Sadness across Derry at death of John Kelly, chairperson of the Bloody Sunday Justice Campaign

Tony Doherty, chairperson of the Bloody Sunday Trust, said John “died peacefully in the early hours after a long illness.

“He will be remembered with great love and pride in his home town of Derry, throughout Ireland and abroad,” added Mr Doherty.

“Ní bheídh a leith arís ann.”

John was the beloved husband of the late Margaret; loving father of John, Michael, Emmett, Mark, Niall and Martin; devoted grandfather to Sean, Ruari, Mollie, Luke, Aedan, Nathan, Ava, Thomas and Eve; dear father-in-law of Deirdre, Adelle, Caitlin and Sinead; darling son of the late John and Kathleen; and brother of Via, Ka, Philomena, Peggy, Martin, Christine and the late Jean, JoJo, Marian, Terry and Michael.

John will be reposing at his home, 7, Westway, on Saturday, November 7. His funeral will leave there on Monday, November 9, at 9.20am to St Mary’s Church, Creggan for Requiem Mass at 10.00am. Interment afterwards in Derry City Cemertery.

John’s family has requested family flowers only, with donations in lieu, if wished, to Foyle Hospice, or City Friends of Marie Curie.

The board and staff of the Bloody Sunday Trust and Museum of Free Derry said they “devastated at the passing of our dear friend, comrade and colleague John Kelly”.

They added: “John passed away this morning, 7 November, after a long battle with illness.

“John was born in Creggan in 1948, the son of Kathleen and John Kelly, and into a family that would eventually become twelve children, nine sisters and three brothers.

“In August 1969 John married the late Margaret, and in their 52 years of marriage they had six sons, John, Michael, Emmet, Mark, Niall and Martin.

“John’s younger brother Michael, just seventeen years of age, was the youngest of the fourteen men and boys murdered on Bloody Sunday. John was there himself that day, witnessing much of the violence, and carried the body of his own brother to an ambulance and accompanied him to the hospital, where he was declared dead.

“A toolmaker by trade, John worked for the Bloody Sunday Trust, and then the Museum of Free Derry, from 1997 until his retirement in 2024. He started with us as a Family Liaison Officer, helping the Bloody Sunday families through the many years of the Bloody Sunday Inquiry, and then moved on to the Museum of Free Derry when it opened in 2006 as Education and Outreach Officer, spending the next eighteen years educating people about Bloody Sunday and the years around it.

“His personal knowledge, and the way he told his story, was at the heart of the mission of the museum, and was vital in helping the museum develop in the successful way that it did. For visitors, getting to hear John tell his own deeply personal story of Bloody Sunday and the Bloody Sunday Justice Campaign, which he chaired from its foundation, was the highlight of their visit for many of the museum visitors he spoke to.”

Tony Doherty, chairperson of the Bloody Sunday Trust, and long-time friend and fellow campaigner with John, said: “I have lost a great friend. We have all lost a great friend. It is such sad time for all of us who campaigned for justice for Bloody Sunday, who fought for our loved ones for so many years.

“John was at the forefront of that fight, from the beginning to the end, a calm, supportive and determined man who never let go of the idea of getting justice for his brother Michael, and for all of those murdered and wounded on Bloody Sunday. The images of John on 15 June 2010, fist raised in the air in celebration of the release of the report that vindicated our campaign, will always be among my most cherished memories of that great day.

“John was always there for other campaigns and families as well, and I am sure they are all as saddened as we are at his passing. John was always willing to share his experience with others, and many appreciated his good advice and support over the years of their struggles. Campaigners for justice across Ireland have lost an inspirational figure.

“John was at the centre of our work since the Bloody Sunday Trust was formed in 1996 and when the Museum of Free Derry was still just an idea. With great skill and generosity, he supported the Bloody Sunday families through the duration of the Saville Inquiry, and then moved to his role in the creation and growth of the museum. He taught many of our younger staff members in the museum, ensuring they shared and spread his values of truth and justice.

“The museum is a much better place because of his involvement, and he will never leave it. His voice will always echo around the displays, his influence will always be clear in how the museum tells our story, his memory will always be a part of what we are and where we go.

“We offer our deepest condolences to John’s family and friends, his sons and granchildren, his sisters and brother. They have lost their father, grandfather and brother, we have lost our friend and comrade, but we have all been privileged to have known him and he has left a mark on all of us that we are all the better for.

“Rest in peace and power John, ní bheidh do leithéid arís ann,” said Mr Doherty.

