{"id":663064,"date":"2025-12-30T19:04:40","date_gmt":"2025-12-30T19:04:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/663064\/"},"modified":"2025-12-30T19:04:40","modified_gmt":"2025-12-30T19:04:40","slug":"the-notable-ni-figures-who-passed-away-in-2025","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/663064\/","title":{"rendered":"The notable NI figures who passed away in 2025"},"content":{"rendered":"

Thelma Hopkins – died January 10, aged 88 \"Thelma<\/p>\n

Thelma Hopkins.<\/p>\n

Thelma Hopkins, who died in January, was a 1956 Olympic high jump silver medallist. She also won Empire Games gold for Northern Ireland and held the world record in her sport.<\/p>\n

Hopkins broke the high jump world record on May 5, 1956 when leaping 1.74m at the Cherryvale Playing Fields in Belfast and six months later, aged 20, she took Olympic Games silver in Melbourne as part of the Great Britain team.<\/p>\n

Hopkins also played international hockey for Ireland, earning 40 caps, and represented the country in squash. Her Northern Ireland long jump record of 6.11m set in 1956 was only bettered in 2013.<\/p>\n

Michael Futter \u2013 died January 14, aged 79\"Bangor<\/p>\n

Bangor businessman Michael Futter.<\/p>\n

Gambling legend and Belfast-based businessman, Mike Futter was known for one of the most memorable Irish wins at the Grand National in Aintree.<\/p>\n

He was behind a betting coup that is considered the most daring in the race\u2019s history, pocketing around \u00a3800,000 when Monty\u2019s Pass – a horse he owned along with a syndicate from Donaghadee – took the 2003 title.<\/p>\n

In the business world, where he was a memorable and larger than life figure – the Blackpool-born Bangor resident also forged a reputation as the \u2018bingo king\u2019 of Ireland, having been founder of the Planet Bingo chain and also owner of a series of entertainment premises.<\/p>\n

Michael Longley – died January 22, aged 85\"Michael<\/p>\n

Michael Longley.<\/p>\n

The acclaimed Belfast poet received many prestigious awards for his work throughout an illustrious career, including the T.S. Eliot Prize, the Feltrinelli International Prize and the Whitbread Poetry Prize.<\/p>\n

He published his first collection of poetry, No Continuing City, when he was 30.<\/p>\n

Living in Belfast as the Troubles raged, Longley was initially reluctant to write about the conflict, but in 1994 wrote arguably his most famous poem, Ceasefire. It depicted sectarian violence experienced by many in Northern Ireland during the 1970s and \u201880s and was inspired by a declaration of an IRA ceasefire in the mid \u201890s.<\/p>\n

Brendan \u2018Bik\u2019 McFarlane – died February 21, aged 74\"<\/p>\n

Brendan ‘Bik’ McFarlane<\/p>\n

McFarlane was the leader of IRA prisoners in the Maze during the 1981 hunger strike, where he was serving five life sentences for murder having been jailed in 1976 for his part in a gun and bomb attack on Bayardo Bar in Belfast in which five people were killed.<\/p>\n

He went on to lead a mass escape of 38 inmates from the prison near Lisburn in 1983.<\/p>\n

He had trained as a priest initially, but joined the IRA in 1969 and in recent years was a familiar figure on the Irish traditional music scene.<\/p>\n

Monsignor Raymond Murray – died February 25, aged 87\"Monsignor<\/p>\n

Monsignor Raymond Murray.<\/p>\n

His ministry included serving for many years in St Patrick\u2019s Cathedral Parish, Armagh, as well as serving as parish priest in Moneymore and Cookstown.<\/p>\n

Born in 1938 in Newtownhamilton, Monsignor Murray was well known throughout the Troubles for his work in promoting peace, justice and reconciliation.<\/p>\n

He was also a noted historian and Irish language scholar and, along with the late Fr Denis Faul and Fr Brian Brady, was one of the founders of the Association for Legal Justice which documented state abuses including torture, internment and the use of lethal force.<\/p>\n

Blair Wallace – died February 26, aged 87\"Blair<\/p>\n

Blair Wallace<\/p>\n

Carrickfergus-born Blair Wallace was known as one of the last \u201cbig beasts\u201d of the RUC and was revered across the UK as one of the finest officers to have served in the force.<\/p>\n

He had been present when the first RUC officer killed in the Troubles, Victor Arbuckle, was shot during street disturbances on the Shankill Road in Belfast in October 1969.<\/p>\n

