Brian Faulkner
Encyclopedia
Arthur Brian Deane Faulkner, Baron Faulkner of Downpatrick, PC (18 February 1921 – 3 March 1977) was the sixth and last Prime Minister of Northern Ireland
from March 1971 until his resignation in March 1972. He was also the Chief Executive of the short-lived Northern Ireland Executive
during the first half of 1974.
, County Down
, the elder of two sons of James and Lilian Faulkner. His younger brother was Col. Sir Dennis Faulkner CBE. James Faulkner owned the Belfast Collar Company which traded under the name Faulat. At that time, Faulat was the largest single purpose shirt manufacturer in the world, employing some 3,000 people. He was educated initially in County Armagh
, Northern Ireland
, but at 14 was sent to the Church of Ireland
St Columba's College
at Rathfarnham
in Dublin, although Faulkner was Presbyterian. Faulkner chose St. Columba's, preferring to stay in Ireland, rather than go to school in England; whilst there his best friend was Michael Yeats
, son of W.B. Yeats. He was the first Prime Minister of Northern Ireland to have been educated on the island of Ireland
.
Faulkner entered the Queen's University of Belfast
in 1939 to study law, but, with the advent of war
, he quit his studies to work full-time in the family shirt-making business.
as Ulster Unionist Party
Member of Parliament (MP) for the constituency of East Down
in 1949. His vociferous traditional Unionist approach to politics ensured him a prominent backbench position. He was, at the time, the youngest ever MP
in the Northern Irish Parliament. He was also the first Chairman of the Ulster Young Unionist Council in 1949.
In 1956 Faulkner was offered and accepted the job of Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Finance, or Government Chief Whip.
Unionism.
When Terence O'Neill
became Prime Minister in 1963 he offered Faulkner, his chief rival for the job, the post of Minister of Commerce. Faulkner accepted and, until his acrimonious resignation in 1969, revelled and was extremely successful (from his point of view, but was congratulated by others, including the Nationalist
opposition for his energetic and sustained approach) in this high profile role.
His resignation over the technicalities of how and when to bring in the local government reforms which the British Labour
Government was pushing for was probably the final nail in the political coffin of Terence O'Neill
, who resigned in the aftermath of his failure to achieve a good enough result in the Northern Ireland general election, 1969
.
In the ensuing leadership contest, Faulkner was again denied the prize when O'Neill gave his casting vote to his cousin, James Chichester-Clark
. In 1970, Faulkner became the Father of the House
.
Faulkner came back into government as Minister of Development under Chichester-Clark and in a sharp turn-around, began the implementation of the political reforms that were the main cause of his resignation from O'Neill's cabinet.
Chichester-Clark himself resigned in 1971; the political and security situation and the more intensive British interest proved too much for this mild-mannered man.
, a former Northern Ireland Labour Party
(NILP) MP, a position in his cabinet as Minister of Community Relations. In June 1971, he proposed three new powerful committees at Stormont which would give the Opposition salaried chairmanships of two of them.
of two Nationalist youths in Derry
caused the Social Democratic and Labour Party
, the main Opposition, to boycott the Stormont parliament. The political climate deteriorated further when in answer to a worsening security situation, Faulkner introduced internment
on 9 August 1971. This alone was a disaster; instead of lessening the violence, it caused the situation to worsen.
Despite this, Faulkner continued his radical (for the time) approach to Northern Ireland
politics and, following Bleakley's resignation in September 1971 over the internment issue, appointed Dr. G.B. Newe
, a prominent lay Catholic as Minister of State in the Cabinet Office. Faulkner's administration staggered on through the rest of 1971, insisting that security was the paramount issue.
In January 1972, an incident occurred during a Northern Ireland Civil Rights Association
march in Derry
, during which British paratroopers shot and killed thirteen unarmed civilians. A fourteenth civilian was to die later. What history has come to know as Bloody Sunday was, in essence, the finish of Faulkner's government. In March 1972, Faulkner refused to maintain a government without security powers which the British Government under Edward Heath
decided to take back. The Stormont parliament was subsequently prorogued (initially for a period of one year) and following the appointment of a Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
, William Whitelaw, direct rule
was introduced.
. Faulkner became Chief Executive in a power-sharing executive with the SDLP and the middle-of-the-road Alliance Party
, a political alliance cemented at the Sunningdale Conference that year. However the prominence in the Sunningdale Agreement
of the cross-border Council of Ireland
suggested that Faulkner had strayed just too far ahead of his party. A section of the party had previously broken away to form the Vanguard Progressive Unionist Party
which contested the elections in opposition to the UUP.
