The chance events of a Bloody Sunday march over two decades ago left an indelible mark on a 16-year-old teenager from Gaoth Dobhair who went on to become one of the leading members of a major political party in Ireland today.
Telling his parents he was going to work in a local butcher shop, Pearse Doherty left his Gaeltacht home and began a 60-mile hike towards the city of Derry, in 1994. He wasn’t familiar with the city. Like many in the 90’s his parents didn’t own a car and journeys were mostly made on the Swilly bus or with other local bus companies.
On arrival in Derry, Pearse was struck by a strong military presence, the British army, the RUC in shops and walking down streets carrying heavy weapons as people began to prepare to march to commemorate the twenty-second anniversary of Bloody Sunday. His eye fell upon the world’s media, photographers and television cameras perched on window ledges and on walls hoping to get prime shots of any activity - everyone keen to carry out their duty in a city where the perimeters of that four-letter word were being exercised and questioned.
“As a sixteen-year-old, indeed it was an eyeopener for myself to see the militarisation of the area,” he said.
The Pobailscoil Ghaoth Dobhair student was familiar with Bloody Sunday: “I was glad to be there on the day because I knew what happened on Bloody Sunday, I knew of the families … I would have been very familiar with that campaign for justice, I would have read about it in the past. I was very familiar with what the Parachute Regiment did on that day.”
Thirteen people died when members of the British army’s Parachute Regiment opened fire on anti-internment marchers in the Bogside area of Derry on January 30, 1972, in a massacre that became known as Bloody Sunday. A fourteenth died later from injuries sustained in the event.
Pearse’s sense of being present was further heightened by the fact he was aware many of those who had been shot dead were his own age, had more than likely listened to the same music, had learnt the same lessons, had the same pastimes: “They were standing up for their rights which I had and probably taken for granted as a young person, up until then. Many of them were seventeen years of age and another nineteen years of age and it played on my mind that apart from the circumstances of where you were born, where you were raised, that it could have been you. Walking with thousands and tens of thousands of others I was glad to be there.”
His parents were unaware of where Pearse was and he was conscious of this: “At that time my parents would not have known where I was. If you came into my room you would have seen all the posters of Irish republicanism on my walls and what I was reading at the time so they knew I had a particular interest in relation to Irish republicanism but they probably weren’t aware that I was going to events such as Bloody Sunday and other such events …”
Pearse joined the floods of people spilling onto the street and marched. At the end of the march, Gerry Adams spoke to him and asked him where he was from and how he had got to Derry. Camera crews came and began to interview the then party leader, and having grabbed the attention of Martin McGuinness, Pearse began to speak to him about Sinn Féin in Donegal.
“I was caught in the background as a TV crew was interviewing Gerry Adams. My father, later that week, down in Mici’s pub was told by his colleagues that I had been in Derry which led to an awkward conversation with my parents about the concerns they had for my own safety,” he said.
The conversation Pearse had with his parents may have found the teenager somewhat stuck for words, for once, however, in his previous conversation with Martin McGuinness showed no sign of hesitancy. He was certain of the message he wanted to relay to the political leader and was keen to deliver it: “I had a very clear view of what I wanted to say and these were the leaders of Irish republicanism, Gerry Adams being the leader of Sinn Féin and Martin McGuinness our chief negotiator …”
Pearse outlined his views on the political parties in Donegal at that time. “It was my view that Sinn Féin as a party had to develop right across the county and that is not taking away from all the people, at all, at all, who were involved in the party at that time but we needed to grow bigger,” he recalled.
The nearest branch to Gaoth Dobhair at the time was a Letterkenny branch which was too far away for many to journey. You had to apply to be a member of the branch and had to attend the branch meetings which was near impossible for the young teenager.
“I had purchased a poster of Free Derry corner, which I still have actually, and Martin McGuinness said why don’t you do it? Why don’t you step forward? … I was pretty gobsmacked - you’re talking to a sixteen-year-old boy, a child, and he said we need people to step forward.”
Martin took a pen out of his jacket and wrote the number of the Vice President of Sinn Féin, Pat Doherty, on the back of Pearse’s poster and told him to call him and to get involved.
The course was set for Pearse before he met McGuinness and Adams on that day but the event had a major impact on him - it taught him about leadership and what strong leadership entailed.
“It was a big, big moment for me because I got to know Martin McGuinness very well after that on a personal basis and he was a huge mentor to all of us. But at that time - as a sixteen-year-old boy - this was was the man who was on your TV screen, on the news, speaking on behalf of Irish Republicanism and … he took time to speak to me, he didn’t brush me off, it was a lengthy enough conversation.
“He took time to give me the personal number of the Vice President of Sinn Féin and encouraged me to talk to him and encouraged me to take a stand myself.
“It was that belief he had in me - belief in a complete stranger which was probably that trait Martin McGuinness had, and indeed all true leaders have - they can take the best out of others and give them the confidence they need to take the next step. That had a big impact on me,” Pearse said.
A few years before his chance meeting with McGuinness, Pearse had been reading about Bobby Sands and the hunger strikers.
The stories had ignited a burning sense of social justice in Pearse and on meeting McGuinness, a man who was long-affilated with the struggle, each word made their mark.
“And, maybe he said the same thing to a hundred other people that day, it doesn’t matter, he took the time to say it to me - he took the time in a march where there were tens of thousands of people at to speak to me.
“I am in those positions now myself where people want to come up to talk to you or take a picture or whatever - you know he took time to talk, to sit to talk to this sixteen-year-old boy whom he didn’t know and to talk him through it - to talk about the politics of Donegal and the need to build right across the island of Ireland and he took that time. That was an example of leadership but also a lesson in leadership.
“We have thousands of people who are joining Sinn Féin every year, it is a huge explosion of membership, who want to be part of this journey that we are on and to me I always remember that the person who joins today could be the next leader, they could be the person who makes a difference and it is important to give people that time, that space, no matter how busy you are. That is the lesson I took from that.”
The young boy who hiked 60 miles into Derry said the march he joined for justice that day, almost a quarter century ago is ongoing - the journey for justice continues.
The impact of that event has had a lasting impact on the Gaoth Dobhair representative whom has spent many years in the higher echelons of the party - he has taken the reigns on many of the issues affecting people today - the belief in that teenager has given strength to an unwavering voice.
