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2 days ago
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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.
ITV News
3 days ago
- Politics
- ITV News
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.'
Yahoo
3 days ago
- General
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A distinguished civil servant who wanted to show leadership
Sir Kenneth Bloomfield was one of the most distinguished civil servants in Northern Ireland's history. During 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 possible. His death was announced on Saturday. He was 94. Sir Kenneth was born in Belfast on 15 April 1931 and he was educated at Royal Belfast Academical Institution (RBAI) and Oxford University. He entered the Northern Ireland Civil Service in 1952. Four years later, he was appointed private secretary to the then Stormont finance minister Capt Terence O'Neill. He rose through the ranks of the civil service and in January 1974 he was given a key role working with the new power-sharing executive, led by Ulster Unionist Party leader Brian Faulkner. Unionist 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. 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 bombing. Sir 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 1974. He 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 return. In the interim, violence raged in the political vacuum. An 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 protests. For civil servants trying to keep public services going, the challenges were huge. After Sir Kenneth stepped down from his job as head of the Northern Ireland Civil Service in 1991, he took on a wide range of public and private sector roles, including Northern Ireland national governor of the BBC and vice-chair of the National Museum and Galleries. He was also senator at Queen's University Belfast, the inaugural victims' commissioner and co-commissioner of the Independent Commission for the Location of Victims' Remains. He also worked outside of Northern Ireland, consulting on issues in Jersey, Israel, Austria, Bangladesh and the Netherlands. He received honorary doctorates from Queen's University Belfast, Ulster University and the Open University. Sir Kenneth also wrote a number of books. In 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 present. He wrote a book called A Tragedy of Errors: The Government and Misgovernment of Northern Ireland. When it came to Stormont politics, he was an eyewitness to history, and played his part, in good times and in bad.
Powys County Times
3 days ago
- Politics
- Powys County Times
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. 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.' Sorry to hear of the passing of Sir Kenneth Bloomfield. A great intellect, public servant and one of our finest. Among many others things he paved the way for the setting up of the Commission for Victims & Survivors where I served before politics. internal-gallery:%7C19 — Mike Nesbitt (@mikenesbittni) May 31, 2025 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.' 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. — BelfastLieutenancy (@BLieutenancy) May 31, 2025 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.' 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. — US Consulate Belfast (@USAinNI) May 31, 2025 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'.
BBC News
3 days 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.
