First republican mayor of Limavady; Maskey's term ends on high

Sinn Fein councillor Ann Brolly became the first republican to be
elected as Mayor of Limavady Borough Council.

Brolly received nine votes, with five unionist voting against her and
one abstaining during the Council meeting on Monday night 2 June.

Ulster Unionist councillor Jack Rankin was voted in as deputy mayor.

Brolly said she will be working for all the people of Limavady.

"I am prepared to work with all parties on the council for the
betterment of the people in the council area. I will fight to bring
employment and economic regeneration to Limavady, and I am prepared to
work alongside everyone who has the development of Limavady Council
area at heart".

Meanwhile SDLP councillor Martin Morgan has been elected Mayor of
Belfast after being voted in with the combined votes of Sinn Fein, SDLP
and Alliance.

Unionists immediately accused him of alienating the Protestant
community after he signalled he would not be removing the National
flag, placed in the Mayor's parlour by Sinn Fein's Alex Maskey, during
his term of office.

Morgan said in the coming days he would be producing a manifesto
setting out his goals for his term in office.

Despite praise for the outgoing Mayor Alex Maskey from other parties,
the DUP's Sammy Wilson described the Sinn Fein's year in office as
"annus horribillis" for the unionist community.

Attending a special mass, to honour Belfast's republican dead at
Clonard Monastery, was the last official engagement for
Alex Maskey as Mayor.

The mass organised by the National Graves Association was held at
Clonard Monastery on Sunday night 1 June and up to 1,000 relatives of
the families of the men and women who died in the struggle over the
last 35 years attended.

Speaking after the mass Alex Maskey said that attending the mass
was, "in keeping with my term of office.

"During the last year I recognised the British war dead and now in
Clonard I am recognising the Irish war dead; those from the republican
community who fought for freedom and lost their lives".

The mass itself was concelebrated by Frs Des Wilson, Raymond Murray
and Gerry Reynolds a Redemptorist priest from Clonard.
During the mass Fr Des Wilson, in his homily, honoured the republican
dead.

Liam Shannon of the National Graves Association described the mass as
a, "phenomenal success. The National Graves Association are delighted
with the response of the families as the mass was first and foremost a
tribute to those republicans who died in the course of the war and to
recognise their sacrifices and those of their families".