Derry Republicans Organise Tour of Hungerstriker's Graves

In the past week up to 85 Derry people, made up of ex-republican pow's, members of the Derry republican youth group Toirise and other republicans travelled across the Six Counties, to visit the graves of all ten 1981 Hunger Strikers. At each grave young people from the Toirise group laid an Easter Lily in honour of the dead.

Before leaving Derry City they visited the graves of H Block martyrs Patsy O’Hara and Mickey Devine where flowers were laid in memory of and tribute to the two Derry city hunger strikers. They then travelled the short distance to Dungiven to pay their respects at the grave of another Co.Derry hunger striker and martyr Kevin Lynch before moving on to Bellaghy where martyred hungerstrikers and cousins Francie Hughes and Tom McElwee are buried side by side.

Travelling on up the road to the Republican plot in Belfast’s Milltown Cemetery the younger generation of republicans laid lilies on each of the graves of martyrs Bobby Sands, Joe McDonnell and Kieran Doherty, who are buried side by side in the belfast republican plot.

Bik McFarlane O/C of the H-Block prisoners during 1981 addressed the crowd and spoke of his great pride in seeing so many young people on the tour.

Afterwards the group were invited back to the Roddy McCorley club for lunch before they journeyed on to South Armagh's Camlough and the burial place of Hunger Striker, Raymond McCreesh where they met Conor Murphy, the newly installed Regional Development Minister.

The last grave the group visited was that of Martin Hurson who is buried at Galbally in County Tyrone, again as in all of the graves they visited flowers were laid amidst a few minutes of silent reflection and tribute.