U2 reference to the 26 victims of Bloody Sunday. Instead of becoming grossly offended at another person’s ignorance, it is at times like these when educating someone will be more effective than belittling them.
[Photo 1] Banner used in the Civil Rights march now hanging in the Museum of Free Derry. The dark spot in the middle is a blood stain from Bloody Sunday.
[Photo 2] The mural ‘Bloody Sunday’ (painted by the Bogside Artists) in the Bog depicts the death of Jackie Duddy with Fr. Daly waving a bloodied, white handkerchief.
[Photo 3] The Free Derry Corner in the Bog.
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For all of the North Star Project 2013-2014 Reports, see https://mgjnorthstarproject.wordpress.com/
For all of the North Star Project 2013 Summer Reports, see http://www2.css.edu/app/depts/HIS/historyjournal/index.cfm?cat=10
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The North Star Project 2013-2014 School Year Reports: The Middle Ground Journal’s collaborative outreach program with K-12 classes around the world. We gratefully acknowledge North Star Academy of Duluth, Minnesota as our inaugural partner school, and the flagship of our K-12 outreach program.
Under the leadership of our North Star host teachers and student interns, The North Star Project has flourished for two years. For a brief summary, please see a recent article in the American Historical Association’s Perspectives on History, at:
http://www.historians.org/perspectives/issues/2013/1305/Opening-The-Middle-Ground-Journal.cfm
Having re-tooled and re-designed the collaborative program, we are drawing on the experience of our veteran student interns, ideas from our host teachers, and new projects provided by our incoming student interns. This school year The Middle Ground Journal will share brief dispatches from our North Star Project student interns, particularly from those who are currently stationed, or will soon be stationed abroad. As of the time of this report we have confirmed student interns who will be reporting from Mongolia, Southern China, Shanghai, northeastern China, The Netherlands, Tanzania, Ireland, England, Finland, Russia, and Haiti. We also have students developing presentations on theatrical representations of historical trauma, historical memory, the price individuals pay during tragic global conflicts, and different perceptions of current events from around the world. We will post their brief dispatches here, and report on their interactions with the North Star students and teachers throughout the school year.
Hong-Ming Liang, Chief Editor, The Middle Ground Journal, The College of St. Scholastica, Duluth, MN, USA, 2013-2014 School Year
(c) 2013 The Middle Ground Journal, Number 7, Fall, 2013. See Submission Guidelines page for the journal’s not-for-profit educational open-access policy.
The North Star Reports: Global Citizenship and Digital Literacy 
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I find this article very interesting because I have Irish heritage, although my ancestors emigrated out if Ireland far before this period of civil rights movements. I also find it interesting that the concept of political correctness plays a role, because this event was popularized from a U2 song, does referencing the song in ignorance to the real events make it ok?
This is something that has always frustrated me, the soldiers and vandals who cause the death of innocents. It reminds me of the riots that were going on back home in Brazil. I remember walking down the streets and seeing people vandalize our own city and trying to physically hurt the police; knowing the police is not well trained. Then having the police shoot and beat innocents, and every single time they got away with it. I wish we could live in a peaceful world where a peaceful walk doesn’t turn to be a bloody massacre.
I find this article very fascinating because i was never taught about this event in history. Its very good to hear the perspective of someone who is visiting and would have the same viewpoint i would if i were to see this artifact first hand.