Latest news with #Belfast
BBC News
3 hours ago
- General
- BBC News
Obituary of Sir Kenneth Bloomfield, former Northern Ireland Civil Service head
Sir Kenneth Bloomfield was one of the most distinguished civil servants in Northern Ireland's the 30 years of violence in Northern Ireland, known as the Troubles, he was a key figure behind-the-scenes, trying to ensure public services ran as normally as death was announced on Saturday. He was Kenneth was born in Belfast on 15 April 1931 and he was educated at Royal Belfast Academical Institution (RBAI) and Oxford entered the Northern Ireland Civil Service in years later, he was appointed private secretary to the then Stormont Finance Minister Captain Terence O' rose through the ranks, and in January 1974 he was given a key role working with the new power-sharing executive, led by Ulster Unionist Party leader Brian and nationalist politicians came together to govern for the first time but the cross-community executive collapsed after five months due to hard-line unionist opposition, including a loyalist workers strike. IRA attack In 1988, the IRA tried to kill Sir Kenneth at his family home in Crawfordsburn, near Bangor, County Down, in a Semtex bomb attack.A colleague who was in the civil service at the time remembers how calm Sir Kenneth was after the Nigel Hamilton, who also became head of the Northern Ireland Civil Service, said: "Within an hour (of the bombing) he had put out a statement and within a couple of hours he was back in the office, working again."He wanted to show leadership."He wanted to show that we were all resilient and he wasn't going to be deflected from his public sector service because of what had happened." After he retired, Sir Kenneth reflected on the downfall of power-sharing in May said: "It was the worst day of my official career of nearly 40 years – it was the worst single day. I could foresee that we were going to be plunged for further decades into a situation when there would be no local hand on the tiller."He was right. It would take another quarter of a century for power-sharing to the interim, violence raged in the political attempt in 1985 by the then UK prime minister Margaret Thatcher to improve the security and political situation by signing an Anglo-Irish Agreement with the Dublin government led to sustained unionist civil servants trying to keep public services going, the challenges were huge. After Sir Kenneth stepped down from the job of head of the civil service in 1991, he took on a wide range of public and private sector roles, including Northern Ireland national governor of the BBC; vice-chair of the National Museum and was also senator at Queen's University Belfast; the inaugural victims' commissioner; and co-commissioner of the Independent Commission for the Location of Victims' also worked outside of Northern Ireland, consulting on issues in Jersey, Israel, Austria, Bangladesh and the received honorary doctorates from Queen's University Belfast, Ulster University and the Open University. 'I played by the rules' Sir Kenneth also wrote a number of A New Life, published in 2008, he wrote: "I enjoyed access to ministers and the opportunity to make recommendations and suggestions to them."They might well decide to do something different as was their prerogative."I played the game by the rules, and any disagreement while serving, I kept to myself."Once he left the civil service, he was more free to speak his mind about politics past and wrote a book called A Tragedy of Errors: The Government and Misgovernment of Northern it came to Stormont politics, he was an eyewitness to history, and played his part, in good times and in bad.
Leader Live
8 hours ago
- Business
- Leader Live
Cottage with river views for sale in Llangollen, North Wales
Arranged over three floors, the end of terrace property has three double bedrooms and is described as retaining "a wealth of character features" such as beam ceilings, exposed slate feature walls, and wooden floorboards. The cottage is located down a quiet lane and has no onward chain, according to the listing. (Image: Bowen) On the ground floor, the property contains a sitting room and a main bedroom with an en-suite shower room. The sitting room has a wooden double glazed window and French doors to the rear, a radiator, an inglenook fireplace, beam ceiling, slate flooring, and an understairs storage cupboard. The main bedroom features a wood glazed door and window to the front, a radiator, an inglenook, beam ceiling, and a storage cupboard. (Image: Bowen) In the en-suite, there is a white three-piece suite, heated towel rail, tiled floor, wall tiling, storage cupboard, and beam ceiling. The first floor houses a kitchen diner and a living room. The kitchen diner has a wooden glazed stable door to the front, wooden framed windows to the front and side, wall and base units with work surfaces, a Belfast sink, integral gas hob, electric oven, fridge/freezer, and space for a washing machine. (Image: Bowen) There are exposed wooden floorboards, a beam ceiling, and wall tiling. The living room includes a wooden framed window to the front, a radiator, exposed wooden floorboards, a beam ceiling, down-lighters, and a wood-burner with a feature exposed slate chimney breast. On the second floor, there are two further bedrooms and a family bathroom. (Image: Bowen) Bedroom two has a wooden double glazed window to the rear, radiator, built-in storage, and a feature slate wall. Bedroom three has a wooden framed window to the front, radiator, and a cupboard housing a boiler. The bathroom features a four-piece white suite with a roll-top bath, shower cubicle, low level w.c., pedestal wash hand basin, wooden flooring, wall tiling, and radiator. (Image: Bowen) Outside, the cottage has a courtyard garden at the front. At the rear, there is a patio area leading from the sitting room, a gravelled section, and planted beds. The property also includes one allocated parking space within the Lower Dee Mill development.
