I
would like to invite you to a very special event
on Tuesday, January 30 at The Plough &
Stars in Cambridge. This date marks the 35th
anniversary of the "Bloody Sunday" massacre that took place in Derry, Northern Ireland
and the Irish Freedom Committee will be hosting a
commemoration ceremony to honor the memory of
the victims of this epic tragedy: fourteen unarmed,
civilian protestors taking part in a civil rights
march who were shot and killed by British
troops.
John Gilligan, an Irish singer/songwriter from New York , longtime
Boston musician Pete Cassani (of The Peasants) and Celtic band Erin Og are scheduled to perform acoustic sets. The commemoration
ceremony itself will include a brief history of
�Bloody Sunday,� a moment of silence for the victims
and poetry readings from distinguished guests.
In addition, an assortment of Irish musicians
will be playing impromptu sets throughout the
course of the day and night.
The
schedule for the event is as follows:
- 6:00
pm - Pete Cassani
- 7:15
pm - John Gilligan (first set)
- 8:15
pm - "Bloody Sunday" Commemoration Ceremony
- 8:45
pm - John Gilligan (second set)
- 9:30
pm - Erin Og
The
Plough & Stars, which opens at 11:30
AM on weekdays and closes at 1:00 AM, will be
creating a special Irish-themed lunch and dinner
menu for the day of the event. Drink specials
will also be featured. The partners who operate
the pub � Jennifer Lockwood, Brendan Curtis and
Tim Carey � are donating the use of the facility
free of charge for the occasion. Admission is
free.
Slainte,
George
For
further information, please visit these links:
The Bloody Sunday Trust http://www.bloodysundaytrust.org
The Irish Freedom Committee www.irishfreedomcommittee.net
The Plough & Stars http://www.ploughandstars.com
912 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02139
617.576.0032
John Gilligan http://www.myspace.com/johngilligan
Pete Cassani (of The Peasants)
http://www.myspace.com/thepeasants
Erin Og http://www.myspace.com/erinog
George Cuddy http://www.26milesfortheifc.blogspot.com/
An
article by George Cuddy for The Bridge News:
If
the term �Bloody Sunday� had only been used as
a moniker for the events of January 30, 1972 in
Derry, Northern Ireland , it would have been enough
of an egregious description for a massacre. Sadly,
though, the term can also be applied to two other
dates in history: January 22, 1905 and November
21, 1920.
The
former took place in St. Petersburg, Russia, when
close to a thousand unarmed, peaceful demonstrators
attempting to deliver petitions to Tsar Nicholas
II at his winter palace were killed by police
and army forces. The latter took place in Dublin
during the Irish War of Independence: British
forces fired into a crowd gathered for a Gaelic
football match at Croke Park between clubs from
Dublin and Tipperary . Fourteen innocent spectators
were killed in apparent retaliation for Irish
Republican Army assassinations of known double-agents
and spies (enemy combatants) earlier in the day.
Eerily,
fourteen individuals from a 30,000 person-strong
march organized by the Northern Ireland Civil
Rights Association were shot to death by members
of the 1st Battalion of the British
Parachute Regiment some 52 years later. Thanks
in part to the continued popularity of the U2
song �Sunday Bloody Sunday,� released in 1983,
the tragedy in Derry has at least been kept in
the public eye � even if that means just for the
toe-tapping and finger-clicking legions of the
band�s fans.
There
is, of course, far more to the stories. Among
the realities and similarities, these: paramilitary
troops firing indiscriminately on non-threatening
civilians; public dissent banished by elements
of totalitarian governments; official inquiries
filled with inaccuracies and deceit.
That
a single phrase such as �Bloody Sunday� could
span an entire century to define three atrocities
is remarkable. On January 30, 2007, there will
be a 35th anniversary commemoration
event at The Plough & Stars in Cambridge to
honor the memory of those who lost their lives
in Derry . As well, special mention will be made
of 1905 in St. Petersburg and 1920 in Dublin .
A correlation, clearly, can be made to the present
day � whether it is in Iraq , Afghanistan or within
the continental United States (NYPD 51 shots,
etc.).
Is
it too much of a clich� to mention the George
Santayana quote? No. We have indeed been condemned,
over and over again, to repeat history. Some of
us, though, cannot forget. The struggle continues,
the pain endures and it is our responsibility
� as humane, human beings � to deny a fourth Bloody
Sunday.
