Photo: Rukeyser - Bloody Sunday

Confrontation at Barrier 14

By: William Rukeyser

This is a colored photograph taken January 30th, 1972, a date otherwise known as Bloody Sunday. William L. Rukeyser was a American freelance photographer and reporter working for CBS News at the time Bloody Sunday occurred. In Northern Ireland to cover the civil rights movement taking place at this time, Rukeyser was one of the few media persons who could actually look onto the movement with relative objectivity. Being an American Jew led to opportunities for him to report and photograph the March that took place on Bloody Sunday without showing affiliation to one group or the other. He took many photographs of the actual shooting, some of which, like this one, are from behind British paratroop barriers. All of these photos have remained in his possession, excepting the brief periods they were used on American television stations. This photo offers a perspective on how the British troops regarded the Irish civilians, who seem to be throwing stones at the soldiers. His other photos, some of which are the deceased victims, portray a solemn scenario over what Bloody Sunday actually entailed: the death of innocent civilians. If you're interested in some of the more dramatic photos taken by him (all of which are in color), the direct link is http://cain.ulst.ac.uk/rukeyser/rukeyser-derry/.