Prayer vigil for Dervock’s Ray

The crowd gathers to show their support and pray for Ray Laverty.

Dervock Orange Hall was packed to capacity for the event and Dervock Young Defenders band also attended the played hymns during the vigil.

Organisers said that prayers were being said for Ray, who was critically injured in an incident in Ballymoney last weekend, in Dervock and around the province but also much further afield including Germany, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, USA and Venezuela.

And a poem on behalf of the Laverty family has also been posted on the Dervock and District History page on Facebook. Titled ‘The Vigil’, the poem reads:

“The wee village of Dervock came together/To show their love for one of their own/Telling Ray that come whatever/He wasn’t fighting his battle alone/Representatives and political leaders/Came gladly to help and to pray/Along with the speakers and readers/All of us thinking of Ray/No one attended out of duty/No one was forced to be there/All were part of a wonderful beauty/As everyone joined in a prayer

When Dervock band played “at the river”/There was a tear in many’s an eye/“Abide with me” made grown men shiver

Some cried, I confess, so did I/There are times in life when we’re tested/Dark times seemingly having no ends/Then we see love itself manifested/And take strength from our village, our friends.”

Writing on social media, Ray’s sister Lisa-Marie Laverty said: “Thank you to each and every one of you. Means the world to us, the support Ray has is overwhelming.”