BOB Dylan has released an audio tribute to the victims of Bloody Sunday.
Coinciding with next week’s events marking the 51st anniversary of the 1972 killings, Dylan (81) also read a roll call of the dead on the special audio message.
Considered one of the greatest singer-songwriters of all time, Dylan became a voice for the oppressed, the international civil rights’ movement and anti-war protesters in the 1960s. His greatest hits, The Times They Are A-Changing and Blowin’ in the Wind are still considered anthems for the civil rights movement. He is recognised as one of the most influential figures of the last century and has won awards for his work, including the 2016 Nobel Prize for Literature.
In his tribute, the singer says: “On January 30, 1972, 30,000 people marched into Derry, in a march organised by the Civil Rights’ Association. Armoured cars appeared from behind barriers. British troops boxed in hundreds of people. All of the soldiers were fully armed with combat rifles. Suddenly shots rang out. At the end of the day, 13 people lay dead and 17 wounded.
“Let us take a moment and remember the names of the people that died that day: Jack Duddy, Paddy Doherty, Bernard McGuigan, Hugh Gilmour, Kevin McElhinney, Michael McDaid, William Nash, John Young, Michael Kelly, Jim Wray, Gerald Donaghey, Gerard McKinney, William McKinney and John Johnston.”
His contribution has been welcomed by the Bloody Sunday Trust which thanked the singer for his “kind words and support for the victims”.
