:00:14. > :00:18.This is BBC Newsline on Friday the 1st of July.
:00:19. > :00:21.The centenary of the start of the Battle of the Somme
:00:22. > :00:27.Here on the battlefields of France, a special service has been held
:00:28. > :00:30.at the Ulster Tower to remember the 2000 soldiers from the 36th
:00:31. > :00:33.Ulster Division who were killed on that first day.
:00:34. > :00:38.I'll be looking back on that ceremony and will speak
:00:39. > :00:53.Here at home, people gathered to mark the anniversary.
:00:54. > :00:55.Wreaths were laid as a mark of respect for all those
:00:56. > :01:05.100 years ago today, the bloodiest battle
:01:06. > :01:11.In the five months that followed, one million soldiers
:01:12. > :01:18.Thousands of them were from across Ireland.
:01:19. > :01:20.In a moment, we'll hear about the commemorations here
:01:21. > :01:23.But the main focus has been on France.
:01:24. > :01:28.Tara Mills is there for BBC Newsline.
:01:29. > :01:30.Yes, Donna, today's service here at the Ulster Tower reflected
:01:31. > :01:34.the scale of the tragedy that happened in the fields around us
:01:35. > :01:39.but it also captured the individual stories of bravery and sacrifice.
:01:40. > :01:41.A generation wiped out and barely a town or village
:01:42. > :01:58.The battle of de son ceremony for the 36th Ulster Division began with
:01:59. > :02:01.the presentation of regimental colours of the royalist Irish
:02:02. > :02:08.regiment. Several thousand people from Northern Ireland made the trip
:02:09. > :02:14.for this special centenary. The day had begun much earlier in nearby
:02:15. > :02:17.Thiepval Wood rear whistles were blowing just as they were 100 years
:02:18. > :02:23.ago at the precise time the Ulstermen went over the top. Conor
:02:24. > :02:26.McCracken's great uncle was one of them. I just think about what it
:02:27. > :02:31.must have felt like him going over the top and knowing that his brother
:02:32. > :02:35.has been killed in a before. Very poignant. Amongst the VIPs, Prince
:02:36. > :02:38.Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall who were warmly applauded by the
:02:39. > :02:43.crowds as the arrived at the Tower of Ulster. During the service,
:02:44. > :02:49.poignant letters written by soldiers in the trenches were about out. What
:02:50. > :02:54.a waste of life. Glad they all were who died in the water. The 16th iris
:02:55. > :02:58.division as well as the 36th Ulster Division, I still think if we had
:02:59. > :03:05.those men beside us that day, we would have two Thiepval. It was the
:03:06. > :03:13.day of remembrance and reflection. You just get a shiver. Everything is
:03:14. > :03:17.so quiet. I have met people who had great grandfathers and great uncles
:03:18. > :03:21.who have came and told me stories. Some of their bodies were never
:03:22. > :03:26.found and some of them were awarded military crosses. It is very
:03:27. > :03:29.interesting today because 100 years ago, people have started to talk
:03:30. > :03:34.about their own families and what really happened. So plight --
:03:35. > :03:38.pleased to be here. It's an honour. As been arranged the graveyards and
:03:39. > :03:44.there were lads who were 1516. It brings a tear to your eyes. I've
:03:45. > :03:47.been here are the last number of years because this deal is
:03:48. > :03:50.different. The number of people from Northern Ireland in the UK and the
:03:51. > :03:55.number of people who are prepared 100 years on to give up time to pay
:03:56. > :03:59.their respects. It is very hard to know in terms of common humanity and
:04:00. > :04:07.ability to come together in respect. It just brings it home to what our
:04:08. > :04:14.forefathers have done for us. Not just one part of the country but for
:04:15. > :04:22.the other because it was both. Getting emotional. Both sides in the
:04:23. > :04:27.war. They fought for the freedom we have today. There are no longer any
:04:28. > :04:32.Battle of the Salma vengeance left to attend the services. Now it is
:04:33. > :04:37.about honouring the memory of what happened in these fields, filled
:04:38. > :04:40.with poppies at Thiepval. -- Battle of the Somme.
:04:41. > :04:41.The First Minister laid a wreath today.
:04:42. > :04:46.Afterwards, I asked her what the anniversary means to her.
