Assembly recalled for Queen Mother

NI first minister paid tribute to the Queen Mother

Tributes have been paid to the Queen Mother at the Northern Ireland Assembly, which was recalled as a mark of respect.

The speaker, Lord Alderdice, opened the session and called for a minute's silence in memory of the Queen Mother, who died at the weekend.

Tributes were then paid by the First and Deputy First Ministers, Ulster Unionist leader David Trimble and Mark Durkan who leads the nationalist SDLP.

She carried out her role with dedication, commitment and great dignity

Mark Durkan
SDLP leader

Ian Paisley spoke on behalf of the Democratic Unionist Party.

Representatives of several other smaller parties also paid tribute to the Queen Mother. However, Sinn Fein members were not present in the Assembly chamber.

Mr Trimble said the pallbearers of the Queen Mother's coffin would be drawn from the Irish Guards.

"Amongst the dozen members of the bearer party will be the grandson of our member, Sir John Gorman, who I am delighted to see with us here again today," he said.

"It marks the very close association that there has been between Her Majesty and the Irish Guards - an association that dates back to 1928."

Mr Durkan said: "The Queen Mother was clearly a remarkable woman of great character and sense of duty.

"She carried out her role with dedication, commitment and great dignity."

However, Mr Paisley said he regretted the SDLP had not been represented in the House of Commons, which sat as a mark of respect on Wednesday.

"I think that that was regrettable, but I am glad that they are here in this house today."

Mr Paisley said the Queen Mother was "the lady of the century".

On Wednesday, Northern Ireland's MPs paid tribute to the Queen Mother during a special session of the House of Commons.

The Commons began with a minute's silence before Prime Minister Tony Blair led the tributes.

Lord Mayor Jim Rodgers was first to sign at city hall

Northern Ireland First Minister David Trimble spoke of the Queen Mother's character, sense of humour and extraordinary grace, while DUP leader Ian Paisley praised her life of service.

People across the province have been paying their respects to the Queen Mother with the opening of new books of condolence.

Books have been opened at Belfast City Hall and at Londonderry's Guildhall, Craigavon Civic Centre and Hillsborough Castle, County Down.

Windsor

A book has already been opened at St Columb's Church of Ireland Cathedral in Londonderry.

Northern Ireland Secretary John Reid gave a special address at Hillsborough Castle on Wednesday.

He said it was a sad and solemn occasion.

"But it is also one in which we express our gratitude to the life of the Queen Mother," said Dr Reid.

John Reid: Queen Mother had "special fondness" for province

On Tuesday, the Queen Mother's coffin arrived at St James's Palace in London after it was escorted from Windsor.

A crowd of more than 1,000 onlookers stood by as six pall bearers carried it into the Queen's Chapel at the palace.

The Queen Mother's coffin will remain at the chapel until Friday, when a ceremonial procession involving 1,700 servicemen and women will see it taken the mile to Westminster Hall, where it will lie in state.

'Tenacity'

On Monday, the Queen Mother was remembered with a 41-gun salute fired from Hillsborough Castle - the Royal Family's official residence when they visit Northern Ireland.

A gun was fired once every minute from noon in memory of the Queen Mother, who died peacefully in her sleep on Saturday.

The Queen Mother paid 14 visits to Northern Ireland between 1924 and her death.

Her last was on June 29, 1990 when she visited the Black Watch - one of the Army regiments she had close associations with - at Ballykinlar before attending a garden party at Hillsborough Castle, County Down.