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Friends of murdered journalist Lyra McKee have started a three-day peace walk from Belfast to Derry.<\/p>\nFriends of murdered journalist Lyra McKee have started a three-day peace walk from Belfast to Derry.<\/p>\n
Hundreds turned out at Writer\u2019s Square in Belfast on Saturday morning, many wearing T-shirts in her memory and carrying flags with messages of peace.<\/p>\n
Ms McKee, 29, was shot in the head by dissident republican group the New IRA while observing clashes with police in the Creggan estate in Derry last month.<\/p>\n
Snow Patrol frontman Gary Lightbody is due to join them on the last leg on Monday ahead of a rally at Derry\u2019s Guildhall.<\/p>\n
Lyra\u2019s Walk logistics and location manager Brenda Gough urged anyone who sees the walkers to show their support.<\/p>\n
She thanked all the community groups which have offered support with water and snacks for the walkers en route, and the Samaritans who will send counselors into the camp sites each night.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe had over 300 walkers registered, obviously life happens, but the main body of walkers have turned up,\u201d she told the Press Association.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe aim was to have a very mixed representation of the whole community of Northern Ireland and everyone has stepped up.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis type of movement attracts people who have a lot of empathy and compassion, and don\u2019t hold prejudice.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe do have some walkers who have played their part in the Troubles, they are here to support us and show that change can happen.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat is the ethos of this, we want people to address themselves and not the politicians, because we have the politicians that we vote for, we are responsible for our government. We can\u2019t just blame them.\u201d<\/p>\n
The start point of Writer\u2019s Square is beside St Anne\u2019s Cathedral where British Prime Minister Theresa May, President Michael D Higgins, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar and Northern Ireland\u2019s political leaders were among the mourners at Ms McKee\u2019s funeral.<\/p>\n
\u201cStarting at Writer\u2019s Square was Sara Canning\u2019s (Ms McKee\u2019s partner) idea, she said Lyra was a writer and so the start point should be Writer\u2019s Square,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s beside St Anne\u2019s Cathedral where the funeral was, so yeah, we are starting off where we last saw Lyra.\u201d<\/p>\n
During the funeral a priest asked Northern Ireland\u2019s politicians why it took the death of a 29-year-old woman to unite their parties.<\/p>\n
The latest talks process designed to restore devolved political power-sharing was launched soon after the murder.<\/p>\n