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26 - 29
JANUARY 2004
Evidence heard
This week the Inquiry heard from the following witnesses:
Lena Ferguson (Channel 4 News); Alex Thomson (Channel 4 News); Ciarán MacLochlainn; Margo Harkin; Liam Wray; Francis O’Loughlin, PIRA 19 (Volunteer, Provisional IRA); Liam O’Comain; Sheila Ingram; Charlie McCrudden; Vincent Harkin; Charles Canning and PIRA 8 (Volunteer, Provisional IRA).
Summary of Evidence
Monday 26 January 2004 Lena Ferguson, Alex Thomson, Ciarán MacLochlainn
Tuesday 27 January 2004 Margo Harkin, Liam Wray, Francis O’Loughlin, PIRA 19
Wednesday 28 January 2004 Liam O’Comain, Sheila Ingram, Charlie McCrudden, Vincent Harkin, Charles Canning
Thursday 29 January 2004 PIRA 8
A full transcript of the proceedings is available at http://www.bloody-sunday-inquiry.org.uk.
Numbers in square brackets refer to the code given to a particular document by the Inquiry.
INTRODUCTION
Channel Four journalists Lena Ferguson and Alex Thomson were recalled this week to deal with their contact with Paul Mahon and certain documents. Ciarán MacLochlainn, who was with Gerard Donaghy for most of the march, gave evidence about the gunfire in Glenfada Park North. He saw Michael Quinn shot in the face.
Margo Harkin gave evidence of seeing a civilian gunman between Kells Walk and Glenfada Park North. PIRA 19 gave evidence about Gerard Donaghy’s involvement in the Fianna. Sheila Ingram spoke to Martin McGuinness near Meenan Square after the shooting began. PIRA 8 was on active service in the Brandywell on Bloody Sunday but did not see or participate in any of the shooting.
Lena Ferguson
Journalist, Former Senior Producer, Channel Four News
Made Statements to the Inquiry on 23 September 1999 [M0025.0001, 1 October 2001 [M0025.0007], 23 May 2002 [M0025.0067] and unknown [M0025.0143]
Lena Ferguson gave evidence to the Inquiry on 30 April 2002 [DAY 201]. She was recalled to deal with her contact with Paul Mahon and to comment on a number of documents which have been disclosed to the Inquiry by Independent Television News (ITN) since she last gave evidence.
Paul Mahon
Ms. Ferguson said she first heard of Paul Mahon when John Kelly mentioned his name to her as someone who was doing research into Bloody Sunday. This was in about October 1997. They met in London and exchanged theories about what had happened. Ms. Ferguson described Bloody Sunday as a shared obsession between the two of them. Paul Mahon mentioned the Grimaldi audio tape and suggested it could be enhanced. Ms. Ferguson said she could not remember him giving her a copy of the tape.
Ms. Ferguson said she reluctantly agreed to let Mr. Mahon view video recordings of her interviews with soldiers. In 1997/1998 Channel Four News did a series of pieces about Bloody Sunday based on interviews with 5 anonymous soldiers referred to as soldiers A to E (not the Soldiers A to E as in the Widgery/Inquiry notation). She was present when these were shown to him in an ITN edit suite. She says this was on the strict understanding that Paul Mahon could only use the information in his academic research and not disclose it further. She said she had no memory of agreeing to let Mr. Mahon record the interviews on audio tape. The Inquiry has produced several transcripts of conversations between Ms. Ferguson and Mr. Mahon with the soldiers’ interviews from tapes supplied by Mr. Mahon. Ms. Ferguson was pressed by Christopher Clarke QC, counsel to the Inquiry, and Edwin Glasgow QC, representing many of the military witnesses, as to how he could have made the recordings without her knowledge and consent. Ms. Ferguson just said she could not remember giving consent. She said she felt his disclosing his recordings to the Inquiry was a serious breach of confidence even though the Inquiry already has the Channel Four tapes of the interviews. Soldier C’s interview was dubbed with an actor’s voice when broadcast but the version Paul Mahon heard was not dubbed.
Identifying Soldiers
Ms. Ferguson has previously refused to reveal to the Inquiry the identities of her sources, although her soldiers B, D and E are now know to be Soldier 027, INQ 005 and INQ 2121 respectively. Ms. Ferguson asked Lord Saville where she now stood in relation to his warning to her that she could be held to be in contempt. He replied that Inquiry would make a decision in the near future.
Sniper Near City Walls
An aspect of the Channel Four research concerned a suggestion that some of those killed had been shot by snipers on the city walls. Ms. Ferguson’s soldier A told her he was close to a sniper who had fired from the walls. However Ms. Ferguson was unclear as to exactly what he had said. She thought he had told her people at the rubble barricade were killed by this sniper but it appears from the transcripts that he just said the sniper fired into the Bogside. She went to Derry with soldier A to try and identify where he and the sniper were but since the geography had changed this was difficult after so many years. It was further complicated by the fact that neither Ms. Ferguson nor the soldier knew the area at all. However Ms. Ferguson says soldier A eventually decided the sniper was in a derelict building just in front of the Double Bastion. Ms. Ferguson refused to provide the Inquiry with the first name of the sniper, which she had recorded in her notes, because it could lead to the identification of her source soldier A.
INQ 1990
Ms. Ferguson also interviewed INQ 1990 but said that he did not tell her that he saw or heard civilian gunfire on Bloody Sunday as he has since told the Inquiry. She denied his allegation that they were not interested in his account of civilian gunmen and gunfire. She said she was amazed when she read his evidence to the Inquiry. When he spoke to her and Alex Thomson he just spoke in generalities and about his opinions. He did not provide any specific factual information. They came away from the interview very disappointed and felt it was a wasted trip. Ms. Ferguson said she could not find her notes of the interview which was not taped.
Amongst others Ms. Ferguson also spoke to INQ 2597 and Colin Wallace. INQ 2597 was a go between who assisted in contacting other soldiers. Colin Wallace worked for an army unit called Information Policy. He was tasked with propaganda and psychological warfare (psyops). In her notes of her conversation with him she recorded that he was part of the army legal team for the Widgery Tribunal. He was in the Operations Room at Head Quarters Northern Ireland on Bloody Sunday. Part of his job before the Widgery Tribunal was to look at those who were to give evidence. Ms. Ferguson’s note says “from int point of view”. Ms. Ferguson thought the reference “int” may mean international but agreed it could also mean intelligence.
Alex Thomson
Presenter Channel Four News
Made Statements to the Inquiry on 22 September 1999 [M0084.0004], 22 May 2000 [M0084.0001], and undated [M0084.0043]
Mr. Thomson said he regarded Mr. Mahon’s disclosure of his recordings of his meetings with Lena Ferguson as “an appalling and grotesque breach of trust.” Asked why he said this Mr. Thomson said Mr. Mahon should have spoken to Ms. Ferguson before handing the Inquiry copies of recordings he had made under conditions of confidentiality. He said his understanding was that the information supplied to Mr. Mahon was for his private use only. He was not present when Ms. Ferguson and Mr. Mahon met in London however he did meet Paul Mahon on several occasions in Derry.
In his statement Mr. Thomson described Mr. Mahon as “allegedly doing research into Bloody Sunday.” He said this because he had never seen any results produced by Mr. Mahon. However he did describe him as quite helpful and agreed he and Lena Ferguson exchanged information.
INQ 1990
Mr. Thomson said INQ 1990 was long on opinion and short on factual detail. He did not provide details of what he did on Bloody Sunday. What he told them bears no relation to the statement he has made to the Inquiry. He did not mention civilian gunfire. Mr. Thomson said he had not previously mentioned interviewing INQ 1990 or others because the Inquiry had focused only on soldiers A to E.
