Northern Ireland

Ian Paisley and Gerry Conlon added to Oxford Dictionary of National Biography

 Gerry Conlon (left) and Ian Paisley have been added to the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography
 Gerry Conlon (left) and Ian Paisley have been added to the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography  Gerry Conlon (left) and Ian Paisley have been added to the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography

THE biographies of former DUP leader Ian Paisley and Gerry Conlon of the Guildford Four have been added to a collection of people who have "left their mark" on history.

They are among more than 200 contemporary figures whose life stories have been told in the latest Oxford Dictionary of National Biography.

The collection now features more than 60,000 people who have "shaped British history, worldwide, from prehistory to the year 2014".

In its biography of Dr Paisley, it states that "few politicians have had a greater impact on Northern Irish politics in the last 50 years".

It details his religious upbringing and his move into politics, stating that he was "hailed by many unionists as their most steadfast champion, hated by many republicans as the figurehead of Protestant extremism, and for most of his career evinced a combination of bafflement and despair among politicians and the media on the mainland, where it was all too easy to paint him as a figure stuck intellectually in the 17th century".

It adds: "Debating his legacy for Northern Ireland and the UK will keep historians busy for many years to come".

The collection also states that the "human cost of the Troubles can be seen in the life of Gerry Conlon" as it includes the west Belfast man in a list of other notable figures who died in 2014.

It describes Mr Conlon as a victim of a miscarriage of justice who "endured several years of alcohol and drug dependence and at least one suicide attempt before learning to cope with his demons and becoming a widely-respected human rights campaigner".

A biography of Norbrook owner Lord Ballyedmond is also included, as well as Belfast-born doctor and Irish rugby legend Jack Kyle.

Lisburn-born Terry Bulloch, regarded as one of the RAF's "most successful u-boat hunters", also makes the list as does former Stormont deputy speaker Sir John Gorman and politician, barrister and judge Sir Robert Porter.