Northern Ireland Peace Monitoring Report

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

Northern Ireland Peace Monitoring Report Community Relations Council Northern Ireland Peace Monitoring Report Number Four September 2016 Robin Wilson Peace Monitoring Report The Northern Ireland Peace Monitoring Report Number Four Robin Wilson September 2016 3 Peace Monitoring Report Sources and acknowledgements This report draws mainly on statistics which are in the public domain. Datasets from various government departments and public bodies in Northern Ireland have been used and comparisons made with figures produced by similar organisations in England, Scotland, Wales and the Republic of Ireland. Using this variety of sources means there is no standard model that applies across the different departments and jurisdictions. Many organisations have also changed the way in which they collect their data over the years, which means that in some cases it has not been possible to provide historical perspective on a consistent basis. For some indicators, only survey-based data are available. When interpreting statistics from survey data, such as the Labour Force Survey, it is worth bearing in mind that they are estimates associated with confidence intervals (ranges in which the true value is likely, to a certain probability, to lie). In other cases where official figures may not present the full picture, such as crimes recorded by the police, survey data are included because they may provide a more accurate estimate. Data, however, never speak ‘simply for themselves’. And political debate in Northern Ireland takes a very particular, largely self-contained form. To address this and provide perspective, previous reports have included comparative international data where available and appropriate. This report builds on its predecessors by painting further international context: expert and comparative literature is added where relevant as are any benchmarks established by standard-setting bodies. Academic (as well as more numerous journalistic) references are merely indicated in parenthesis, so those who want to pursue them can do so while the text remains uncluttered. The online version includes hyperlinks for ephemeral material. References to Northern Ireland government departments, reorganised for new ministerial portfolios after the May 2016 assembly elections, are as they were at the appropriate time. The contents of the report are the responsibility of the author (generously assisted by Prof Rick Wilford on the 2016 assembly election, Dr Paul Nolan on ‘Brexit’ and the wider advisory group for the project in general) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Community Relations Council, the commissioning body. Published by the Community Relations Council, Equality House, 7-9 Shaftesbury Square, Belfast BT2 7DP (www.nicrc.org.uk). CRC gratefully acknowledges the support of the Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust for this publication. ISBN 978-1-898276-66-1 4 Foreword Foreword The Peace Monitoring Report has become an established totem to benchmark Northern Ireland’s journey to a post-conflict society. It helps remind us how far we have come and how far there is still to go, with learning and pointers to the future. This, the fourth, is no exception. Like the previous iterations, it is independently written and so may not always reflect the views of the Community Relations Council. Like its predecessors, this Peace Monitoring Report will make a major contribution to the narrative of building the peace. Devolution appears more secure than at any time in most people’s living memory. And it is a power-sharing devolution—a genuine partnership between the largest political parties representing opinion across the community. It isn’t yet clear where changes to the format of how Stormont does its business will eventually takes us. But wherever that is, political leaders need to be constantly mindful of the need to break down, not big up, the sectional nature of politics and the society it reflects. And delivery at Stormont is an issue for people across the community. There are significant messages in this report on Northern Ireland’s place in Europe post-Brexit, and its approach to social-justice issues. It indicates how 83 per cent of people here feel a sense of belonging, yet there is some way to go on issues around gender equality, ethnicity and race relations, sexual orientation and income inequality. The report highlights challenges on issues such as mental health and suicide rates. It references the need for structural change in education and housing that puts the needs of people first. And while Northern Ireland becomes more diverse than it has ever been, the report indicates that attitudes against minority ethnic communities are hardening. There are, however, many positives. Confidence in the state of community relations is recovering. There has been a reduction in physical attacks on symbolic premises. Confidence in policing is at an all-time high. And the decade of centenaries (while many difficult challenges are yet to come) has not only gone well but may be helping to transform an understanding of our shared past and our interconnected relationships going forward. 