Ciarán MacLochlainn
Made Statements to the Inquiry on 8 March 1999 [AM0012.0001] and 13 January 2004 [AM0012.0011]
Mr. MacLochlainn was 16 years old on Bloody Sunday. At the time he had great respect for John Hume and Bernadette Devlin. He said he would go anywhere to hear Bernadette Devlin speak. His mother was the source of his political feelings. There was great political awareness in the community because of the way Catholics were treated. Everyone was going to the march on 30 January 1972. He was not at all apprehensive about it despite the way the Paras had attacked marchers at Magilligan the week before.
There was a fantastic atmosphere at Creggan Drive as the crowd assembled. He was with Gerard Donaghy, Denis McFeely (Donncha MacFicheallaigh) and Patrick ‘Pudger’ O’Hagan. When he reached William Street he heard muffled bangs which he took to be the sound of rubber bullets being fired and assumed the usual rioting was going on further east.
Mr. MacLochlainn said he stopped at the junction with William Street and looked north up Little James Street. He saw an army barrier in Little James Street but does not recall any rioting there. He also saw a crowd further along William Street and assumed there was a riot taking place at the barrier out of view. He did not recall going beyond Rossville Street even though he thinks he was still with Denis McFeely and Gerard Donaghy. Denis McFeely has said he was with Gerard Donaghy watching the rioting from the top of Chamberlain Street.
Mr. MacLochlainn was aware of CS gas in the air and decided to move away. The march was continuing down Rossville Street and stewards were encouraging people to head down towards Free Derry Corner for speeches. Mr. MacLochlainn said he, Gerard Donaghy, Denis McFeely and Pudger all decided not to get involved in the rioting but to go and hear the speeches. They were all familiar with the regular rioting which he described as the daily street struggle with the army.
Gerard Donaghy
Gerard Donaghy had been arrested for rioting before. They had known each other for about a year. He described him as a quiet man and a very good friend. He was intelligent, not a thug. Mr. MacLochlainn said he had never heard of the Fianna in 1972 and Gerard Donaghy never told him he was involved in it or the Republican movement.
Paras Coming In
Mr. MacLochlainn said all of them went south past Kells Walk. He could not remember whether they walked through Colombcille Court, to the west of Kells Walk, or down Rossville Street to the east. It was at about this time that news filtered through that people had been shot. He remembers learning that two men had been shot and also that Peggy Deery was shot. He knew her. However he could not say if he learnt about all three shootings at the same time. His recollection was that he heard about people being shot before he heard the sound of the army vehicles coming down Rossville Street. He accepted he may have found out about Peggy Deery later.
He heard the noise of the army vehicles’ engines revving and people were shouting “they’re coming in”. Panic set in and everyone started to run south. He could not see the vehicles, he only heard the engines. He then heard the crack of high velocity gunfire and thought something had gone badly wrong. When he heard the high velocity gunfire he thought they wanted to murder people.
He thinks he heard about 20 rounds of SLR fire and some rubber bullets. Some of the shots were in quick succession, others were slower as if the firer was taking aim before firing. They sounded like they were coming from behind him to the north. He saw droves of people running down Rossville Street and through the alleyways into Colombcille Court. He had lost Denis McFeely and Pudger O’Hagan. He and Gerard Donaghy ran into Glenfada Park North via the north east entrance.
Glenfada Park North
There were hundreds of panicking people running through Glenfada Park. He and Gerry Donaghy stopped at the second house on the east side and hid behind the wooded front garden fence. He had still not seen any soldiers or army vehicles but had heard the engines and gunfire. He knew from the noise the army were moving closer and he decided to make a run for it. There were people still pouring into Glenfada Park North from the north east and north west entrances. There was fear in their faces. At no time did he see anyone with nail bombs in Glenfada Park as described by Danny Craig or Michael Quinn.
Michael Kelly
Mr. MacLochlainn said he saw a man being carried across the courtyard similar to the scene pictured in photograph P0642. They were in the middle of the courtyard when he noticed them. There was the sound of continuous high velocity gunfire. There were no soldiers in Glenfada Park but the gunfire sounded very close. People were shouting that the man had been shot. It was pandemonium.
The people carrying the body made it out to Abbey Park and Mr. MacLochlainn also decided to make a run for the south west corner. There were shouts that the Brits were coming and the alleyway was crowded with people. It was at this point that he thinks he lost Gerry Donaghy. He thinks Gerard Donaghy was with others and he assumed they also moved.
Mr. MacLochlainn thinks he made it about half way across the courtyard when he suddenly felt the Brits were behind him. He cannot remember looking round. He just heard the sound of SLRs. He just kept running. The shooting was continuous.
Car Hit by Bullets
Mr. MacLochlainn said he vaguely remembered running past a car as its windows shattered. In his first statement he described the car as being towards the middle of the courtyard but in his second statement he said it was near the south east corner. There are two cars pictured in the south east corner in photograph P0428 but Mr. MacLochlainn said he could not say whether or not it was either of these. He did not see the windows break he just heard glass shattering. He was amazed he was not hit.
He made it to the south west alleyway and pressed himself against the south gable wall of the west block for shelter. There were about 6 others taking cover in the gap. Some were lying on the ground. He could hear bullets striking the wall on the south side of the courtyard. Later he saw where the bullets had embedded themselves in the wall.
Abbey Park
He looked to his right and could see a woman who he now knows to be Mrs. Carr standing at her door in Abbey Park. She was calling to them and ushering people to safety. They were all too frightened to run the short distance to the house. He could hear gunfire very close but could not see the soldiers so did not know exactly where the shots were coming from.
Michael Quinn
Then something happened to his left. He saw out of the corner of his eye a man very close to him spin around. The man was only about 2 yards to his left. He was just at the edge of the courtyard, not quite in the gap. He spun around as if he had been punched very hard and someone shouted “he’s been hit, he’s been hit!” Mr. MacLochlainn turned to look and saw blood around the man’s jaw and the lower half of his face. His whole left cheek was bleeding. He crumpled and fell. Mr. MacLochlainn said he did not know if the man had been running or was just standing next to him when he was hit. He has no memory of helping the man around the corner but Denis McFeely says the two of them helped the man stagger away. It may have happened but he does not recall it.
His own recollection is of making a run for it after seeing the man shot in the face. Self preservation took hold and he moved despite his fear. He was in shock. He assumed Gerard Donaghy was still with him but he wasn’t. The last time he saw him was when they were together at the wooden fence. He may have run across Glenfada Park to the north west corner.
As he ran towards Mrs. Carr’s house Mr. MacLochlainn recalls seeing a young man being led towards the Bog Road (Fahan Street West). He thinks this was the man he saw shot in the face.
Mrs. Carr’s House
The door was open and Mrs. Carr was calling people to safety. She seemed to be taking control of the situation and was trying to give people shelter. He could still hear shooting but now it seemed more controlled with pauses between shots. He found Pudger in the house with about a dozen other people. He did not know any of the others. Mrs. Carr was trying to calm people. He felt relieved to be in the house. He then saw a body lying on the living room floor. He does not know who he was, he had no colour in his face and Mr. MacLochlainn assumed he was dead or dying. He believes this was probably the man he saw being carried across Glenfada Park.
He and Pudger went to the kitchen window which looked out north onto Colombcille Court. He could still hear gunfire which he thought was coming from Glenfada Park North. They got down when they heard shots. They seemed to be just outside the house at either the north or south gable end of the west block of Glenfada Park North. They sounded like aimed shots because they were in ones and twos.
Bullet Hole in Jacket
At some point, probably whilst he was in the house or shortly afterwards, Mr. MacLochlainn noticed there was a bullet hole in his jacket. It was on the left side towards the bottom. When asked why he had not mentioned this in his first statement Mr. MacLochlainn said he was surprised he had not done so. He no longer has the jacket. He thinks the hole must have been made by a bullet as he ran across Glenfada Park.
