AN exhibition on the life and legacy of former bishop of Derry Edward Daly has been organised to coincide with the anniversary of his death in 2016.
A Man for All Seasons will open at St Eugene’s Cathedral Hall on August 8.
A spokeswoman for the exhibition organisers said: “A Man for All Seasons was chosen to pay tribute to the wide and varied contribution he made to peace and reconciliation in Ireland, to Derry and its diocese, to the search for justice and to healing the differences that divide Northern Ireland.”
The exhibition will feature items linked to all aspects of the late bishop’s life, including his mitre, crozier and some manuscripts. It will also include video footage and pictures from throughout his life.
One of Ireland’s best known church leaders, Bishop Daly first came to wide prominence when he was pictured waving a blood-stained handkerchief as he led a group carrying the body of teenage Bloody Sunday victim Jackie Duddy from the Bogside.
The then Fr Daly became Ireland’s youngest bishop when he was appointed to follow the late Bishop Neil Farren in 1974. Bishop Daly was particularly active in his support of victims of the Troubles. He also gave very visible support to victims of miscarriages of justice, often attending appeal hearings for the Birmingham Six.
With then primate of All Ireland Cardinal Tomás Ó Fiaich, Bishop Daly lobbied against the Thatcher government’s decision to remove special category status for political prisoners. While he was an ardent critic of paramilitary violence, he also worked hard to find a way to end the 1981 Hunger Strikes.
He stepped down as bishop after suffering a stroke in 1993. However, he continued to work as chaplain to Foyle Hospice until shortly before his death.
Bishop Daly published two memoirs, covering his time as a priest (2000) and as a bishop (2011). In A Troubled See: Memoirs of a Derry Bishop, he called on the leadership of the Catholic church to lift its ban on celibacy to allow priests to marry. He believed such a move could help the church deal with the fall in vocations to the priesthood.
The exhibition, which is support by Derry and Strabane council, will run from Monday August 8 to 14.