:04:47. > :04:52.It means so much to so many people in Northern Ireland which is why it
:04:53. > :04:56.was so important for me to be here today to lay a wreath not just at
:04:57. > :05:01.Thiepval but also at the Ulster Tower which encompasses the memories
:05:02. > :05:04.for the 36th Ulster Division. I find the service today very moving, very
:05:05. > :05:09.emotional and am very proud to have been a part of it. What was going to
:05:10. > :05:12.your mind when you leave the wreath? What was going through my mind was
:05:13. > :05:18.how people were thinking when their young sons, their young has-beens
:05:19. > :05:22.worst year in such terrible, terrible conditions fighting for
:05:23. > :05:26.freedom and when you look back at the old footage that has been
:05:27. > :05:28.running all day today, it really is very difficult for us today to
:05:29. > :05:34.comprehend the conditions they had to live in. The sacrifice that they
:05:35. > :05:40.made and many of them volunteers and indeed the fullness of war and the
:05:41. > :05:44.determination that surely we must stay away from that and we must make
:05:45. > :05:47.sure that we have peace in our world and for us in Northern Ireland, that
:05:48. > :05:49.is very important having come through the Troubles.
:05:50. > :05:51.Of course, it wasn't just the 36th Ulster Division
:05:52. > :05:55.More than a million men were killed and wounded -
:05:56. > :05:57.British, Commonwealth and German soldiers.
:05:58. > :05:59.Not far from here, another service was held at the Thiepval Memorial,
:06:00. > :06:02.which bears the names of more than 72,000 men whose
:06:03. > :06:07.It was attended by the Irish President Michael D Higgins
:06:08. > :06:25.For guns, British and French marked the end of the overnight vigil at
:06:26. > :06:30.the Thiepval Memorial. They had come to remember the stories of ordinary
:06:31. > :06:40.men and women, including Belfast men Billy McFadden. At 6:45am on the 1st
:06:41. > :06:45.of July 1916 he was at Thiepval Wood any narrow assembly trench. As he
:06:46. > :06:48.was preparing for the attack, and ammunition box turned over. It
:06:49. > :06:56.spilled to live grenades primed to explode. Billy threw himself on top
:06:57. > :07:00.of them. He was killed at once. His actions saved the lives of many of
:07:01. > :07:09.his comrades. This with the Commonwealth commemoration. Others
:07:10. > :07:12.had further to travel. Indian cavalrymen, Australian soldiers who
:07:13. > :07:20.fought fierce battles. New Zealanders who helped capture. The
:07:21. > :07:23.South African Infantry Brigade. Soldiers from across Ireland
:07:24. > :07:31.deserved a British Army in early September, the 16th iris division
:07:32. > :07:42.fought at one of the fewest as part of the battle. -- fiercest parts of
:07:43. > :07:46.the battle. The remit swept over Thiepval and the people of those
:07:47. > :07:48.nations from all sides remembered more than 1 million souls lost but
:07:49. > :07:52.not forgotten. For the first time,
:07:53. > :07:54.a Catholic Archbishop attended I asked Archbishop Eamon Martin why
:07:55. > :08:09.he had decided to come to This year was very special for many
:08:10. > :08:14.people as they were commemorating the centenary year of the Battle of
:08:15. > :08:19.the Somme. Along with Archbishop Richard Clarke, the Church of
:08:20. > :08:25.Ireland, I've been thinking what can I do in a symbolic way, any way of
:08:26. > :08:29.saying to people we are very conscious of the tremendous
:08:30. > :08:34.sacrifice and bravery of those who went to war and also we are very
:08:35. > :08:38.anxious to promote a message of peace, healing and reconciliation.
