THE INTERNATIONAL footballer David Healy is among 55 Northern Ireland names on Queen Elizabeth’s Birthday Honours List, officially released today.
Healy (27), the youngest recipient in Northern Ireland of an honour, is awarded an MBE for services to football and the community. The leading goal scorer for Northern Ireland, Healy is also Patron of the George Best Foundation and Tiny Life Charity.
Also honoured are William Junkin, deputy Director of Public Prosecutions, and Stephen Quinn, permanent secretary at the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment at Stormont.
They each receive a CB – a Companion of the Order of the Bath – the highest awards to be made to anyone from Northern Ireland in this honours announcement.
The chairman of the International Fund for Ireland, Denis Rooney, receives an OBE. This is in recognition of his services to economic development and to the community. Also honoured with an OBE for services to tourism is Andrew Coppel, who chairs Tourism Ireland Ltd.
Among the 11 OBEs also named are Catherine McKeever, quality director of Bombardier Aerospace in Belfast, in recognition of her services to industry.
Maurice O’Neill, editor of the Ballymena Guardian in Co Antrim is also awarded an OBE for services to journalism. John Harrison, a well-known press photographer, is awarded an MBE for services to photography. Mr Harrison has been Northern Ireland press photographer of the year on three occasions, and has received six NI sports photographer of the year awards, in addition to many other accolades for his feature work.
The Rev David Kerr, a former president of the Methodist Church in Ireland, receives an MBE for his services to the community.
Chaplain to the East Belfast Mission, he is recognised for his contribution to the East Belfast Skainos Project which aims to create new partnerships and agencies to benefit the community there.
DUP councillor and Assembly member Robert Newton receives an MBE for his contribution to the economic regeneration of Belfast. His award refers to work to improve socio-economic conditions in some of the most deprived areas of his east Belfast constituency and for his work with the Belfast Harbour Commissioners.
The Honours List is produced twice yearly, in June to coincide with Queen Elizabeth’s official birthday, and on New Year’s Eve.
Of the 55 honoured in Northern Ireland, 25 are female, and a clear majority – 58 per cent – have been awarded through a system of public nomination.
Forty-six recipients are from the non-state sector, with just nine working for the Civil Service.