Former Bishop Of Derry Dies

Former Bishop of Derry, Edward Daly, has died, aged 82.

According to the Diocese of Derry he died "peacefully" this morning, 08 August.

He was pictured waving a blood-stained handkerchief over one of the Bloody Sunday victims in 1972.

Dr Daly was born in Belleek, County Fermanagh, in 1933.

He was ordained a priest of the Diocese of Derry in 1957. His first appointment was as a Curate in Castlederg, Co Tyrone. In 1962, he was appointed as a Curate in St Eugene's Cathedral, Derry. In 1973, he was appointed Religious Advisor to RTÉ, Dublin.

In 1974, he was ordained Bishop of Derry, where he served until serious illness compelled him to retire in 1994. In retirement, despite poor health, until earlier this year Bishop Daly continued to serve as a dedicated Chaplain to the Foyle Hospice. He also served as Diocesan Archivist.

SDLP Leader and Foyle MLA Colum Eastwood said: "It is with the deepest of sadness that Derry learns of Bishop Daly's death this morning. It is difficult to fully express the huge sense of loss which the city of Derry is currently feeling. He was greatly loved and will be hugely missed.

"Edward Daly was truly the people's Bishop. There was nothing distant about him. He was part of the people and that is why they in turn welcomed him into their trust. Although a proud Fermanagh man, as a young priest he took this city to his heart and very quickly became Derry's most beloved blow-in.

"For many outside of Derry, their memory of Bishop Daly will always lie in the iconic image captured on Bloody Sunday. That singular moment captured the man's compassion and courage in the face of violence. It was and remains an image which told the story of his life's work.

"The thoughts and prayers of the SDLP, the city of Derry and people right across the North are with his family and friends at this time."

(CD/JP)