I am a retired college lecturer in Derry in my 75th year.
I have lived in Derry since 1972 and over the years have been involved in a number of peace and justice campaigns. These include the Bloody Sunday Initiative, later known as the Pat Finucane Centre. I was the inaugural chair of the Bloody Sunday Trust which subsequently went onto establish the Museum of Free Derry and the “Derry Model” series.
During the 1990s there was a series of crises in Ireland around the issue of contentious parades by the Loyal Orders such as the Orange Order and Apprentice Boys Association. I was involved in establishing the Bogside Residents’ Group in Derry and acted as Secretary of that group until I resigned in 2010 following my appointment to the Parades Commission. I left the commission in 2013.
For many years I was a delegate from my local college union branch (NATFHE then, UCU now) to the Derry Trades Union Council. I served on the Executive for many years holding the various posts of Treasurer, Vice Chair and finally Chair.
I am a contributor to Peace News magazine and write reasonably regularly about the North of Ireland.
The death of the Queen we knew it was always bound to happen, like our own impending death, but it never seemed likely to happen until quite recently. It does feel like something significant has happened, not least because most of us cannot remember anyone else as the Head of State of the United Kingdom.
Read MoreThis is an account of the Connaught Rangers Mutiny which took place in the Punjab, India in 1920. It highlights the role of "Jim Davis" from Derry who played a leading role in the Mutiny but who has for the most part been ignored, partly because of the mystery surrounding him. The Mutiny was a protest against the brutal Black and Tans being used by Britain in their failed attempt to suppress the IRA. It is slighted edited version from that which appeared on the Facebook pages of the Museum of Free Derry in July 2020.
Read MoreThis short biography gives an overview of my life and those things which give me the most satisfaction.
Read More
