Men guilty of charges linked to illegal dissident republican commemoration parade

During their trial, four men denied that they arranged, managed or assisted in arranging or managing a meeting in support of the IRA

Two men have been found guilty of charges linked to an illegal dissident republican commemoration parade in Derry over three years ago.

Patrick Anthony Gallagher, 34, of Raftery Close in Derry, was found guilty by Judge Gordon Kerr KC of managing a meeting in support of a proscribed organisation, namely the IRA, on dates between February 28, 2023 and April 11, 2023.

However, Judge Kerr – who presided over the non-jury Diplock-style trial at Belfast Crown Court last year – found Gallagher not guilty of addressing a meeting in support of the IRA on April 10, 2023.

Stephen Martin Murney, 42, of Derrybeg Terrace in Newry, Co Down, was found guilty of addressing a meeting in support of the IRA on April 10, 2023.

But he was found not guilty of managing a meeting in support of the IRA on dates between February and April 2023.

Senior defence counsel for Gallagher and Murney asked the court not to revoke their bail and Judge Kerr agreed to release them on continuing bail ahead of sentencing in two months time following the completion reports.

Derry men Thomas Ashe Mellon, 50, of Glendermott Road and Jason Lee Ceulemans, 53, of Creevagh Heights were found not guilty of two charges they each faced of managing and addressing a meeting in support of the IRA on the same dates.

When they were told by the judge they were free to go, they hugged Murney and Gallagher in the dock before leaving to sit in the body of the court.

During their trial, all four men denied that they arranged, managed or assisted in arranging or managing a meeting in support of the IRA and further denied a charge of addressing a meeting for the purpose of encouraging support for the IRA.

Opening the case in November 2025, a senior prosecution KC said that on Easter Monday, April 10, 2023, an unnotified parade set off from Central Drive in Creggan to walk the half mile journey to the City Cemetery.

The parade was being observed by police and he said that at 2.05 pm footage showed Ceulemans entering a storage container at the rear of the shops and came out holding two flags and placed them against a shop wall.

He claimed Ceulemans was clearly involved in the organisation of the parade and alleged Gallager was noted to be engaging with the crowd.

The colour party – dressed in military style clothing wearing sunglasses and black berets – is seen to gather up in a rear alley way.

At 2.13 pm the colour party sets off with the flags allegedly left by Ceulemans and march past Creggan shops.

“Stephen Murney and Patrick Gallagher were standing in front of the crowd,” said the prosecutor.

“Ceulemans is at the front of the colour party and is noted to be wearing an earpiece and he walked with them. Murney and Gallagher were at the rear of the colour party.”

The court heard that as the parade reached Linsfort Drive it stopped and a PSNI land rover was attacked by masked youths with petrol bombs and masonry before it retreated.

Ceulemans later entered the cemetery followed by Gallagher and Murney. The colour party then entered the cemetery and a male was observed making his way to the rear of the toilet with a number of bags.

The court heard that Gallagher performed as a ‘master of ceremonies’ and invited the ‘Derry Brigade Irish Republican Army’ to come forward and lay a wreath.

Gallagher introduced Ceulemans as a “former republican prisoner” and he read a statement on behalf of republican prisoners in Maghaberry and Portlaoise prisons.

He introduced Murney as a ‘Leading Newry Republican’ and invited him to give the oration.

At the end of his oration, and quoting veteran republican Maire Drumm, Murney said: “It isn’t enough to shout ‘Up the IRA’. The important thing is to join the IRA.”

His words were recorded on video and posted on social media platform TikTok.

Gallagher asked the crowd to stay around to help the colour party “disperse peacefully” which led to people on a sunny day raising umbrellas and shielding the colour party as it made its way to the toilet block where it changed clothes which were then put on a fire.

The following day, police found four viable pipe bombs in a waste bin beside the toilet block which were made safe by Ammunition Technical Officers (ATO).

All four defendants were subsequently arrested for questioning. Murney’s phone was recovered and messages were found between him and Mellon surrounding his speech.

Ceulemans sent Mellon a message stating: “I’ll have Murney’s speech done by tomorrow night and ready for you to bastardise.” Mellon replied with a thumbs up emoji.

Said the senior prosecutor: “It is accepted that Mellon was not present on April 10.

“However, we say he played a fundamental role in the organisation and arrangements of the meetings from the phone material and was influential in the preparation and management of the speeches.

“It is clear from the approved speech of Murney that Mellon knew this was to encourage support for the IRA or to further its activities.

“This was a highly choreographed event. It was staged and stylised and it involved planned violence.

“On one reasonable view from start to finish it was a planned propaganda exercise for the IRA.”

After the conclusion of the prosecution, senior defence counsels for the defendants made written submissions to trial Judge Kerr stating that they had “no case to answer” based on the evidence presented by the Crown to the non-jury trial.

Senior counsels told the court that none of the defendants would not be giving evidence on their own behalf in the trial and they did not intend to call any further evidence in the case.

Their applications to have the case against the defendants was rejected by the trial judge.

In his reserved judgement delivered today (Friday) over 90 minutes, Judge Kerr said of Gallagher: “I am sure that this defendant was actively involved in managing this meeting and that this meeting was in support of the IRA.

“Gallagher invited the ‘Derry Brigade Irish Republican Army’ to come forward and one masked individual from the colour party did come forward and lay a wreath.”

In relation to Murney, Judge Kerr said: “I am sure that he was present as the colour party commenced its march in military style uniform.

“Along the route he was taking photographs and as the parade moved on towards Linsfort Drive he was walking ahead of it.

“As it approached the police land rover a petrol bomb attack commenced. After the police land rover left, the parade continued its journey to the City Cemetery with Murney at times with his co-defendants at the head of the parade.”

Judge Kerr said that in the cemetery Murney saw the masked colour party at the republican plot. Murney was called forward to a give speech by Gallagher in which he referred to “Crown forces including British soldiers continually raiding homes in Derry”.

The defendant told the assembled crowd that the 1916 Rising was “ongoing, it was unfinished business” and he referred to republican prisoners.

Murney also had a message for the ‘British occupiers and establishment which was: “So long as you continue to oppress us you will meet with inescapable consequences.”

The defendant also quoted an historical message from Maire Drumm, stating: “It isn’t enough to shout ‘Up The IRA’. The important thing is to join the IRA”.

Said Judge Kerr: “Before the words ‘join the IRA’, he (Murney) raised his arm with a clenched fist. I am sure that the defendant is guilty of the offence charged (addressing a meeting) and so I find him guilty.”

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