Pics 1-8 are by John Patton
Pic 1
Pic 2
Pic 3
Pic 4
Pic 5
Pic 6
Pic 7
Pic 8
“Looking for pictures of my late sister, Mary, who died in July, I came on these old Derry images from around 1969-70. I’ll not dwell on each individually, since there are eight of them. I include the two pictures of Martin, since I understand that you have expressed interest for ongoing work; in pic 3, he is officially opening Fleadh Cheoil na h-Éireann in Doire , 2013. Pic 4 was taken when I interviewed him for an av on 1916 – another work in progress. Pic 1 features the leaders of the Derry Citizens’ Committee, Paddy Doherty and Sean Keenan, during the first visit by Home Secretary , James Callaghan, to the Bogside in 1969. The others are fairly self -explanatory and convey , I hope , the repression which smothered the City at the time. I am particularly fond of the ‘Wells Children’. This was a street which was of great significance in the religious and political history of Derry. The Columba fable has been largely discredited by Brian Lacey as a piece of Church political manoeuvring but the street retained great affection for the local people. It was ransacked and the population terrified in a naked sectarian attack by an RUC squad on the night after Burntollet.
These pictures have never been published before but,where better to do so, than on your admireable site. For the cognoscenti, the ones from the sixties were probably taken on an Asahi Pentax Spotmatic with a 50 mm Takumar lens. The later ones of Martin were shot on a Canon 5d iii with an 85mm Canon lens.” – John Patton
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