David and Goliath: Underdogs, Misfits, and the Art of Battling Giants

Catholic church near the docks. For five
hours, the two sides fought, locked in
deadly gun battle. Hundreds of fires
burned across the city. By the end of the
weekend, six people were dead and
more than two hundred injured. The
British home secretary responsible for
Northern Ireland flew up from London,
surveyed the chaos, and ran back to his
plane. “For God’s sake, bring me a large
Scotch,” he said, burying his head in his
hands. “What a bloody awful country.”
A week later, a woman came through
Ballymurphy. Her name was Harriet
Carson. “She was famous for hitting
Maggie Thatcher over the head with a
handbag at City Hall,” Lawlor said. “I
knew her growing up. Harriet was