Mickey Bridge, a survivor of the Bloody Sunday shootings in Derry, has died at the age of 79. His funeral mass was held at the Holy Family Church in Ballymagroarty.

Mr. Bridge was 25 when he was shot in the thigh on 30 January 1972, during an anti-internment march in the Bogside. The Saville inquiry later concluded he was most likely wounded by a soldier identified as Lieutenant N, commander of the Mortar Platoon of the Parachute Regiment.

From his hospital bed in the days after the shootings, Mr. Bridge gave an account of what he witnessed. He said he saw Fr. Edward Daly kneeling over 17-year-old Jackie Duddy, the first person killed that day. He also reported hearing several shots and believed soldiers were targeting the priest.

At his funeral, Fr. Joe Gormley recounted Mr. Bridge’s early life. He was born in December 1946 at Walker’s Square in Derry, one of ten children. The family later lived in Springtown Camp before settling in the Creggan estate.

Fr. Gormley said Mr. Bridge was raised in a close family and community. He acknowledged the deep wounds caused by the events of Bloody Sunday, wounds that Mr. Bridge carried throughout his life.

Mr. Bridge met his wife, Jane McKeegan, while socialising at a local venue known as the Embassy. They married in 1977 and raised four children in Ballymagroarty. Fr. Gormley remembered him as quick-witted and devoted to his grandchildren.

During the service, his daughter Roseann recited a poem that spoke of his courage and refusal to be bowed by his experiences.

After the mass, the song ‘Only Our Rivers Run Free’ was played as his remains were taken to the City cemetery for burial.