Latest news with #Londonderry
The Independent
3 hours ago
- Politics
- The Independent
Ex-BBC journalist says covering Bloody Sunday sparked decades-long career
A former BBC Panorama journalist has said covering Bloody Sunday in his 20s inspired his decades-long career. Peter Taylor, 82, from Henley on Thames, Oxfordshire, subsequently dedicated a large portion of his working life to documenting events in Northern Ireland. During the Troubles he interviewed republican and loyalist inmates in a notorious prison which he said had not been accessed before, or in the same way since. He also tracked down and spoke to an MI5 officer who he said was 'central to getting the IRA to commit to peace' in a secret mission. As he was made a Commander of the British Empire (CBE), Mr Taylor told the Princess Royal that his first assignment in Northern Ireland was covering Bloody Sunday for ITV's This Week. On January 30 1972, British soldiers shot dead 13 civil rights protesters on the streets of Londonderry. Speaking to the PA news agency at Windsor Castle on Tuesday, after being honoured for services to journalism and public service broadcasting, he said: 'I remember being shocked at what happened and feeling guilty that I knew nothing, or very little, about the background to the conflict. 'I remember that day thinking I better start trying to find out, so I spent the past 50 years trying to do exactly that.' It took him nearly 10 years of work to get permission to make a documentary inside the high-security Maze Prison housing paramilitaries, which is no longer in operation. It was otherwise known as Long Kesh and was the site of 1981 hunger strikes. People serving sentences for murder 'and a whole series of dreadful atrocities' were inside, Mr Taylor said, adding that he gained their trust to be interviewed. The conversations were conducted without prison officers' oversight, he added. At Windsor Castle, the former BBC journalist told PA: 'In the end, when they saw the film they were glad that they had taken part because it gave a different view of the contribution that they were potentially prepared to make towards peace. 'You know you've succeeded when you get that kind of reaction, when they're clearly expecting to take you to the cleaners for what you've done, and they say 'wasn't bad for a Brit'.' He earned the trust of major figures including former IRA commander Martin McGuinness, whose funeral he attended, and Ian Paisley, previous leader of the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), whose memorial he was invited to. The aim was 'to get behind the mask' and that 'required them trusting me, but me trusting them to be as straight as they were prepared to be'. 'They knew I had a job to do, so when I asked really difficult questions – which in most cases they tried to answer, they knew that was part of my job – they didn't take it personally, but they knew what I was trying to do.' Another major scoop was accessing the 'back channel between MI5 and the IRA' leadership. The security service ran a secret mission designed to 'encourage the IRA to stop killing people and engage in the political process', he said. The MI5 officer, unearthed by Mr Taylor and his team, was 'part and parcel' of that process. He 'flatly denied' working for MI5 when Mr Taylor first approached, but the journalist left his calling card and a book he had written titled The Provos: The IRA And Sinn Fein. Around 20 years after Mr Taylor first started working on the story, the officer wrote to him and said he had watched his documentary My Journey Through the Troubles. 'He said, if there are any gaps in your knowledge that you would like to sort out, I'm now prepared to talk to you.' Mr Taylor travelled to interview him on the condition of anonymity. Fewer programmes like Mr Taylor's are now made because of lack of funding, he said, adding that his did not attract 'huge viewing figures'. 'My worry is that public service broadcasting and the climate in which I grew up and learned my trade is under threat,' he told PA. 'It needs finances. What we do, people like me try and do, is to help people understand and make political choices and pass judgments on these extremely difficult, complex issues.' The public's appetite is changing too, he said, adding: 'People just grow weary of bombs, mayhem, murder, bad news.' Young people need to 'carry the torch onwards', which is 'a hard ask' because getting jobs and story commissions is increasingly difficult, he said.
