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A
personal account of Ireland’s Bloody Sunday
Eileen M. Rafferty ‘06
On Feb. 2, Don Mullan, author of Eyewitness Bloody Sunday
(Wolfhound Press, Ireland and Roberts Rinhard, USA, 1997), traveled to
the University from Dublin, Ireland to narrate the history he witnessed
firsthand on Jan. 30, 1972. Mullan initially chronicled a brief background
of Ireland’s Civil Rights movement. Afterward, with his vivid descriptions,
he brought the audience back to that bleak January day, when a march for
civil liberties turned into a horrifying massacre.
“To this day, I can still hear the cries of despair and disbelief,”
said Mullan. “I can still see bullets bouncing off barricade.”
He was merely a teenager at the time, engaging in his first civil rights
march. Little did he know how much of an impact this event would have
on his life.
Bloody Sunday is a detailed analysis of the unsettled events that occurred
on Jan. 30, 1972. Mullan’s study was made into a movie, which won
the Audience Award at the Sundance Film Festival in January 2002.
“Mullan’s life experiences are not only extraordinary, but
historical. His story telling ability is that of a true Irishman,”
said Kevin McCarthy ’04, an active member of the Irish Cultural
Society (ICS). “With so many members of the student body being of
Irish descent, we were very fortunate to have someone as knowledgeable
and personable as Mullan.”
Mullan has authored numerous books such as A Glimmer of Light—an
overview of Great Hunger Commemorative Events in Ireland and Throughout
the World (Concern Worldwide, 1995), and the Dublin and Monaghan Bombings
(Wolfhound Press, 2000). He currently is writing several additional books
and his articles are published frequently in the Irish national media.
In Oct. 2003, Mullan received the Sean MacBride Peace Award in recognition
of his work toward peace in Ireland. He currently resides in Dublin with
his wife and three children.
This event was sponsored by Villanova’s Irish Cultural Society.
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