Tributes paid to Bloody Sunday campaigner John Kelly

Tributes have been paid to Bloody Sunday campaigner John Kelly who has died.

His brother, Michael, was killed on Bloody Sunday in 1972 and Kelly "spent many years fighting for truth and justice" afterwards.

Thirteen people were shot dead when the Army's Parachute Regiment opened fire on a civil rights march in Londonderry. It is widely regarded as one of the darkest days of the Northern Ireland Troubles.

Chairperson of the Bloody Sunday Trust Tony Doherty said John Kelly "died peacefully in the early hours after a long illness," adding that he would be "remembered with great love and pride in his home town of Derry, throughout Ireland and abroad".

Born in 1948 in the city, Kelly was honoured in 2024 with a civic reception after he retired from the Bloody Sunday Trust and Museum of Free Derry.

At the time he said his biggest honour for him was to fight for truth and justice alongside the other Bloody Sunday families. He had worked with the trust since its inception in 1997.

Foyle MP Colum Eastwood said it was a "very sad day for Derry" and that Kelly was "man of quiet dignity who carried himself with the confidence of someone who knew he was just in his cause".

He said he "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."

Eastwood added that his 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.

First Minister Michelle O'Neill said she was "deeply saddened" and added that for "more than five decades" Kelly had "fought for justice, not just for his own family but for all those killed and injured" on Bloody Sunday.

"Despite the continued denial of justice, John never gave up," she said.

"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."

The board and staff of the Bloody Sunday Trust and Museum of Free Derry said they "were devastated at the passing of our dear friend".

They added that Kelly's "personal knowledge and the way he told his story was at the heart of the mission of the musem", and was "vital" to its development.

In October 2025 after the trial of a Soldier F Kelly said he "relived every moment," of Bloody Sunday.