Deirdre was a radiology student when she decided to join the march, and recalls the moment violence broke out.

Most historians agree that if the Troubles started in one time and place, it was the civil rights march on Duke Street in Londonderry on the 5th October 1968. The demonstration had been banned by the government and when it went ahead police turned water cannon on the protestors and beat them with batons. Footage was beamed around the world – and life in Northern Ireland had changed in the space of a few hours.

On the 50th anniversary of the event, BBC Radio Foyle captures a range of witness testimony and reflection from those who were on the march, those who opposed it, and others who remember the build-up to and aftermath of this turning point in our history. Show less