Volunteer Jim Moyne Remembered By Family And Friends In Derry City

The 1916 Societies with a report on a Derry commemorative event in honour of IRA volunteer Jim Moyne.



Commemorating Volunteer Jim Moyne

Despite treacherous weather conditions around 250 people gathered for a commemoration to remember IRA Volunteer Jim Moyne who was killed in Long Kesh 40 years ago on Tuesday 13th January. It was organised by his family.

The weather played havoc in Derry, with all buses and taxi services cancelled, but this did not deter the large crowd who came to pay fitting tribute to a local IRA Volunteer.

The Clady/Glebe 1916 Society was due to provide a colour party for the event but they, like members of the Volunteer John Brady Republican Flute Band, were unfortunately snowed in.

The commemoration began with a walk from Jim’s family home in Cable Street in the Bogside to the Republican Monument in the Brandywell, erected by the people of Derry for the 1st Battalion of the Derry Brigade, Oglaigh na hEireann. A large portrait of Jim, painted by Kevin Hasson of the Bogside Artists, was carried by Jim’s comrades, including Frankie O’Neill, who was with Jim in the Cage in Long Kesh the night of his death.

A family member chaired the event and then Frankie Quigley, brother of Volunteer Richard Quigley, read the Proclamation.

This was followed by the reading of the Derry Brigade IRA and INLA Roll of Honour by Paul Carlin, a long-time friend, comrade and fellow internee of Jim.

Floral tributes were laid by the Moyne family, by his friends and fellow internees, Derry 1916 Societies, Republican Sinn Fein Derry, IRPWA, COGUS, 32 CSM, IRSP and the Bogside Republican Youth.

A minutes silence was then held and Thomas McFadden, a close personal friend and comrade of Jim, lowered the National Flag.

Eamonn Lynch, another former internee and longstanding friend of Jim Moyne, then gave a personal account of his memories of Jim, the man and the revolutionary. He finished his oration reciting the final verse of WB Yeats poem Easter 1916.

Jim’s brother Pat brought the commemoration to a close reading a short statement on behalf of the Moyne family.

As Pat opened he said:

Jim believed in the establishment of a 32 County Socialist Republic. He was a revolutionary. He had no time for reformers or constitutional nationalists.


He thanked the people of Derry and Donegal who looked after and sheltered Jim during his time on the run.

He then said:
I feel it is important to mention that Jim has never been acknowledged as a victim of the Troubles. You will not see his name in the book Lost Lives which gives the names of those killed in the conflict. The state continues to refuse to acknowledge its role in the killing of my brother. Furthermore there have been attempts to airbrush his killing from history. We will not allow this to happen.

Pat finished with a quote from Padraig Pearse which Jim had written on a handkerchief he sent from Long Kesh to his family home just days before he died. It read:

You cannot conquer Ireland; you cannot extinguish the Irish passion for freedom: If our deed has not been sufficient to win freedom then our children will win it with a better deed.

The national anthem was then sung by Balladeer Danny Brown and the crowd dispersed.

After the event his sister Margaret said:

we would like to thank everyone who came to remember our brother tonight. We have been overwhelmed by the turnout in this inclement weather. It was important for us to hold a space where we as a family could remember Jim in a fitting way for who he was and what he died for nothing more and nothing less. That was achieved and we thank all those who played their part.


Speaking the morning after the event, Rónán, nephew of Jim Moyne said:

the Moyne family were saddened to hear this morning that Paddy Joe Rice has passed away. Paddy Joe and Jim built a good friendship while interned in Long Kesh and Paddy Joe had volunteered to speak at the commemoration last night but due to his health difficulties was forced to cancel. We give our heartfelt sympathies to his family and they are in our thoughts and prayers at this time. May he rest in peace.




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