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January 30th, 1972 stands as among the most fatal – and significant – days during multiple decades of unrest in Northern Ireland.

Throughout the area where it happened – the memories of the tragic events are visible on the structures and etched in people's minds.

A civil rights march was conducted on a cold but bright day in Derry.

The march was a protest against the practice of detention without trial – imprisoning people without trial – which had been put in place after an extended period of unrest.

Soldiers from the Parachute Regiment shot dead multiple civilians in the district – which was, and continues to be, a strongly Irish nationalist community.

One image became notably memorable.

Pictures showed a clergyman, the priest, using a stained with blood white handkerchief in his effort to shield a group moving a teenager, the injured teenager, who had been killed.

Media personnel recorded much footage on the day.

Documented accounts contains Father Daly telling a reporter that troops "appeared to discharge weapons randomly" and he was "absolutely certain" that there was no justification for the discharge of weapons.

That version of events wasn't accepted by the initial investigation.

The initial inquiry found the Army had been fired upon initially.

During the resolution efforts, Tony Blair's government established a new investigation, in response to advocacy by bereaved relatives, who said the first investigation had been a whitewash.

In 2010, the conclusion by the investigation said that generally, the military personnel had discharged weapons initially and that none of the individuals had presented danger.

The contemporary Prime Minister, the Prime Minister, issued an apology in the Parliament – stating fatalities were "without justification and unjustifiable."

The police commenced look into the events.

An ex-soldier, identified as the accused, was prosecuted for killing.

Accusations were made regarding the deaths of the first individual, in his twenties, and twenty-six-year-old William McKinney.

The defendant was additionally charged of trying to kill Patrick O'Donnell, other civilians, Joe Mahon, Michael Quinn, and an unidentified individual.

Remains a court ruling protecting the defendant's identity protection, which his legal team have claimed is essential because he is at danger.

He testified the examination that he had only fired at individuals who were armed.

This assertion was disputed in the final report.

Information from the investigation was unable to be used directly as evidence in the legal proceedings.

In the dock, the veteran was shielded from sight using a blue curtain.

He made statements for the opening instance in the proceedings at a session in December 2024, to answer "not responsible" when the allegations were read.

Relatives of those who were killed on Bloody Sunday travelled from Derry to the judicial building every day of the trial.

A family member, whose sibling was died, said they understood that attending the proceedings would be difficult.

"I visualize everything in my recollection," he said, as we visited the main locations mentioned in the case – from Rossville Street, where the victim was shot dead, to the nearby the area, where the individual and William McKinney were died.

"It returns me to my location that day.

"I assisted with the victim and lay him in the medical transport.

"I relived each detail during the testimony.

"Despite enduring the process – it's still meaningful for me."