Two of the best-known figures in public life in Derry yesterday received honorary Doctor of Laws degrees from the University of Ulster.
Pat Hume, wife of former SDLP leader John Hume, and Paddy “Bogside” Doherty received their degrees at a conferring ceremony in the city’s Millennium Forum.
Mrs Hume, a former member of the RTÉ Authority and a director of the Northern Ireland Memorial Fund, has been an ever-present figure at her husband’s side during his 40-year long political career. As well as managing her husband’s constituency office in Derry, she maintained an open-door policy at their family home at West End Park overlooking the Bogside.
National and international political figures were frequent visitors to her home, which was often targeted by petrol bombers.
Paddy “Bogside” Doherty (84), is a founder member of the Civil Rights Association and of the Credit Union Movement in Derry. He was also instrumental in setting up cross-community groups such as the Derry Youth and Community Workshop, the North-West Centre for Learning and Development and the Inner City Trust, all of which provided employment for thousands of teenagers during the Troubles.
