Mayor of Derry City and Strabane District Council, Councillor Lilian Seenoi-Barr, has paid tribute to the work of local justice campaigner John Kelly on his retirement after 27 years with the Bloody Sunday Trust.
Mayor Seenoi-Barr hosted a civic reception in the Guildhall’ Main Hall, where family, friends and colleagues gathered to acknowledge his work over the decades on behalf of the Trust and the people of Derry city.
During this time Mr Kelly has tirelessly campaigned on behalf of the Bloody Sunday families, including his own brother Michael who was murdered on the day.
Speaking after the event, Mayor Seenoi-Barr, said that John had been an articulate and committed advocate for peace and reconciliation and provided a voice for the families when they needed it most throughout their campaign for justice.
“It was an honour for me to hold this civic reception for John this evening, and to shine a spotlight on the invaluable work he has done over the years in the most challenging times,” she said.
“John has achieved so much through his work supporting local families throughout the Bloody Sunday Justice Campaign and he continued to promote truth and educate people about the past through his role at the Trust.
“I want to take this opportunity on behalf of the people of the City and District to thank John, and wish him all the best on his retirement.
“He leaves a valuable legacy at the Museum of Free Derry, and I know he will continue to be a guiding light and inspiration for other justice campaigners long into the future.”
Mr Kelly said he was privileged to attend the ceremony, but that the biggest honour for him was to fight for truth and justice alongside the other Bloody Sunday families.
Mr Kelly announced his retirement in July, having worked with the trust since its inception in 1997.
He said it was important the Bloody Sunday story continued to be told.
“What I take great comfort in is that we have a fantastic group of young people working in the museum, who are quite capable of carrying on the work that I leave behind,” he said.
Mr Kelly also said he took great comfort knowing that there are still Bloody Sunday relatives working within the museum and the trust to tell people from all over the world about what happened that day.
He said the chair of the Bloody Sunday Trust Tony Doherty, whose father Paddy was killed, and Jean Hegarty, whose 17-year-old brother Kevin McElhinney was killed, would continue their work in telling their stories and fighting for justice and truth.
“It has been a huge part of my life for all those years, it will be hard to walk away from it, I am may be walking away but I’m not going away.”
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