:08:39. > :08:44.My presence here today as part of that wish. It is so much a part of
:08:45. > :08:48.our history. It is part of our shared history. It is sad that down
:08:49. > :08:54.to the decades, our histories have moved apart and we've begun to feel
:08:55. > :09:02.separate about what it plays here and yet the stories here show that
:09:03. > :09:09.Protestants and Catholics stood and fought side-by-side for freedom. And
:09:10. > :09:12.trapeze. I really hope that we've taken a small step forward to
:09:13. > :09:16.recovering the complexity of the narrative and the fact that we do
:09:17. > :09:20.have something very much in common than we think back to the bravery of
:09:21. > :09:26.those men. We sometimes forget that on the very first day of July, there
:09:27. > :09:30.were many members of the, for example, Royal Dublin 's and other
:09:31. > :09:35.regiments who fought and died here who were decimated during this full
:09:36. > :09:41.horrific battle. Do you think we can they remember it together and move
:09:42. > :09:45.on? We still have some way to go because of more recent conflicts but
:09:46. > :09:50.I think we are taking a step forward where there is a more generous
:09:51. > :09:54.narrative going on now. As our younger people begin to uncover
:09:55. > :09:58.history and ask questions for themselves, I think we are seeing a
:09:59. > :10:03.way forward and today, I must say, I have been welcomed by so many people
:10:04. > :10:07.who coming up to me and saying, we are glad you are here. It is
:10:08. > :10:13.important for me but also for those who traditionally come here to open
:10:14. > :10:16.up a little bit and have much more in common as we remember the
:10:17. > :10:18.sacrifice that took place 100 years ago.
:10:19. > :10:20.The next generation of soldiers from the Royal Irish Regiment
:10:21. > :10:23.were central to today's music and readings.
:10:24. > :10:25.One of them Leuitenant Conor McCracken, who we saw in Mervyn's
:10:26. > :10:37.report, also has a family connection to the Somme.
:10:38. > :10:47.My great grandfather from Thiepval Wood advanced to the first German
:10:48. > :10:51.line to the third German lines, about 500 metres that way where he
:10:52. > :10:55.was shot in the soldier and sustained further wins and he then
:10:56. > :10:58.crawled back to the road where I marched on the colours which was
:10:59. > :11:08.then a sunken road Ricky took cover and got injured again. He was
:11:09. > :11:15.brought back to the dressing station. He did survive but was
:11:16. > :11:18.badly injured. His brother was also killed the night before moving into
:11:19. > :11:24.the line so it actually occurred there was a two men from his company
:11:25. > :11:28.that survived to move into line at 6am and having wrote a letter back
:11:29. > :11:32.to family, he says they could think about was his brother being killed
:11:33. > :11:36.before. It was a very poignant day for each carrying the Queen's colour
:11:37. > :11:41.in and although the focus was on the service that was here, I was
:11:42. > :11:46.thinking about what would have happened at this time 100 years ago
:11:47. > :11:52.and we're in the battle he might have been.
:11:53. > :11:55.I also spoke to father and son George and William Sayer
:11:56. > :11:57.from Donermana, County Tyrone, who have been coming to the Somme
:11:58. > :12:02.for more than ten years, who told me about their experiences.
:12:03. > :12:22.There were a lot of young people who had no way out. They joined the
:12:23. > :12:26.Army. It was better than nothing. Why is it important for you to come
:12:27. > :12:34.along, has your dad passed the history down? I am intrigued to. I'm
:12:35. > :12:38.interested in the tracing his steps back to this very spot not to fire
:12:39. > :12:42.from here where he lies. Ten years ago, we went out as the couple and
:12:43. > :12:49.Lady Poppy on his grave for the first time. For me to take my father
:12:50. > :12:52.here today, we look back on fullness of the trips we have made here and a
:12:53. > :12:59.poignant remembrance of him that gave so much for my freedom and for
:13:00. > :13:04.the peace and the place that I have today as a young man. Do you
:13:05. > :13:08.appreciate that? You think the rest of us appreciate it? I appreciate it
:13:09. > :13:12.sincerely and I would like to think that hopefully this would be a case
:13:13. > :13:15.where we can put this across to others to remember the sacrifice
:13:16. > :13:16.that was given on their behalf with a piece that we all enjoy today as
:13:17. > :13:18.individuals. Families and friends looking back
:13:19. > :13:21.and remembering a generation lost And events have also been
:13:22. > :13:24.taking place back at home Yes, Belfast and Dublin were just
:13:25. > :13:30.two of the cities where wreaths were laid to remember
:13:31. > :13:33.all of the Irish men It was an emotional day
:13:34. > :13:37.for the relatives of those who from all walks of life didn't
:13:38. > :13:42.make it home from the war. At Belfast City Hall,
:13:43. > :13:49.people gathered for a wreath laying ceremony remembering the men
:13:50. > :13:53.from both the 36th Ulster Division and the 16th Irish Division
:13:54. > :13:58.who lost their lives at the Somme. Among those paying tribute
:13:59. > :14:02.was the Lord Mayor Brian Kingston and the Irish government
:14:03. > :14:13.minister Leo Varadkar. Elsewhere in Belfast,
:14:14. > :14:15.people in Tower Street organised a cross community
:14:16. > :14:28.and Somme street festival. Local residents me surged six
:14:29. > :14:35.soldiers that are on the wall and done their homework. One of which is
:14:36. > :14:42.the local lads. I think is good for this committee. During times of the
:14:43. > :14:44.committee, the bigger heart and soul into it.