5 Foreword We are living in a Northern Ireland that is being defined and redefined as we live it. We should dwell less on the negative but be realistic about the challenges ahead and what needs addressed. We should recognise the opportunity in this next phase of the peace process, for a new Northern Ireland with an intercultural future, reaching out to all on these islands while building enriched relationships within. The fourth Peace Monitoring Report puts many of those challenges in context. I want to thank many people for helping to produce the report, not least the author, Robin Wilson, who put in such effort. It is an enormous burden to bear which he has done admirably. The advisory group which steered the project—volunteers whose collective wisdom is a marvel to behold—was simply superb. Chaired by a previous author, Dr Paul Nolan, it included leading thinkers and influencers such as Lindsay Fergus The( Detail), Prof Frank Gaffkin (Queen’s University Belfast), Prof Neil Gibson (Ulster University), Prof Adrian Guelke (QUB), Prof Paddy Hillyard (QUB), Tony McCusker (ex-chair of the Community Relations Council), Celia McKeon (Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust), Prof Gillian Robinson (UU), Prof Jennifer Todd (University College Dublin) and Dr Orna Young (academic and consultant). I would especially like to thank the funder, the Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust, without whom none of the Peace Monitoring Reports would have been possible and, of course, the staff at the Community Relations Council—especially the chief executive, Jacqueline Irwin, who demonstrates such a deep understanding of community relations and reconciliation. Peter Osborne Chair Community Relations Council 6 Contents Contents TEN KEY POINTS 11 INTRODUCTION 15 1.1 The indicator framework 15 1.2 The limitations of research 16 BACKGROUND AND CONTEXT 17 1.1 The economy 17 1.2 Society 22 DIMENSION ONE: 24 The sense of safety 1. OVERALL CRIME RATES 24 1.1 The state of the rule of law 24 1.2 Changing patterns of crime 25 2. HATE CRIME 29 2.1 Hate crime trends 29 2.2 Hate crime and intolerance 32 3. DOMESTIC VIOLENCE AND SEXUAL CRIME 34 3.1 Domestic violence 34 3.2 Sexual crime 37 4. THE PARAMILITARIES 38 4.1 Overview 38 4.2 ‘Dissident republican’ and ‘mainstream’ paramilitaries 43 4.3 ‘Loyalist’ paramilitaries 46 5. POLICING 48 5.1 Strength and composition 48 5.2 Religion, gender and ethnicity 50 5.3 The use of police powers 51 5.4 PSNI—audit and accountability 53 5.5 The burden of history 57 6. PRISONS 59 6.1 The prison population 59 6.2 Prison conditions and reform 61 6.3 Prisons and probation 62 7. SAFETY IN THE PUBLIC SPHERE 62 7.1 Internal perceptions 62 7.2 External perceptions 63 7 Contents 8. THE ‘PEACE WALLS’ 64 8.1 Making the count 64 8.2 When will the walls come down? 65 DIMENSION TWO: 67 Equality 1. WEALTH, POVERTY AND INEQUALITY 67 1.1 Overview 67 1.2 Income differentials 70 1.3 The wealthy 73 1.4 Household income 76 1.5 The assembly’s ‘anti-poverty’ strategies 81 1.6 ‘Welfare reform’ 86 2. EQUALITY AND INEQUALITY IN THE 87 LABOUR MARKET 2.1 The changing balance of the labour force 87 2.2 Unemployment and economic inactivity 90 2.3 Underemployment and insecurity 92 2.4 Youth unemployment and NEETS 93 2.5 The gender gap 94 3. EQUALITY AND INEQUALITY IN EDUCATION 95 3.1 Overview 95 3.2 Childcare 96 3.3 Primary and post-primary education 97 3.4 Class, religion, gender and ethnicity in education 98 3.5 School-leaver destinations 102 3.6 Higher education 102 3.7 Qualification and skills in the adult population 104 4. HEALTH INEQUALITIES 104 4.1 Mortality and morbidity 104 4.2 Prescription drugs 106 4.3 Abortion 107 DIMENSION THREE: 111 Cohesion and sharing 1. THE POLICY CONTEXT 111 1.1 ‘Building a united community’? 111 1.2 The wider framework 112 2. WELLBEING 113 2.1 The measurement of ‘happiness’ 113 2.2 The measurement of ‘unhappiness’ 115 2.3 Suicide 116 8 Contents 3. SHARING AND SEPARATION IN HOUSING 117 3.1 Public housing 117 3.2 Residential segregation 118 4. SHARING AND SEPARATION IN EDUCATION 119 4.1 The management of schooling 119 4.2 Integrated and shared education 121 4.3 Where do newcomers go? 122 5. SHARING PUBLIC SPACE 123 5.1 Culture wars 123 5.2 The ‘marching season’ 124 5.3 Flagging protest 125 5.4 Bonfires and murals 127 6. ARTS, SPORT AND LANGUAGE 128 6.1 The arts 128 6.2 Sport 129 6.3 Language 131 7. PARTICIPATION IN PUBLIC AND CIVIC LIFE 132 7.1 Women’s representation 132 7.2 The ethnic-minority presence 135 7.3 The LGBT presence 136 8.