When there was a lull in the shooting he left with Pudger probably via the back door. He did not want to stay in the house. He was still in shock and wanted to get home to see if his family were OK. He and Pudger did not speak they were both in shock. He was numb and could not believe what he had seen. He kept thinking about the people who had been shot. As he crossed the Bog Road he put his hands up because he knew he would be visible to the soldiers at the army observation post on the city walls. He went across to Lisfannon Park and heard Gerard Donaghy had been shot, he did not know how seriously. He discovered later Gerard Donaghy was shot close to Mrs. Carr’s house.
He then went to Free Derry Corner. When he got there people were still picking themselves up and beginning to move towards Westland Street. He went to the Rossville Flats were he saw blood on the ground. The bodies had been moved by the time he got there. There was a lot of anger.
Mr. MacLochlainn described the evidence that Gerard Donaghy had had nail bombs as “total lies” and a complete stitch up. He said his body language and demeanour on the day was not that of anyone hiding anything. He was wearing tight fitting jeans and there were no bulges in his pockets, he would have seen if he had any nail bombs. They were together until he left the wooden fence. He said the nail bombs were planted. Gerry was definitely not wearing a Parka coat. He was wearing a Wrangler jacket.
Convictions
Mr. MacLochlainn said that as a result of the events of Bloody Sunday many people including himself became involved in the Republican Movement. He was convicted in 1989 of possessing a shotgun and revolver with intent to endanger life and possessing ammunition. He was sentenced to 13 years imprisonment. Then in November 2001 he was again convicted of possessing firearms and ammunition. This time he was sentenced to 18 years for having several assault rifles, shotguns, pistols, a stun gun and other equipment. He is still in custody.
Mr. MacLochlainn described his decision to take up arms as a reluctant one. Questioned by Edwin Glasgow QC, representing many of the military witnesses, he denied that there were any guns in Glenfada Park but admitted that had he seen any armed IRA men he would not say so.
Margo Harkin
Made Statement to the Inquiry on 15 January 2004 [AH0023.0010]
Ms. Harkin first made a statement to Eversheds in November 1998 but she was unable to complete it or give evidence because of the stress and emotions it brought out. However she felt it was essential that she gave evidence and has therefore come forward again.
She was 20 years old on Bloody Sunday and went on the march with her mother, brother and a friend, Catriona Rooney. She lived just outside Derry at the time. She described the atmosphere at the beginning of the march as euphoric. Whilst the march went down William Street Ms. Harkin saw soldiers in a derelict building. They were high up near the top of a large building on the north side of William Street. Her recollection was that the building was quite close to the junction with Little James Street but when asked if it could have been the building known to the Inquiry as Abbey Taxis she agreed it could have been. She recalls one of the soldiers was wearing small round glasses. He seemed very young. She described the soldiers as threatening because they were aiming their rifles down at the crowd. The crowd was jeering at them and giving Nazi salutes.
The march stopped in William Street because the army had barricaded the road to prevent them getting to the Guildhall. Ms. Harkin and her friend pushed their way forward. Most people turned right down Rossville Street but they decided to head on to the barrier. They wanted to assert their right to march to the Guildhall. There were stewards trying to calm the situation and prevent a riot developing.
Barrier 14
They did not get too close to the barrier and a hard core of teenagers and young men started to throw stones at the soldiers. There were only about 10 to 20 of them at this stage. The water cannon was used very quickly and it caused panic in the crowd. She was crushed in the crowd. They managed to get into a doorway and let the crowd surge past. Catriona was hit by some of the dyed water. They were both shaken and decided to go to Free Derry Corner to hear Bernadette Devlin speak. The majority of the crowd left at the same time and there were only 20-30 youths left stoning the army.
By the time they got back to the junction with William Street CS gas had drifted over and she could feel it in the back of her throat and her eyes. They decided to go to her grandmother’s house in Block 1 of the Rossville Flats to wash their eyes. Her grandmother was Bridget Harkin and lived in 10 Mura Place on the fifth floor. She was bedridden at the time.
Block 1
There was no shooting before they got into the flat which overlooked Rossville Street. From the living room window [for location see AM0023.0025] Ms. Harkin saw army vehicles, two Saracens and a smaller vehicle, drive down Rossville Street and stop near Kells Walk. Two of the vehicles stopped parallel to each other and a soldier got out of each. They stood together talking. They seemed very casual and even seemed to joke. One was smiling. They seemed to be taking time to decide what to do. Some people began throwing stones and she particularly recalled a young man north of the rubble barricade and being quite close to the soldiers. He was gesturing and shouting “come on ye baas!” He was tall, slim and had long hair. She and her friend laughed and thought he was crazy. They expected him to be arrested. He was on his own. The soldiers appeared unconcerned.
Gunfire
There was a group of 20 to 50 behind the rubble barricade a few of whom were throwing stones. They were young, perhaps 14 – 18 years old. There was no one with a gun or nail bomb. She and her friend were still anxious to get down to Free Derry Corner to hear Bernadette Devlin. At some point whilst she was in her granny’s bedroom explaining what was going on she heard a volley of loud bangs. She presumed these were rubber bullets being fired. The sound seemed to echo all over the place. Catriona, who was at the living room window, shouted “They’re killing people!” She did not believe her but ran back to look. All see could see was people panicking before her granny became alarmed and she had to run back to her. She was hyperventilating and Ms. Harkin thought she was having a heart attack. She tried to stop Catriona from alarming her further but was herself becoming scared and realising the army was firing live bullets.
Rubble Barricade
When she looked out again she could see a number of people lying or crouched behind the rubble barricade. She concentrated on them but did see at least one soldier to her right shooting at the crowd. She thinks there were several soldiers and they were on the East side of Rossville Street close to the vehicles. Catriona then pointed out a body lying just south of the rubble barricade on the Glenfada Park side. It was a young man lying on his back with his head towards Free Derry Corner. He was dressed in his Sunday best with a good jacket and trousers or a suit. He was also wearing a tie and was clearly dead. There was a mark on his forehead that she thought may have been a bullet hole. Ms. Harkin was unable to identify who this was from photographs.
There were others trying to shelter behind the rubble barricade unable to move because of the hail of bullets. The noise was terrifying. There were more people huddled at the gable wall at the south end of the east block of Glenfada Park North. There was also a smaller group to the south of them inside Glenfada Park. They were all shouting at the people trapped at the rubble barricade to stay down. Others appeared to want to get out to help them but it was impossible.
William Nash
Ms. Harkin saw one man huddled against the barricade, on the Glenfada Park side of the gap. He was moving and therefore alive when she first saw him. He looked young and was dressed in dark clothes. An older man was trying to get to him from the Glenfada Park direction. He was holding his palms up and shouting at the soldiers trying to get them to stop firing. He was pleading and incredulous. All the time there was gunfire from soldiers to the north. The crowd at Glenfada Park kept telling him to stay down.
The young man may have been dead by the time the older man reached him. There were several more men lying at the rubble barricade but Ms. Harkin did not know if they had been shot. No one at the rubble barricade or in Glenfada Park had any weapon.
Soldier Inching Along Wall
Ms. Harkin said she could not be sure of the sequence but the next thing she remembers is seeing a soldier edging his way along the east wall of the east block of Glenfada Park North. He was alone and had his back pressed up against the wall. He was holding a rifle. He looked big and was wearing a heavy flak jacket.
Civilian Gunman
At the same time that the soldier was inching along the wall Ms. Harkin recalls seeing a civilian gunman to the north of him. She said she saw two young men (16-20 years old) come out of the alleyway from Colombcille Court. Everyone else was running away but they ran towards Rossville Street. They stopped at the end of the Glenfada Park North pram ramp. They were very agitated and one was trying to pull the other back. He seemed to want to get away. The one in the foreground was very angry and resisted. He took a gun from inside the other man’s jacket, edged around the corner, ducked and fired. It was a wild shot aimed south towards the soldier at the east wall of Glenfada Park North. He may have fired more than once. The two of them then ran off, the firer heading towards Abbey Park and the other towards Colombcille Court.
