Latest news with #CoDown
Belfast Telegraph
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Belfast Telegraph
NI rapper releases new album to ‘break stigma' around talking about suicide after losing childhood friends
A Co Down rapper is aiming to 'break the stigma' around talking about suicide after he lost two friends before reaching the age of 21. Finnbarr Richman has now released his debut EP, titled 21, which he said 'captures my honest feelings in hopes that I can help someone who's listening'.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Sir Kenneth Bloomfield, head of the Northern Ireland Civil Service who survived an IRA bomb attack
Sir Kenneth Bloomfield, who has died aged 94, was a central figure in governing Northern Ireland before and after Westminster imposed direct rule in 1972. From 1984 to 1991 he was head of the Northern Ireland Civil Service, and second permanent secretary at the Northern Ireland Office under Tom King and Peter Brooke. An outstanding administrator, Bloomfield was speechwriter and confidant to Stormont's last three premiers: Terence O'Neill, James Chichester-Clark and Brian Faulkner. A moderate Unionist who believed the old Protestant-dominated Ulster could be reformed, the only time he considered resigning was when Margaret Thatcher concluded the 1985 Anglo-Irish agreement, reckoning it too bitter a pill for Unionists to swallow. Yet Bloomfield himself originated the phrase 'the Irish dimension'. The IRA branded Bloomfield 'the key administrator of British colonial policy', and in September 1988 came within a whisker of assassinating him and his family. Four rucksacks packed with Semtex and bullets were planted at his home at Crawfordsburn, Co Down, while Bloomfield, his wife and 18-year-old son slept. Two of the bombs exploded, badly damaging the house and burying Bloomfield's son under rubble. The detonator of a third failed. Police stepped over the unexploded device to reach the Bloomfields, hustling them out to hospital the same way. King put the family up in his apartments at Hillsborough Castle; they never returned to the house, but Bloomfield was back at work next day. When the IRA told senior civil servants to 'resign or face the consequences', Bloomfield retorted: 'Neither they nor I will be deterred from the duty we owe to our fellow citizens and democratic government.' Kenneth Bloomfield was born in Belfast to English parents on April 15 1931. From the Royal Belfast Academical Institution he read Modern History at St Peter's College, Oxford, which in 1991 elected him an honorary Fellow. He joined the Northern Ireland Ministry of Finance in 1952, and during 1956 was private secretary to three ministers in turn: Brian Maginess, George Hanna and O'Neill. After visiting Washington with O'Neill in 1959, Bloomfield applied to lead the province's infant industrial development effort, and was appointed deputy director of the British development office in New York. While there, his wife won a houseful of prizes on The Price Is Right. When in 1963 Lord Brookeborough resigned as premier, O'Neill took over and made Bloomfield his deputy Cabinet secretary. The patrician O'Neill was eager for reform, but unsuited to bring it about. Bloomfield wrote speeches for him on the need to improve community relations which angered Unionist hardliners, as did O'Neill's unprecedented Belfast meeting with the Taoiseach Sean Lemass, which he helped arrange. As communal tensions began to rise O'Neill's Cabinet disintegrated, and the 1969 Stormont election was fought between pro-and anti-O'Neill Unionists. O'Neill's victory was unconvincing, and Chichester-Clark replaced him. When that August the Army was sent into Derry, Bloomfield attended the crucial Downing Street meeting. Wilson rated him 'the quickest drafter of good statements I have seen', and Home Secretary James Callaghan 'the brains of the outfit'. Callaghan's Tory successor Reginald Maudling moved meetings with Chichester-Clark from Whitehall to Claridge's, where Bloomfield dined 'loaded with plovers' eggs'. As the IRA began to assert itself, Unionist hawks put Chichester-Clark under increasing pressure, and in March 1971 he resigned. Faulkner, a moderniser who rated Bloomfield 'a thinker of the highest order', succeeded him. Bloomfield tried to keep the new premier off the television in such a sensitive climate, telling a persistent David Frost he was in the business of government, not entertainment. That July, with the security situation deteriorating, a reluctant Faulkner decided to introduce internment. He and Bloomfield flew to London for secret talks, but a journalist spotted Faulkner and the announcement – drafted by Bloomfield – had to be brought forward, with disastrous consequences. At this juncture Faulkner dined on game with Edward Heath at Chequers. There was not enough to go round and, Bloomfield recalled, 'just two birds, one burnt and tiny, remained' by the time the salver reached Lord Carrington and himself. With 'exquisite courtesy', Carrington swept the burnt offering onto his plate. The killing of 13 demonstrators in Derry by paratroops on Bloody Sunday, January 30 1972, 'blew the top right off the volcano'. Bloomfield worked up a reform package to rescue the situation, but on March 22 Heath told Faulkner and Bloomfield that Stormont would have to surrender law and order powers to Westminster, with Willie Whitelaw becoming Northern Ireland Secretary. Faulkner declared this unacceptable; next day his entire Cabinet resigned. Direct rule was imposed