Recommended publications
  • Get Involved the Work of the Northern Ireland Assembly
    Get Involved The work of the Northern Ireland Assembly Pól Callaghan MLA, Tom Elliott MLA, Gregory Campbell MP MLA and Martina Anderson MLA answer questions on local issues at Magee. Contents We welcome your feedback This first edition of the community We welcome your feedback on the newsletter features our recent Community Outreach programme conference at Magee and a number and on this newsletter. Please let of events in Parliament Buildings. us know what you think by emailing It is a snapshot of the Community [email protected] or by Outreach Programme in the Assembly. calling 028 9052 1785 028 9052 1785 Get Involved [email protected] Get Involved The work of the Northern Ireland Assembly Speaker’s overwhelmingly positive. I was deeply impressed by Introduction how passionately those who attended articulated Representative democracy the interests of their own through civic participation causes and communities. I have spoken to many As Speaker, I have always individuals and I am been very clear that greatly encouraged genuine engagement constituency. The event that they intend to get with the community is at Magee was the first more involved with the essential to the success time we had tried such Assembly as a result. of the Assembly as an a specific approach with effective democratic MLAs giving support and The Community Outreach institution. We know advice to community unit is available to that the decisions and groups including on how support, advise and liaise legislation passed in the to get involved with the with the community and Assembly are best when process of developing voluntary sector.
    [Show full text]
  • Irish News: NEWS: Mckevitt to Delay Defence
    Irish News: NEWS: McKevitt to delay defence Wednesday, 10 December 2008 HOME NEWS SPORT BUSINESS LIVING AN TEOLAS SEARCH SUBSCRIBE LOGIN POLITICS | EDUCATION | COLUMNISTS | LETTERS | RSS FEEDS Most PopularMost Emailed BreakingSportBusinessWorldGossip Issue Changer: NEWS > McKevitt to delay defence 09/12/08 CONVICTED terror chief Michael McKevitt is to delay his defence in the Omagh bomb civil action until an IRA informer gives evidence against him. Lawyers for McKevitt (58, were due to begin attempts this week to counter allegations that he was among five http://www.irishnews.com/articles/540/5860/2008/12/9/604971_365989909842McKevittt.html (1 of 3)10/12/2008 11:05:45 Irish News: NEWS: McKevitt to delay defence men responsible for the atrocity which killed 29 people and unborn twins. Those plans have been put on hold until after Sean O’Callaghan, a former republican jailed for two murders, testifies at the High Court trial in Belfast. O’Callaghan is due to be called next month to try to prove a series of claims he has made against McKevitt. One of these involves allegations that the pair attended a meeting with other senior Provisionals in the mid- 1980s to discuss buying deer-hunting rifles to kill soldiers and police officers. O’Callaghan, a special branch agent who says he was once in charge of the IRA’s southern command, is also to be questioned about his claims that he issued instructions for McKevitt to stop taking vehicles from a Provisional IRA car pool without permission. A further issue which lawyers for the Omagh victims families have been given permission to explore with him centres on allegations that a former IRA chief of staff told him he wanted McKevitt voted onto the paramilitary organisation’s executive.
