A MEMORIAL service for the late Lord Bannside (the Revd Dr Ian
Paisley) was held at the Ulster Hall, Belfast, on Sunday. It was
attended by more than 1000 invited guests, including politicians,
Free Presbyterian clergy, and members of the denomination he
founded.
Not present, however, were some former allies. The Deputy First
Minister, Martin McGuinness, was there, along with the former
Taoiseach, Bertie Ahern, and the Secretary of State for Northern
Ireland, Theresa Villiers; but the DUP MPs Nigel Dodds, Sammy
Wilson, and Jeffrey Donaldson were missing.
The service was Evangelical in tone, emphasising Lord Bannside's
qualities as family man and devoted husband. Baroness Paisley told
the congregation that her husband had died in the presence of his
family. "He slipped . . . into the presence of the Good Shepherd in
whom he had put his trust as a little boy, and who had accompanied
him through life and eventually through the valley of the shadow
into his own dear presence," she said.
Lord Bannside was buried at Ballygowan, Co. Down, after a
private funeral service last month.