‘14 Days’ - directed by Dermot Lavery and produced by Jonathan Golden - chronicles the efforts of Redemptorist priest Fr Alex Reid in seeking out a path to peace following a fortnight of violence that plunged Northern Ireland into despair.
On 6th March 1988, the shooting of three IRA members by the SAS in Gibraltar led to a cycle of violence and retaliation, which included Loyalist Michael Stone killing three people at the IRA members’ funerals and the subsequent killing of two British Army Corporals by the IRA at the funeral of one of Stone’s victims.
Over the tragic 14-day period, twelve people dead were left dead with dozens injured and the political process in Northern Ireland plunged into uncertainty.
As he administered the last rites to a dying man, Fr Reid pledged to find hope in the darkness and helped bring about the beginnings of the peace process.
Tonight’s programme combines interviews with politicians, journalists and church leaders to capture the full picture of how those 14 days proved such a significant period in the history of Northern Ireland.
Among the interviewees are Mark Durkan (SDLP); Gerry Adams (Sinn Féin); Fr Gerry Reynolds; Rev Harold Good; Very Rev Ken Newell; Tommy McKearney, journalists David McKittrick, Eamonn Mallie, Brian Rowan, and press photographer David Cairns.
‘14 Days’ is a DoubleBand Films production for BBC1 Northern Ireland.