and Whitelaw took over, Bloomfield serving in a secretariat overseeing the Northern Ireland departments and legislation for the province. He rated working with Whitelaw 'one of the great pleasures of my life'. Bloomfield had a sizeable hand in the 1973 White Paper proposing an assembly elected by PR and a power-sharing executive. But Faulkner's hold on his party was weakening as Loyalist anger erupted at Stormont, Bloomfield watching from the gallery. The executive was formed in January 1974 with Faulkner as chief executive and Bloomfield its permanent secretary. He was left holding things together as Faulkner was deposed as Unionist leader. That May, with Labour back in government, the Ulster Workers' Council called a general strike. Bloomfield was caught up in a frantic round of meetings in Belfast and London which could not prevent fuel and power shortages; Ulster's deserted roads reminded him of the apocalyptic movie On the Beach. When the nationalist SDLP blocked efforts by Faulkner to open talks with the strikers through an intermediary, he resigned, Bloomfield drafting one more resignation statement. Faulkner recalled: 'We were climbing the marble staircase towards my office when Ken's proverbial restraint snapped and he broke down. I had not until this moment quite understood the depth of his individual commitment to a better future for Northern Ireland.' Left in limbo, Bloomfield was asked in 1975 to merge Northern Ireland's Departments of the Environment and Local Government and Planning. His main responsibility became the Housing Executive created to stop Unionist councils refusing to house Catholics. In 1981 he moved to the Department of Commerce (from 1982 Economic Development). His main challenges were the survival of Harland & Wolff, which 'needed a miracle', Short Brothers, and two newcomers, DeLorean and Learfan. DeLorean's plan to produce revolutionary gull-winged cars in Belfast had strong government backing, with ministers were 'particularly anxious to get something done for the Roman Catholic area of West Belfast which was, in many ways, the heartland of our problems,' Bloomfield recalled. John DeLorean accused Bloomfield of 'putting your arms around my throat' over the government's terms. Bloomfield likened DeLorean to 'the glamorous hero of a television soap opera', but with a tendency to 'humiliate and repel' the executives he hired. When the company went into receivership in 1982, DeLorean 'bared his teeth like a hunted animal'. Bloomfield was summoned before the Public Accounts Committee at Westminster to defend his department's handling of DeLorean, which had been lavishly funded despite warnings from the consultants McKinsey. He reckoned these hearings 'the nadir of my political life'. 'Even though most of the money had been spent before my arrival, I did feel acutely that Northern Ireland had been taken for a ride.' In 1984 he was appointed Head of the Northern Ireland Civil Service, responsible for 28,000 staff, and second permanent secretary at the NIO, spending half the week in London. Bloomfield hoped to concentrate on poverty, unemployment and community relations, but the dominant issue became the Anglo-Irish Agreement. Informal talks with the Republic were under way, but Dublin wanted a stake in the North and Bloomfield did not imagine Mrs Thatcher would wear this. When he saw the draft, he went through 'mental agony'; having considered resignation or a direct appeal to the prime minister, he poured out his concerns to King, but the die was cast. Bloomfield was heavily involved in setting up the International Fund for Ireland under the Agreement, lobbying to fit it into America's aid programme with the Reagan administration not keen. At the Agreement's Inter-Governmental Conference, he was often the only Ulsterman in the room. When eventually the Unionist leadership showed interest in an 'alternative' to the Agreement, Bloomfield got 'talks about talks' with Ian Paisley and the Unionist leader James Molyneaux to the point where King – who reminded him of the Incredible Hulk – could be brought in. The arrival in 1989 of Brooke, with 'phenomenal qualities of patience and diplomacy', in Bloomfield's view prevented the initiative breaking down. In retirement from 1991, Bloomfield served as the BBC's national governor for Northern Ireland. He chaired the Northern Ireland Higher Education Council and Legal Services Commission, and was a leading light in the Association for Quality Education, campaigning to retain academic selection. In 1992 he was commissioned to investigate dentists' pay, finding a formula to end a 28-week dispute. Late in 1997 Mo Mowlam asked him to become the Northern Ireland Victims' Commissioner. His report, We Will Remember Them, appeared in April 1998 as the Good Friday agreement was concluded. He did not recommend a conventional monument to all who had died in the Troubles, but community-based projects. The IRA wanted all its dead listed; others felt the best memorial would be to bring all the killers to justice. Bloomfield commented: 'It would be perverse if what I recommended turned out to be more divisive.' He achieved more from 1999 as joint international commissioner for the location of victims' remains. Bloomfield was appointed CB in 1982 and KCB in 1987. His autobiography, Stormont in Crisis, appeared in 1994. Kenneth Bloomfield married (Mary) Elizabeth Ramsey in 1960; they had a son and a daughter. Sir Kenneth Bloomfield, born April 15 1931, died May 31 2025 Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
