THE Donegal born former Speaker of the Northern Ireland Assembly had his portrait unveiled in Stormont on Tuesday.
DUP member William Hay, who is Lord Hay of Ballyore was born near Milford and after a 20 year battle, he was granted a British passport earlier this year.
Lord Hay is a prominent member of the Orange Order and the Apprentice Boys of Derry.
His portrait will hang in the Great Hall of Parliament Buildings alongside those of his predecessors Eileen Bell and Lord Alderdice.
The Donegal native was first Speaker to be elected by the Assembly itself and is the Assembly’s longest serving Speaker, having held the post from 2007 until 2014.
The portrait was unveiled by the current Speaker of the Assembly Edwin Poots MLA who described Lord Hay’s tenure as his being “passionate about opening up Parliament Buildings to the public and spearheaded a number of important initiatives to encourage local people to actively engage with their Assembly. It is therefore very fitting that his portrait will now go on public display in the Great Hall.”
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