:14:45. > :14:47.At Thiepval Barracks in Lisburn, soldiers from the 38th Irish Brigade
:14:48. > :14:49.mustered at the Thiepval Memorial for an ecumenical
:14:50. > :14:54.In the Republic, a commemoration was held at Irish National War
:14:55. > :14:57.Memorial Gardens in Island Bridge, involving the Irish Defence Forces
:14:58. > :15:08.It's almost impossible to imagine what it would have been
:15:09. > :15:10.like as the men left their trenches to advance
:15:11. > :15:17.At a commemoration in Enniskillen Castle,
:15:18. > :15:20.a bugle used at the Somme was played once again, recreating the evocative
:15:21. > :15:33.Here's our south-west reporter, Julian Fowler.
:15:34. > :15:37.At 7.30am, bugles signalled the 'advance' - the moment
:15:38. > :15:43.when 100,000 men went over the top into No Man's Land.
:15:44. > :15:45.One of those bugles belonged to Drummer Jack Downs
:15:46. > :15:48.from Londonderry and it, again, sounded the advance
:15:49. > :15:54.Today, his bugle was played by Stephen Humphreys,
:15:55. > :16:08.I'm only 17 at the moment and it doesn't even seem normal. I don't
:16:09. > :16:14.know how schoolboys could just go off to war. It doesn't seem normal.
:16:15. > :16:16.Jack Downs survived the Somme but was killed later
:16:17. > :16:21.The bugle is now part of the collection of
:16:22. > :16:31.It is the one article in a collection that can speak.
:16:32. > :16:34.Photographs and medals are very poignant but these are the exact
:16:35. > :16:36.science and relatives would have heard 100 years ago.
:16:37. > :16:39.By the end of the first day, more than 600 Inniskillings would be
:16:40. > :16:42.In the regimental chapel at St Macartin's Cathedral,
:16:43. > :16:53.there's a new stained glass window to remember their sacrifice.
:16:54. > :16:57.We will return to the battle of the Somme commemoration is later in the
:16:58. > :16:59.programme. In other news, paint has been thrown
:17:00. > :17:02.over two Orange halls in Banbridge in what the poilce say
:17:03. > :17:04.is a sectarian attack. Republican graffiti was also daubed
:17:05. > :17:07.on the walls of Tanvally and Corbet The Orange Order says 12
:17:08. > :17:10.of its properties have The Equality Commission has
:17:11. > :17:17.rescinded its approval of the process used
:17:18. > :17:19.by Newry and Mourne Council to review the naming
:17:20. > :17:22.of McCreesh Park in Newry. Local people's decision to name
:17:23. > :17:25.the play park after the hunger striker Raymond McCreesh
:17:26. > :17:29.has been controversial. The chief equality commissioner
:17:30. > :17:32.Dr Michael Wardlow says, following a legal challenge,
:17:33. > :17:35.the council now needs to look The Fire and Rescue Service
:17:36. > :17:42.is investigating the cause of a fire which destroyed a bungalow
:17:43. > :17:46.near Crumlin in County Antrim. A man was treated for shock
:17:47. > :17:49.at the scene and neighbouring properties on Manse Road
:17:50. > :17:51.were evacuated. Four fire appliances
:17:52. > :17:54.were used to tackle the blaze Inspectors have said more must be
:17:55. > :18:01.done to tackle mental health problems of vulnerable men
:18:02. > :18:06.in Maghaberry Prison. Criminal Justice Inspection has
:18:07. > :18:10.published its full report of an inspection in January
:18:11. > :18:12.confirming that the situation in the prison has stabilised
:18:13. > :18:17.and improved since last year, when they branded it one of the most
:18:18. > :18:20.dangerous in Europe. But its says more needs to be done,
:18:21. > :18:23.and has recommended a review of a decision to close an in-patient
:18:24. > :18:26.health facility at Maghaberry which provided care to men
:18:27. > :18:29.with significant physical In Gaelic games, both the Ulster
:18:30. > :18:38.senior football semi-final Tomorrow evening, the defending
:18:39. > :18:43.champions Monaghan meet Donegal and then, on Sunday,
:18:44. > :18:46.Tyrone take on Cavan. Tyrone are in search of a first
:18:47. > :18:52.provincial crown since 2010. Earlier today, BBC Newsline's Mark