Ms. Harkin was shown a number of photographs and the Inquiry’s virtual reality to try and establish exactly where the gunman was. She was insistent that her recollection was of him at the north east corner of the north east pram ramp of Glenfada Park North. However because the pram ramp extends so far out into Rossville Street he could not have seen or shot at a soldier at the east wall of Glenfada Park North from that position. Furthermore the soldier would himself had to have been completely isolated because she places the gunman to the north of him. However she does not believe she could be mistaken as to the soldier’s location because she believes he was to her left as she looked down from Block 1. Asked if the soldier could have been at the Kells Walk pram ramp and the gunman fired north towards him Ms. Harkin said she did not think so because the pram ramp wall was not as high as the one she remembered behind the soldier. Soldier 017 is pictured at that pram ramp [EP0023.0007] and does claim to have seen a civilian gunman fire two shots from the location Ms. Harkin described. She also rejected a suggestion from Lord Saville that the gunman could have been in the other alleyway to the south of the Glenfada Park North pram ramp from where he could have seen a soldier to his south. Michael Lynch [AL0038] also described seeing a civilian gunfire at the same location but he said he fired north not south.
Ms. Harkin said the soldier reacted to the shot and began to edge back north but was encouraged on by other soldiers at the south end of the Kells Walk pram ramp. He eventually got to the south gable end of the block but she did not see what happened next because she had to tend to her grandmother. At no stage did she see any other civilian gunmen.
Shooting at Block 1
At some point a soldier below in Rossville Street fired up at the flat. The shots did not go through the window and may have hit the flat above. Ms. Harkin and her friend ducked and when they peeked out again they saw another soldier ordering the first to cease firing. He gestured with his arm for the soldier to lower his rifle. Both then gestured to them to get down.
She then remembers seeing people rounded up at the south gable end of Glenfada Park North. Several soldiers were rounding up the 20 or so people there. Then she saw a Saracen south of the rubble barricade and soldiers throwing three bodies from the rubble barricade into it. She thought one of them may have been alive. They were picked up like sacks of potatoes and literally thrown in. She could not explain why she thought one of them may have still been alive, it was just a feeling she had.
Her brother then arrived at the flat and said he had been trapped at the stairwell at the north end of Block 1. He said he had been shot at. They had not realised there had been any shooting at the back of Block 1 in the Rossville Flats car park. Their mother arrived a bit later. When they came out they saw a huge pool of blood where Bernard McGuigan’s body had been. There was a weird empty feeling.
On the way home they got into an argument with a soldier at a permanent army checkpoint on the Craigavon Bridge. The soldier said it was the Paras and said it wasn’t their fault.
Liam Wray
Made Statements to the Inquiry on 22 March 1999 [AW0029.0002] and 18 January 2004 [AW0029.0029]
Liam Wray’s brother James was killed on Bloody Sunday. He was shot twice in the back in Glenfada Park North. Liam Wray has not given evidence to the Inquiry before. His first statement dealt exclusively with the preservation of his late brother’s coat which, having been returned to his father by the RUC weeks after Jim’s death, has remained in the possession of the family or their lawyers. It has also been inspected by solicitors to the Inquiry.
Paul Mahon
Mr. Wray was called to give evidence about his dealings with Paul Mahon. Mr. Wray met Mr. Mahon on or around the 25th anniversary of Bloody Sunday in January 1997. They met regularly over the months and years and had many discussions about Bloody Sunday and the murder of his brother. Mr. Wray said he believed Mr. Mahon wanted to write the definitive book on Bloody Sunday and this was his primary concern. Mr. Wray said he had not asked him to concentrate his research specifically on the events in Glenfada Park.
Mr. Wray assisted Mr. Mahon in identifying a number of eyewitnesses. This was done by showing slides provided by Mr. Mahon in pubs and clubs and asking people if they could identify anyone. Mr. Wray spoke to people in advance to tell them the purpose was to find witnesses for the Inquiry. He was not present at any of the interviews Mr. Mahon conducted. He had no contacts with paramilitaries and was not involved in trying to trace any former members of the IRA. He said he did not think Mr. Mahon ever told him the names of the former paramilitaries that he met. He also provided Mr. Mahon with free access to material from his legal team and allowed him to view his dead brother’s coat.
The two of them occasionally had heated discussions about some of Mr. Mahon’s theories. Mr. Mahon had very fixed views and often seemed interested in finding evidence to back up his theories rather than taking an objective, dispassionate approach. He appeared to have an obsession with Frank Kitson and his methods of counter-insurgency. At one point Mr. Mahon’s tutor telephoned to ask Mr. Wray if he had any concerns or complaints about the manner in which Mr. Mahon had been conducting interviews and Mr. Wray confirmed he did not. He said if Mr. Mahon had given him any recording of an interview he had conducted with Danny Craig then he would have handed it back to him. Since Mr. Mahon alleged this in evidence he has searched his house and cannot find any tapes. He has no memory of ever being given such tapes.
Official IRA Apology
Mr. Wray said he had never been approached by any former member of the Official IRA. No one had come to him to apologise for the death of his brother and he had never been told the story Paul Mahon alleges he passed on to him. He has never been told about weapons in Glenfada Park. He said Paul Mahon’s account of this alleged conversation is a complete fabrication.
The only knowledge Mr. Wray has ever had about IRA activity in Glenfada Park derives from the Sunday Times article published on 23 April 1972 which his late father had retained. That article refers to Official IRA men with guns retreating through the south west alleyway of Glenfada Park North [L0214]. He accepted he and Mr. Mahon were bound to have discussed the article but denied any further knowledge or discussion with anyone who said they were involved. Mr. Wray said Mr. Mahon was either mistaken or lying.
INQ 2003
Mr. Wray said he had told Mr. Mahon of the approach made to his solicitors, McCartney & Casey, by a former Para, INQ 2003. He said he was tempted to go and visit the man in England but in the end did not do so. Mr. Mahon went and interviewed him. He said he did not ask Mr. Mahon to go but he was eager to do so. When he returned Mr. Mahon briefly gave him the audio tapes to listen to but wanted them back to give to Brendan Kearney, Kelly & Co. Solicitors for whom he was working at the time.
When he returned from leave his solicitor, Greg McCartney, said the Inquiry should be notified of INQ 2003’s approach and he sent a copy of the original telephone attendance note to John Tate, then the solicitor to the Inquiry. Mr. Wray notified Mr. Mahon that this had been done. Mr. Mahon, who telephoned from England, asked that the matter be kept ‘under wraps’ for the time being but Mr. Wray said that was not possible.
The Response
Mr. Wray confirmed that Mr. McCartney handed a copy of the Brendan Kearney, Kelly & Co. Solicitors Response to counsel to the Inquiry’s Report no. 1 to Seamus McKinney at the Irish News. The Response was written by Mr. Mahon and alleged the IRA had fired before the Paras shot Damien Donaghy and John Johnston in William Street. Mr. McKinney was aware of the existence of the document and had requested a copy. It was a public document and Mr. Wray authorised Mr. McCartney to release it. He said he did not know how Mr. Mahon’s name came to be given to other journalists and although he could not remember he said he probably was contacted by journalists, as he often was, to comment on the theory that the IRA fired first.
Alleged Threat
Shortly after publication of the Irish News story, which did not name Mr. Mahon, Mr. Wray received a telephone call from Mr. Mahon. He was very upset and said he wanted to see him urgently. They met that evening or the next as arranged and requested by Mr. Mahon at the Railway Tavern in Fahan. Mr. Wray was accompanied by his wife. Before this meeting he was not aware that Mr. Mahon had been threatened or was claiming to have been threatened. In the pub Mr. Mahon did mention that two cars had driven up to his house in Fahan and he had also received a threatening phone call. He said the men had not got out of the cars and he refused to elaborate on the phone call. Mr. Wray said this was the totality of any threats Mr. Mahon told him about. He did not mention anything about concerns expressed by Provisional IRA men he had interviewed and his main concern was how he could mend relations with the families. He never said he had sent his wife and daughter away. He did not mention anyone banging on the windows.
