see also Derry Journal articles June 15 and 18, 2012: Gerald Donaghey
Derry Book launch June 15, 2012
There was a large turnout of families at the City Hotel this morning for the launch of the Gerald Donaghey book - the truth about the planting of nail bombs on bloody sunday. Produced by the Bloody Sunday Trust, the Pat Finucane Centre and Creggan Enterprises/Rath Mor the book and DVD are available from the Museum of Free Derry at £5. Arrangements are being put in place to cater for postal & overseas orders in the near future but not just yet! It was a great privilege to be there and hear Geraldine Doherty speak so movingly of her uncle Gerald.
Conal Mc Feely, who was on the original march with Gerald, chaired the event and talked of the legacy of hurt and pain left open by the Saville Report which found that Gerald probably had nail bombs (four in total with over 170 4 1/2 inch nails) when his body was 'kidnapped' by the British Army en route to hospital and diverted to an army camp near Craigavon Bridge. Only then, after the car and body had been left unattended for 10 minutes, was a nail bomb allegedly discovered sticking out of the trouser pocket of his denim jeans.
Gerald had been seen by a large number of civilian and military witnesses up to this point-none of whom had seen the alleged nail bomb. In the 12 months up to Bloody Sunday the British Army admitted that it had captured over 1500 nail bombs in the North. In otherwords access to defused devices was no problem in a base that was under daily attack. On the balance of probability the evidence strongly points to the nail bomb photographed in Gerald's pocket having been planted by a soldier or RUC officer. Buy the book!
Conal Mc Feely's introduction
GERALD DONAGHEY - THE TRUTH ABOUT THE PLANTING OF NAIL BOMBS ON BLOODY SUNDAY
Mr Mayor, ladies and gentlemen good morning. Welcome to the launch of this incredibly significant report, "Gerald Donaghey - the Truth about the Planting of Nail Bombs on Bloody Sunday."
I am honoured to have been asked to speak at this event and I am privileged to be here. I only wish that Gerald’s late sister, Mary, could be here too, to witness this latest stage in the ongoing campaign to clear Gerald’s name.
Gerry was a good friend of mine and of my brother, Donncha. We went on the Bloody Sunday march together. Gerry was murdered that day, in cold blood.
To compound that crime, the people who killed him lied about him. Nail-bombs were planted on his body. It was blatantly obvious to us then. And it is still blatantly obvious now, 40 years later.
Whenever I remember Gerry, I can’t help thinking about Mary. Like all the Bloody Sunday relatives, she lost a loved one – her only brother – in the most horrific circumstances.
Like the other relatives, she had to contend with a second injustice – not only her brother’s murder, but his character assassination as well.
For years, for decades in fact, Mary fought with the other families to clear the names of the Bloody Sunday victims – and especially to have her brother exonerated.
So the 15 of June, 2010, was a day of mixed emotion for Mary. She rejoiced for the other families when – on that unforgettable afternoon - the British Prime Minister, David Cameron, finally conceded what we all knew: that the shootings on Bloody Sunday were "unjustified and unjustifiable." We already knew that, of course, but the world had to hear it.
Mary’s joy was tempered, though, by the unbelievable conclusion of Lord Saville and his colleagues that Gerry was "probably armed with nail-bombs" when he was shot. The finding flew in the face of the evidence.
The verdict was shattering for Mary. It felt like Widgery all over again. Mary promised to fight on, to clear Gerry’s name. And, shortly before she died, we – Gerry’s friends – promised her that we would also carry on that fight.
The publication of this report is partly a fulfilment of that promise.
I see Bubbles Donaghey is here. Bubbles was the first person shot on Bloody Sunday. He was the first Bloody Sunday victim.
Gerald Donaghey is – to my mind – the last victim of Bloody Sunday victim. While all the others have - rightly – had their names cleared, and their reputations restored, Gerry has been left with this cloud, this stain hanging over him.
That – to me – is unjustified and unjustifiable.
I hope this report will help to right the great wrong that was done to him, to his sister Mary, and to the whole Donaghey family.
This report is a rigorous and powerful piece of work. It is extremely persuasive publication. It looks at the same evidence that was available to the Bloody Sunday Inquiry, but it arrives at a completely different – I would say the only logical – conclusion: that the nail bombs which were photographed on Gerry’s body after he was shot were planted.
But don’t take my word for it. Read the report for yourselves. Consider the evidence. See what you think. Make up your own minds.
On behalf of the Bloody Sunday Trust, the Pat Finucane Centre and Creggan Enterprises – who have worked in partnership to produce the report "Gerald Donaghey - the truth about the planting of nail bombs on Bloody Sunday" – thank you for coming to this launch.
I would like to thank British Irish Rights Watch and PFC for their input to this important publication. It would be remiss of me not to acknowledge, as well, the efforts of writer Dave Duggan and the cast, crew and company involved in the production the documentary play: The Saville Report and Gerald Donaghey- Unfinished Business, which is one of the most compelling pieces of drama I have ever seen.
This is also, by the way, my first public opportunity to publicly thank the former chairperson of the Bloody Sunday Trust, Eamonn McCann, for his immense contribution to the Trust and to the campaign throughout its history. Eamonn, you gave unstintingly of your time, energy and expertise.
Your integrity and dedication have been obvious to all, and your skill as a campaigner has been an enormous asset to our quest for justice.
40 years ago, the soldiers who shot our fellow citizens – and, more importantly the people who sent them onto our streets – tried to intimidate us; they didn’t want us to think for ourselves, they didn’t want us to stand up for ourselves. They wanted to frighten us – they succeeded in that – but they didn’t stop us, they didn’t silence us, they didn’t stop us thinking for ourselves.
I want you to think for yourselves now. Read this report. Look at the evidence. Make up your own minds.
We owe that to Gerry – the last victim of Bloody Sunday – who died for OUR Civil Rights. We owe it to his sister, Mary, who died still fighting to clear her brother’s name. We owe it to the Donaghey Family.
Conal McFeely
Bloody Sunday Trust