The battle of the Bogside in Derry represented the climax of the civil rights movement in Ulster and, effectively, the beginnings of the Northern Ireland ‘Troubles’

The Bogside is a nationalist area lying to the west of the city walls and close to the commercial centre. Since the RUC’s (Royal Ulster Constabulary) attack on the civil rights march on 5 October the previous year, tension in the city had been growing. The city bogside became a no-go area.