Longford man Joe Murray who is the coordinator of the Afri peace and justice organisation, has been presented with a special humanitarian award by the Dalai Lama at a recent ceremony in Derry. The award, from international development NGO Children in Crossfire, recognises Mr Murray’s ‘dedication, commitment and humanitarianism’ as a civil society activist over the past 40 years. Nobel Peace Laureate the Dalai Lama, who is the spiritual leader of the Tibetan people, is the patron of Children in Crossfire and visited Derry recently to mark the organisation’s 20th anniversary.

Joe has been with Afri since 1982 and has been a veteran campaigner on a range of social justice issues. He was involved in the anti-apartheid movement, the East Timor freedom campaign, and the Corrib gas, Chelsea Manning, and anti fracking campaigns. Through Afri his work also includes running global development education programmes in schools and colleges, and hosting the annual Feile Bhride event in Kildare, and the famine walk in Mayo.
Joe has been a longtime board member of Children in Crossfire which was set up by inspirational Derry man Richard Moore who was blinded at the age of ten when a British solider shot a rubber bullet in his face in 1972. Richard went on to become a successful businessman, musician, and Chair of Derry City Football club before founding the Children in Crossfire charity. 

Richard, Dalai Lama, Joe