Funeral of respected Derry built heritage activist Mark Lusby to take place on Saturday

Mr. Lusby’s Requiem Mass will take place at 2pm in St Mary’s Church, Ardmore, on Saturday afternoon.

Tributes have been paid to the well-known Derry heritage activist who died peacefully in Altnagelvin after a short illness on Thursday.

The Waterside-native was a leading campaigner for the preservation of Derry’s built heritage over many decades.

His friend Niall McCaughan said he had a ‘zest for life’ and was a tireless and passionate advocate for his home city and its rich history.

“Heartbroken to learn that my friend Mark Lusby has just passed away this morning,” Mr. McCaughan said, announcing the sad news on Thursday.

"It was only Saturday week ago that the two of us were organising a tour around the Walls; Mark was in full throttle giving us all a unique and detailed history lesson on part of our Walls that he loved and treasured, and wanted to share with others.

“He was the authority on the Walls. Apart from his work with the Friends of the Derry Walls which he founded, he also will be known for is work in economic development in Derry City Council, and was the one that led and secured funding for Derry's Cathedral Quarter and craft sector amongst other successes.

"He had a zest for life and an enthusiasm in his work, but ultimately for me he was just a great friend. Condolences to Deirdre and family,” said Mr. McCaughan, who now works at the Donegal Railway Heritage Museum, of which Mark was a big supporter.

Mr. Lusby was involved with the Friends of the Derry Walls, the Base One Europe project that sought to highlight the history of the US Navy's Naval Operating Base in Londonderry 1942-44, and many other influential civic projects.

An energetic promoter of the historic Derry Walls, in the early 2010s Mark coordinated a £500k Heritage Lottery funded project at Holywell Trust to unpack their history for a wider audience, work he would continue with the Friends of the Derry Walls.

He was recently a PhD candidate at Queen’s University where he was researching ‘heritage as commons in post-conflict states with a particular focus on the 17th and 19th century fortifications of Derry/Londonderry’, a subject area that covered both his beloved Derry Walls and the Ebrington star fort.