THE funeral has taking place of a Londonderry businessman who played a key role in the Northern Ireland peace process.
Brendan Duddy died on Friday after a long illness. He was 80.
Mr Duddy acted as an intermediary between the government and the IRA and held talks between MI6 and the IRA leadership in his home in Derry.
He will be buried after 11.30 am Requiem Mass in St Eugene’s Cathedral at Francis Street in the city.
Among the mourners are former SDLP leader John Hume, Derry Presbyterian minister Rev David Latimer, former Policing Board deputy chair Dennis Bradley, journalist Peter Taylor and representatives from the Irish government.
Figures from across the political spectrum have paid tribute to Mr Duddy, who was at the centre of a chain of events that ultimately led to the IRA ceasefire of 1994 and the Good Friday peace agreement.
Archbishop Eamon Martin of Armagh, the leader of the Catholic Church in Ireland, praised Mr Duddy’s work during Northern Ireland’s Troubles.
“In a world of violence, conflict and threats of war, we need more people like Brendan Duddy. Rest in peace”, he tweeted.
Codenamed “Soon” by MI6, Mr Duddy was the key link between then Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and the IRA during the 1981 hunger strikes.
He was also well known in the north-west due to his business portfolio, which included property, bars, restaurants and hotels, including Derry’s City Hotel and the Ramada Hotel in Portrush.
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