He went on to serve throughout the Troubles during a 43-year career in policing.<\/p>\n

Ronald Appleton KC – died April 6, aged 97\"Ronald<\/p>\n

Ronald Appleton KC<\/p>\n

A graduate of Queen\u2019s University Belfast, Mr Appleton was the son of Jewish immigrants and went on to become a QC before taking on the role of Northern Ireland\u2019s most senior prosecution lawyer.<\/p>\n

During the Troubles he presided over some of our most high-profile cases, including the 1979 trial which saw the Shankill Butchers convicted of more than 19 murders.<\/p>\n

He was also a prosecutor in the 1989 trial of loyalist killer Michael Stone.<\/p>\n

Clodagh Rodgers – died April 18, aged 78\"Clodagh<\/p>\n

Clodagh Rodgers.<\/p>\n

Singer Clodagh Rodgers represented the United Kingdom in the Eurovision Song Contest in 1971.<\/p>\n

Rodgers, from Warrenpoint, Co Down, came fourth with the song Jack In The Box after being chosen to represent the UK at the contest being held in Dublin, during the Troubles.<\/p>\n

The single also reached number 4 in the UK charts, but as a Catholic female from Northern Ireland, she received death threats from the IRA who regarded her as a traitor as a result of her appearing for the UK<\/p>\n

Rodgers also became the face of Bisto gravy in a series of television adverts and was a regular on TV variety shows.<\/p>\n

Peter McParland – died May 4, aged 91\"Peter<\/p>\n

Peter McParland.<\/p>\n

Newry-born Peter McParland began his football career with Dundalk before he was signed by Aston Villa in 1952, spending close to 10 years with the club.<\/p>\n

The forward, who won 34 caps, holds the record for most goals scored for his country in World Cup finals, with five at the 1958 tournament as they reached the quarter-finals.<\/p>\n

McParland scored twice for Aston Villa in a 2-1 victory against Manchester United in the 1957 FA Cup final and helped them to the Second Division title in 1959-60.<\/p>\n

The following year, he scored the extra-time winner against Rotherham United in the inaugural League Cup final.<\/p>\n

Andy Tyrie – died May 16, aged 85\"Andy<\/p>\n

Andy Tyrie<\/p>\n

Andy Tyrie was one of the most prominent loyalist figures from the early years of the UDA, leading the terror group from 1973 until 1988, when an attempt on his life led to him quitting.<\/p>\n

His tinted glasses and thick moustache made him a recognisable figure during the 1970s and 1980s and although not convicted of any paramilitary activity, under his leadership the UDA was widely involved in terrorism.<\/p>\n

He later supported the Good Friday Agreement having encouraged the organisation to embrace politics through the establishment of the New Ulster Political Research Group (NUPRG).<\/p>\n

Barry McIlheney – died May 26, aged 65\"Barry<\/p>\n

Barry McIlheney<\/p>\n

Belfast-born Barry McIlheney was a journalist, publisher, broadcaster and one-time vocalist for Northern Irish post-punk band Shock Treatment.<\/p>\n

He was editor of Empire magazine, which became one of the biggest movie magazines in the world.<\/p>\n

He also worked for music mag Melody Maker, which paved the way for his appointment as editor of the wildly popular Smash Hits in 1986. From there, Mr McIlheney would go on to become the founding editor of Empire in 1989, enjoying a three-year reign at the helm.<\/p>\n

Sir Kenneth Bloomfield – died May 31, aged 94\"Former<\/p>\n

Former head of the Northern Ireland Civil Service, Sir Kenneth Bloomfield.<\/p>\n

Sir Kenneth Bloomfield was one of the most distinguished civil servants in Northern Ireland\u2019s history.<\/p>\n

During the 30 years of the Troubles he was a key figure behind-the-scenes, trying to ensure public services ran as normally as possible.<\/p>\n

He entered the Northern Ireland Civil Service in 1952 and survived an IRA bomb attack at his family home in Crawfordsburn in 1988.<\/p>\n

He was also senator at Queen\u2019s University, the inaugural victims\u2019 commissioner and co-commissioner of the Independent Commission for the Location of Victims\u2019 Remains.<\/p>\n

Sean Neeson – died June 14, aged 79\"Sean<\/p>\n

Sean Neeson<\/p>\n

Mr Neeson served as leader of the Alliance party in Northern Ireland from 1998 to 2001.<\/p>\n