    [Show full text]
  • John F. Morrison Phd Thesis
    View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by St Andrews Research Repository 'THE AFFIRMATION OF BEHAN?' AN UNDERSTANDING OF THE POLITICISATION PROCESS OF THE PROVISIONAL IRISH REPUBLICAN MOVEMENT THROUGH AN ORGANISATIONAL ANALYSIS OF SPLITS FROM 1969 TO 1997 John F. Morrison A Thesis Submitted for the Degree of PhD at the University of St Andrews 2010 Full metadata for this item is available in Research@StAndrews:FullText at: http://research-repository.st-andrews.ac.uk/ Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: http://hdl.handle.net/10023/3158 This item is protected by original copyright ‘The Affirmation of Behan?’ An Understanding of the Politicisation Process of the Provisional Irish Republican Movement Through an Organisational Analysis of Splits from 1969 to 1997. John F. Morrison School of International Relations Ph.D. 2010 SUBMISSION OF PHD AND MPHIL THESES REQUIRED DECLARATIONS 1. Candidate’s declarations: I, John F. Morrison, hereby certify that this thesis, which is approximately 82,000 words in length, has been written by me, that it is the record of work carried out by me and that it has not been submitted in any previous application for a higher degree. I was admitted as a research student in September 2005 and as a candidate for the degree of Ph.D. in May, 2007; the higher study for which this is a record was carried out in the University of St Andrews between 2005 and 2010. Date 25-Aug-10 Signature of candidate 2. Supervisor’s declaration: I hereby certify that the candidate has fulfilled the conditions of the Resolution and Regulations appropriate for the degree of Ph.D.
    [Show full text]
  • His Honour Judge Peter Smithwick for the Tribunal
    A P P E A R A N C E S The Sole Member: His Honour Judge Peter Smithwick For the Tribunal: Mrs. Mary Laverty, SC Mr. Justin Dillon, SC Mr. Dara Hayes, BL Mr. Fintan Valentine, BL Instructed by: Jane McKevitt Solicitor For the Commissioner of An Garda Siochana: Mr. Diarmuid McGuinness, SC Mr. Michael Durack, SC Mr. Gareth Baker, BL Instructed by: Mary Cummins CSSO For Owen Corrigan: Mr. Jim O'Callaghan, SC Mr. Darren Lehane, BL Instructed by: Fintan Lawlor Lawlor Partners Solicitors For Leo Colton: Mr. Paul Callan, SC Mr. Eamon Coffey, BL Instructed by: Dermot Lavery Solicitors For Finbarr Hickey: Fionnuala O'Sullivan, BL Instructed by: James MacGuill & Co. For the Attorney General: Ms. Nuala Butler, SC Mr. Douglas Clarke, SC Instructed by: CSSO For Freddie Scappaticci: Eavanna Fitzgerald, BL Pauline O'Hare Instructed by: Michael Flanigan Solicitor For Kevin Fulton: Mr. Neil Rafferty, QC Instructed by: John McAtamney Solicitor For Breen Family: Mr. John McBurney For Buchanan Family/ Heather Currie: Ernie Waterworth McCartan Turkington Breen Solicitors For the PSNI: Mark Robinson, BL NOTICE: A WORD INDEX IS PROVIDED AT THE BACK OF THIS TRANSCRIPT. THIS IS A USEFUL INDEXING SYSTEM, WHICH ALLOWS YOU TO QUICKLY SEE THE WORDS USED IN THE TRANSCRIPT, WHERE THEY OCCUR AND HOW OFTEN. EXAMPLE: - DOYLE [2] 30:28 45:17 THE WORD “DOYLE” OCCURS TWICE PAGE 30, LINE 28 PAGE 45, LINE 17 I N D E X Witness Page No. Line No. OWEN CORRIGAN CROSS-EXAMINED BY MR. O'CALLAGHAN 4 1 Smithwick Tribunal - 1 August 2012 - Day 119 1 1 THE TRIBUNAL RESUMED ON THE 1ST AUGUST 2012 AS FOLLOWS: 2 3 MR.
    [Show full text]
  • Identity, Authority and Myth-Making: Politically-Motivated Prisoners and the Use of Music During the Northern Irish Conflict, 1962 - 2000
    View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by Queen Mary Research Online Identity, authority and myth-making: Politically-motivated prisoners and the use of music during the Northern Irish conflict, 1962 - 2000 Claire Alexandra Green Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements of the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy 1 I, Claire Alexandra Green, confirm that the research included within this thesis is my own work or that where it has been carried out in collaboration with, or supported by others, that this is duly acknowledged below and my contribution indicated. Previously published material is also acknowledged below. I attest that I have exercised reasonable care to ensure that the work is original, and does not to the best of my knowledge break any UK law, infringe any third party’s copyright or other Intellectual Property Right, or contain any confidential material. I accept that the College has the right to use plagiarism detection software to check the electronic version of the thesis. I confirm that this thesis has not been previously submitted for the award of a degree by this or any other university. The copyright of this thesis rests with the author and no quotation from it or information derived from it may be published without the prior written consent of the author. Signature: Date: 29/04/19 Details of collaboration and publications: ‘It’s All Over: Romantic Relationships, Endurance and Loyalty in the Songs of Northern Irish Politically-Motivated Prisoners’, Estudios Irlandeses, 14, 70-82. 2 Abstract. In this study I examine the use of music by and in relation to politically-motivated prisoners in Northern Ireland, from the mid-1960s until 2000.
