Memories of Hillsborough

[tonto1888]

I remember Heysel and people making a connection. There was contempt for soccer fans.  I don't remember much about the match other than it was abandoned. England was weird in the late 80s. There were a lot of tragedies. The Herald of Free Enterprise, Bradford, Hillsborough etc. The miners strike was earlier . I always had the feeling the police were not on the side  of the people. I never felt that about the Gardai when I was growing up.

I remember nothing about the game but I remember the horror and confusion that was going on, it was  awful and initially I believed the official story until I saw supporters being interviewed and they were obviously telling the truth and the powers that be were lying, Thatcher must have a special room in hell for evil scum because from this disaster, to the way she destroyed the NHS, to her handling of the minors to the lies about the Belgrano, to the disgusting way she treated the hunger strikers, to me she is one of the most repugnant women in the history of the world.

The odious toads minions are going to need to answer for the murder of 96 people and they need to spend the rest of their miserable Tory gives in prison.

agree with all you say about the tories and Thatcher. Sadly I cant see anyone seeing the inside of a cell. I was 8 when it happened and remember not fully realising what was going on but eventually that it was something awful

[Rufus T Firefly]

Because of the day that is in it, what are people's memories of that dreadful day?

I remember intending to watch the first 15 - 20 minutes of the game before I had to go out. If I recall correctly, the game was on live on RTE2, and Johnny Giles was the co-commentator / summarizer, and in the early minutes of the event, before it became clear just how awful the tragedy would become, he made a remark along the lines of, "I wouldn't want anyone belonging to me to be in there." 

[AZOffaly]

I remember it vividly. I was 16 at the time. I was down at a friend's house, and we were watching the game on RTE. I remember the brilliant sunshine, and Beardsley's shot hitting the crossbar. Then the pandemonium, and the obvious fear that it was more hooliganism. The shame of Heysel was still a very fresh and raw thing at that time. The Forest fans booed I remember, because they thought it was 'trouble'. But they quickly stopped as they, and we at home, realised something horrible was going on, and it wasn't crowd trouble. I vividly recall people being carried away on advertising hoardings, others trying desperately to rip down the cages at the Leppings lane end. I remember the huge damburst of people when the police finally opened the pens, and I recall the people reaching down from the top tier, and trying to drag fellow supporters up from below.

Above all this, I remember that horrible photo the next day in the paper, of a girl, probably about 15 or 16, being crushed to death and it was haunting, and still is a horrific memory in my minds eye.

And since that day, any time I have gone to a terrace where I know there's a big crowd (hill 16, the miracle match in Thomond Park, the old Canal End, Semple Stadium, wherever) I always make sure I stand in front of a crush barrier, rather than behind it, and I try to be up the terrace as far as I can. If I have my young lad with me, I make double sure that I have an exit path, and protection from behind if there is a crush. And that whole thought process is because of that one horrible day, 27 years ago, and those horrible images that are burned on my memory.

[Farrandeelin]

Sorry for going off track, but IF, and I mean IF there was overcrowding on the Hill in the future, what would happen, there'd be no way the 'patrons' would be allowed on the pitch, despite what could happen. I know that it won't happen again due to Health and Safety, but there were reports that there was overcrowding at last year's first semi between Mayo and Dublin. I did mention reports, so it might not be true.

[winghalfun]

Home from college for the weekend.

Just me and my ma in the house and as usual she was in the kitchen.

When it became apparent from the images and the commentary that this was not just crowd trouble I called my ma in to watch.

We just sat there in quiet disbelief at what we were witnessing just the two of us. We didn't say a word for ages.

[AZOffaly]

Sorry for going off track, but IF, and I mean IF there was overcrowding on the Hill in the future, what would happen, there'd be no way the 'patrons' would be allowed on the pitch, despite what could happen. I know that it won't happen again due to Health and Safety, but there were reports that there was overcrowding at last year's first semi between Mayo and Dublin. I did mention reports, so it might not be true.

I think patrons would be allowed on the pitch if it became a major issue. That's part of the famed Plan B I think.

[Franko]

Was watching myself at home in Sligo. Initially like Laoislad I thought it was trouble and I was pissed off cos I wanted to see the game. Quickly it became clear though that something was seriously wrong. Even to my 13 year old self the lies put forward in the following days didn't tally with what I saw on TV.

I was in the Canal End for a few All Ireland finals in the early to mid 1990's and it was hairy enough at times. Can only imagine what that day with 90000 in the 60's was like.

Indeed.  Firmly believe that swift action by the Gardai in letting fans onto the sidelines of the pitch during the 1993 AIF saved another incident.

[muppet]

Sorry for going off track, but IF, and I mean IF there was overcrowding on the Hill in the future, what would happen, there'd be no way the 'patrons' would be allowed on the pitch, despite what could happen. I know that it won't happen again due to Health and Safety, but there were reports that there was overcrowding at last year's first semi between Mayo and Dublin. I did mention reports, so it might not be true.