An Assembly member for East Antrim, he had served at Stormont for more than 10 years and was active in politics for decades, becoming a popular figure around his home town of Carrickfergus, having been first elected to the then-Carrickfergus Borough Council in 1977, later serving as Mayor.<\/p>\n

A former teacher, he was Deputy Speaker of the Assembly from 1982 to 1986.<\/p>\n

Robin Masefield – died June 20, aged 73\"Robin<\/p>\n

Robin Masefield<\/p>\n

Mr Masefield served as Director General of the NI Prison Service for six years from 2004 to 2010, and previously headed the Government\u2019s team that implemented the recommendations of the Patten Commission on Policing.<\/p>\n

He was the first graduate recruited into the newly established Northern Ireland Office in 1973, from where his strong connection to the island of Ireland began, and had been instrumental in the establishment of the Parades Commission.<\/p>\n

Mr Masefield is remembered for his contributions to public service, for which he was appointed CBE in 2003, and his work in support of the peace process.<\/p>\n

Tommy Gallagher – died July 17, aged 82\"Tommy<\/p>\n

Tommy Gallagher<\/p>\n

A prominent figure in the early years of the Assembly, Tommy Gallagher played a significant role in the SDLP\u2019s negotiating team in the lead-up to the Good Friday Agreement in 1998.<\/p>\n

Born in Ballyshannon, Co Donegal, he was a teacher for almost 30 years at St Mary\u2019s High School, Brollagh, near Enniskillen, and entered politics in the early 1970s, becoming a founding member of the SDLP.<\/p>\n

He was first elected as a councillor in 1989 and went on to represent Fermanagh and South Tyrone in the Assembly between 1998 until his retirement in 2011.<\/p>\n

\"Beth<\/p>\n

Beth Adger MBE, Sir Kenneth Bloomfield and Rev Martin Smyth<\/p>\n

Famous faces we lost in 2025<\/p>\n

Maeve Kyle – died July 23, aged 96\"Irish<\/p>\n

Irish athlete Maeve Kyle, UK, 16th July 1971. (Photo by Burnett\/Daily Express\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n

Maeve Kyle became Ireland\u2019s first female track and field Olympian at the 1956 summer games in Melbourne.<\/p>\n

She played hockey for Ireland before forging a successful international athletics career after meeting Ballymena man Sean Kyle in 1953.<\/p>\n

The athlete gave birth to daughter Shauna in 1954 and her Olympic selection led a letter writer to the Irish Times branding her a \u201cdisgrace to Irish motherhood and the Irish nation\u201d. But the 28-year-old went on to run in the 100m and 200m at the Melbourne Games.<\/p>\n

Kyle went on to compete at further Olympic Games in Rome and Tokyo.<\/p>\n

Rev Martin Smyth – died August 22, aged 94\"Rev<\/p>\n

Rev Martin Smyth<\/p>\n

The Grand Master of the Orange Order between 1972 and 1998, Rev Martin Smyth is best remembered for his role as the Ulster Unionist MP for South Belfast.<\/p>\n

A Presbyterian minister, he resigned his ministry and was elected to Parliament in the 1982 by-election following the assassination of the Rev Robert Bradford MP by the IRA.<\/p>\n

He was an unsuccessful candidate for the UUP leadership in 1995 after the resignation of Lord Molyneaux, finishing fourth as David Trimble was elected party leader.<\/p>\n

Dougie Knight – died September 10, aged 92\"Dougie<\/p>\n

Dougie Knight<\/p>\n

Legendary Belfast record shop owner Dougie Knight, hailed as the cornerstone of blues and jazz music in Northern Ireland, was a mentor of Van Morrison in his youth.<\/p>\n

Mr Knight had one of Belfast\u2019s most eclectic record shops in Botanic Avenue, which was a destination address for serious collectors of jazz and blues music from all over Ireland.<\/p>\n

Music stars like Jools Holland, Sir James Galway, Rory Gallagher and U2\u2019s Bono were regular visitors.<\/p>\n

Martin Mansergh – died September 26, aged 78\"A<\/p>\n

A photo on the order of service after the funeral mass for Dr Martin Mansergh.<\/p>\n

As one of the most influential architects of the Northern Ireland peace process, Martin Mansergh was an unexpected figure. Resembling a rumpled academic and speaking with an English accent, he coordinated the Irish government\u2019s engagement with the IRA for several decades.<\/p>\n

Mansergh was educated at a British boarding school and Oxford University yet helped shape the Irish republican dimensions of the agreement. In 1988, he was political adviser to the then taoiseach, Charles Haughey, who tasked him with opening up a secret channel of communication.<\/p>\n