    [Show full text]
  • The Hungerstrikes
    anIssue 5 Jul-Sept 2019 £2.50/€3.00 spréachIndependent non-profit Socialist Republican magazine THE HUNGERSTRIKES PIVOTAL MOMENTS IN OUR HISTORY Where’s the Pleasure? Examining Sexual Morality Under Capitalism An EU Immigrant The Craigavon 2 More Than A I’m Irish and Pro- A Miscarriage of Beautiful Game Leave Justice Soccer and Politics DIGITAL BACK ISSUES of anspréach Magazine are available for download via our website. Just visit www.anspreach.org ____ Dear reader, An Spréach is an independent Socialist Republican magazine formed by a collective of political activists across Ireland. It aims to bring you, the read- er, a broad swathe of opinion from within the Irish Socialist Republican political sphere, including, but not exclusive to, the fight for national liberation and socialism in Ireland and internationally. The views expressed herein, do not necesserily represent the publication and are purely those of the author. We welcome contributions from all political activists, including opinion pieces, letters, historical analyses and other relevant material. The editor reserves the right to exclude or omit any articles that may be deemed defamatory or abusive. Full and real names must be provided, even in instances where a pseudonym is used, including contact details. Please bear in mind that you may be asked to shorten material if necessary, and where we may be required to edit a piece to fit within these pages, all efforts will be made to retain its balance and opinion, without bias. An Spréach is a not-for-profit magazine which only aims to fund its running costs, including print and associated platforms.
    [Show full text]
  • Double Blind
    Double Blind The untold story of how British intelligence infiltrated and undermined the IRA Matthew Teague, The Atlantic, April 2006 Issue https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2006/04/double-blind/304710/ I first met the man now called Kevin Fulton in London, on Platform 13 at Victoria Station. We almost missed each other in the crowd; he didn’t look at all like a terrorist. He stood with his feet together, a short and round man with a kind face, fair hair, and blue eyes. He might have been an Irish grammar-school teacher, not an IRA bomber or a British spy in hiding. Both of which he was. Fulton had agreed to meet only after an exchange of messages through an intermediary. Now, as we talked on the platform, he paced back and forth, scanning the faces of passersby. He checked the time, then checked it again. He spoke in an almost impenetrable brogue, and each time I leaned in to understand him, he leaned back, suspicious. He fidgeted with several mobile phones, one devoted to each of his lives. “I’m just cautious,” he said. He lives in London now, but his wife remains in Northern Ireland. He rarely goes out, for fear of bumping into the wrong person, and so leads a life of utter isolation, a forty-five-year-old man with a lot on his mind. During the next few months, Fulton and I met several times on Platform 13. Over time his jitters settled, his speech loosened, and his past tumbled out: his rise and fall in the Irish Republican Army, his deeds and misdeeds, his loyalties and betrayals.
