Tyrone artist’s ‘project of a lifetime’ on Bloody Sunday

A STRABANE artist, with ties to Bloody Sunday, is to have a piece of work associated with the tragedy displayed at a museum dedicated to it.

An art teacher at St Patrick’s and St Brigid’s College in Claudy, Ryan Coyle’s piece, entitled ‘Crosses’, will be displayed as part of the ‘Bloody Sunday to Brexit’ exhibition at the Free Derry Museum marking the 50th anniversary.

It is an acrylic drawing which intertwines the events of the day itself with the impact it had on the wider community. As someone who has always had a passion for art, Ryan has utilised his talents not only for his professional life, but has turned art into a part-time hobby.

As Ryan explains, it was a personal connection which drew him to create Crosses.

“My mum Louise was present at the march and it’s something which we often discussed. Bloody Sunday was something of a turning point in relation to the Troubles and it was something which I always wanted to explore in my work. Initially I had planned to do a smaller piece but, after speaking with a poet named Rosaline Callaghan, I saw that this was a really unique opportunity for me and pushed myself into doing something bigger.”

Social media was instrumental in getting Ryan involved as he continues,

“A friend alerted me to the call for artists interested in the project on Facebook. I immediately sent off an application with a proposal on what I might do, and luckily my proposal was accepted. As someone with a huge interest in Irish history, I am immensely proud to have my work displayed at the wonderful Free Derry museum. It’s been the project of a lifetime. This is the first time my work has been displayed in an exhibition and, if it never happens again, I’m over the moon to have been part of this project.”

“To explain the significance of the piece, ‘Crosses’ depicts a representation of each of the 14 victims, with the march itself in the background, with the artwork’s title a reference to the crosses borne by victims’ families on their long, difficult and very much obstructed journey for truth and justice. Fourteen white crosses, which became a symbol in marches following the tragedy, feature as part of the march. The march takes place across an imagined landscape including St Mary’s Church where most of the funerals took place, Free Derry Corner, the Rossville flats, St Eugene’s Cathedral and the Guildhall. The time on the Guildhall clock depicts the time the shootings took place.”

“Among the faces in the piece is Alana Burke, well known to people in the area having lived in Sion for many years. Alana was badly wounded on the day and her presence in the piece is to signify the suffering experienced at the hands of the British Army.”

Ryan has no other exhibitions on the horizon at the moment, concentrating solely on private commissions, but says he will be on the look out for similar opportunities in the future.

‘Bloody Sunday To Brexit’ runs throughout 2022 and Ryan’s piece can be viewed now at the Free Derry Museum.