City had a ship yard 100 years before Belfast

East Londonderry MLA Cathal O’hOisín said he had a keen interest in seafaring matters despite the fact that Dungiven is not a seaport.

“I welcome the chance to speak on this matter and am very proud to do so. I have always had an interest in maritime affairs, although I am not from a seaport as such. I remind Members from Belfast that Derry had a shipyard 100 years before Belfast did, but that is another story,” he said.

The Dungiven-based MLA was supporting a motion noting the 100th Anniversary of the maiden voyage of RMS Titanic.

The motion also acknowledged “the innovation and ingenuity of the design and construction of the world’s most famous ship.” It welcomed “the creation of Titanic Belfast and the commemoration by the Assembly; and calleds for any further marking of the anniversary or memorial to be solemn and dignified as a tribute to the 1,517 people who lost their lives on April 15, 1912.”

Mr O’hOisín said it was important to treat all the forthcoming commemorations over the next decade sensitively.

“We have seen a lot of tasteful, poignant and significant commemorations over this period, and, for the most part, they have been delivered fairly well.

“This is the first commemoration of a decade of commemorations, and, after it is over, we will have to do a critical analysis of how it went, how it was dealt with and how we could deal with it better somewhere down the line,” he said.