Yahoo
6 hours ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Ex-BBC journalist says covering Bloody Sunday sparked decades-long career
A former BBC Panorama journalist has said covering Bloody Sunday in his 20s inspired his decades-long career. Peter Taylor, 82, from Henley on Thames, Oxfordshire, subsequently dedicated a large portion of his working life to documenting events in Northern Ireland. During the Troubles he interviewed republican and loyalist inmates in a notorious prison which he said had not been accessed before, or in the same way since. He also tracked down and spoke to an MI5 officer who he said was 'central to getting the IRA to commit to peace' in a secret mission. As he was made a Commander of the British Empire (CBE), Mr Taylor told the Princess Royal that his first assignment in Northern Ireland was covering Bloody Sunday for ITV's This Week. On January 30 1972, British soldiers shot dead 13 civil rights protesters on the streets of Londonderry. Speaking to the PA news agency at Windsor Castle on Tuesday, after being honoured for services to journalism and public service broadcasting, he said: 'I remember being shocked at what happened and feeling guilty that I knew nothing, or very little, about the background to the conflict. 'I remember that day thinking I better start trying to find out, so I spent the past 50 years trying to do exactly that.' It took him nearly 10 years of work to get permission to make a documentary inside the high-security Maze Prison housing paramilitaries, which is no longer in operation. It was otherwise known as Long Kesh and was the site of 1981 hunger strikes. People serving sentences for murder 'and a whole series of dreadful atrocities' were inside, Mr Taylor said, adding that he gained their trust to be interviewed. The conversations were conducted without prison officers' oversight, he added. At Windsor Castle, the former BBC journalist told PA: 'In the end, when they saw the film they were glad that they had taken part because it gave a different view of the contribution that they were potentially prepared to make towards peace. 'You know you've succeeded when you get that kind of reaction, when they're clearly expecting to take you to the cleaners for what you've done, and they say 'wasn't bad for a Brit'.' He earned the trust of major figures including former IRA commander Martin McGuinness, whose funeral he attended, and Ian Paisley, previous leader of the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), whose memorial he was invited to. The aim was 'to get behind the mask' and that 'required them trusting me, but me trusting them to be as straight as they were prepared to be'. 'They knew I had a job to do, so when I asked really difficult questions – which in most cases they tried to answer, they knew that was part of my job – they didn't take it personally, but they knew what I was trying to do.' Another major scoop was accessing the 'back channel between MI5 and the IRA' leadership. The security service ran a secret mission designed to 'encourage the IRA to stop killing people and engage in the political process', he said. The MI5 officer, unearthed by Mr Taylor and his team, was 'part and parcel' of that process. He 'flatly denied' working for MI5 when Mr Taylor first approached, but the journalist left his calling card and a book he had written titled The Provos: The IRA And Sinn Fein. Around 20 years after Mr Taylor first started working on the story, the officer wrote to him and said he had watched his documentary My Journey Through the Troubles. 'He said, if there are any gaps in your knowledge that you would like to sort out, I'm now prepared to talk to you.' Mr Taylor travelled to interview him on the condition of anonymity. Fewer programmes like Mr Taylor's are now made because of lack of funding, he said, adding that his did not attract 'huge viewing figures'. 'My worry is that public service broadcasting and the climate in which I grew up and learned my trade is under threat,' he told PA. 'It needs finances. What we do, people like me try and do, is to help people understand and make political choices and pass judgments on these extremely difficult, complex issues.' The public's appetite is changing too, he said, adding: 'People just grow weary of bombs, mayhem, murder, bad news.' Young people need to 'carry the torch onwards', which is 'a hard ask' because getting jobs and story commissions is increasingly difficult, he said.