The power-sharing Executive which he led lasted only six months and was brought down by a loyalist
Ulster Workers Council Strike in May 1974. Loyalist paramilitary organisations were prominent in intimidating utility workers and blockading roads. The strike had the tacit support of many Unionists. In 1974 Faulkner lost the leadership of the Ulster Unionists to anti-Sunningdale elements led by Harry West
. He subsequently resigned from the Ulster Unionist Party and formed his own Unionist Party of Northern Ireland
(UPNI).
Faulkner's party fared badly in the Convention elections
of 1975 winning only five out of the 78 seats contested. Whereas Faulkner had topped the poll in
South Down
in 1973 with over 16,000 votes he polled just 6035 votes in 1975 and finished seventh, winning the final seat. In 1976 Faulkner announced that he was quitting active politics. He was elevated to the Lords in the New Year's Honours list of 1977, taking the title Baron Faulkner of Downpatrick
, in County Down
.
Faulkner married Lucy Forsythe, a graduate of Trinity College, Dublin
, in 1951. They met through their common interests in politics and hunting. She was equally suited to a political partnership having had a career in journalism with the Belfast Telegraph and was secretary to the Northern Ireland Prime Minister, Lord Brookeborough
, when they met. Together they had three children - a daughter and two sons. They took up residence in Highlands Estate, not far from the village of Seaforde
. Faulkner surrounded the children with a heavy security presence (including Ulster Defence Regiment
soldiers) and took no risks with his own life; the house being designed that every room led to another, with panic buttons laid throughout. One of his sons, Michael, has published a biographical book, "The Blue Cabin" (2006) about his move to the family's former holiday house on the island of Islandmore on Strangford Lough
.
with the Down Staghounds near Saintfield
, County Down
. Faulkner had been riding at full gallop along a narrow country road when his horse, Cannonball, slipped; he was thrown off and killed instantly. He was laid to rest at Magherahamlet Presbyterian Church near Spa in Co. Down where he had been a regular member of the congregation. Lord Faulkner had retired from active politics and was pursuing his interests in industry at the time of his death. He had recently become a European consultant for the Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company
, a company which he proved instrumental in attracting to Northern Ireland during his tenure as Minister of Commerce. His twenty-four day life peerage is thus believed to have been the shortest-lived;
although there have been hereditary peerages, most notably Lord Leighton, which have been shorter still.
Prime Minister of Northern Ireland
The Prime Minister of Northern Ireland was the de facto head of the Government of Northern Ireland. No such office was provided for in the Government of Ireland Act 1920. However the Lord Lieutenant, as with Governors-General in other Westminster Systems such as in Canada, chose to appoint someone...
from March 1971 until his resignation in March 1972. He was also the Chief Executive of the short-lived Northern Ireland Executive
Northern Ireland Executive (1974)
After the Northern Ireland Assembly elections of 1973, negotiations between the pro-agreement parties on the formation of a "power-sharing Executive" began. The most contentious issues were internment, policing and the question of a Council of Ireland....
during the first half of 1974.
Early life
Faulkner was born in Helen's BayHelen's Bay
Helen's Bay is a village on the northern coast of County Down, Northern Ireland. It is within the townland of Ballygrot , between Holywood, Crawfordsburn and Bangor. It is served by a railway station and had a population of 1,362 in the 2001 Census...
, County Down
County Down
-Cities:*Belfast *Newry -Large towns:*Dundonald*Newtownards*Bangor-Medium towns:...
, the elder of two sons of James and Lilian Faulkner. His younger brother was Col. Sir Dennis Faulkner CBE. James Faulkner owned the Belfast Collar Company which traded under the name Faulat. At that time, Faulat was the largest single purpose shirt manufacturer in the world, employing some 3,000 people. He was educated initially in County Armagh
County Armagh
-History:Ancient Armagh was the territory of the Ulaid before the fourth century AD. It was ruled by the Red Branch, whose capital was Emain Macha near Armagh. The site, and subsequently the city, were named after the goddess Macha...
, Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
, but at 14 was sent to the Church of Ireland
Church of Ireland
The Church of Ireland is an autonomous province of the Anglican Communion. The church operates in all parts of Ireland and is the second largest religious body on the island after the Roman Catholic Church...
