1999 Derry Diary #8 17 June

Diary #8 June 17, 1999', 'Thursday 17th of June 1999', 'Failte! Thanks to all who have held on to this thingie for the last few weeks...This will have to be my last report from the Derry Public Library overlooking the delightful Ulster Bus bus station....eventhough it is Friday morning here in Derry and there is still, almost a full day ahead I don't know when I will be able to get to a computer...I know...I can hear the collective sight of relief...At this time in the morning, I am still half-asleep and being 'clever' is a task...but onward and upward...

Thursday 17th of June 1999
A couple of set-backs today for the Bloody Sunday inquiry...The high court in London has ruled that the names of the Paras involved with firing weapons on 30 January 1972 should not be revealed for fear for their lives...This was a great disappointment to the families of those killed. They fear that the inquiry will be closed to the public...and another whitewash will come of it. ', 'Why all this fuss after 27 years? From what I understand, and the kids have been listening to the stories of that day, is that the 14 killed are still labeled as 'gunmen' or de facto criminals...this does not seem to be the case, even from people who are impartial. So I'm wondering, will the evidence given be closed to the public by using the 'national security intrests' excuse that we use so well in the USA to keep vital information from the public? Logically (although 'logic' sometimes does not apply when talking politics here in the North) it would be counter-productive to perpetrate violence on the Paras involved because they are one of the main sources of important information...mmmm...Well time will tell. It is estimated that the Lord Seville hearings will last about a year and a half at the Guildhall here in Derry City... The Bloody Sunday music festival takes place in August, one of the girls has been working for that organization...I am hoping that I can provide a 'real audio' outlet on BlackShade so that the world can hear the music from the Bogside as it is happening... IN OTHER NEWS....the girls and I walked the Bogside last nite and by the time we returned to the Stardust (St. Eugene's Parish Hall) we had about 15 kids walking with us, asking us questions, telling us stories about plastic bullets, real bullets and the like...this was all about 10 pm, the sky was still light and the street lamps were not on...The conversation moved from wrestling (WWF and WCW) to Baywatch to petrol bombings (molotov cocktails)... Our prayer this evening surrounded the many feelings and emotions related to the experience of the last few weeks...to a person, the girls felt welcomed and felt as if they were citizens of the Bogside. What impressed them the most was the lack of 'materialism' so prevalent in the teen culture of the States...here hanging with the 'homies' means kicking a soccer ball around, sitting and chatting, going for an ice cream, or a quick swim at the local pool...nothing fancy, no one-up-manship, just being...I think the girls will have a major culture shock when they try and explain their experiences... ==+==+==+==+==+==+==+==+==+==+==+==
For Friday....... It is BATH DAY!!!...
we are planning to work a half day on Fridya, have lunch at the Parish Center, go to the cemetery, then to Mary Nelis' house to debrief...then Saturday, Ulsterbus to Dublin, stay overnite thanx to the headmaster of Gonzaga College, hop on ATA Sunday and arrive back on the West coast at 11 pm.... I want to thank all of you for hanging in here with my ramblings for the past two weeks...I will send out an announcement about the posting of pictures on the web-site so that you can see what I have been chattering about for the past days... Until then,
Slainte,
paul (BlackShade)