Blunt, brave, irreverent and unique

There was a great deal of heartfelt sadness at the announcement of the death yesterday of the former Secretary for Northern Ireland, Marjorie “Mo” Mowlam.

She came to this island in 1997 with a determination to make a difference, which she did with stout determination. She had a more beneficial impact on events than any of her predecessors and she had an appeal that crossed the community divide. She quickly impressed nationalists as a person who really cared and was genuinely determined to redress the imbalances suffered by the minority community.

Ms Mowlam was brutally blunt but not in an offensive way, because she was able to take the sting out of her frankness with a wicked sense of humour. On visiting John Hume's weekend home she brought him a year's supply of toilet rolls as a present, much to his perplexity. She was as irreverent as she was unconventional. There was nothing stuffy about her, unlike so many Northern Secretaries.