    [Show full text]
  • Reintegration of Ex-Prisoners in Northern Ireland BIONN NTERNATIONAL C ENTER for C ONVERSION
    BIONN NTERNATIONAL C ENTER FOR C ONVERSION. I NTERNATIONALES K ONVERSIONSZENTRUM B ONN paper 18 Conversion from War to Peace: Reintegration of Ex-Prisoners in Northern Ireland BIONN NTERNATIONAL C ENTER FOR C ONVERSION. I NTERNATIONALES K ONVERSIONSZENTRUM B ONN Conversion from War to Peace: Reintegration of Ex-Prisoners in Northern Ireland Brian Gormally Published by BICC, Bonn 2001 This paper emerged in the context of the BICC project Demilitarisation in Northern Ireland - The Role of 'Decommissioning' and 'Normalisation of Security' in the Peace Process (DINI). The project involves co-operation with the Initiative On Conflict Resolution and Ethnicity (INCORE) in Londonderry, and is funded by the Volkswagen Foundation. See BICC website for further information. The author is an independent consultant in Belfast dealing with policy analysis and the support of community-based organisations. He was Deputy Director of NIACRO, Northern Ireland's leading voluntary organisation in the field of criminal justice from 1975-2000. Contents Contents Introduction 2 The Northern Ireland Peace Process and the Reintegration of Former Combatants 3 Prisoner Release in Northern Ireland 8 Reintegration as a Concept 11 Political Reintegration 12 Social and Economic Reintegration 16 Reintegration Needs 17 The Categories of Need 19 Economic Issues 19 Housing 22 Families 22 Personal Problems 23 Women Ex-Prisoners 24 History of Reintegrative Efforts 24 External Support – The EU Special Programme 26 The Current Practice of Ex-Prisoner Reintegration Projects 29 Victims vs. Prisoners Debate – A Matter of Reconciliation 33 Issues and Conclusions 34 References 39 Appendix I Facts and Figures on Northern Ireland Political Prisoners and their Release 41 Appendix II Ex-Prisoner Organisations and Others Mentioned in the Text 43 1 Brian Gormally Conversion from War to Peace: Reintegration of Ex-Prisoners in Northern Ireland “Those who renounce violence…are entitled to be full participants in the democratic process.
    [Show full text]
  • Orange Alba: the Civil Religion of Loyalism in the Southwestern Lowlands of Scotland Since 1798
    University of Tennessee, Knoxville TRACE: Tennessee Research and Creative Exchange Doctoral Dissertations Graduate School 8-2010 Orange Alba: The Civil Religion of Loyalism in the Southwestern Lowlands of Scotland since 1798 Ronnie Michael Booker Jr. University of Tennessee - Knoxville, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://trace.tennessee.edu/utk_graddiss Part of the European History Commons Recommended Citation Booker, Ronnie Michael Jr., "Orange Alba: The Civil Religion of Loyalism in the Southwestern Lowlands of Scotland since 1798. " PhD diss., University of Tennessee, 2010. https://trace.tennessee.edu/utk_graddiss/777 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at TRACE: Tennessee Research and Creative Exchange. It has been accepted for inclusion in Doctoral Dissertations by an authorized administrator of TRACE: Tennessee Research and Creative Exchange. For more information, please contact [email protected]. To the Graduate Council: I am submitting herewith a dissertation written by Ronnie Michael Booker Jr. entitled "Orange Alba: The Civil Religion of Loyalism in the Southwestern Lowlands of Scotland since 1798." I have examined the final electronic copy of this dissertation for form and content and recommend that it be accepted in partial fulfillment of the equirr ements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy, with a major in History. John Bohstedt, Major Professor We have read this dissertation and recommend its acceptance: Vejas Liulevicius, Lynn Sacco, Daniel Magilow Accepted for the Council: Carolyn R. Hodges Vice Provost and Dean of the Graduate School (Original signatures are on file with official studentecor r ds.) To the Graduate Council: I am submitting herewith a thesis written by R.