BreakingNews.ie
2 days ago
- General
- BreakingNews.ie
Two arrested on suspicion of false imprisonment after Co Down disturbance
Two men have been arrested on suspicion of false imprisonment after a disturbance in Co Down. The incident happened in the Scarva Walk area of Banbridge on Saturday, and led to homes being evacuated. Advertisement A woman was taken to hospital for treatment to injuries that are not thought to be serious. A PSNI spokesperson said they went to the scene at about 6.25pm on Saturday after a report of a 'possible disturbance'. The spokesperson added: 'A 33-year-old man was subsequently arrested on suspicion of false imprisonment, criminal damage and assault occasioning actual bodily harm. 'A 43-year-old man was further arrested on suspicion of false imprisonment, criminal damage and assault on police. Advertisement 'Both men remain in custody at this time. 'A woman was taken to hospital for treatment to injuries that are not thought to be serious at this time.' Anyone with information is asked to contact police.
The Independent
3 days ago
- General
- The Independent
Hillsborough ‘Castlemen' parade at full strength for first time since 1890
The UK's oldest private ceremonial military regiment has paraded at full strength for the first time in more than 130 years. Thirteen new warders of the Hillsborough Fort Guard, which dates back to 1660, were presented with their warrants at a special ceremony in the Co Down village on Saturday. The guard paraded in the village at an event attended by deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly, Lagan Valley MP Sorcha Eastwood and Lord Lieutenant for Co Down Gawn Rowan Hamilton. It is the first time the guard, which carries out ceremonial duties at Hillsborough Castle, the royal residence in Northern Ireland, has been at its full complement of 20 warders since 1890. The guard was created in the 17th century when a royal warrant was first issued by Charles II but went into decline in the 20th century when no new warders were recruited. For several years, only the bugler was left to carry on ceremonial duties until 2021 when the Marquess of Downshire issued warrants for six new warders as part of the reformation of the fort guard. With a further 13 warrants issued, the final restoration sees the guard, whose members are known as the 'Castlemen', return to its full original strength of 20 warders. Hundreds of people turned out to see the investiture parade at Hillsborough Fort. The programme for the event included a letter from the King passing on his 'warmest good wishes to all of those who are present for a memorable event'. Bugler Andrew Carlisle said it was a special day for the village with strong royal connections. He said: 'For the first time in over 130 years the guard at Hillsborough Fort is parading at full strength of 20 as per the royal warrant of 1660 which was given to the Hill family, making them the hereditary constable of the fort. 'It is a fantastic day for Hillsborough, a historic day for the village. 'We are probably the first guard to actually parade through the village headed by the constable, as far as we can tell that has never happened before. It is a very proud moment.' Mr Carlisle has been a member of the guard for 20 years and said it has not been easy to get to the point where it has been returned to full strength. He said: 'Maintaining a private, legal army in Northern Ireland has its ups and downs, but it has been worth it. 'When you see the 20 guys on parade, the colour and the history and the passion that these guys have put in, we do this voluntarily. 'It is a unique thing for the village, this has to survive, it is not what we do now, it is the gift we give on to the next generation that this survives.' He added: 'This journey has been at least 12 years in the making. It is a very proud day. 'We are indebted to the people that have got behind us, Lisburn and Castlereagh City Council, Tourism NI both were a huge help in funding our new uniforms. 'A lot of our funding also comes from private donors and the village and the community. 'This is a Hillsborough story, it always will be a Hillsborough story and we genuinely want the village to be proud and get behind it.' One of the 13 new warders is Trevor Hill, who is the fourth generation of his family connected to the Hillsborough Fort Guard. He said: 'We are unique. We are the only and longest-running private militia guard in the history of the United Kingdom and all-Ireland. 'This year we are in our 365th year of existence.' He added: 'It is a wonderful piece of history, it is unique to Northern Ireland and the UK. 'It is more now a ceremonial role as opposed to a guarding role and I think it is very important to keep that history alive.' MP for the area Ms Eastwood said it was a 'special day' for Hillsborough. She added: 'I know some of the people who were getting their investiture today and I know the service they have given to their community over many, many years and the real passion they have. 'Today is about consolidating Hillsborough as a destination for tourism. We are very proud of what we have here in the village, it is a very unique offering. 'All of us who are Lisburn born and bred will know the links over many years, with this being the only location on the island of Ireland with a royal palace and still retained as the King's official residence. 'There is a brand new generation coming through who don't know that history and part of today is linked to that tourism offering.'
