View of the interior of the museum and satelite map of the
Bloody Sunday shootings | The Museum of Free Derry
including two women, one of them a mother of 14 period that we felt we needed to, from the years of
young children. One of the wounded died from his government oppression, through the civil rights
wounds just a few months later. struggle and into the early years of the conflict
here. The second phase proved successful enough to
The British labelled the unarmed dead gunmen and attract the support and funding necessary to reach
bombers. They concocted a judicial cover up for the third phase that we have today – a multi-award
their actions. It took them 38 years to admit some of winning museum in the heart of the Bogside.
the truth, that Bloody Sunday was “unjustified and
unjustifiable” and that all the victims were innocent.
The new Museum of Free Derry is now in a purpose
built two-storey building, with a dedicated core
In the early hours of 31 July, the British Army space designed to host the permanent display. This
launched Operation Motorman, using 21,000 troops multi-media exhibition covers an introduction to the
to smash Free Derry and other no-go areas. history of the Bogside, then focuses on the key years
from the birth of the civil rights movement, through
By daylight Free Derry was under armed occupation. the early years of the conflict here to Bloody Sunday
For the next 22 years it was one of the most heavily and Operation Motorman, the British attempts to
militarised areas in western Europe. violently crush the civil rights movement and Free
Derry. We also have a more flexible space on the
The Museum of Free Derry has been developed first floor which we use for temporary exhibitions,
through three distinct phases. It first opened in conferences, films, debates etc, which has enabled
2006 with a basic display on Bloody Sunday, then us to greatly expand on the work of the museum
reopened in 2007 as a museum covering the full and create more events aimed at our local audience,
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