Mr. Wray told Mr. Mahon that he had always taken his own personal security very seriously and advised that if he felt under any threat he should report the matter to the Gardai and RUC and follow their advice. During the conversation Mr. Mahon’s son, who appeared to be drunk, was abusive towards Mr. Wray’s wife and the Bloody Sunday families and was reprimanded several times by Mr. Mahon.
Mr. Mahon then asked if Mr. Wray could do anything to prevent him loosing his job at Brendan Kearney, Kelly & Co. Solicitors and restore his working relationship with the families. Mr. Wray said Mr. Mahon over estimated his influence and that he thought the damage had been done. Mr. Wray told the Inquiry that Mr. Mahon had been fully aware of the controversial nature of his theory that the IRA fired first and Mr. Wray had told him it was not a theory with which he agreed.
Mr. Mahon then asked if Mr. Wray would take custody of all Mr. Mahon’s materials for safe keeping until the Inquiry was over but Mr. Wray said any material of relevance should be handed to the Inquiry immediately. Mr. Mahon ended the conversation saying that if he did this the families would be sorry. They have not met since.
Mr. Wray said he got the impression that Mr. Mahon blamed him in some way for his situation. Mr. Wray said he had never been anything but courteous to Mr. Mahon and he did not know why Mr. Mahon had made serious allegations against him. Mr. Wray said he was deeply upset and concerned at the way that the Inquiry handled this matter. He was placed in the invidious position of having to deny baseless allegations which should never have been made public in the manner that they were. He felt his safety and that of his wife had been compromised. Neither he nor his legal team were given any notice that Mr. Mahon was to allege he had conveyed a threat to Mr. Mahon from the Provisional IRA. He said the manner with which the Inquiry had handled the allegations contrasted with the lengths to which the Inquiry has been willing to go to protect former soldiers and their families. The fact that he has now been forced to make a statement and give oral evidence in public to deny Mr. Mahon’s allegations may generate even more publicity for them increasing the potential risk to him and his wife. He therefore provided the statement and gave evidence extremely reluctantly noting none of it served the search for the truth about what had occurred on Bloody Sunday.
Francis O’Loughlin
Made Statement on 20 January 2004 [AO0083.0001]
Mr. O’Loughlin owns the house in Fahan where Paul Mahon stayed whilst he was interviewing witnesses in Derry. Mr. O’Loughlin was called because he made a statement on the evening of Paul Mahon’s second day of oral evidence disputing a conversation he is alleged to have had with Gregory McCartney, solicitor for the Wray family.
Mr. Mahon claimed Mr. O’Loughlin had told him Mr. McCartney had rung him to enquire whether or not his property might be available for rent. He was looking for somewhere for Lord Gifford QC. Mr. Mahon said Mr. O’Loughlin had told him Mr. McCartney had said “I’ve had to get rid of Paul Mahon, he knew too much.” He also alleged Mr. McCartney said Lord Gifford needed a house over the border because he is a tax exile spending most of his time in Jamaica.
Mr. O’Loughlin agreed Mr. McCartney had rung to enquire about the house for Lord Gifford but denied he had said anything about having to get rid of Paul Mahon or mentioning Lord Gifford’s tax affairs. He told Mr. McCartney, whose father Billy is a business partner, that he would check the situation regarding the house and get back to him. As it happened Mr. Mahon wished to remain in the house with his family so he informed Mr. McCartney it was not available.
Alleged Threats
Mr. O’Loughlin said he spoke to Mr. Mahon fairly regularly during the period that he rented the house (summer 1998 to summer 2000). He said Mr. Mahon was always on about how dangerous his work was but Mr. O’Loughlin took this to be exaggerated. Mr. Mahon referred to the risk of former Paras coming after him and also mentioned being afraid of the IRA. He also said something about hoping to get protection from the Ministry of Defence or the British Government. Mr. O’Loughlin did not take any of it very seriously.
Mr. Mahon did complain specifically about someone banging on his windows but Mr. O’Loughlin subsequently learnt from neighbours that this was local kids and that Mr. Mahon had spoken to their parents. He confirmed this with Mr. Mahon. Mr. O’Loughlin said he was never aware of Mr. Mahon having sent his wife and daughter away because of fears for their safety. He added that Mr. Mahon had since bought a house in nearby Buncrana so he did not believe he felt threatened in the area.
Mr. O’Loughlin said there was an occasion when he and Billy McCartney were at the house and Mr. Mahon became irate. He told Mr. McCartney senior that all Derry solicitors were scumbags and his son was the biggest of the lot. His wife had to calm him down. This followed Mr. Mahon loosing his job at Brendan Kearney, Kelly & Co. Solicitors. Mr. Mahon had told Mr. O’Loughlin about this and said it happened because he had written a report which the clients were not happy with. He asked Mr. O’Loughlin if he could help. Mr. O’Loughlin spoke to Denis Bradley who agreed to meet Mr. Mahon and Mr. O’Loughlin passed on his number.
Debts
Mr. O’Loughlin said Mr. Mahon still owed him £2500 in rent and money for oil. He was aware Mr. Mahon had had financial problems and he had said his house in England had been repossessed. However he never thought he would fail to pay the rent.
Mr. O’Loughlin was asked about the circumstances in which he came to make his statement. It was made to Patrick McDermott, not the Inquiry’s solicitors. Mr. O’Loughlin said he came to Derry around 22:00 on 20 January 2004, the day Mr. Mahon had told the Inquiry of the alleged conversation regarding Mr. McCartney. Mr. O’Loughlin was unclear as to how he came to know about Mr. Mahon’s evidence so quickly but said he got his son to find the transcript on the internet. He was angry Mr. Mahon had mentioned his name and said things which were untrue. He rang Mr. McCartney senior who gave him the telephone number for a solicitor, Pat McDermott. He met Mr. McDermott that evening and decided to make a statement.
PIRA 19
Fianna, Waterside, Derry 1972.
Made Statement to the Inquiry on 20 January 2004 [APIRA0019.0001]
PIRA 19 said he was sworn in as an IRA volunteer on the Thursday before Bloody Sunday at the Bogside Inn. He was 17 at the time. He was not aware of it at the time but now believes he was a member of the Fianna since Gerry O’hEara was in charge of his group which consisted of the younger men. He said he was never a committed volunteer. He joined because his mates joined and it was the thing to do. When his friends started to get arrested he decided it was not for him. This was about a year after Bloody Sunday. He just faded away.
On the Fringes
When he was 14 years old PIRA 19 was on his way home and got caught up in the crowd in the aftermath of the 1968 Duke Street march. He saw the police attack the crowd with batons and this made him hate the police. He became involved with the fringes of the Republican movement in 1971 during riots. He got to know a few IRA guys from being at riots in the Bogside. He acted as lookout for them when they did robberies in the Waterside.
At the time he was not a member of any particular organisation, he just hung around on street corners with others and passed on information about troop movements. Occasionally they were told to go and start riots. However he was not aware of the existence of the Fianna. He had no contact with weapons. Sometimes an IRA gunman would turn up at a riot. They would arrive without warning and open fire.
About 2 months before Bloody Sunday he started going to meetings at the old shops behind the Bogside Inn. There were three separate areas within the shops and these were used by various groups depending on their seniority within the IRA. He saw guns which were used for training full volunteers in the second room. He was in the first room where Gerry O’hEara was in charge and there were regular meetings on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Around 20 to 30 people attended the meetings. He was sworn in on 27 January 1972 after the Thursday meeting. There were three IRA men there who did the swearing in. Gerry O’hEara was there. PIRA 19 said about 15 of them were sworn in that night. He was allocated to the Waterside section. He said they were in good spirits because 2 RUC officers had been shot that day.
PIRA 19 said operations were planned in advance, they did not happen spontaneously. He did receive weapons training but this was after Bloody Sunday. He said he saw a total of about 20 guns and a few sticks of Gelignite. He was offered the opportunity to go to Donegal for field training but never went. He did go to meetings in the Waterside where he was shown a particular weapon by an older volunteer.