:18:53. > :18:55.Sidebottom caught up with Tyrone manager Mickey Harte at the county's
:18:56. > :19:10.centre of excellence. You join as in the Tyrone trophy
:19:11. > :19:16.room with me Mickey Harte. All you've got to do is beat them to get
:19:17. > :19:22.back to a final. We are in it to win it. Caven posed a big challenge to
:19:23. > :19:27.us. We expected to win the first game but it didn't happen. The goals
:19:28. > :19:32.hurt you. You have opted to change a keeper. What's the thinking? Two
:19:33. > :19:37.keepers Eric excellent keepers and it was neck and neck for them all
:19:38. > :19:49.the way. It was because of a coin between the of them. We don't always
:19:50. > :19:55.listen to the criticism that comes our way. If an opportunity presents
:19:56. > :20:02.itself, then if it's right for him, we'll let him have it. Tomorrow's
:20:03. > :20:06.nights game, who do you feel has the edge? Student got to stay. It's not
:20:07. > :20:11.an issue for us at the moment. Looking at the last game, both teams
:20:12. > :20:16.had a chance to seal victory and its two Morrisons credit that he clawed
:20:17. > :20:20.their way back. These two teams I neck and neck and you would be
:20:21. > :20:26.filled are just who could win the outcome. You never give too much
:20:27. > :20:30.away. Tyrone Caven replay will be an at 6:30pm. Both live on BBC radio
:20:31. > :20:39.Ulster. The dismantling will begin
:20:40. > :20:42.here shortly but it will be a long time before those who attended
:20:43. > :20:44.forget today's ceremony. Historian Phillip Orr has
:20:45. > :20:52.been with me all day. It must have been difficult to
:20:53. > :20:56.balance the courage and bravery with the tragedy of war. It is a
:20:57. > :21:00.difficult one but I think the balance was struck well. The wreaths
:21:01. > :21:06.are still up there and they are a reminder of the homage, the lying
:21:07. > :21:10.there upside the tower, the homage that so many people from families to
:21:11. > :21:15.county councils and various groups right through to royalty, they want
:21:16. > :21:23.to show a sense of honour and on the other hand we heard stories from
:21:24. > :21:27.letters that were written by people who clearly had lost their lives
:21:28. > :21:31.eventually in the conflict. We became very aware of the personal
:21:32. > :21:36.note. I think the balance was struck fairly well. It's difficult. You
:21:37. > :21:43.have spoke to many veterans before the died. What would be have made of
:21:44. > :21:47.today? That is a hard one. Who knows exactly what they would think. I
:21:48. > :21:52.would suggest that the media would warn us to be careful. One man in
:21:53. > :21:58.particular that I spoke to looked out on a world as it was at the time
:21:59. > :22:03.when interviewed him of the Cold War and he said it seems to me we
:22:04. > :22:06.haven't learned anything at all. I would say whilst there is water in
:22:07. > :22:10.the Middle East, while refugees are tumbling out of those conflicts
:22:11. > :22:14.owns, while there is still threat of conflict around the globe, some of
:22:15. > :22:20.the wise old men that I would have met would see, learn the lesson of
:22:21. > :22:23.what we went through, learn the lesson. It was very difficult for
:22:24. > :22:27.many of them because they came back, the ones that did survive, and
:22:28. > :22:32.thought it would be the war that ended all worries and it wasn't. Hot
:22:33. > :22:39.on the heels, World War II. We have to remember that. Many men came back
:22:40. > :22:42.to poverty and disability. Most of all, I would have said, the came
:22:43. > :22:46.back to hunting memories. The memories didn't go our way. Once
:22:47. > :22:52.you've been any word like World War I, if you been in the front line or
:22:53. > :22:56.on the field we are standing here on today, your war goes on to the rest
:22:57. > :23:00.of your life. Very often, towards the end of, when you are frail at
:23:01. > :23:03.all is, that is when some of those memories start to bother you and
