Former Northern Ireland deputy first minister Seamus Mallon passes away
Former Northern Ireland deputy first minister, SDLP deputy leader and civil rights campaigner Seamus Mallon has died.
Mr Mallon passed away in his home county of Armagh this afternoon following illness. He was 83-years-old.
He was one of the major forces behind the signing of the Good Friday Agreement and went on to serve as deputy first minister of Northern Ireland from 1998 to 2001.
Born in Markethill, County Armagh, Mr Mallon first came to prominence in the civil rights movement in Northern Ireland in the 1960s and remained a strong support for SDLP leader John Hume for the next four decades serving as deputy leader of that party from 1979 to 2001.