He said he had no idea where the weapons or explosives were stored and he doubted Paddy Ward’s evidence on this. He had never heard of Paddy Ward before the Inquiry but agreed he could have been at meetings without knowing who he was.
PIRA 19 said he had been at Magilligan where the Paras beat people into the sand and fired rubber bullets at close range. He got drunk the night before Bloody Sunday so missed the march. He was apprehensive about it because the Paras were so out of control at Magilligan the week before. PIRA 19 said he did not remember any orders for Bloody Sunday but so far as he was aware there was to be no IRA activity because the Civil Rights Movement did not want any. However there was bound to be a riot because the march had been banned from going to the Guildhall.
Gerard Donaghy
PIRA 19 said he knew Gerard Donaghy. He had seen him at meetings and assumes now he was part of the Fianna. He thinks he was at the meeting on 27 January 1972. He saw him at riots but never saw him with nail bombs. He was not aware of any volunteers having fired on Bloody Sunday.
PIRA 19 said he knew very little about the Official IRA. They were more political than the Provos. The Provos were more militant and in favour of action rather than talking. This was why he and other youngsters joined the Provos.
Liam O’Comain
Made his own Statement on 28 January 2004 [AO0082.0008]
Mr. O’Comain was reluctant to give evidence to the Inquiry and did so only because he had been served with a subpoena. He has never provided a statement to the Inquiry’s solicitors but on the day he gave evidence handed in a one page statement he had drafted himself. At the beginning of his evidence he said as an Irishman he was opposed to having been compelled to attend what he regards as a British tribunal. Mr. O’Comain said he joined the IRA in 1955. He remained loyal to the Official IRA during the split in 1970. However because of concerns of security, he felt at the time the influx of young volunteers to senior positions was unwise, he stepped back from active involvement. Consequently he was not privy to any IRA plans for Bloody Sunday. On the day itself he was unwell and remained in bed.
Kathryn Johnston/Liam Clarke Interview
Mr. O’Comain was called to deal with the contents of an interview [AO0082.0001] he gave to journalists Kathryn Johnston and Liam Clarke as part of their research for their book Martin McGuinness - From Guns to Government. In the statement he handed to the Inquiry Mr. O’Comain said he believed Ms. Johnston and Mr. Clarke to be engaged in a hatchet job on the Republican Movement. He said he had no love for Martin McGuinness and considered he and the rest of the Provisional leadership to have sold out by accepting “the partitionist Belfast Agreement.” However he did not want to participate in a hatchet job on the movement as a whole and therefore claimed to have lied to Kathryn Johnston and Liam Clarke during the interview. He said he told a mixture of truth and lies, more lies than truth.
“Interesting Twist”
However when taken through the summary of the interview prepared by Ms. Johnston, the Inquiry does not have the recording, Mr. O’Comain confirmed all but a paragraph of the seven page document was accurate. The passage he denies reads as follows:
“There is an interesting twist to Bloody Sunday. There was an element within the Officials that definitely made a decision to open up on Bloody Sunday, and they did. It was nothing to do with Bishop Daly's gunman. I was on the fringes then but I tell you this, there was an element there and the thought at the time was that if we can have some form of death on Bloody Sunday, it might pull the Officials back in line again. They might be forced into a situation to place a bit more hope in."
Although he conceded the above reflected a rumour that he had heard some weeks after Bloody Sunday Mr. O’Comain repeatedly denied there was any truth in it. He said he knew this because he had been reassured by members of the Official IRA that they had done nothing to provoke or cause the deaths on Bloody Sunday. He said he was aware that some Official and Provisional IRA volunteers had “acted in defence” but said he was unable to elaborate. He said it would be contrary to the strategy of a guerrilla army to risk the lives of civilians within the community upon whom they depend for shelter and support. No Republican worth their salt would endanger the lives of thousands of civilians protesting against internment.
Mr. O’Comain also conceded that he had written a favourable review of Ms. Johnston and Mr. Clarke’s book for the Ireland’s Own website. He said he knew Liam Clarke from their involvement many years ago in the Workers’ Party and Republican Clubs. He said he did not believe Mr. Clarke was a agent for British Intelligence. He denied authorising disclosure of the transcript of their interview to the Inquiry.
Sheila Ingram
Made Statement to the Inquiry on 1 February 1999 [AI0001.0007]
Ms. Ingram (nee McLaughlin) was 21 on Bloody Sunday. She lived in Stanley’s Walk. She is Catholic but her then boyfriend, now husband Robin Ingram was protestant.
She had been on a number of Civil Rights marches however the march on 30 January 1972 was the first occasion on which Robin joined her. She described the march as having a carnival atmosphere at the start. They knew some youths would break away to throw stones at the army, this was a regular occurrence at the time, but no one expected anything more serious.
Single Shot in William Street
Whilst walking on the south side of William Street Ms. Ingram heard a single shot. She was familiar with the sound of gunfire from living in the Bogside and recognised the sound as that of a high velocity round. Her impression was that the shot came from high on the north side of William Street and went over her head to the south. Everyone else seemed to be of the same opinion because they looked to the north. There was anxiety in the crowd but since there were no further shots everyone continued marching. She did not notice anyone throwing stones at the time.
When she reached the junction with Rossville Street and Little James Street Ms. Ingram became aware of youths having broken away from the march throwing stones further east in William Street. She could not see as far as the junction with Chamberlain Street and could not see any soldiers in William Street. There was shouting but she did not hear rubber bullets fired or smell CS gas in the air. Stone throwing was common and one could be caught in the middle of it on occasions whilst out shopping. The vast majority of marchers turned south into Rossville Street.
Shooting Started
Ms. Ingram stopped at Free Derry Corner to listen to the speeches. The was a man speaking on the back of the lorry. Then the shooting started. There was an intermittent flow of shots which sounded like high whistles. She knew it was high velocity gunfire. They all sounded the same as the shot she had heard in William Street. They sounded as if they were coming from every direction but she thinks they were coming from the north east. She remembers looking to her left towards Fahan Street East because she sensed the shots were coming from that direction. She felt shots were coming down from above and thinks she may have seen bullets strike the ground. Everyone immediately crouched and started to run. There was screaming.
She and her partner ran south west down the Lecky Road. She remembers the difficulty in getting over the wooden barrier in Lecky Road because there were so many people trying to go the same way. She was afraid she would be shot and was crawling on her belly. Once over the barrier she felt safer with the shelter of the houses on the east side of Lecky Road.
Martin McGuinness
The next thing she remembers is seeing Martin McGuinness and two or three others coming out of the covered shopping area leading to Meenan Square. He lived a couple of streets away and she recognised him. She did not know for sure but people generally believed he was in the IRA. She said it was apparent on their faces that they were wondering what on earth was going on. One of them may have shouted “what’s happening?” Ms. Ingram says she distinctly remembers shouting “so much for your protection, they’re killing people down there.” He did not respond.
This part of Ms. Ingram’s evidence was quoted in the book Martin McGuinness - From Guns to Government. Ms. Ingram confirmed she had never spoken to Kathryn Johnston or Liam Clarke and had not forwarded them a copy of her statement to the Inquiry. However Christopher Clarke QC, counsel to the Inquiry, had quoted Ms. Ingram’s remarks to Martin McGuinness in his opening address in 1999.
When asked by Edwin Glasgow QC, representing many of the military witnesses, what she had meant Ms. Ingram said she presumes at the time she felt the IRA should have provided some sort of armed protection. She said the encounter was only minutes, if that, after she had got to Free Derry Corner.
Ms. Ingram said there was a feeling of shock and dismay across Derry in the aftermath of Bloody Sunday. People could not believe what had happened. She said all the Paras had to deal with were a few unruly lads but instead they went crazy.