:23:04. > :23:08.service because you are facing your own mortality as well. A sombre note
:23:09. > :23:11.is appropriate at the end of the today as much as we have relished
:23:12. > :23:17.the whole experience and even as it begins to clear and we just if you
:23:18. > :23:21.have is left here in the thousands that have been here and have gone,
:23:22. > :23:28.perhaps a quieter note is in not inappropriate note to finish on as
:23:29. > :23:31.we think about the horrendous battle of the Somme campaign. When it comes
:23:32. > :23:36.down to where we are now and looking forward to the future, there was a
:23:37. > :23:41.run-up to the centenary. How you will be remember any future? Will
:23:42. > :23:45.they be people here next year or ten or 20 years? I think people will
:23:46. > :23:49.still continue to come here because they've established a pattern of
:23:50. > :23:52.doing so every year and I think many of the men and women that I know who
:23:53. > :23:58.relish coming year and love the whole experience, they are not want
:23:59. > :24:02.to miss that. The years are going to pass by and other things to think
:24:03. > :24:06.about another battle to think about. Perhaps that will be the focus of
:24:07. > :24:07.attention as much as the Battle of the Somme. Thank you for your
:24:08. > :24:10.thoughts today. There's a special BBC
:24:11. > :24:12.Newsline on Sunday to mark William Crawley will be looking
:24:13. > :24:16.back on her many visits to Northern Ireland over
:24:17. > :24:18.the last six decades. That's at 5.15pm this Sunday
:24:19. > :24:20.on BBC One. Here's Geoff Maskell
:24:21. > :24:38.with the weather. I thought I picked up a nice
:24:39. > :24:41.cheerful summer picture this evening. Not because it reflected
:24:42. > :24:44.what the weather was doing but I think we could do with the remainder
:24:45. > :24:50.of what summer is meant to look like. Those showers continuing. They
:24:51. > :24:53.were bringing us hailstones through the day-to-day and rumbles of
:24:54. > :25:02.thunder. Overnight, the showers continue. Things do improve as we go
:25:03. > :25:06.through the weekend a bet, it will become drier and brighter as we get
:25:07. > :25:10.through the weekend but always the risk of a shower around and that is
:25:11. > :25:13.certainly going to be the case on Saturday morning. Those showers
:25:14. > :25:18.continue to be driven in from the west on that breeze. But there is
:25:19. > :25:23.some good news because as we head into words the afternoon of those
:25:24. > :25:28.showers will start to finish out, the breaks will start to open up
:25:29. > :25:33.just a little bit, the sunny spells will get longer, temperatures still
:25:34. > :25:37.on the cool side. Certainly, the day ends better than it began.
:25:38. > :25:41.Overnight, the odd shower will continue to work its way in and
:25:42. > :25:49.those night-time temperatures are quite low. At this time of the year,
:25:50. > :25:52.we would normally expect a big area of high pressure to be setting
:25:53. > :25:58.higher up in the Atlantic giving us a shield to our weather. That is not
:25:59. > :26:03.the case this year. That being said, Sunday is not looking too bad a day.
:26:04. > :26:07.It will be a drier day although there will be some rain towards the
:26:08. > :26:11.night-time. The odd shower but much more in the way of drier, brighter
:26:12. > :26:16.conditions and that will help with the temperatures on Sunday.
:26:17. > :26:21.Overnight though, the rain comes back and by Monday for the start of
:26:22. > :26:25.the new working week, that rain it could be pretty persistent and a
:26:26. > :26:30.soggy start. This is the picture for the next few days.
:26:31. > :26:32.We leave you with some of the pictures from the commemoration
:26:33. > :26:35.at the Ulster Tower in France this afternoon as they remembered
:26:36. > :26:37.the soldiers from the 36th Ulster Division who lost their lives
:26:38. > :26:48.in the Battle of the Somme which began 100 years ago today.