    [Show full text]
  • Peter Robinson DUP Reg Empey UUP Robin Newton DUP David Walter Ervine PUP Naomi Rachel Long Alliance Michael Stewart Copeland UUP
    CANDIDATES ELECTED TO THE NORTHERN IRELAND ASSEMBLY 26 NOVEMBER 2003 Belfast East: Peter Robinson DUP Reg Empey UUP Robin Newton DUP David Walter Ervine PUP Naomi Rachel Long Alliance Michael Stewart Copeland UUP Belfast North: Nigel Alexander Dodds DUP Gerry Kelly Sinn Fein Nelson McCausland DUP Fred Cobain UUP Alban Maginness SDLP Kathy Stanton Sinn Fein Belfast South: Michael McGimpsey UUP Simon Mark Peter Robinson DUP John Esmond Birnie UUP Carmel Hanna SDLP Alex Maskey Sinn Fein Alasdair McDonnell SDLP Belfast West: Gerry Adams Sinn Fein Alex Atwood SDLP Bairbre de Brún Sinn Fein Fra McCann Sinn Fein Michael Ferguson Sinn Fein Diane Dodds DUP East Antrim: Roy Beggs UUP Sammy Wilson DUP Ken Robinson UUP Sean Neeson Alliance David William Hilditch DUP Thomas George Dawson DUP East Londonderry: Gregory Campbell DUP David McClarty UUP Francis Brolly Sinn Fein George Robinson DUP Norman Hillis UUP John Dallat SDLP Fermanagh and South Tyrone: Thomas Beatty (Tom) Elliott UUP Arlene Isobel Foster DUP* Tommy Gallagher SDLP Michelle Gildernew Sinn Fein Maurice Morrow DUP Hugh Thomas O’Reilly Sinn Fein * Elected as UUP candidate, became a member of the DUP with effect from 15 January 2004 Foyle: John Mark Durkan SDLP William Hay DUP Mitchel McLaughlin Sinn Fein Mary Bradley SDLP Pat Ramsey SDLP Mary Nelis Sinn Fein Lagan Valley: Jeffrey Mark Donaldson DUP* Edwin Cecil Poots DUP Billy Bell UUP Seamus Anthony Close Alliance Patricia Lewsley SDLP Norah Jeanette Beare DUP* * Elected as UUP candidate, became a member of the DUP with effect from
    [Show full text]
  • Annual Conference
    Mr John Webster Mr Michael D’Arcy Mr John Webster is the Scottish Government Mr Michael D’Arcy was the joint editor of the Representative to Ireland. He heads a team of four seminal publication on the all-island economy ANNUAL CONFERENCE officials at the Scottish Government Office, located Border Crossings : Developing Ireland’s Island in the British Embassy in Dublin. John has been a Economy (Gill&Macmillan 1995). Since then he has Crowne Plaza Hotel, Dundalk career diplomat for 29 years. Before his current role, been involved in many all-island economic and he was Political Counsellor in the British Embassy business policy initiatives including research work 8 & 9 March 2018 to Ireland from April 2012 until January 2016. Prior for the Centre for Cross Border Studies; the ESRI; to Ireland, John was a political adviser for NATO in the European Economic and Social Committee; Helmand Province in 2010/11, before which he was Head of Humanitarian Inter Trade Ireland; Co-operation Ireland and Ulster University. #CCBSconf Policy in the UK Department for International Development, where he participated in humanitarian missions, including to the DRC and Chad. John His most recent published report is Delivering a Prosperity Process: served on postings in the UK’s Mission to the UN in Geneva, the UK Opportunities in North/South Public Service Provision completed for the Delegation to the Council of Europe in Strasbourg, and in Embassies in Cyprus, Centre for Cross Border Studies in 2012 and supported by the Department Romania, New Zealand and Mauritius, with spells in London between postings.
    [Show full text]
  • Bridie O'byrne
    INTERVIEWS We moved then from Castletown Cross to Dundalk. My father was on the Fire Brigade in Dundalk and we had to move into town and we Bridie went to the firemen’s houses in Market Street. Jack, my eldest brother, was in the army at the time and as my father grew older Jack O’Byrne eventually left the army. He got my father’s job in the Council driving on the fire brigade and nee Rooney, steamroller and things. boRn Roscommon, 1919 Then unfortunately in 1975 a bomb exploded in ’m Bridie O’Byrne - nee Crowes Street (Dundalk). I was working in the Echo at the time and I was outside the Jockeys Rooney. I was born in (pub) in Anne Street where 14 of us were going Glenmore, Castletown, out for a Christmas drink. It was about five minutes to six and the bomb went off. At that in Roscommon 90 time I didn’t know my brother was involved in years ago 1 . My it. We went home and everyone was talking Imother was Mary Harkin about the bomb and the bomb. The following day myself and my youngest son went into town from Roscommon and my to get our shopping. We went into Kiernan’s first father was Patrick Rooney to order the turkey and a man there asked me from Glenmore. I had two how my brother was and, Lord have mercy on Jack, he had been sick so I said, “Oh he’s grand. “Did you brothers Jack and Tom and He’s back to working again.” And then I got to not know my sister Molly; just four of White’s in Park Street and a woman there asked me about my brother and I said to her, “Which that your us in the family.
    [Show full text]