The Board and staff of the NI Community Relations Council were saddened to hear of the death of the eminent historian Jonathan Bardon. Jonathan was a former Chair of CRC between 1996 and 2002, a period that saw the move away from armed conflict towards and beyond the signing of the Agreement. Jonathan had a deep commitment to reconciliation and peace-building and was awarded an OBE for his services to community life in 2003.
Jonathan was a gifted writer and storyteller who took complex historical narratives and make them accessible to a wide range of audiences, those who attended his lectures, those who read his books and those who listened to his radio broadcasts. He will be remembered by many for his most well-known books A history of Ulster (1992), A history of Ireland in 250 episodes (2008) and his more recent A Narrow Sea: The Irish-Scottish Connection in 120 Episodes (2018).
He will be remembered by all at CRC as a great friend and supporter who could see and understand the wider sweep of history and was committed to helping others do the same.
We would like to extend our deepest sympathy to Jonathan’s family and friends.