This blog post was published under the 2010 to 2015 Conservative and Liberal Democrat coalition government

Dominic Meiklejohn

Part of UK in USA [New York]

11th April 2011 New York, USA

A Community United on Both Sides of the Atlantic

Saturday 9 April was pretty ordinary for me and my family.  We enjoyed the spring flowers during a walk in Central Park.  My daughter found new ways to get mud on herself.

For Nuala Kerr, it was far from ordinary.   She was looking forward to enjoying the next day, mothering Sunday, with her family.  Nuala lives in Omagh, Northern Ireland.  On Saturday, Ronan, one of her sons, died as a result of injuries sustained by a car bomb.  Ronan was targeted because he was a Catholic member of the Police Service of Northern Ireland.  Northern Ireland Secretary Owen Paterson described the Omagh car-bombing as “a revolting and cowardly act perpetrated by individuals intent on defying the wishes of the people.” 

In a joint press conference, First Minister Peter Robinson said that the attack had "strengthened institutions, united our community and brought politicians closer together" and added that “when you see, not just the statement from the Gaelic Athletic Association, the minute’s silence at their game, but also the respect in which that minute’s silence was held, it indicates we have support right across the community.  Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness said that the dissidents are waging “a useless war against peace” and said that many young nationalists and republicans had joined the police and he was "as proud of them as Nuala Kerr was of Ronan".

Nuala has been an inspiration with her bravery and dignity.  She has urged Catholics not to be deterred from joining the police: “We all need to stand up and be counted and to strive for equality. We don’t want to go back into the dark days of fear and terror. We were so proud of Ronan and all that he stood for. Don’t let his death be in vain.”

We received many messages from our Irish American friends in New York.  All of them were horrified at the attack and at the family’s loss.  We’re grateful for their thoughts and for their support.

When we talk about Northern Ireland now, we speak of peace, progress and economic opportunity.

Earlier this year saw the Northern Ireland Assembly at Stormont completed its first full term.  Last year, policing and criminal justice issues were handed over from Westminster to Stormont.  The attack on PC Kerr and subsequent incidents are attacks on the devolved administration in Belfast.   Northern Ireland is a great place to live and do business and we are working with others to bring investment to Northern Ireland.  We will continue to do so.   

Our thoughts are with Nuala, her family and Ronan Kerr’s friends and colleagues in the PSNI. 

About Dominic Meiklejohn

I was born in Woking, outside London, in 1967 and attended Merton College, Oxford University, graduating in Politics, Philosophy and Economics. After university, I worked for HM Customs and Excise…

I was born in Woking, outside London, in 1967 and attended Merton College, Oxford University, graduating in Politics, Philosophy and Economics.

After university, I worked for HM Customs and Excise before joining the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in 1990. After working for the European Community Department, I learned Polish and began a posting at the British Embassy Warsaw, where I headed the British Know How Fund for Poland (1993-96). In 1997, I worked for the OSCE Mission in Albania, before heading up the India team in the South Asian Department of the FCO. In 2000, I was posted as First Secretary to the British Embassy Warsaw, with a particular focus on European Union issues in the run-up to Poland’s accession to the EU. In 2003, I returned to the UK as Deputy Head of the Environment Policy Department. From 2004-2005, I led the FCO’s Knowledge Management Programme. During this period, I led two deployments of the FCO’s Consular Rapid Deployment Team– to Sri Lanka, after the tsunami in 2004 and to Pakistan, after the earthquake in 2005. From 2006-2007, I served as Deputy Consul-General, Basra, Iraq. From June 2007 I worked with the FCO’s Change Unit.

I took up my current appointment on 22 January 2008. My wife Joanne and I are the proud parents of Olivia. Outside of the office, I cycle around Manhattan, play soccer (football) and, when parenting duties allow, enjoy the cultural riches offered by New York. I try hard to understand baseball.

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ireland new northern terrorism trans-atlantic york