Yahoo
8 hours ago
- General
- Yahoo
'Dáithí's letter from Bill Clinton stopped me in my tracks'
A young boy from Belfast has received a letter from a former US President. Dáithí Mac Gabhann who inspired a change in Northern Ireland's organ donation rules received a silver envelope through the letterbox on Thursday. The letter was embellished with "William Jefferson Clinton", who many will know as Bill Clinton. Dáithí's dad, Máirtín Mac Gabhann said the letter "stopped me in my tracks... the fact someone like President Clinton took the time to write this letter is amazing". Dáithí's Law was named after seven-year-old Belfast boy Dáithí Mac Gabhann, who has been on the waiting list for a heart transplant since 2018. The legislation means that most adults in Northern Ireland are now considered as potential organ donors after their death, unless they actively opt out. Mr Mac Gabhann told BBC News NI it was as if fate helped Dáithí receive this letter. "Dáithí and I were at Stormont to see the Secretary of State at a Good Friday Agreement event but he was running late... so we took a tour of the Freedom of the City Exhibition." When they went to view the exhibition Mr Mac Gabhann said President Clinton and Senator George Mitchell had been a couple of the last to receive the honour, in 2018. Dáithí also received the honour in 2023 in recognition of his campaign to raise awareness around organ donation. "I just had a thought and I reached out to Queen's and said I've written letters out about Dáithí and everything that's happened," Mr Mac Gabhann said. It's not every day a letter comes through door in Ballymurphy from a former US President… 🩷 #OrganDonation @BillClinton — Donate4Dáithí (@Donate4Daithi) May 30, 2025 He added that a response did come from Senator George Mitchell quickly because he had still been in Northern Ireland to respond. But the letter from the former president was something unexpected. "Dáithí hit a big redner, jaw on the floor... he knew this was big... he couldn't believe it... he was even getting a bit emotional about it all." He added that it's so positive to have this letter as Dáithí is about to reach his 7th anniversary of waiting for a heart transplant. "It gave us a much needed boost... Dáithí is stable now but this letter has saved the day for us... as he had been at hospital." Dáithí's 7th anniversary of being on a waiting list for a heart transplant falls on 2 June. In the letter to Dáithí, President Clinton said he was "so proud" to share the Freedom of the City honour "with someone as amazing as you". "Keep up your great work and know that you have a big fan pulling for you in New York." President Clinton ended the letter with one message - "Keep going!" "It was just an amazing letter, I got a separate letter from President Clinton and he said 'Your letter took my breath away. Press on!' and that's momentous," said Mr Mac Gabhann. Speaking about his son, Mr Mac Gabhann said it has been a long fight and journey for Dáithí but "luck has been on our side" and "the hope is what keeps you going". He reiterated his call for those to consider joining the organ donor register and to talk about it with family and friends. "We rely on the community, our close community, far and wide... don't forget about us. At our lowest points they (the community) have brought us up... as has President Clinton." Dáithí's Law campaigner among Birthday Honours 'Amazing legacy' of Dáithí's Law hailed one year on Organ law inspiration, 6, given freedom honour
Yahoo
8 hours ago
- General
- Yahoo
'Dáithí's letter from Bill Clinton stopped me in my tracks'
A young boy from Belfast has received a letter from a former US President. Dáithí Mac Gabhann who inspired a change in Northern Ireland's organ donation rules received a silver envelope through the letterbox on Thursday. The letter was embellished with "William Jefferson Clinton", who many will know as Bill Clinton. Dáithí's dad, Máirtín Mac Gabhann said the letter "stopped me in my tracks... the fact someone like President Clinton took the time to write this letter is amazing". Dáithí's Law was named after seven-year-old Belfast boy Dáithí Mac Gabhann, who has been on the waiting list for a heart transplant since 2018. The legislation means that most adults in Northern Ireland are now considered as potential organ donors after their death, unless they actively opt out. Mr Mac Gabhann told BBC News NI it was as if fate helped Dáithí receive this letter. "Dáithí and I were at Stormont to see the Secretary of State at a Good Friday Agreement event but he was running late... so we took a tour of the Freedom of the City Exhibition." When they went to view the exhibition Mr Mac Gabhann said President Clinton and Senator George Mitchell had been a couple of the last to receive the honour, in 2018. Dáithí also received the honour in 2023 in recognition of his campaign to raise awareness around organ donation. "I just had a thought and I reached out to Queen's and said I've written letters out about Dáithí