Edward Doherty

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Edward (Eddie) Doherty was born in January 1941 to Edward and Elizabeth Doherty. He was the fourth of six children; Eddie had two brothers and three sisters. As a young boy Eddie attended St Paul’s Primary School, in Cavendish Street off the Falls Road in Belfast.

When Eddie left school he started working for the cooperation yard and worked on the bins. Eddie worked there until 1968. When he left the Cooperation yard, Eddie started working at boarding up buildings that had been damaged in the troubles. As a way to earn an extra bit of money for the family Eddie also worked nights as a barman.

At the age of sixteen Eddie met and fell in love with his future wife Marie. They courted for six years before getting married in 1962. Five years later their first child was born, quickly followed by three more. Eddie and Marie had three sons – Eamon, Patrick and Kieran and one daughter – Brenda.

Eddie lived for his family and often helped around the house with the cooking and the cleaning, and on payday he would give Marie his unopened pay packet. Marie would in turn buy him his cigarettes for the week.

Eddie loved a game of golf and would sometimes bring his friends back to his mothers’ house for a game of cards. Elizabeth would have made them all their tea and a bite to eat. Another great hobby of his was clay pigeon shooting.

Eddie was a real character and when he died the life seemed to go out of the whole family. Both his wife and mother never got over Eddie’s murder.

On the day of Eddie’s funeral, the family recall ‘the RUC lined the Falls Road and as his coffin passed by they all saluted him.