Ms. Ingram’s uncle Danny McGowan was injured that day. They have never discussed what happened to him. She also knew Gerard McKinney and Michael Kelly. The only weapons she saw in the hands of civilians were stones.
Charlie McCrudden
Made Statement to the Inquiry on 20 March 2001 [AM0151.0001]
Mr. McCrudden was almost 19 on Bloody Sunday. When the march set off he was right at the front of the lorry. He continued up William Street when the march turned left into Rossville Street. They were stopped from going any further by the army barrier in William Street. He then remembers hearing a big bang and running south down Chamberlain Street. He says he does not know what the bang was. From the south end of Chamberlain Street he ran across the Rossville Flats car park to the gap between Blocks 1 and 2. As he did so he saw army vehicles coming down Rossville Street and onto the waste ground. He did not know the Bogside.
Gunfire
He was aware of gunfire behind him as he tried to get through the gap. There were too many people at the gap was not wide enough. At one point he was crushed against a girl who was herself crushed against a wall. He was unable to breathe. When he eventually got through he crossed Rossville Street towards Glenfada Park. There were 70 or 80 of them running across Rossville Street south of the rubble barricade. He saw the barricade but was not aware of anyone at it or what was occurring there. He did not see any soldiers but there were civilians all around. As he got to the middle of the road he heard a bullet strike the ground about 6 inches behind his heel. He said he was sure it was a rifle shot but could not tell the direction from which it had come. He went back a few days later and found a whole in the road where the bullet struck.
Glenfada Park
He ran across Rossville Street and the next thing he remembers is being confronted by a soldier standing just outside the south west corner of Glenfada Park North. He thinks he ran across Glenfada Park North to get to the alleyway leading into Abbey Park. He was with 7 or 8 people he did not know. They were all ordered to get down on the ground and he ended up lying in the garden at the north west corner of Glenfada Park South. The soldier shouted “Move and I’ll kill you!” He was wearing camouflage and a metal helmet. He was not big, only about 5 foot 8 or 9 inches tall. His face was blackened up. He had an English accent. He was only about 20. He had fear in his eyes and Mr. McCrudden said he knew if he did not do as he was told he would be shot dead. The soldier’s rifle was pointing at him and he had a baton or rubber bullet gun tied to his belt.
Abbey Park
Before he got down he saw another soldier at the north east corner of Abbey Park and two more to the south on either side of the path between Abbey Park and Glenfada Park South. They were at the south end of Glenfada Park South. Once they were down the soldier shouted to the others “OK, we’ve got them covered here”. He does not know the identities of the others he was with but there were 2 men and 2 women.
Whilst on the ground he heard more gunfire which appeared to be coming from the north towards Colombcille Court. There was a lot of shooting which seemed to go on for 20-25 minutes. After that there was a lull for perhaps 20 minutes before a man he knew, Vinnie Coyle, came out of a house saying “They’ve killed them!” He came over and said “get up son, they’re away”.
Bodies
When he got up Mr. McCrudden noticed three bodies. One was in the alleyway to his right towards Glenfada Park North. Another was on the steps between the alley and Abbey Park. The third was further north. One body was half on, half off the pavement.
Mr. McCrudden said one was the body of a young man of his own age. He was covered in a sheet which was covered in blood. He was in jeans, not Sunday best. He also recognised the scene in photographs showing the body of Gerard McKinney on the steps.
At some point he also saw bodies outside Block 1 of the Rossville Flats. He saw two bodies on Rossville Street, not behind the Rossville Flats. However he may have seen these before he went to Glenfada Park.
He remembers joining a group of people carrying one of the bodies into a house on the end of Abbey Park. He cannot remember if the person he helped to carry was dead or alive. He just remembers blood. He thinks the body came from Glenfada Park. He went into the house where the body was taken. At the time he assumed it was Vinnie Coyle’s house because he was there with one of his sons and was using the telephone. He was in the hall on the phone to Letterkenny hospital telling them to send ambulances.
There were 40 to 50 people in the house and it was pandemonium. He could not get beyond the hallway. The girl who had been crushed in the rush to get out of the Rossville Flats car park was in the hall being tended to by a male para medic. He recognised Paddy McCraig and another guy called Johnny.
He felt physically sick and had to get out of the house. When he left he saw an army Saracen in Fahan Street West and was stopped by another in William Street on his way home to Francis Street.
Why?
Mr. McCrudden said the events of Bloody Sunday effected him very badly. He has been in psychiatric hospitals 4 or 5 times since Bloody Sunday and each time the same question keeps coming back to him – why did they kill 13 people?
Vincent Harkin
Made Statements to the NICRA on 30 January 1972 [Keville Tape 39 – AH0034.0009] and to the Inquiry on 27 May 1999 [AH0034.0002]
Mr. Harkin was 23 on Bloody Sunday. He was on the march with friends David McQuaid and Neil Lynch. At some point he heard a rumour that Bubbles Donaghy had been shot. He played football with Bubbles and knew him well. He had lost Mr. McQuaid by this time.
He said he remembered going south down Rossville Street past the rubble barricade and being at the gable end of the eastern block of Glenfada Park North when he heard shots. He heard a number of rapid high velocity shots, less than 20.
Mr. Harkin then said he ran and jumped into a ditch between Abbey Park and Glenfada Park South. He just ran to take cover. He said he thought he may have ended up in the garden at the back of the west block of Glenfada Park South. From here he says he saw Gerard McKinney standing on the steps between Abbey Park and the entrance to Glenfada Park North. He said he was waving a white handkerchief in the air.
He then says he got up from his position and moved closer to Mr. McKinney. He then saw to his right a man crawling in the alleyway from Glenfada Park North. People were calling him towards them. He then says the man was shot but did not say he saw this. He did not see any soldiers. He heard people saying “they’ve shot the boy on the ground!” He said Mr. McKinney was waving the handkerchief towards Glenfada Park North and he assumed there were soldiers there. Mr. McKinney had his arms in the air. He was only about 20 yards away.
Keville Statement
In his contemporaneous statement Mr. Harkin had said he saw three bodies, he believes these were in Glenfada Park North, and put his hands in the air as he went to see. There were about six of them all with their hands in the air. However as soon as they moved towards the bodies the shooting started again and they had to jump into a ditch. When he got up he saw Gerard McKinney lying on the ground. At the time he thought he had had a heart attack. There was a boy round the corner shot in the back and another boy shot in the stomach. He does not now recall making this statement but has listened to the tape and confirmed it is his voice.
In his statement to the Inquiry he had said both that he had and that he had not seen Gerard McKinney shot. However when he started his evidence he corrected the statement to say he had not seen him shot.
He then went back to the Rossville Flats where he saw Bernard McGuigan’s body. All the shooting seemed to have stopped by this time.
Charles Canning
Made Statements to NICRA [AC0025.0005] and to the Inquiry on 20 August 1999 [AC0025.0001]
Mr. Canning was arrested on the waste ground in front of the Rossville Flats. He was subpoenaed to give evidence to the Inquiry but refused to swear an oath or to affirm. He said there was stuff in his statement that he had not said and that the statement was taken under false pretences. By this he meant the terms of reference of the Inquiry had changed. He refused to say whether anything in his statement was accurate. Because of his refusal to cooperate Lord Saville told him to leave.
PIRA 8
Provisional IRA Volunteer, Brandywell and Bogside, 1972
Made Statement to the Inquiry [APIRA0008.0001]
In 1972 PIRA 8 was a volunteer in the Provisional IRA. He belonged to a section in the Bogside and Brandywell. There was more than one section in these areas. He was not in the same section as Sean Keenan.
Orders for 30 January 1972
PIRA 8 said Martin McGuinness gave him his orders for 30 January 1972. Mr. McGuinness spoke to him personally, possibly because he was the first one in the section Mr. McGuinness happened to see. He said there was to be no action on Bloody Sunday but that he was to get a unit together to patrol the Brandywell in case the army made any incursion into that area during the march.
