A memorial for a Strabane boy killed by debris from an IRA bomb which detonated during a Bloody Sunday commemorative march in 1990 has been rededicated at the place where he was killed.

Charles Love (16) died after being struck by debris at the corner of Rossville Street and Fahan Street as he attended the annual Bloody Sunday march in on January 28, 1990. The bomb had gone off a quarter of a mile away on the City Walls and was intended for security forces.

The rededicated ceremony took place immediately after the nearby annual Bloody Sunday Memorial Service on Sunday morning, with relatives and friends of Charles Love laying wreaths beneath the plaque affixed to one of the gable walls which makes up the Bogside Artists’ People’s Gallery in the Bogside.

Addressing those gathered, Bloody Sunday Trust chairperson Tony Doherty said: “On behalf of the Bloody Sunday Trust I’d like to welcome you all to the rededication of this plaque in memory of young Charles Love, who needlessly lost his life in such tragic circumstances on this spot during the annual Bloody Sunday march in Derry in 1990.

The memorial to Charles Love (16) was dedicated on Sunday.

placeholder image — The memorial to Charles Love (16) was dedicated on Sunday.

"I feel truly honoured and humbled to address you all today especially in the company of the family of Charles, who holds a special place in our hearts. I deeply appreciate the friendship we have nurtured with the Love family over the decades and to this day we feel the loss of Charles and are proud to stand with you as we remember him today today.

"In the immediate aftermath of the explosion which killed him, we released a statement in which we severely criticised the IRA for planting the bomb. This was the right thing to do then and I still consider it the right thing to do now. The bomb was placed on the Derry Walls to kill members of the British Army and the RUC as they kept the Bloody Sunday march under observation. However instead of this being the result it was young Charles Love who was killed as he made his way towards Free Derry Corner.

"In criticising the IRA at the time, we believe that even had they been successful in their mission with the bomb at this time it would have been wrong and foolish to use the Bloody Sunday march as both the occasion and the opportunity. We have been planning to host one of the largest demonstrations since the 1970s shining a light on British justice not just in relation to Bloody Sunday but also in relation to the Birmingham Six who were still imprisoned at that time. These were dark days from a human rights perspective but a chink of light had been created with the release of the Guildford Four in the previous year.”

Mr. Doherty recalled how the killing of Charles created a “feeding frenzy” of anti-Irish and anti-nationalist sentiment in the British press, with his death referred to as an ‘own goal’.

The rededication ceremony in Derry on Sunday.

Propaganda aside, Mr Doherty said he liked to think Charles’ death caused a rethink within the IRA itself which in turn helped pave the way for the 1994 ceasefire.

He added: "His killing cast a very dark cloud over us all and broke our hearts. The Love family lost their son but remained dignified throughout and ever since. They have also stood firm in their basic Republican principles and have continued to struggle for a united Ireland and a fair and more equal society.

"To conclude, this bombing should never have happened, young Charles should not have been killed that day and the Love family should never have had to bury their 16-year-old son."