BBC Documentaries

Battle of the Bogside (2004x5)

Air date: Mar 24, 2004

On 12 August 1969, the disaffected Catholic and Nationalist population in the Bogside area of Derry, Northern Ireland, took to the streets to confront the Royal Ulster Constabulary, in the wake of the annual protestant Apprentice Boys parade in the City. The riots, which came to be known as the ‘Battle of the Bogside’, continued for almost 3 days and saw over 1,000 people injured. The ‘Battle’ ended when, in an unprecedented step, British troops were deployed into Derry. This decision, by the British Government at Westminster, was to shape the future of Northern Ireland for over thirty years. Through the use of previously unseen archive footage, ‘Battle of the Bogside’ takes us behind the barricades, into Stormont and Westminster, to reveal the inside stories surrounding the Battle and the political response to it. Interviews with key figures from within the Bogside, the RUC and the Northern Irish and British Governments recreate the drama as events unfold. Many of the contributors are speaking for the first time about those 3 days in August 1969.