Park to be named after Mo Mowlam

A children’s park built in the Stormont Estate at the suggestion of Mo Mowlam is to be named in her memory, it was revealed today.

The news came as a celebration of the life of the former Northern Ireland Secretary was held at Hillsborough Castle in Co Down – the place where she liked to throw weekend house parties.

Some 200 guests were invited to the celebration, hosted by current Ulster Secretary Peter Hain, and attended by Mo’s husband Jon Norton and family.

Mr Hain, Armed Forces Minister Adam Ingram – Security Minister in Belfast during the Mowlam tenure – Baroness Blood and Mr Norton all spoke during the evening to pay tribute to the contribution she made in advancing the peace process.

Video messages from British Prime Minister Tony Blair, Taoiseach Bertie Ahern, Hillary Clinton and Rory Bremner were also broadcast to the gathering.

Mr Hain said he had been privileged to know Mo Mowlam, both as a colleague and friend.

“She was a courageous politician who was driven by an innate determination to fight injustice.”

He added: “She was also unique. No politician, no Cabinet Minister was, or will ever be, quite like her – a real people’s politician.”

Ms Mowlam, he said, had made a huge contribution to the political process in Northern Ireland, and among her many achievements was the crucial role she played in the signing of the Good Friday Agreement in 1998.

“During her time as Secretary of State, Mo Mowlam played a key role in making Northern Ireland a better place to live,” he added.

Her ability to break down barriers with her informal manner and warm personality, and her gift of making people feel at ease, endeared her to so many, he said. She would never be forgotten.

Ms Mowlam, who died in August, was Northern Ireland Secretary for two and a half years.

The gathering included many people she met during her term, including politicians, journalists and workers from the voluntary and education sectors.