PIRA 8 said he did not know why he was chosen; he was not the section leader. However on that day he picked three others who were to patrol the Brandywell with him. The usual section leader was aware of the orders. One of those he was with on Bloody Sunday is still alive but PIRA 8 said he did not know if he had spoken to the Inquiry.
The concern at the time was that the army might send a small raiding party of around 20 men into the area around Ship Street or Foyle Street. His patrol were to slow or deter any such incursion by engaging the army. He was not aware at the time that there was another unit sent to the Creggan for the same purpose. So far as he was concerned his was the only unit operating in the Brandywell area and theirs were the only Provisional IRA weapons which were not in safe storage in dumps. He did not know the location of any of the arms dumps.
Shooting During Riots
PIRA 8 said he had no interest in the march or NICRA. They did not involve themselves in Civil Rights marches. They would not engage the army during a march because of the risk to civilians on the march. However PIRA 8 admitted that he was aware of occasions on which the Provisional IRA had fired on the army towards the end of a riot. He said a riot would generally begin with everyone being involved, many would then leave as the army responded and it was only when what he described as a hardcore of fearless young Derry guys were left would the IRA open fire. There were occasions when an instruction was given for the crowd to part so that a gunman could fire. They would never fire at the early stages of a riot because of the risk to civilians of army return fire and so far as he was aware there was no plan to fire after the riot on Bloody Sunday. Had such a plan involved his section he would have known about it.
PIRA 8 said he knew uncles and aunts who were going on the march but so far as he knew no volunteers were going.
Assurances to NICRA
He does not recall any meeting of volunteers before the march when orders were given. He said a member of the command staff told him a couple of days before the march that they had given an assurance to NICRA that there would be no Provisional IRA activity during the march. He did not know whether or not the person who told him about this had actually given NICRA the assurance himself or been told by others it had been done. PIRA 8 said they would not have provided stewards for the march. They were fighting people and stewards were there to prevent fighting.
PIRA 8 said he had no idea what the Official IRA plans were for Bloody Sunday. He regarded them as a bunch of amateurs. He said never in a million years would they mount a joint operation. He was aware they also patrolled the Bogside and Brandywell but had no idea what they were doing on Bloody Sunday. There was never any coordination between the two groups so far as he was aware.
30 January 1972
PIRA 8 drove to the meeting point in Stanley’s Walk just after lunch. The car was either a blue Avenger or beige Cortina. They used hijacked cars. They were generally stolen from sales reps or business men. They aimed to steal company cars rather than upset locals by stealing private cars.
Weapons
He drove down from the Creggan but avoided Westland Street because it was overlooked by the army. He parked outside the derelict house they used as Head Quarters. This was where they met. He met up with the other 3 volunteers and they waited at the house. They were relaxed. PIRA 8 remembers seeing the march go past the Bogside Inn in the distance. At some point PIRA 17, the quartermaster, arrived and took the car away. When he returned there were 4 rifles in the boot of the car. They took the rifles out to check there were loaded and in working order. They were then returned to the boot of the car and were not removed from it at any other time during the day. There was also a pistol which PIRA 8 carried on his person.
PIRA 8 said that so far as he could remember the Provisional IRA had M1 Carbines, .303 rifles and a Garrand rifle. They also had some handguns. He was not aware of them having a Thompson sub machine gun. He had no idea where weapons were stored.
As the march disappeared PIRA 8 drove with the volunteers to the Lecky Road. He parked outside McCann’s chip shop. They were close to the army base at the Old City Dairy behind the Mex Garage. They left the car, with the rifles in the boot, and made their way to within 25 yards of the army base to see what was happening. Aside from the pistol they did not carry weapons because they might be shot if seen. They stayed in the area for 30-45 minutes before moving to a location at the bottom of Southway. They could still observe the sangar at the Dairy from here with the use of binoculars. There was nothing happening.
PIRA 8 described the situation as very clam and relaxed. Had the army attempted to enter the area they would have shot at them but nothing happened. It was only after they had been in this location for another 30-45 minutes that they heard bangs coming from the area of the Bogside. At the time they paid the bangs little attention because they assumed they must be rubber bullets and CS gas being fired. They just assumed there was a riot going on because so far as they were aware they had the only IRA weapons in the area. They did not imagine the army were firing live rounds.
Then cars started to come past from the Bogside and people told them people had been shot in the Bogside. These were just civilians getting out of the area. They were not summoned by anyone. There were also more people on foot, running to get away. PIRA 8 decided to try and find out what was going on. He drove back to Stanley’s Walk and up to Elmwood Road. He parked at the top end of Elmwood Road close to the junction with Westland Street and Blutcher Street [APIRA0008.00009]. He left one of the volunteers with the car and went towards Westland Street. PIRA 8 said he was going to ask people what was happening, he was not looking for anyone on the command staff for orders. If he had wanted to do that he would have stopped in Stanley’s Walk.
Confrontation with Official IRA
They met 4 members of the Official IRA. He cannot remember their names but knew them by sight. He was aware by this time that people had said soldiers had killed innocent civilians. He was also aware that the Official IRA had kidnapped and released a British soldier a few weeks before. He felt that soldier could have been killing people in the Bogside and was angry. He attacked one of the Stickies and knocked him to the ground. He said he did not think any of the Official IRA men was armed.
They then went up Blutcher Street and separated at Nelson Street. The other two went down Nelson Street and PIRA 8 went to the Old Bog Road (Fahan Street West) via Lisfannon Park. He passed Vinnie Coyle’s house but when he got to the Bog Road he was told the army were firing from the city walls and he should not cross. He therefore returned to the car. He did not see any gunfire or any soldiers. There was no gunfire at all by the time he arrived.
On his way back to the car people were telling him what had happened. The other two picked up similar stories but they could not believe what had happened. He decided to go to Stanley’s Walk to see if he could get more information. When they got to the command house there were several others volunteers there but he did not think there was anyone from the command staff at first. There was talk of over 20 people having been shot. Martin McGuinness arrived and told them nothing was to be done. At some stage there was a meeting at which it was decided there was to be no action until after the funerals but PIRA 8 does not think he was at the meeting. He was not on the command staff.
He said he may have been told the order to do nothing on the way back to the car in Elmwood Road but he could not remember. Later the quartermaster came and took the car away to dump the weapons. He returned and PIRA 8 drove the car back up to the Creggan. He wanted to find out about those of his family who had been on the march.
Fianna
PIRA 8 said he was never in the Fianna and so far as he was aware they were just a bunch of boy scouts. He said they never even considered using Fianna members on operations. He said he did not believe Paddy Ward’s claims to have had access to weapons and explosives whilst in the Fianna. He also knew nothing of his claims to have rescued a Provisional IRA volunteer pinned down by the army at the Mex garage. PIRA 8 said he did not know Gerard Donaghy.
PIRA 8 said he was aware that symbolic shots were fired at the city walls later in the evening. He did not fire them and was not present.
Radio Logs
Edwin Glasgow QC, representing many of the military witnesses, showed PIRA 8 the Royal Anglian Regiment radio logs [W0106.0005] concerning gunfire recorded as having been directed at the Mex Garage/Old Dairy base. At 15:50 the log records shots fired from Kildrum Gardens, “strike seen off ground, no casualties, no return fire.” At 16:25 there’s another entry concerning another incoming shot. The shot is timed at 16.03 but is probably a mistype for 16:23. Another three incoming shots are recorded at 16:30 with Soldier Y returning one shot. Finally at 16:45 there’s a reference to a burst of gunfire from “prefabs” and another round returned.
PIRA 8 said he did not believe any of these incidents actually occurred. He said none of his men fired a single shot. He was in the area and could not have missed gunfire so close. Even if he had missed it someone would have told him about it. He said it just did not happen.
Danny McGowan
At the end of the week’s hearings Christopher Clarke QC announced that the Inquiry had been advised that Danny McGowan, one of those injured on Bloody Sunday, had died on 28 January 2004.
For Peace Justice & Human Rights
