A lecture will take place next month on the late Seamus Mallon, one of Northern Ireland’s most important political figures.
Seamus, who was born in Markethill, served as Deputy First Minister of Northern Ireland from 1998-2001 and was Member of Parliament for Newry and Armagh for almost 20 years.
He was also deputy leader of the Social Democratic and Labour party (SDLP) for 22 years and one of the architects of the Northern Ireland peace process.
Seamus, who died in January 2020, aged 83, was educated at the Abbey Christian Brothers Grammar School in Newry and then at St Patrick’s Grammar School in Armagh, and went on to become a teacher.
The lecture, ‘The Seamus Mallon I Knew’, will take place at 2pm on Thursday, April 6 at Newry and Mourne Museum, and coincides with the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement.
It will be delivered by Andy Pollak, the co-author of Seamus’ memoir, ‘A Shared Home Place’.
Artefacts belonging to Seamus Mallon will be on display at the museum
Andy is the founding director of the Centre for Cross Border Studies in Armagh. Previous to that, he was Belfast reporter, religious affairs and education correspondent with The Irish Times and editor of Fortnight Magazine.
Andy will reflect on his time getting to know Seamus during the 20 months they spent co-writing his memoir.
He will share how he initially felt intimidated by Seamus but by the end of the writing process Seamus became a warm friend to him and his family.
Newry, Mourne and Down District Council chairperson, Councillor Michael Savage said: “This is the second in a series of talks hosted by Newry and Mourne Museum, that showcases and provides insights into the significant figures from our local area who have contributed immensely across various genres including art, business and politics.
“The talk will highlight the big role Seamus played in shaping our society today, not just locally but globally. It will be delivered by a another well respected local person in their own field and someone who knew Seamus on a personal level. This is an afternoon not to be missed.”
Following the talk, members of the audience will have an opportunity to ask questions and will be able to browse the display, ‘Seamus Mallon: The Man and the Politician’, which is based on several artefacts that were donated to the museum by Mr Mallon’s family in February 2022. This can be seen in Gallery 3.
The talk will begin at 2pm and admission is free of charge. To book a place in the audience and for more information, contact declan.Carroll@nmandd.org.
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