BBC News
11 hours ago
- Politics
- BBC News
Bogside: DUP says Sinn Féin's silence 'deafening' over bonfire
The Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) has accused Sinn Féin of a "deafening" silence over plans for a republican bonfire on private land in Londonderry, which has stalled work on a £11m development. Last week, a man needed hospital treatment after he fell from the bonfire which is under construction at Meenan Square in the site is managed by Apex Housing, which has had to delay work on a project because it cannot find a contractor willing to remove the bonfire member Gary Middleton said there was a "void of political leadership from Sinn Féin in the Bogside" over the bonfire, which has sparked controversy in recent years. Sinn Féin has been asked for comment. Last year, police said they were treating the display of flags and banners - including union flags, a King Charles coronation flag and the flag of Israel - on the bonfire in the Bogside as a hate 2022, police investigated shots being fired near the site and in 2021 posters placed on the bonfire referenced former Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) Chief Constable Simon Byrne and another the murder of Catholic police officer Ronan Kerr."This bonfire has been a source of serious concern for some time, causing disruption, raising safety fears and delaying an £11 million publicly-funded redevelopment project," Middleton said."That investment is being stalled because not a single contractor is willing to go near the site to remove materials, citing threats and safety risks."It is time they [Sinn Féin] stepped up and made clear this situation is unacceptable." Injured man transferred to Belfast hospital Last Wednesday evening, a man was seriously hurt after falling from the Northern Ireland Ambulance Service (NIAS) confirmed that a man was taken to injured man was treated for undisclosed injuries at Altnagelvin Hospital in Derry, before being transferred to the Royal Victoria Hospital in Housing has declined to comment but previously said it was continuing to re-secure boundary fencing and gates following repeated incidents of "forced entry" at the £11m development will include social housing, community services, retail, commercial and office space. The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) said it was committed to working with partners, including local councils and community representatives, to address community safety issues linked to City and Strabane District Council said, while it does not authorise or regulate bonfires, it does engage with a wide range of partners to minimise the impact on communities.A spokesperson said it would continue to liaise with the Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA) regarding the storage and disposal of tyres and other materials which may be placed on bonfires. Why is the bonfire being lit? Bonfires on 15 August are traditional in some nationalist parts of Northern Ireland to mark the Catholic Feast of the bonfires are also lit in August to commemorate the introduction of internment without trial of republican suspects during the Troubles, which was introduced by the UK Government in 1971.
BBC News
16 hours ago
- Sport
- BBC News
Londonderry: Traffic 'chaos' sparks better management calls
There have been calls for better traffic management in Londonderry after roadworks caused serious congestion on the first day of the Foyle of people were in Derry on Monday for the opening parade and first day of the annual youth football there were lengthy tailbacks on the Foyle Bridge, the Waterside and onwards towards Ballykelly after Northern Ireland Water restarted sewage a post on social media, Foyle Cup organisers described the situation as "chaos" and called on local politicians to "sort it out". Road works on Madam's Bank Road resumed on Monday after a pause while The Open took place in Water said it had now revised some road restrictions in the city. Speaking to BBC Radio Foyle's North West Today programme, Eamonn O'Donnell from North West Taxi Proprietors said the tournament should be an "opportunity to showcase the city".Instead, he said, poor traffic management had "created chaos"."It was chaotic and a poor reflection of the city," he said."There should have been a moratorium on roadworks across the city." On Monday, NI Water said they were laying new wastewater infrastructure on Madam's Bank Road to support new development in the improvements area also planned to get under way this week on Queens Quay in the city centre.A spokesperson said the projects had been scheduled to take place – as far as possible – during the summer months to minimise disruption to school Water said that, from Tuesday, traffic would be reduced to one lane only where necessary, keeping two lanes open near the Culmore Road controls on Culmore Road and Foyle Bridge would also be lifted.A decision on further postponing works on Queens Quay will be confirmed work had been paused to accommodate the Foyle Cup's opening parade. SDLP assembly member Mark H Durkan said the resumption of work at Madam's Bank should also have been paused."It is very disappointing this hasn't been prepared for, hadn't been anticipated and action taken to prevent the chaos that we saw on our streets yesterday," he Féin councillor Sandra Duffy told BBC Radio Foyle it was "disappointing to be talking about traffic" given the success of the said it was her understanding that the tournament organiser had met police and the Department for Infrastructure to discuss traffic management but added those discussions "needed to be widened"."I believe the concentration was on the parade and wasn't widened out further and roadworks going on there. Those are the lessons we need to learn," she said."All these roadworks are known, always out for consultation, but I think a ball was dropped by quite a few of us."Almost 1,000 teams – some 20,000 players – are taking part in the Foyle Cup which runs until Saturday.
BBC News
17 hours ago
- BBC News
Londonderry: Man arrested on suspicion of arson over house fire
A man has been arrested on suspicion of arson with intent to endanger life following a fire at a house in services were called to the fire at Bluebell Hill Gardens in the Brandywell area of the city at around 23:00 BST on said no one was injured in the fire but the extensive damage was caused to the house. A number of nearby properties were also evacuated.A 38-year-old man remains in police custody on Tuesday. Police have appealed for anyone with information to come forward."No-one was inside the house at the time of the fire, but a number of neighbouring properties were evacuated to allow emergency services to deal with the blaze," Det Sgt Ballantine said."They have since been allowed to return to their homes."