St Columba's College
St. Columba's College, Dublin
St Columba's College is a co-educational boarding school founded in 1843 located in Whitechurch, Dublin, Ireland. Among the founders of the college are Edwin Richard W. W. Quin, Lord Adare , the Right Hon. William Monsell , Dr...
at Rathfarnham
Rathfarnham
Rathfarnham or Rathfarnam is a Southside suburb of Dublin, Ireland. It is south of Terenure, east of Templeogue, and is in the postal districts of Dublin 14 and 16. It is within the administrative areas of both Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown and South Dublin County Councils.The area of Rathfarnham...
in Dublin, although Faulkner was Presbyterian. Faulkner chose St. Columba's, preferring to stay in Ireland, rather than go to school in England; whilst there his best friend was Michael Yeats
Michael Yeats
William Michael Yeats was an Irish barrister and Fianna Fáil politician.He was educated in Trinity College, Dublin and was an officer in The Hist...
, son of W.B. Yeats. He was the first Prime Minister of Northern Ireland to have been educated on the island of Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
.
Faulkner entered the Queen's University of Belfast
Queen's University of Belfast
Queen's University Belfast is a public research university in Belfast, Northern Ireland. The university's official title, per its charter, is the Queen's University of Belfast. It is often referred to simply as Queen's, or by the abbreviation QUB...
in 1939 to study law, but, with the advent of war
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, he quit his studies to work full-time in the family shirt-making business.
Early political career
Faulkner became involved in Unionist politics, the first of his family to do so, and was elected to StormontParliament of Northern Ireland
The Parliament of Northern Ireland was the home rule legislature of Northern Ireland, created under the Government of Ireland Act 1920, which sat from 7 June 1921 to 30 March 1972, when it was suspended...
as Ulster Unionist Party
Ulster Unionist Party
The Ulster Unionist Party – sometimes referred to as the Official Unionist Party or, in a historic sense, simply the Unionist Party – is the more moderate of the two main unionist political parties in Northern Ireland...
Member of Parliament (MP) for the constituency of East Down
East Down (Northern Ireland Parliament constituency)
East Down was a constituency of the Parliament of Northern Ireland.-Boundaries:East Down was a county constituency comprising the towns of Ardglass, Ballynahinch, Crossgar, Downpatrick, Dunmore, Killinchy, Killyleagh, Kilmore, Saintfield and Strangford, all in the current Down District Council...
in 1949. His vociferous traditional Unionist approach to politics ensured him a prominent backbench position. He was, at the time, the youngest ever MP
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
in the Northern Irish Parliament. He was also the first Chairman of the Ulster Young Unionist Council in 1949.
In 1956 Faulkner was offered and accepted the job of Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Finance, or Government Chief Whip.
Ministerial office
In 1959 he became Minister of Home Affairs and his safe handling of security for most of the Irish Republican Army campaign of 1956-62 bolstered his reputation in the eyes of the right wing of UlsterNorthern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
Unionism.
When Terence O'Neill
Terence O'Neill
Terence Marne O'Neill, Baron O'Neill of the Maine, PC was the fourth Prime Minister of Northern Ireland and leader of the Ulster Unionist Party...
became Prime Minister in 1963 he offered Faulkner, his chief rival for the job, the post of Minister of Commerce. Faulkner accepted and, until his acrimonious resignation in 1969, revelled and was extremely successful (from his point of view, but was congratulated by others, including the Nationalist
Irish nationalism
Irish nationalism manifests itself in political and social movements and in sentiment inspired by a love for Irish culture, language and history, and as a sense of pride in Ireland and in the Irish people...
opposition for his energetic and sustained approach) in this high profile role.
His resignation over the technicalities of how and when to bring in the local government reforms which the British Labour
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
Government was pushing for was probably the final nail in the political coffin of Terence O'Neill
Terence O'Neill
Terence Marne O'Neill, Baron O'Neill of the Maine, PC was the fourth Prime Minister of Northern Ireland and leader of the Ulster Unionist Party...
, who resigned in the aftermath of his failure to achieve a good enough result in the Northern Ireland general election, 1969
Northern Ireland general election, 1969
-References:*...
.
In the ensuing leadership contest, Faulkner was again denied the prize when O'Neill gave his casting vote to his cousin, James Chichester-Clark
James Chichester-Clark
James Dawson Chichester-Clark, Baron Moyola, PC, DL was the penultimate Prime Minister of Northern Ireland and eighth leader of the Ulster Unionist Party between 1969 and March 1971. He was Member of the Northern Ireland Parliament for South Londonderry for 12 years beginning at the by-election...
