THE Troubles seen through the eyes of those who reported on the conflict has been compiled in a compelling account of one of the most turbulent periods in Northern Ireland's history.
Beginning in 1968 with an eyewitness report of the day that civil rights protestors clashed with the police in Derry, the candid accounts of 68 renowned journalists are packed into a new book 'Reporting the Troubles'.
Compiled by Deric Henderson and Ivan Little, the publication sees the reporters look back on the major atrocities they covered, the interviews they carried out, threats they faced and the lasting emotional impact of their experiences.
Many of those whose accounts are included in the book, including veteran journalist Martin Bell, gathered in Belfast last night for the official launch of the publication, which also includes a foreword by former US senator George Mitchell.
Among the accounts in the book is that of John Irvine, who recalled the 10 funerals he covered in one week during the Troubles, while journalist Bill Neilly describes the emotional impact of covering the Dropping Well bombing, remembering how he returned to his hotel room and cried.
Other contributors include Susan McKay, who wrote about her experience of the Drumcree dispute, while the two authors also both pen their own accounts. Mr Henderson looks back on the death of his uncle, a UDR soldier, who was shot in Derry in 1972 and Mr Little describes his personal experience in the aftermath of the Dublin and Monaghan bombings.
Mr Henderson, former Ireland editor of the Press Association, last night said he believed it was a "fitting time" to look back at the conflict through the eyes of those on the ground at the time.
"Fifty years on from the start of the Troubles, we felt this was as good a time as any to do something like this," he said.
"We contacted friends and colleagues from Belfast, Dublin and London that we have got to know over the years and we were amazed at how the whole project was embraced.
"They were all told to write whatever they wanted, something in particular they remember vividly, something that stuck in their heads and what we got was very moving.
"It's the first time journalists who were on the ground here have been able to put their memories and experiences together, it's thought provoking and an important way of looking back at the Troubles."
'Reporting the Troubles, Journalists tell their stories of the Northern Ireland Conflict' is available from Blackstaff Press, priced at £14.99.