Ian Milne – died September 28, aged 64\"Ian<\/p>\n

Ian Milne<\/p>\n

Highly respected Portadown undertaker Ian Milne made a big contribution to peace-making in Northern Ireland. This included being a negotiator during the Drumcree crisis when he ferried messages between disputing sides and came \u2018agonisingly close\u2019 to an agreement. It led to him featuring in a portrait as part of Stormont\u2019s quiet peacemaker exhibit in 2014.<\/p>\n

Having joined the RUC in the late 1970s he went on to work as an auctioneer, estate agent and prison officer, before spending the last 25 years running his funeral directors business with offices in Portadown, Banbridge and Lurgan where he became one of the most respected in the business.<\/p>\n

Iam McFaul – died October 4, aged 82\"<\/p>\n

Former Newcastle United ‘keeper and manager Iam McFaul.<\/p>\n

Born in Coleraine, goalkeeper William \u2018Iam\u2019 McFaul won six full caps for Northern Ireland and he was also the national team goalkeeping coach between 1994 and 1997.<\/p>\n

McFaul began at Coleraine, joining as a 12-year-old, playing a handful of games for the Bannsiders in the early 1960s before signing for Linfield in the 1963-64 season and was signed by Newcastle United for \u00a38,000 in November 1966 where he would play 387 games before retiring in 1975.<\/p>\n

He was a key part of the Newcastle side that lifted the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup in 1969 and went on to manage the St James\u2019 Park club from 1985-88.<\/p>\n

Alan McQuillan – died October 6, aged 70\"Alan<\/p>\n

Alan McQuillan.<\/p>\n

Mr McQuillan spent most of his policing career with the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) and previously served as an assistant chief constable, before leaving the PSNI in 2003 after a career spanning almost 30 years, mostly operating within the major crimes unit.<\/p>\n

He had served as the director of the Assets Recovery Agency, which investigated organised crime and paramilitaries across Northern Ireland and farther afield.<\/p>\n

Following his retirement from the police he became a familiar voice as a commentator on policing matters.<\/p>\n

Ed Moloney – died October 17, aged 77\"Ed<\/p>\n

Ed Moloney<\/p>\n

Journalist and author Ed Moloney was known for his reporting on the Troubles and research into the Provisional IRA.<\/p>\n

His 2002 book, A Secret History of the IRA, went on to become a bestseller and he also co-wrote an unauthorised biography of unionist leader Ian Paisley, published in 1986, before he authored a new edition in 2008 under the title Paisley: From Demagogue to Democrat?<\/p>\n

More recently he was the director of Boston College\u2019s controversial Belfast Project, known as the Boston tapes, which collected interviews with former republican and loyalist paramilitaries with the aim of creating an oral history of the Troubles.<\/p>\n

Rev Martin McNeely – died November 22, aged 55\"Rev<\/p>\n

Rev Dr Martin McNeely<\/p>\n

Rev Dr Martin McNeely had been minister at Ballykeel Presbyterian Church, before moving on to a new ministry in Fahan, Co Donegal, in January last year.<\/p>\n

During his 16 years in Ballymena, Rev McNeely (55) immersed himself in the community, where he played a major role in addressing social issues, particularly calling for greater measures to address mental health issues and to tackle the high suicide rate in the area.<\/p>\n

He had also served as a director of Ballykeel Business Centre.<\/p>\n

Simon Dougan \u2013 died December 12, aged 54\"Simon<\/p>\n

Simon Dougan.<\/p>\n

The prominent chef was described as a \u2018pillar of culinary excellence\u2019 after his death in December.<\/p>\n

Mr Dougan, co-founder of catering firm Yellow Door, died peacefully, three months after revealing his diagnosis of pancreatic cancer.<\/p>\n

Mr Dougan had spoken to the Belfast Telegraph in September to raise awareness of the disease.<\/p>\n

He co-founded Yellow Door more than 30 years ago, catering for weddings and functions as well as high-profile events including gatherings at Hillsborough Castle.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Thelma Hopkins – died January 10, aged 88 Thelma Hopkins. Thelma Hopkins, who died in January, was a…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":663065,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[5011],"tags":[17698,1144,16,15],"class_list":["post-663064","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-northern-ireland","tag-mark-bain","tag-northern-ireland","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/115810080005819608","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/663064","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=663064"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/663064\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/663065"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=663064"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=663064"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=663064"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}