Edward Daly - Bloody Sunday (1972)

During his time in Derry, he took part in the civil rights marches; he had first-hand experience of
the Battle of the Bogside in 1969, the early years of the Troubles, internment, and the events of
Bloody Sunday, in which British soldiers fired on unarmed protesters on 30 January 1972, killing
14 people. Daly became a public figure after he was witnessed using a blood-stained handkerchief
as a white flag in an attempt to escort 17-year-old Jackie Duddy, a wounded protester, to safety.
Duddy died of his injuries soon after and Daly administered the last rites; he later described the
events as "a young fella who was posing no threat to anybody being shot dead unjustifiably".
Duddy's family gave Daly a photograph of Jackie, which Daly always kept on his desk. He also
gave an interview for the BBC in which he insisted, contrary to official reports, that the protesters
were unarmed. He testified as such to the Widgery Tribunal, though he also testified that he had
seen a man with a gun on the day. The Widgery Report largely exonerated the British Army,
perpetuating the controversy. Years later, Daly declared that the events of Bloody Sunday were a
significant catalyst to the violence in Northern Ireland, and that the shootings served to increase
recruitment to the IRA.
The events of Bloody Sunday left him of the opinion that "violence is completely unacceptable as a
means to a political end", which led to a tension with the Provisional Irish Republican Army
throughout his career.