. In 1970, Faulkner became the Father of the House
Father of the House
Father of the House is a term that has by tradition been unofficially bestowed on certain members of some national legislatures, most notably the House of Commons in the United Kingdom. In some legislatures the term refers to the oldest member, but in others it refers the longest-serving member.The...
.
Faulkner came back into government as Minister of Development under Chichester-Clark and in a sharp turn-around, began the implementation of the political reforms that were the main cause of his resignation from O'Neill's cabinet.
Chichester-Clark himself resigned in 1971; the political and security situation and the more intensive British interest proved too much for this mild-mannered man.
Promising beginnings
Faulkner finally achieved what history has deemed was his political goal in March 1971 when he was elected leader of the Ulster Unionist Party and Prime Minister. In his initial innovative approach to government, he gave a non-unionist, David BleakleyDavid Bleakley
The Right Hon. David Bleakley, OBE is a politician in Northern Ireland.Born in the Strandtown district of Belfast, Bleakley worked as an electrician in the Harland and Wolff dockyards while becoming increasingly active in his trade union. He studied economics at Ruskin College in Oxford, where he...
, a former Northern Ireland Labour Party
Northern Ireland Labour Party
The Northern Ireland Labour Party was an Irish political party which operated from 1924 until 1987.In 1913 the British Labour Party resolved to give the recently formed Irish Labour Party exclusive organising rights in Ireland...
(NILP) MP, a position in his cabinet as Minister of Community Relations. In June 1971, he proposed three new powerful committees at Stormont which would give the Opposition salaried chairmanships of two of them.
Initial troubles
However, this initiative (radical at the time) was overtaken by events. A shooting by British soldiersBritish Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
of two Nationalist youths in Derry
Derry
Derry or Londonderry is the second-biggest city in Northern Ireland and the fourth-biggest city on the island of Ireland. The name Derry is an anglicisation of the Irish name Doire or Doire Cholmcille meaning "oak-wood of Colmcille"...
caused the Social Democratic and Labour Party
Social Democratic and Labour Party
The Social Democratic and Labour Party is a social-democratic, Irish nationalist political party in Northern Ireland. Its basic party platform advocates Irish reunification, and the further devolution of powers while Northern Ireland remains part of the United Kingdom...
, the main Opposition, to boycott the Stormont parliament. The political climate deteriorated further when in answer to a worsening security situation, Faulkner introduced internment
Internment
Internment is the imprisonment or confinement of people, commonly in large groups, without trial. The Oxford English Dictionary gives the meaning as: "The action of 'interning'; confinement within the limits of a country or place." Most modern usage is about individuals, and there is a distinction...
on 9 August 1971. This alone was a disaster; instead of lessening the violence, it caused the situation to worsen.
Despite this, Faulkner continued his radical (for the time) approach to Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
politics and, following Bleakley's resignation in September 1971 over the internment issue, appointed Dr. G.B. Newe
G.B. Newe
Gerard Benedict "G.B." Newe, OBE, M.A., D.Litt was a Northern Irish Roman Catholic Unionist politician and prominent Catholic layperson.-Political career:...
, a prominent lay Catholic as Minister of State in the Cabinet Office. Faulkner's administration staggered on through the rest of 1971, insisting that security was the paramount issue.
In January 1972, an incident occurred during a Northern Ireland Civil Rights Association
Northern Ireland Civil Rights Association
The Northern Ireland Civil Rights Association was an organisation which campaigned for equal civil rights for the all the people in Northern Ireland during the late 1960s and early 1970s...
march in Derry
Derry
Derry or Londonderry is the second-biggest city in Northern Ireland and the fourth-biggest city on the island of Ireland. The name Derry is an anglicisation of the Irish name Doire or Doire Cholmcille meaning "oak-wood of Colmcille"...
, during which British paratroopers shot and killed thirteen unarmed civilians. A fourteenth civilian was to die later. What history has come to know as Bloody Sunday was, in essence, the finish of Faulkner's government. In March 1972, Faulkner refused to maintain a government without security powers which the British Government under Edward Heath
Edward Heath
Sir Edward Richard George "Ted" Heath, KG, MBE, PC was a British Conservative politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and as Leader of the Conservative Party ....
decided to take back. The Stormont parliament was subsequently prorogued (initially for a period of one year) and following the appointment of a Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, informally the Northern Ireland Secretary, is the principal secretary of state in the government of the United Kingdom with responsibilities for Northern Ireland. The Secretary of State is a Minister of the Crown who is accountable to the Parliament of...
