Thousands of people gather in Derry yesterday for a parade in memory of the ten men who died on the 1981 hunger strike.

Republicans from throughout Ireland and beyond travelled to the city for the National Hunger Strike March – the first time the annual event was held outside Belfast.

The huge crowd gathered in Creggan yesterday afternoon before a procession wounds it way through Creggan, the Brandywell and Bishop Street, before ending up at the Gasyard site in the Bogside.

It was one of the largest parades seen in the city for many years.

The main speaker at the rally was Sinn Fein President, Gerry Adams, who paid tribute to the courage of the hungers strikers.

“Today we can take great confidence from the reality that republicanism is bigger and more popular than in generations, and is ready to achieve what previous generations only dreamed of,” he said.

“This is in many ways due to the huge courage and sacrifices of the hunger strikers and their families.”