Dr. Raymond McClean (16 January 1933 – 29 January 2011) was an Irish nationalist politician and physician from Northern Ireland. McClean was born in

Coleraine Coleraine ( ; from ga, Cúil Rathain , 'nook of the ferns'Flanaghan, Deirdre & Laurence; ''Irish Place Names'', page 194. Gill & Macmillan, 2002. ) is a town and civil parish near the mouth of the River Bann in County Londonderry, Northern I ...

but moved to

Derry Derry, officially Londonderry (), is the second-largest city in Northern Ireland and the fifth-largest city on the island of Ireland. The name ''Derry'' is an anglicisation of the Old Irish name (modern Irish: ) meaning 'oak grove'. The ...

with his parents when he was six. His father had been in the

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and ...

but ran a pub in Derry. McClean studied at

St Columb's College St Columb's College ( ga, Coláiste Naomh Colum Cille) is a Roman Catholic boys' grammar school in Derry, Northern Ireland and, since 2008, a specialist school in mathematics. It is named after Saint Columba, the missionary monk from County Don ...

and then proceeded to the

Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland The Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI) is a medical professional and educational institution, which is also known as RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences, Ireland's first private university. It was established in 1784 ...

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of th ...

, where he qualified as a

medical doctor A physician (American English), medical practitioner (Commonwealth English), medical doctor, or simply doctor, is a health professional who practices medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring health through th ...

in 1958. He then followed his father and enrolled in the

but left after a year and returned to Derry where he worked as a general practitioner and also acted as club doctor to

Derry City F.C. Derry City Football Club is a professional association football club based in Derry, Northern Ireland. It plays in the League of Ireland Premier Division, the top tier of league football in the Republic of Ireland, and is the League of Ireland ...

and local amateur boxing clubs. Concerns about the poor housing conditions in the city led him to join the

civil rights movement The civil rights movement was a nonviolent social and political movement and campaign from 1954 to 1968 in the United States to abolish legalized institutional Racial segregation in the United States, racial segregation, Racial discrimination ...

. He was present at

Bloody Sunday Bloody Sunday may refer to: Historical events Canada * Bloody Sunday (1923), a day of police violence during a steelworkers' strike for union recognition in Sydney, Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia * Bloody Sunday (1938), police violence agai ...

."Tributes paid to Dr Raymond McClean"
''

BBC News BBC News is an operational business division of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) responsible for the gathering and broadcasting of news and current affairs in the UK and around the world. The department is the world's largest broadca ...

'', 31 January 2011. Later in life, McClean wrote about Bloody Sunday and the events leading up to it, holding a special interest in the long-term effects of the use of CS Gas. In 1973, he was elected for the

Social Democratic and Labour Party The Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP) ( ga, Páirtí Sóisialta Daonlathach an Lucht Oibre) is a social-democratic and Irish nationalist political party in Northern Ireland. The SDLP currently has eight members in the Northern Ireland ...

(SDLP) to

Londonderry City Council Derry City Council ( ga, Comhairle Cathrach Dhoire; Ulster-Scots: ''Derry Cittie Cooncil'') was the local government authority for the city of Derry in Northern Ireland. It merged with Strabane District Council in April 2015 under local gover ...

, and was immediately elected as first nationalist mayor of the city since 1923. He held his seat on Londonderry City Council at the 1977 election, but did not stand in 1981. In the early 1980s, he worked as a medical volunteer in

Ethiopia Ethiopia, , om, Itiyoophiyaa, so, Itoobiya, ti, ኢትዮጵያ, Ítiyop'iya, aa, Itiyoppiya officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country in the Horn of Africa. It shares borders with Eritrea to the ...

. He died in 2011, and was survived by his wife Sheila, son Sean, and daughter Sheila.

Publications

McClean authored two books, ''The Road to Bloody Sunday'', and ''A Cross Shared'', and jointly authored a report providing medical perspectives on the deaths of some marchers on Bloody Sunday. After treating more than 200 cases of CS gas exposure, he had a letter to the

British Medical Journal ''The BMJ'' is a weekly peer-reviewed medical trade journal, published by the trade union the British Medical Association (BMA). ''The BMJ'' has editorial freedom from the BMA. It is one of the world's oldest general medical journals. Origi ...

published, on the effects of CS gas use in the

Bogside The Bogside is a neighbourhood outside the city walls of Derry, Northern Ireland. The large gable-wall murals by the Bogside Artists, Free Derry Corner and the Gasyard Féile (an annual music and arts festival held in a former gasyard) are pop ...

, during

The Troubles in Derry The city of Derry, Northern Ireland, was severely affected by the Troubles. The conflict is widely considered to have begun in the city, with many regarding the Battle of the Bogside (an inner suburb of the city) in 1969 as the beginning of the ...

. * "The Road to Bloody Sunday", ( Poolbeg Press, 1983), (Revised Edition, Guildhall Press, 1997) :: A biography and personal memoir that detailed his experience during

in Derry. It was firstly published for the 25th anniversary of the march. * "A Cross Shared", (

Donegal Democrat The ''Donegal Democrat'' is a twice-weekly local newspaper, covering County Donegal, Ireland. The paper was traditionally based in the town of Ballyshannon in the south of the county, but now has offices in Donegal Town (southern edition) and Let ...

, 1988) :: Details McCleans experiences working as a Concern volunteer doctor in famine struck Ethiopia in the early 1980s. () * "Bloody Sunday : the Breglio Report" Robert J Breglio,

Don Mullan Don Mullan (born 1956, Derry, Northern Ireland) is an Irish author and media producer. His book ''Eyewitness Bloody Sunday'' is officially recognised as a primary catalyst for a new Bloody Sunday inquiry, which became the longest-running and mo ...

, Raymond McClean. ( Bloody Sunday Justice Campaign, 1997) :: Provided medical and ballistics analyses of the shooting of 3 of the marchers on the day.

References

External links

Dr Raymond McClean was ‘a hero of Derry’
The Derry Journal.
Raymond McClean obituary
Guardian News and Media Limited.

The Independent. * ttp://cain.ulst.ac.uk/events/bsunday/mcclean.htm Extracts from 'The Road to Bloody Sunday', by Dr. Raymond McClean {{DEFAULTSORT:McClean, Raymond 1930s births 2011 deaths People educated at St Columb's College Alumni of Trinity College Dublin Alumni of the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland Councillors in Derry (city) Mayors of Derry General practitioners from Northern Ireland Royal Air Force Medical Service officers Social Democratic and Labour Party politicians