POLITICIANS turned out in force yesterday to attend the funeral of
Ulster's longest-serving MP Sir James Kilfedder.
The 66-year-old North Down MP died from a heart attack last Tuesday.
Northern Ireland Secretary Sir Patrick Mayhew and his Labour shadow Mo
Mowlam joined hundreds of friends, relatives and constituents who packed
into St Comgall's parish church in the seaside town of Bangor, County
Down.
Traffic around the church was diverted as several hundred more people
gathered on the pavement to bid farewell to the Popular Unionist Party
MP.
Canon Desmond McCreery told mourners: ''From every quarter over this
last week, amidst the great sorrow we all feel at Jim's passing, there
has been a crescendo of praise for the life and work of a truly great
and fine man.''
Floral tributes included those from the Secretary of State, the
Northern Ireland Select Committee and the High Commissioner of Sri
Lanka.
The Queen was represented by the Lord Lieutenant of County Down,
Colonel William Brownlow.
Ten of Northern Ireland's other 16 MPs attended the service.
After the church service, Sir James was buried at Roselawn Cemetery on
the outskirts of East Belfast.
The MP had represented North Down from 1970. Between 1964 and 1966, he
was MP for West Belfast.
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