Inquiry hears priest's evidence

Bloody Sunday is featured on murals in Derry

A former Catholic priest has said he would not have urged people to attend a march on Bloody Sunday if there had been signs the IRA was planning to attack the security forces.

Michael James McIvor was giving evidence to the Bloody Sunday Inquiry which is sitting at the Guildhall in Derry.

The inquiry is investigating the circumstances surrounding the shooting dead of 13 civilians during a civil rights march in January 1972 in Derry. A 14th person died later.

Mr McIvor told the inquiry he had spoken to a man with paramilitary links about the civil rights demonstration, in the days before the march.

He was asked what he would have done had there been any indication that the IRA was planning to use the march to mount an attack on the security forces.

Mr McIvor, who left the priesthood shortly after Bloody Sunday, said that as a priest he would not have asked people to put themselves in any situation where they might have been harmed.

He said he probably would have discouraged them from attending.

Mr McIvor said the priests of his parish, St Mary's in the Creggan area of the city, had met up to discuss the march.

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He said they had concluded that they could recommend that parishioners could attend.

Meanwhile, the oldest victim of Bloody Sunday has been described as a "real pacifist" by a man who persuaded him to take part in the march.

William Curran told the inquiry he was with father-of-six Bernard McGuigan, 41, before they both joined the march.

Other eyewitnesses have described Mr McGuigan being shot in the head as he attempted to go to the aid of another man who was pleading not to be left to die alone.

Mr Curran said: "Barney was a pacifist more than I was. I would have gone out on civil rights marches all right but Barney, no. Anyway, I persuaded Barney to go."

Five months later

Mr Curran, whose father was a soldier in the British Army, said he was on William Street when two of the earlier shootings on Bloody Sunday happened.

Damien Donaghy, 15, and John Johnston, 59, were both wounded before members of the Parachute Regiment entered the Bogside in the aftermath of the march.

Mr Johnston died five months later.

Of Mr Johnston, Mr Curran said: "I didn't see him being shot. All I heard him saying was 'Och' and putting his hand to his shoulder and then he hopped - he did not walk away - he hopped away and disappeared from my sight."

Moments earlier, Mr Curran heard "at least three shots" and saw Mr Donaghy lying wounded on the ground.

Mr Curran was one of those who tended to the youth.

He maintained that the boy had nothing in his hands and insisted that the only missiles he saw thrown by civilians that day were stones.