Councillors pay warm tributes and emotional condolences to Amy Doherty's family and friends

Derry City and Strabane District Council suspended its March plenary as a mark of respect for Amy Doherty.

Amy (28) was found badly injured in a property in the Summer Meadows Mews area of the city on Saturday and died later in Altnagelvin Hospital. Her funeral took place from Holy Family Church in Ballymagroarty on Thursday morning, where Requiem Mass was said by Fr Joe Gormley.

Under Chairperson’s Business on Wednesday afternoon, councillors paid warm tributes and emotional condolences to Amy’s family and friends. 

Mayor Ruairi McHugh opened the meeting by saying: “As the Mayor of the City and District and on behalf of the Council, I think it would be appropriate for me to offer our heartfelt sympathies to Amy’s family, to her friends, and most importantly, to her two children who have been so tragically left without their loving mother.”

Cllr Lilian Seenoi-Barr (SDLP) said: “We are angry, we are sad and we are devastated Amy Doherty has joined a group of 30, with 29 other women who have been killed in Northern Ireland.

“I want to take this opportunity to extend out condolences to Amy’s family, her children and her loved ones and all who knew her. No words can ease the pain of such a loss,” added Cllr Seenoi-Barr.

“I want to remember and speak the name of Amy Doherty,” said Cllr Aisling Hutton (Sinn Féin).

“The most important thing we should be doing today is sending solidarity to Amy’s family and friends, particularly her children,” added Cllr Hutton.

“She was a young mammy and she loved those babies like any mother loves her children and it is just so, so sad they will have a life without their mother at a really, really young age.”

Alderman Chelsea Cooke (DUP) said: “As a councillor for Waterside, I am not just speaking in an official capacity today, I am speaking as a member of this community and someone who feels this loss alongside you.

“Amy was not just a name in a headline, she was a daughter, a sister, a friend, a neighbour. She was a mother whose children will now grow up without her love,” added Ald Cooke.

Ald Julie Middleton (DUP) said there was a “huge problem in Northern Ireland with violence against women and girls”.

“30 since 2020 is a huge number. But let's be really honest here. One is a huge number. Also, one life is one life too many.

“I will not apologize today for sounding angry. I am angry. As a female, I feel the pain of this acutely. 

“We cannot let Amy, Elizabeth, Natasha, Emma Jane, Patrycja, Katie, Susan, Karen, Ludmila, Kitty, Katrina, Caoimhe, Allison, Una, Holly, Natalie, Allesia, Chloe, Cat, Patsy, Sophie, Rachel, Mary, Karen, Mary, Sarah, Vanessa, Monserat or Ellie become statistics. Violence against women and girls has no place in our society.

“It crosses every boundary, community, and background,and belief, and it demands a united response,” said Ald Middleton.

Ald Janice Montgomery said she knew Amy as their daughters attended the same playgroup.

“I found her to be extremely friendly and warm, a mother who loved and doted on her children and I know the playgroup community her daughter attended is absolutely devastated,” added Ald Montgomery.

Cllr Raymond Barr (Independent) sent his condolences to the Doherty family while reflecting on the loss of his sister, Denise O’Donnell (19) who died in tragic circumstances.

On behalf of People Before Profit, Cllr Shaun Harkin sent “thoughts, solidarity and condolences to Amy’s family, friends, and to all the people across the city and district and across the island who are mourning Amy’s murder.”

Cllr Gary Donnelly (Independent) described the situation in which Amy’s family found themselves was “completely unfathomable”.

“Everywhere I go, everybody I speak to, Amy’s name is on their lips,” said Cllr Shauna Cusack.

“Everybody here is shaken to the core. Everybody in this town is absolutely devastated,” she added.

Before the meeting concluded, Mayor Ruairí McHugh asked those present to stand and observe a minute’s silence in memory of Amy.

The meeting can be watched back on Council’s YouTube Channel by clicking HERE. 

The Full Council meeting will be reconvened on Monday, March 30, 2026.