Extending it’s sympathy to John’s family, friends and colleagues, Relatives 4 Justice, which supports conflict bereaved and injured, said: “Words are inadequate to express our deep sorrow to hear the news.

“John was a mighty oak of love, respect, courage, compassion and integrity.

“He spoke truth to power with humility and a salient strength that gave courage to so many.

“Relatives for Justice extends our sincere condolences to John’s family, friends and colleagues on the path of truth and justice.

“Go ndéana Dia Trócaire as a anam,” said Relatives 4 Justice.

Paying tribute to John, Colin Harvey, Professor of Human Rights Law in the School of Law, Queen's University Belfast, said: “Heartbreaking news this morning.

“John never relented in his struggle for truth and justice.

“An inspiration to the people of Ireland with a message of hope for our world.

“My sympathy and thoughts today with John’s family and friends,” said Professor Harvey.

The Bloody Sunday March Committee said: “We lost a stalwart of Bloody Sunday campaign today John Kelly. Sincere condolences to John’s sons, grandchildren, brother and sisters and all who loved him. Rest easy John x”.

First Minister Michelle O’Neill said she was “deeply saddened” to hear of John’s passing.

“John was a proud Derry man who spent much of his life fighting for truth and justice.

“His 17-year-old brother Michael was murdered by the British Army on Bloody Sunday, and for more than five decades John fought for justice, not just for his own family but for all those killed and injured that day.

“Despite the continued denial of justice, John never gave up. His courage and determination in taking on the British state in the fight for justice was remarkable.

“Through his campaigning and his work at the Museum of Free Derry, John made sure the story of Bloody Sunday was passed on to new generations and that the fight for justice would never be forgotten.

“My heartfelt condolences go to John’s children, grandchildren and the wider Kelly family at this very sad time.

“Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam,” said Ms O’Neill.

Paying tribute ot John, SDLP Foyle MP Colum Eastwood said: “This is a very sad day for Derry. John Kelly was a familiar face across our city for decades and someone who knew and connected with people from all walks of life. As one of the leading campaigners in the fight for justice for Bloody Sunday, his work and his determination were recognised and respected far beyond Derry.

“Along with the other Bloody Sunday families, John spent many years fighting for truth and justice, not just for his own family and those who lost loved ones on Bloody Sunday, but for the people of this city. He repeatedly faced down the might of the British establishment and refused to allow the truth about what happened on the streets of Derry in January 1972 to be buried. He did his brother Michael proud.

“John was determined that the story of Bloody Sunday would never be forgotten. Through his work with the Bloody Sunday Trust and the Museum of Free Derry, he helped keep the memory of those who were killed alive and ensured that their stories continued to be told. He also used that experience to stand alongside others facing oppression around the world. His example will inspire others to carry that work forward.

“John was a man of quiet dignity who carried himself with the confidence of someone who knew he was just in his cause. Whether meeting governments and dignitaries or simply stopping for a chat on the street, he was always the same. His passing is a huge loss to Derry. Our thoughts are with his family, friends and the other Bloody Sunday families at this very difficult time. I hope they can take some comfort from the contribution John made to this city and the lasting legacy he leaves behind,” said Mr Eastwood.

John retired in August 2024 following 30 years with the Bloody Sunday Trust and almost two decades with the Museum of Free Derry.

His campaign for justice for his brother Michael, who was aged 17 when he was shot dead by British paratroopers on Bloody Sunday, dated back to the early 1970s and the immediate aftermath of the atrocity.

On that occasion, a spokesperson for the Museum of Free Derry said: “John has been central to our work for so many years, providing a guiding voice in the creation of the museum, and always ensuring that it truly reflected the voices of those whose stories it was set up to tell.

"The museum is a better place because of his involvement, and he will never really leave it as his influence is embedded into the very fabric of the building and his voice will always be heard through the many displays he helped create.”

John was one of the founders of the Bloody Sunday Justice Campaign in 1992, on the 20th anniversary of Bloody Sunday when British paratroopers gunned down 14 innocent anti-internment demonstrators.

John’s brother Michael, from Dunmore Gardens and a family of nine sisters and two brothers, had been attending his first civil rights march when he was shot dead, alongside John Young (17), William Nash (19) and Michael McDaid (20), at a rubble barricade near the entrance to Glenfada Park on Rossville Street on Bloody Sunday.

