In Holy Terror

By Simon Winchester

Of all the periods of violent unrest which have beset Northern Ireland’s brief history, there was none more tragic and divisive than the bout of killing which began in the summer of 1968.

In 1969, as a young reporter, Simon Winchester was sent by the Guardian as their man in the troubled province. This book records his experiences through the most traumatic months of this agonizing era. The thirty months which he spent reporting from Northern Ireland for the Guardian remain the most important, the most historic months of the crisis. They include Bloody Sunday, of which he was an eyewitness.

For his reporting from Ulster during 1971 Simon Winchester was unanimously chosen Journalist of the Year. The judges praised his “consistently high level of reporting in covering an assignment, in which partisan feelings are high and in which competition from other able and distinguished journalists has been strong. In this difficult field, Simon Winchester’s qualities of courage, persistence, and impartiality have been conspicuous.”