the last surviving parent of Derry's Bloody Sunday dead has died.

A funeral Mass has been said for the last surviving parent of Derry's Bloody Sunday dead.

Lawrence McElhinney, 84, died after a short illness. His son Kevin was aged 17 when he was shot dead by the Army in January 1972.

Mr McElhinney, a retired Ulsterbus mechanic, was the only parent to see the Saville report published. It cleared all those killed or injured of any wrongdoing.

Retired Catholic Bishop of Derry Edward Daly intervened to try and stop the carnage waving a blood-stained white handkerchief in one of the most iconic images of the troubles and delivered the homily at St Patrick's church in Londonderry.

He recalled one of his last conversations with Mr McElhinney. "He talked about the great sadness and void introduced into his life by Kevin's murder and the great sadness too at the death of his wife Roisin," Bishop Daly said.

The cleric said Mr McElhinney was proud of his family.

He added: "Lawrence was a good, decent, dignified, honourable and delightful man who lived in Philip Street for all of his life."

Mr Daly said the parents of victims should be given their rightful place when the history of the conflict is written.

"Theirs is, and was, a unique sadness, a special degree of sadness and loss, the intensity of which can often be forgotten by the rest of us," he added