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Date: Wednesday, September 10, 2025
Time: 11:00 a.m.
Cost: $20 (fee will cover the program and lunch, meal tax and gratuity included)
Location: "The Gallery" at the H.A.R.P. Museum located on the second floor of the Irish Cultural Center of the Mohawk Valley at 623 Columbia St., Utica
Register: http://bit.ly/45nfjJX
Contact: Chris Hoke at (315) 733-4228 Ext. 6 or irishccmv@gmail.com
The H.A.R.P. Museum at the Irish Cultural Center of the Mohawk Valley continues its popular “Lunch and Learn” series on Wednesday, September 10th at 11 a.m., when Steven Smits recounts witnessing the events of Ireland’s “Bloody Sunday” while serving in the United States Navy in Derry, Ireland.
The onset of conflict in Northern Ireland began in Derry in 1969 with the “Battle of the Bogside.” The bloody war between nationalists and unionists continued until the “Good Friday” agreement in 1998. As the events transitioned from a civil rights protest to sectarian violence across the province, 3,720 civilians, police, and soldiers lost their lives, and 47,500 people were injured in the tens of thousands of shootings and bombings.
Hear the First-Hand Account
Presenter Steve Smits will discuss his and his wife’s experiences and observations in Derry during the early years of the conflict. As an American serviceman stationed at the U.S. Naval Communication Station in Derry, he had the opportunity to hear from Catholics and Protestants and to visit their enclaves in the segregated neighborhoods of the city. He will recall the daily riots, the bombings, and the perspectives of the people of Derry, including his own first-hand account of the evening when a bomb detonated outside their flat on the Strand Road near the city center. He will also describe the shock of “Bloody Sunday,” on January 30, 1972, when 14 civilians on a protest march were shot by soldiers of the First Parachute Regiment.
About the Presenter
Steve Smits is a retired director of Central New York Developmental Disabilities Services Offices who is now active in the Town of Western Historical Society.
IYKYK, Lunch is more than simply a mid-day meal!
Those of you who have attended our Lunch and Learn events in the past already know this: Lunch is so much more than just a meal; it’s a relaxed and congenial environment where the day’s presentation is often discussed among the attendees, and where people can interact directly with the presenter.
Your $20 registration fee will cover the program and lunch (tax and gratuity are included). All those interested in attending are asked to register at http://bit.ly/45nfjJX or leave a message at (315) 733-4228, Ext 6.
Accessibility
The H.A.R.P. Museum is located on the second floor of the Irish Cultural Center of the Mohawk Valley, 623 Columbia St, Utica. All are welcome to attend this program and the museum is wheelchair accessible.
Join us for our latest “Lunch and Learn” – Where you can feed your mind and your belly! ☘️
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