Northern Ireland

Stole worn by Bishop Edward Daly on Bloody Sunday donated to Museum of Free Derry

Wearing the stole around his neck, Bishop Daly helped clear a path as dying teenager Jackie Duddy was carried from the Bogside
Wearing the stole around his neck, Bishop Daly helped clear a path as dying teenager Jackie Duddy was carried from the Bogside Wearing the stole around his neck, Bishop Daly helped clear a path as dying teenager Jackie Duddy was carried from the Bogside

A STOLE worn by the late Bishop Edward Daly as he led the dying Jackie Duddy from the Bogside on Bloody Sunday has been donated to the Museum of Free Derry.

The vestment will go on display on the 47th anniversary of the 1972 killings along with the blood-stained handkerchief carried by Bishop Daly as well as a photograph of the Derry teenager which he always kept in his study.

Footage of the then Fr Daly waving the handkerchief as Jackie Duddy (17) was carried along Chamberlain Street has become an iconic image of Bloody Sunday.

As British paratroopers opened fire, Bishop Daly - who died in 2016 - started running for cover along with other anti-interment protesters.

The handkerchief carried by Bishop Edward Daly on Bloody Sunday was donated to the Museum of Free Derry some years ago. Picture by Margaret McLaughlin
The handkerchief carried by Bishop Edward Daly on Bloody Sunday was donated to the Museum of Free Derry some years ago. Picture by Margaret McLaughlin The handkerchief carried by Bishop Edward Daly on Bloody Sunday was donated to the Museum of Free Derry some years ago. Picture by Margaret McLaughlin

He recalled: “I noticed a young boy running beside me, smiling or laughing. I did not see anything in his hands. I heard a shot and simultaneously this young boy gasped or groaned loudly.”

The priest vested himself in the stole he was carrying and administered the Last Rites to the dying teenager as others attempted to treat his wounds.

The stole and picture bequeathed by Dr Daly's estate will got on display at the Museum of Free Derry on January 30 beside the handkerchief which was donated by the Duddy family.

The late Bishop Daly kept a framed picture of Jackie Duddy in his study for more than four decades. Picture by Margaret McLaughlin
The late Bishop Daly kept a framed picture of Jackie Duddy in his study for more than four decades. Picture by Margaret McLaughlin The late Bishop Daly kept a framed picture of Jackie Duddy in his study for more than four decades. Picture by Margaret McLaughlin

Other commemorative events include a minute’s silence at the Bloody Sunday monument at 4pm on January 30, marking the moment the British army opened fire.

A march, which is supported by some of the Bloody Sunday families, takes place on January 27 and a memorial lecture will be delivered by Dr Asad Abushark, international co-ordinator of Palestine’s Great March of Return, at the Culturlann in Derry on January 25.

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