While there have been many Bloody Sundays in Ireland and elsewhere, this confrontation became a trigger for The Troubles in Northern Ireland. On January 30, 1972, a march for human rights encountered a British paratrooper regiment that fired into the peaceful crowd. They shot 26 unarmed protesters. Thirteen men were killed. All were
Catholics. This tragedy became a major impetus behind The Troubles that followed; the war between the Nationalists and the Unionists that continues, albeit in muted form, until today. On Wednesday 2 February 1972, tens of thousands attended the funerals of eleven of the victims. In the Republic of Ireland, it was observed as a National Day of Mourning, and there was a general strike, the biggest in Europe since the Second World War relative to population. In this course, we will explore the events that led up to this tragedy and the struggles to deal with it that continue today. We will also explore musical and other representations of the day.

Susan Facknitz holds an M.F.A. from the University of Virginia where she studied with Gregory Orr, Donald Justice, Ruth Stone and Carolyn Forche. Her poems have appeared recently in publications in Canada, Ireland and the United States. She has been a finalist for the Mississippi Review Prize and the Louisiana Literature Prize. Her work was included in The New Orleans Review’s features on ‘New Writing in the South’ and ‘Experimental Writing in the South.’