SF councillor to give Saville evidence

A Sinn Féin councillor in Derry who was leader of the IRA’s youth wing in the city on Bloody Sunday more than 31 years ago has agreed to give evidence to the Saville Inquiry.

Gerry O’Hara, who was leader of Na Fianna in Derry, is expected to tell the inquiry that he was under orders not to engage the British army during the civil rights march which took place in the city on January 30, 1972.

He is also expected to say that members of Na Fianna had no control over explosives or weapons on the day.

This would contradict evidence given by Paddy Ward, a former IRA man turned British agent, who has claimed that members of Na Fianna were given two nail bombs each ahead of the civil rights march on Bloody Sunday.

Ward, however, has also insisted that all but two of the nail bombs were later retrieved.

The British army has always maintained that it came under attack from IRA gunmen and nail bombers when it entered the Bogside area of Derry on Bloody Sunday.

The soldiers ended up killing 13 unarmed civilians and wounding 13 others.

Both the Official and Provisional IRA have insisted that they agreed not to engage the British army on the day and that no shots were fired at the soldiers until after they had opened fire on the civil rights march.

Former Sinn Féin minister Martin McGuinness has previoulsy told the inquiry that he was second-in-command of the IRA in Derry on Bloody Sunday.

He has insisted that the IRA removed its weapons from the Bogside ahead of the civil rights march.