The Independent
3 days ago
- General
- The Independent
Tributes paid after death of former NI Civil Service chief Kenneth Bloomfield
Tributes have been paid to the former head of the Northern Ireland Civil Service Sir Kenneth Bloomfield, who has died at the age of 94. Health Minister Mike Nesbitt described Sir Kenneth as a 'great intellect' and 'one of our finest'. His career in public service began in the 1950s and he was cabinet secretary to the 1974 Stormont powersharing executive, and head of the NI Civil Service from 1984 to 1991. During this time the IRA tried to kill Sir Kenneth at his home in Co Down in 1988 but his family survived the bomb attack. Later, he took on a number of other roles including victims' commissioner and co-commissioner of the Independent Commission for the Location of Victims' Remains. He was knighted in 1987. DUP leader Gavin Robinson said he was sorry to learn of the death. He added: 'He gave many years of service to Northern Ireland and did so with thoughtfulness and dedication. 'His calm approach, even when targeted by the IRA, earned respect across the board, and his contribution to public life will not be forgotten. 'My thoughts and prayers are with his family and all who knew him at this sad time.' Alliance Party leader and Justice Minister Naomi Long said: 'Sir Kenneth had a distinguished career in public service over many years and in many roles. 'He and his wife were personally targeted in the Troubles, when their home was attacked by an IRA bomb, but he did not allow it to deter him from his enduring commitment to public service. 'In the decades since his formal retirement, he continued that commitment, offering his skills and experience in the service of the community, most particularly in his work as victims'commissioner in the early days of the Assembly, a role which he notably described as being a 'painful privilege'.' Ms Long added: 'I know that he kept in touch with political developments and was especially supportive of efforts to ensure the devolved administration was put on a firm and stable footing. 'On behalf of myself and Alliance, I would wish to extend our deepest sympathies to Lady Elizabeth and the family circle on their very personal loss.' In a statement on X, Ulster Unionist leader Mike Nesbitt said: 'Sorry to hear of the passing of Sir Kenneth Bloomfield. 'A great intellect, public servant and one of our finest. 'Among many other things he paved the way for the setting up of the Commission for Victims and Survivors where I served before politics.' Belfast Lord Lieutenant Dame Fionnuala Jay-O'Boyle wrote: 'HM Lord Lieutenant has learnt with sadness of the death of Sir Kenneth Bloomfield KCB, distinguished public servant and former head of the Northern Ireland Civil Service. 'Ken brought dignity, gravitas and humanity to public life. 'To his wife Elizabeth, daughter and son, my sincere condolences. FJOB.' A post from the Belfast office of the US consulate said: 'We offer our condolences to the family of Sir Kenneth Bloomfield KCB, a distinguished public servant who dedicated his life to others, including those injured and bereaved during NI's troubled past.' Sir Nigel Hamilton, another former head of the NI Civil Service told the BBC he would remember Sir Kenneth as the 'most important, the pre-eminent public servant of his time and of his generation'. He added: 'From the 1960s right up to 1991 he was the leader, he was the public servant extraordinaire.'
