2 days ago
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BBC
many among the large crowd held candles and posters in Amy Doherty's memory
Hundreds of people have attended a vigil in Londonderry city centre in memory of Amy Doherty who was killed in the city last weekend.
The 28-year-old was found injured at a property in Summer Meadows Mews last Saturday morning and later died in hospital.
Speaking at the Guildhall Square vigil, Amy's mother, Sharon Doherty thanked the people of Derry for coming out in her daughter's memory.
Family handout
Amy Doherty was found injured on Saturday and later died in hospital
She said her daughter had been "brutally taken from us and her babies".
"I don't want Amy and the other 29 women's murders to be in vain," she said.
"All we want is justice for Amy."
Changes, she said, need to be made to address high rates of violence against women and girls.
Vigil organiser Bethany Moore said ongoing violence against women "feels relentless, a relentless horror"
Vigil organiser Bethany Moore said ongoing violence against women "feels relentless, a relentless horror".
"We stood on the steps of the Guildhall in 2022 after the death of Aisling Murphy, we stood here in 2024 after the murder of Montserrat Elias also in the city," vigil she told BBC News NI.
"And we stand here again in 2026 to mark the loss of Amy Doherty."
She added: "I really hope something changes and we don't have to stand here again."
All the women killed since 2020 were remembered at the vigil
Chris McMonagle, a friend of Amy's said he, like many in Derry feels, "numb, sadness and shock" following her death.
"Amy was bubbly, caring and honest," he said, adding she was "soft hearted and the life and soul".
Chris McMonagle said his friend Amy Doherty was caring, bubbly and soft hearted
"Not only did she care for her children but she cared for others, worked in the health care setting, cared for the elderly," he said.
"It is our job now to carry on her legacy."
Many among the huge crowd in Guildhall Square carried candles, or flowers in memory of Ms Doherty.
People lined the city's walls overlooking the square, watching on as posters were held up bearing the names of all women killed in Norther Ireland since 2020.
Foyle MP Colum Eastwood says the vigil was about a city showing solidarity with the Doherty family
Foyle SDLP MP Colum Eastwood said the vigil was about the city showing solidarity with Ms Doherty's family as well as with the "countless women who have been subjected to violence in our society".
"It is an issue for of us and it's an issue particularly I think for men to face up to, to stand up to, to call out," he said.