, William Whitelaw, direct rule
Direct Rule
Direct rule was the term given, during the late 20th and early 21st centuries, to the administration of Northern Ireland directly from Westminster, seat of United Kingdom government...
was introduced.
Chief Executive
In June 1973, elections were held to a new devolved parliament, the Northern Ireland Assembly. The elections split the Ulster Unionist PartyUlster Unionist Party
The Ulster Unionist Party – sometimes referred to as the Official Unionist Party or, in a historic sense, simply the Unionist Party – is the more moderate of the two main unionist political parties in Northern Ireland...
. Faulkner became Chief Executive in a power-sharing executive with the SDLP and the middle-of-the-road Alliance Party
Alliance Party of Northern Ireland
The Alliance Party of Northern Ireland is a liberal and nonsectarian political party in Northern Ireland. It is Northern Ireland's fifth-largest party overall, with eight seats in the Northern Ireland Assembly and one in the House of Commons....
, a political alliance cemented at the Sunningdale Conference that year. However the prominence in the Sunningdale Agreement
Sunningdale Agreement
The Sunningdale Agreement was an attempt to establish a power-sharing Northern Ireland Executive and a cross-border Council of Ireland. The Agreement was signed at the Civil Service College in Sunningdale Park located in Sunningdale, Berkshire, on 9 December 1973.Unionist opposition, violence and...
of the cross-border Council of Ireland
Council of Ireland
The Council of Ireland may refer to one of two councils, one established in the 1920s, the other in the 1970s.-Council of Ireland :...
suggested that Faulkner had strayed just too far ahead of his party. A section of the party had previously broken away to form the Vanguard Progressive Unionist Party
Vanguard Progressive Unionist Party
The Vanguard Unionist Progressive Party , informally known as Ulster Vanguard, was a unionist political party which existed in Northern Ireland between 1973 and 1978...
which contested the elections in opposition to the UUP.
The power-sharing Executive which he led lasted only six months and was brought down by a loyalist
Ulster loyalism
Ulster loyalism is an ideology that is opposed to a united Ireland. It can mean either support for upholding Northern Ireland's status as a constituent part of the United Kingdom , support for Northern Ireland independence, or support for loyalist paramilitaries...
Ulster Workers Council Strike in May 1974. Loyalist paramilitary organisations were prominent in intimidating utility workers and blockading roads. The strike had the tacit support of many Unionists. In 1974 Faulkner lost the leadership of the Ulster Unionists to anti-Sunningdale elements led by Harry West
Harry West
Henry William West was a politician in Northern Ireland who served as leader of the Ulster Unionist Party from 1974 until 1979.West was born in County Fermanagh and educated at Portora Royal School in Enniskillen...
. He subsequently resigned from the Ulster Unionist Party and formed his own Unionist Party of Northern Ireland
Unionist Party of Northern Ireland
The Unionist Party of Northern Ireland was a political party founded by Brian Faulkner in September 1974.-Formation:The party emerged following splits in the Ulster Unionist Party in 1973 and 1974 over the British government's white paper Northern Ireland Constitutional Proposals, the Northern...
(UPNI).
Faulkner's party fared badly in the Convention elections
Northern Ireland Constitutional Convention
The Northern Ireland Constitutional Convention was an elected body set up in 1975 by the UK Labour government of Harold Wilson as an attempt to deal with constitutional issues surrounding the status of Northern Ireland....
of 1975 winning only five out of the 78 seats contested. Whereas Faulkner had topped the poll in
South Down
South Down (Assembly constituency)
South Down is a constituency in the Northern Ireland Assembly.The seat was first used for a Northern Ireland-only election for the Northern Ireland Assembly, 1973...
in 1973 with over 16,000 votes he polled just 6035 votes in 1975 and finished seventh, winning the final seat. In 1976 Faulkner announced that he was quitting active politics. He was elevated to the Lords in the New Year's Honours list of 1977, taking the title Baron Faulkner of Downpatrick
Downpatrick
Downpatrick is a medium-sized town about 33 km south of Belfast in County Down, Northern Ireland. It is the county town of Down with a rich history and strong connection to Saint Patrick. It had a population of 10,316 at the 2001 Census...
, in County Down
County Down
-Cities:*Belfast *Newry -Large towns:*Dundonald*Newtownards*Bangor-Medium towns:...
.
