Paddy Coyle was a ‘peacemaker and a reconciler’: priest

A Derry man photographed as a teenager wearing a gas mask and holding a petrol bomb in one of the defining images of the Troubles has been described as a “peacemaker” at his funeral.
By The Newsroom
Published 24th Jul 2020, 12:12 BST
The funeral cortege of Patrick (Paddy) Coyle passes the Gasmask mural in the Bogside on its way to the City Cemetery after Requiem Mass in St Eugene’s Cathedral. Photo: George Sweeney DER2030GS – 001The funeral cortege of Patrick (Paddy) Coyle passes the Gasmask mural in the Bogside on its way to the City Cemetery after Requiem Mass in St Eugene’s Cathedral. Photo: George Sweeney DER2030GS – 001
The funeral cortege of Patrick (Paddy) Coyle passes the Gasmask mural in the Bogside on its way to the City Cemetery after Requiem Mass in St Eugene’s Cathedral. Photo: George Sweeney DER2030GS – 001

Paddy Coyle was just 13 years old when he was photographed in the city’s Bogside in August 1969 at the height of the Battle of the Bogside.

He passed away last weekend at the Royal Victoria Hospital in Belfast.

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Photographer Clive Limpkin’s image of the teenager made the front cover of newspapers and magazines around the world.

ICONIC... Paddy Coyle (second from left) pictured in front of the Rossville Street mural with Bogside Artists, Kevin Hasson, Tom Kelly and Willie Kelly.ICONIC... Paddy Coyle (second from left) pictured in front of the Rossville Street mural with Bogside Artists, Kevin Hasson, Tom Kelly and Willie Kelly.
ICONIC... Paddy Coyle (second from left) pictured in front of the Rossville Street mural with Bogside Artists, Kevin Hasson, Tom Kelly and Willie Kelly.

Mr Limpkin, who passed away only in May, described his 1969 photograph as “the nearest thing I ever had to an iconic picture”.

The image is the centrepiece of one of Derry’s most recognisable wall murals by the Bogside Artists.

Mr Coyle, who was a father-of-one, was well known in the city as a driving instructor.

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Poignantly, his funeral cortege paused for a moment at the mural on Rossville Street as it made its way to the City Cemetery following mass at St Eugene’s Cathedral on Wednesday morning.

Speaking at the Requiem Mass, Rev. Paul Farren described Mr Coyle as a “peacemaker, a reconciler - always trying to bring people together.”

He added: “Paddy knew all about journeys. Paddy was responsible for so many people being able to make journeys as he taught them how to drive. He was a great teacher. But these were not the only journeys that Paddy knew something about. Paddy knew about the journey through life. He knew how to travel through life. Yes, he did have a famous beginning that was captured forever and placed on a mural. However, he didn’t allow any particular moment including that moment to define him.”

Paddy, he said, was a man of great faith who was dedicated to his family.

“He was a man of great joy and great fun, happy to get involved. He was very generous. He was a perfectionist”, said Father Farren.

Related topics:DerryBelfastRoyal Victoria Hospital