and everything that's happened," Mr Mac Gabhann said. He added that a response did come from Senator George Mitchell quickly because he had still been in Northern Ireland to respond. But the letter from the former president was something unexpected. "Dáithí hit a big redner, jaw on the floor... he knew this was big... he couldn't believe it... he was even getting a bit emotional about it all." He added that it's so positive to have this letter as Dáithí is about to reach his 7th anniversary of waiting for a heart transplant. "It gave us a much needed boost... Dáithí is stable now but this letter has saved the day for us... as he had been at hospital." Dáithí's 7th anniversary of being on a waiting list for a heart transplant falls on 2 June. In the letter to Dáithí, President Clinton said he was "so proud" to share the Freedom of the City honour "with someone as amazing as you". "Keep up your great work and know that you have a big fan pulling for you in New York." President Clinton ended the letter with one message - "Keep going!" "It was just an amazing letter, I got a separate letter from President Clinton and he said 'Your letter took my breath away. Press on!' and that's momentous," said Mr Mac Gabhann. Speaking about his son, Mr Mac Gabhann said it has been a long fight and journey for Dáithí but "luck has been on our side" and "the hope is what keeps you going". He reiterated his call for those to consider joining the organ donor register and to talk about it with family and friends. "We rely on the community, our close community, far and wide... don't forget about us. At our lowest points they (the community) have brought us up... as has President Clinton." Dáithí's Law campaigner among Birthday Honours 'Amazing legacy' of Dáithí's Law hailed one year on Organ law inspiration, 6, given freedom honour
BBC News
8 hours ago
- General
- BBC News
'Dáithí's letter from Bill Clinton made us emotional'
A young boy from Belfast has received a letter from a former US President. Dáithí Mac Gabhann who inspired a change in Northern Ireland's organ donation rules received a silver envelope through the letterbox on Thursday. The letter was embellished with "William Jefferson Clinton", who many will know as Bill Clinton. Dáithí's dad, Máirtín Mac Gabhann said the letter "stopped me in my tracks... the fact someone like President Clinton took the time to write this letter is amazing". Dáithí's Law was named after seven-year-old Belfast boy Dáithí Mac Gabhann, who has been on the waiting list for a heart transplant since legislation means that most adults in Northern Ireland are now considered as potential organ donors after their death, unless they actively opt out. Mr Mac Gabhann told BBC News NI it was as if fate helped Dáithí receive this letter. "Dáithí and I were at Stormont to see the Secretary of State at a Good Friday Agreement event but he was running late... so we took a tour of the Freedom of the City Exhibition." When they went to view the exhibition Mr Mac Gabhann said President Clinton and Senator George Mitchell had been a couple of the last to receive the honour, in 2018. Dáithí also received the honour in 2023 in recognition of his campaign to raise awareness around organ donation."I just had a thought and I reached out to Queen's and said I've written letters out about Dáithí and everything that's happened," Mr Mac Gabhann said. He added that a response did come from Senator George Mitchell quickly because he had still been in Northern Ireland to respond. But the letter from the former president was something unexpected. "Dáithí hit a big redner, jaw on the floor... he knew this was big... he couldn't believe it... he was even getting a bit emotional about it all." He added that it's so positive to have this letter as Dáithí is about to reach his 7th anniversary of waiting for a heart transplant. "It gave us a much needed boost... Dáithí is stable now but this letter has saved the day for us... as he had been at hospital."Dáithí's 7th anniversary of being on a waiting list for a heart transplant falls on 2 June. In the letter to Dáithí, President Clinton said he was "so proud" to share the Freedom of the City honour "with someone as amazing as you". "Keep up your great work and know that you have a big fan pulling for you in New York." President Clinton ended the letter with one message - "Keep going!" "It was just an amazing letter, I got a separate letter from President Clinton and he said 'Your letter took my breath away. Press on!' and that's momentous," said Mr Mac Gabhann. Speaking about his son, Mr Mac Gabhann said it has been a long fight and journey for Dáithí but "luck has been on our side" and "the hope is what keeps you going". He reiterated his call for those to consider joining the organ donor register and to talk about it with family and friends. "We rely on the community, our close community, far and wide... don't forget about us. At our lowest points they (the community) have brought us up... as has President Clinton."