Personal life
Trinity College, Dublin
Trinity College, Dublin , formally known as the College of the Holy and Undivided Trinity of Queen Elizabeth near Dublin, was founded in 1592 by letters patent from Queen Elizabeth I as the "mother of a university", Extracts from Letters Patent of Elizabeth I, 1592: "...we...found and...
, in 1951. They met through their common interests in politics and hunting. She was equally suited to a political partnership having had a career in journalism with the Belfast Telegraph and was secretary to the Northern Ireland Prime Minister, Lord Brookeborough
Basil Brooke, 1st Viscount Brookeborough
Basil Stanlake Brooke, 1st Viscount Brookeborough, Bt, KG, CBE, MC, PC, HML was an Ulster Unionist politician who became the third Prime Minister of Northern Ireland in 1943 and held office until 1963....
, when they met. Together they had three children - a daughter and two sons. They took up residence in Highlands Estate, not far from the village of Seaforde
Seaforde
Seaforde is a small village in County Down, Northern Ireland. It is within the townland of Naghan, one mile north of Clough on the main Ballynahinch to Newcastle road. It is part of the Down District Council area....
. Faulkner surrounded the children with a heavy security presence (including Ulster Defence Regiment
Ulster Defence Regiment
The Ulster Defence Regiment was an infantry regiment of the British Army which became operational in 1970, formed on similar lines to other British reserve forces but with the operational role of defence of life or property in Northern Ireland against armed attack or sabotage...
soldiers) and took no risks with his own life; the house being designed that every room led to another, with panic buttons laid throughout. One of his sons, Michael, has published a biographical book, "The Blue Cabin" (2006) about his move to the family's former holiday house on the island of Islandmore on Strangford Lough
Strangford Lough
Strangford Lough, sometimes Strangford Loch, is a large sea loch or inlet in County Down, Northern Ireland. It is separated from the Irish Sea by the Ards Peninsula. The name Strangford is derived ; describing the fast-flowing narrows at its mouth...
.
Death
Lord Faulkner, a keen huntsman, died on 3 March 1977 at the age of 56 following a riding accident whilst huntingDeer hunting
Deer hunting is survival hunting or sport hunting, harvesting deer, dating back to tens of thousands of years ago. Which occurred though out Europe Asia and North America There are numerous types of deer throughout the world that are hunted.- New Zealand :...
with the Down Staghounds near Saintfield
Saintfield
Saintfield is a village in County Down, Northern Ireland, situated roughly halfway between Belfast and Downpatrick on the A7 road. It had a population of 2,959 people in the 2001 Census. The village proper is considered predominantly a middle or upper-middle class town and of both Catholic and...
, County Down
County Down
-Cities:*Belfast *Newry -Large towns:*Dundonald*Newtownards*Bangor-Medium towns:...
. Faulkner had been riding at full gallop along a narrow country road when his horse, Cannonball, slipped; he was thrown off and killed instantly. He was laid to rest at Magherahamlet Presbyterian Church near Spa in Co. Down where he had been a regular member of the congregation. Lord Faulkner had retired from active politics and was pursuing his interests in industry at the time of his death. He had recently become a European consultant for the Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company
Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company
The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company was founded in 1898 by Frank Seiberling. Goodyear manufactures tires for automobiles, commercial trucks, light trucks, SUVs, race cars, airplanes, farm equipment and heavy earth-mover machinery....
, a company which he proved instrumental in attracting to Northern Ireland during his tenure as Minister of Commerce. His twenty-four day life peerage is thus believed to have been the shortest-lived;
although there have been hereditary peerages, most notably Lord Leighton, which have been shorter still.
Readings
- The Lord Faulkner, Memoirs of a Statesman, Weidenfeld & Nicolson, London, 1978 (An autobiography published posthumously)
- David Bleakley, Faulkner, Mowbrays, London, 1974
- Andrew Boyd, Brian Faulkner and the Crisis of Ulster Unionism, Anvil Books, Tralee, Ireland, 1972.
- The Honourable Michael Faulkner, The Blue Cabin, Blackstaff Press, Belfast, 2006.
- Mark CarruthersMark CarruthersMark Carruthers OBE is a Northern Irish broadcaster and journalist, from Derry. He currently presents a number of television and radio programmes for BBC Northern Ireland.-Broadcasting work :...
, Brian Faulkner 'Soft Hardliner': an assessment of political leadership in a divided society, unpublished MSc thesis Queen's University Belfast (QUB), 1989. - James P. Condren, Brian Faulkner - Ulster Unionist: The long road to the premiership, PhD thesis, University of Ulster, 2005.