The barriers in the Hill nowadays are way more numerous and look much stronger than certainly the old Canal End in the 1980s.

[seafoid]

I remember Heysel and people making a connection. There was contempt for soccer fans.  I don't remember much about the match other than it was abandoned. England was weird in the late 80s. There were a lot of tragedies. The Herald of Free Enterprise, Bradford, Hillsborough etc. The miners strike was earlier . I always had the feeling the police were not on the side  of the people. I never felt that about the Gardai when I was growing up.

I remember nothing about the game but I remember the horror and confusion that was going on, it was  awful and initially I believed the official story until I saw supporters being interviewed and they were obviously telling the truth and the powers that be were lying, Thatcher must have a special room in hell for evil scum because from this disaster, to the way she destroyed the NHS, to her handling of the minors to the lies about the Belgrano, to the disgusting way she treated the hunger strikers, to me she is one of the most repugnant women in the history of the world.

The odious toads minions are going to need to answer for the murder of 96 people and they need to spend the rest of their miserable Tory gives in prison.

I was thinking of Thatcher as well stew. Odious bitch with pure hatred for working class communities.

[johnneycool]

I remember Heysel and people making a connection. There was contempt for soccer fans.  I don't remember much about the match other than it was abandoned. England was weird in the late 80s. There were a lot of tragedies. The Herald of Free Enterprise, Bradford, Hillsborough etc. The miners strike was earlier . I always had the feeling the police were not on the side  of the people. I never felt that about the Gardai when I was growing up.

I remember nothing about the game but I remember the horror and confusion that was going on, it was  awful and initially I believed the official story until I saw supporters being interviewed and they were obviously telling the truth and the powers that be were lying, Thatcher must have a special room in hell for evil scum because from this disaster, to the way she destroyed the NHS, to her handling of the minors to the lies about the Belgrano, to the disgusting way she treated the hunger strikers, to me she is one of the most repugnant women in the history of the world.

The odious toads minions are going to need to answer for the murder of 96 people and they need to spend the rest of their miserable Tory gives in prison.

I was thinking of Thatcher as well stew. Odious bitch with pure hatred for working class communities.

Thatcher backed the South Yorkshire police to the hilt as she was indebted to them for battering the Coal miners into submission a few years earlier..
There's most definitely a place in hell for her..

[JoG2]

Because of the day that is in it, what are people's memories of that dreadful day?
For me:

(1) The anticipation of the match - two great attractive teams at the time was Forest and Liverpool. At the time RTE carried live a semifinal.
    I recall Tommy Gaynor from Limerick starting for Forest that day.

(2) Beardsley hitting the bar - I think that was my only memory of the actual time that was played. It seemed to take forever to go from his boot to the crossbar.
(3) The rising death toll - 5 o'clock it was around ten, then 6 pm, up to 20 and so on up into the 60s and 70s. As the numbers went up, the enormity of what had happened deepened.
(4) Pictures on the paper next day - always remember this picture of a woman squeezed up against the fence with her face jammed against the grill. That was the one memory that will be forever imprinted on my brain. At the time we were all told that all English football supporters were animals and all I could think of was she looked like an animal trapped.

There's a video on YouTube showing the RTÉ coverage from just before kick-off until just after the referee calls the players off the pitch. The Daily Mirror also ran a double-front page photo showing supporters trapped up against the fence. I'd advise discretion in looking at the video and image of the front page below, particularly the image.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4SdGtCWrvlo
http://www.galleonnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/2872998856_856c925dfb_z.jpg

dear christ, I haven't looked at that photo in a long long time. Frig.  I was 15 at the time. Zero memory of any of the match, but of people , so many people in one area, some eventually spilling onto the pitch to the left of Brucie's goals as the camera was looking, some struggling to get a foothold to get over the fence, some grabbing others in desperation. The 1 ambulance, 1! Advertising boards as make shift stretchers. The eerie mood in school the next day, teachers and pupils alike knowing an unimaginable tradegy had befallen ordinary folk

[armaghniac]

I saw a tweet with a relevant point. When a state can lie about its own citizens for several decades, at an event on live TV with thousands of witnesses, we should all be worried.

[seafoid]

If 96 people had died at Twickers it would not have taken 27 years to get to the truth

[tonto1888]

I saw a tweet with a relevant point. When a state can lie about its own citizens for several decades, at an event on live TV with thousands of witnesses, we should all be worried.

very true but does it really surprise anyone how they dealt with it?

[armaghniac]

I saw a tweet with a relevant point. When a state can lie about its own citizens for several decades, at an event on live TV with thousands of witnesses, we should all be worried.

very true but does it really surprise anyone how they dealt with it?

I think it does a bit. We are used to this from the British, as colonial power we have had bloody Sunday and the like, but to do it to their own is a bit surprising.