Adding to the tributes being paid to John, John Teggart on behalf of the Ballymurphy Massacre families said: The Ballymurphy Massacre Families are deeply saddened to learn of the passing of John Kelly

“When the Ballymurphy Massacre families began our long, agonising march for truth and justice, the path ahead often felt impossible. In those darkest days, when the state sought to bury the truth of what happened in Ballymurphy in August 1971, we looked across the North to Derry and there we were welcomed by John Kelly and the Bloody Sunday families.

“John did not just offer us sympathy; he offered us his heart and an unwavering blueprint for justice. Having carried the unbearable grief of losing his 17-year-old brother, Michael, on Bloody Sunday in 1972, John understood our pain down to his very bones. He transformed his own monumental loss into a lifelong, heroic campaign for truth, and then he turned around and made sure he dragged the rest of us up the mountain with him.

“For the Ballymurphy Massacre families, John Kelly was a constant beacon of hope and a tremendous inspiration. But John was never one for mere words. He helped and support us when we needed it most. He sat with us, walked with us, and shared every lesson learned during the Bloody Sunday campaign. From practical suggestions on how to organise, navigate the media, and engage internationally, to grounding us with his quiet dignity and steel determination, John guided our steps.

“We felt privileged beyond words to stand alongside the Bloody Sunday families on that historic day in Derry’s Guildhall when David Cameron issued the public apology for Bloody Sunday. Watching you achieve that long-denied justice felt like a passing of the baton. Seeing your triumph in the Guildhall gave us the courage, renewed vigour, and belief that we too could cross our own finish line. It gave us the strength to carry on our own fight for truth and justice, knowing that ordinary families, armed only with love and the truth, could take on the highest corridors of power, and win.

“When we finally stood in the light of truth and vindication for our own loved ones, John’s spirit and solidarity were woven into that triumph. We could never have walked that hard road the same way without him.

“To the Kelly family and the Bloody Sunday families, we offer our deepest love, prayers, and solidarity.

“Thank you John for being our mentor and our friend.

“His legacy of justice, courage, and unconditional solidarity will echo through generations.

“Forever remembered, forever loved, and forever in our debt,” said Mr Teggart on behalf of the Ballymurphy Massacre Families.

Remembering John, The 4 Days in Derry company, which brought the stories of the women impacted by Bloody Sunday to the stage with John’s help and encouragement said: “We are very saddened to hear that John Kelly, a tireless campaigner for truth and justice for his brother Michael and all the victims of Bloody Sunday, has died,

“Condolences to John’s family at this very sad time.

“Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam dílis.”

Foyle Sinn Féin MLA Pádraig Delargy expressed his deepest condolences on the passing of John Kelly.

“I am deeply saddened to learn of the passing of John Kelly,” he said.

“John epitomised the Derry spirit. He dedicated his life to challenging injustice and standing up for what was right, showing remarkable courage, dignity and resilience.

“Through his tireless campaigning for truth and justice, he worked relentlessly to ensure that his brother Michael, and all those murdered and injured on Bloody Sunday, were finally declared innocent.

“My thoughts and heartfelt condolences are with John’s children, grandchildren and the wider Kelly family circle at this very difficult time.

“John’s life was dedicated to seeking justice and he will be remembered across Ireland and internationally as a man who challenged the status quo.“As a man who took on the might of the British state and won.

“Through his campaigning and his outreach role within the Museum of Free Derry, John taught my generation what it means to stand up for justice.“To be a champion for equality. To never give up, no matter how big the obstacle.

“Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam,” said Mr Delargy.

The Staff and Board of the Pat Finucane Centre said they were “deeply saddened to learn of the passing of John Kelly who for decades fought for justice and truth for his brother Michael and all the other victims of Bloody Sunday.

“He never gave up, he never faltered. John inspired the rest of us and will continue to do so. Condolences to his family. Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam.”

Sinn Féin President Mary Lou said she was “deeply saddened by the passing of John Kelly, a man of extraordinary courage, dignity and determination.

“John dedicated his life to seeking truth and justice for the Bloody Sunday families, including his beloved brother Michael, who was just 17 when he was murdered.,” added Ms McDonald.

“I had the privilege of spending time with John at his home in Derry just a few weeks ago. A special memory I will always cherish.

“Derry has lost one of its finest. My heartfelt sympathies to John’s family, friends and all who loved him.

“Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam dílis.”

A Book of Condolence is now open at the Museum of Free Derry for anyone wishing to pay tribute to John.

In a social media post, the Museum said: “Tributes have been coming in from across Ireland and around the world, reflecting the respect and affection held for John by so many who knew him and his lifelong campaign for truth and justice.”

The Museum will close on Monday, November 9, as a mark of respect on the day of John’s funeral.