John Kelly was a ‘giant of justice’ whose ‘indomitable spirit was that of resistance’ MLAs were told as tributes were read into the Stormont record on Tuesday.

SDLP MLA Mark H. Durkan described the late Bloody Sunday campaigner as one of Derry’s ‘finest sons’ who for over five decades was ‘a pillar of quiet dignity, immense courage and unwavering resolve’.

Pádraig Delargy of Sinn Féin said that if somebody wished to ‘understand the spirit of Derry, they need look no further than John Kelly’.

Mr. Kelly passed away on Saturday after a period of illness.

John Kelly, whose 17-year-old brother, Michael, was shot dead on Bloody Sunday, pictured at the Bloody Sunday Memorial in the Bogside.

placeholder image — John Kelly, whose 17-year-old brother, Michael, was shot dead on Bloody Sunday, pictured at the Bloody Sunday Memorial in the Bogside.

The Creggan-native was best known as one of the driving forces of the Bloody Sunday justice campaign having been amongst those bereaved when his brother Michael, aged 17, was murdered by the British Parachute Regiment on January 30, 1972.

“John was there and carried his younger brother's body to the ambulance. From that agonising moment John dedicated his life to a single monumental cause, ensuring that the truth would never be buried by the might of the British State.

"As founder and chair of the Bloody Sunday justice campaign John became a global symbol of what ordinary people can achieve when fuelled by a righteous cause.

"And the Bloody Sunday justice campaign continues to inspire victims of injustice right across the world.

“We'll never forget the image of John on June 15, 2010, his fist. raised high outside the Guildhall having successfully torn up the Widgery report and vindicated the innocence of his brother and every single victim,” said Mr. Durkan.

Mr. Delargy spoke of how John had dedicated his life to ‘challenging injustice, standing up for what was right, showing remarkable dignity, courage and resilience’ adding that he knew him as both an educator and volunteer at the Museum of Free Derry but most importantly as a campaigner for justice for Bloody Sunday.

"John's indomitable spirit is the spirit of resistance and the spirit of a risen people. John Kelly led a working class movement that took on the might of the British State and won.

"And through some of the most difficult times in his life John had a smile on his face. Why? Because they couldn't break him, because despite the lies and cover-up of the British Government, of the British Army and of the British State media, John knew that he was right. John knew, as we know, that his brother Michael and all those murdered and injured on Bloody Sunday were innocent and so John was defiant,” he said.

The extent of the high esteem in which John is held in Derry was demonstrated during Derry City FC’s homecoming on Monday when, Mr. Durkan noted, there was a ‘poignant moment of applause in gratitude to John and in solidarity with his family’.

“On behalf of the people of Derry I extend my deepest, heartfelt sympathies to his sons, his grandchildren, the wider Kelly family, the Bloody Sunday families and everybody affected by his loss. Rest in peace and in power John. Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam,” he said.

Mr. Delargy concluded: “John's life offers as inspiration but it also presents us with a challenge, to continue the struggle for truth and injustice, to ensure that no community will ever again be treated as second-class citizens. Rest easy, cara.