Faulkner, Lucy (Barbara Ethel) (née Forsythe) (1925–2012), Lady Faulkner of Downpatrick

by Linde Lunney

Faulkner, Lucy (Barbara Ethel) (née Forsythe) (1925–2012), Lady Faulkner of Downpatrick, political private secretary and public figure, was born on 1 July 1925, the only daughter of William James Forsythe, JP (d. 1954), and his wife Jane Ethel (née Sewell); she had an older brother. Her father owned Fairview Nurseries in Bangor, and she grew up in the town; the family lived in Bloomfield Lodge. After primary education in Aubrey House, she went to Bangor Collegiate School and then Trinity College Dublin, where she studied history, graduating with a BA (Mod) in 1946.

After working as a journalist on the Belfast Telegraph, in 1949 she took up a post as private secretary to Sir Basil Brooke (qv), prime minister of Northern Ireland. In the spring of 1950 she accompanied Sir Basil and Lady Brooke on a ten-week visit to the east coast of the United States and Canada, which was intended partly to counteract the political lobbying successes of Irish nationalists in America. The trip, during which the visitors encountered protests and voluble opposition from Irish-American politicians, must have increased Forsythe's awareness of factors and forces which were presently to challenge the relatively inert status quo of the province under Brooke's governance.

Her position as Brooke's private secretary led to considerable contact with unionist politicians, and on 10 February 1951 she married the up-and-coming Brian Faulkner (qv), Stormont MP for Down East. By this time, she was credited with 'a formidable political intelligence' (Mulholland, DIB), and her advice and support were crucial throughout Faulkner's career. Faulkner's ambition and abilities would probably have equipped him for success in business or normal politics but, as a carefully inflexible unionist, he was ill equipped to deal with the successive crises brought about by the province's descent into violence from the late 1960s. After he became prime minister in March 1971, he introduced internment without trial in August 1971, and was forced to agree to British direct rule from 24 March 1972.

After the imposition of direct rule, Lucy Faulkner took a leading role in organising the Ulster Women's Unionist Council petition for peace, signed by 75,000 people, which was presented to UK Prime Minister Edward Heath in June 1972. Escalating violence and loyalist intransigence combined to push Faulkner out of the leadership of the Ulster Unionist Party in 1974, and in 1976, to his wife's undoubted relief, he decided to give up on local politics.

In the 1977 new year's honours list, Brian Faulkner was created Baron Faulkner of Downpatrick, and was introduced to the house of lords on 22 February 1977. Just over a week later, on 3 March, he was killed in a hunting accident when his horse threw him and fell on top of him. Lucy, Lady Faulkner, found herself a widow at the age of 52, but after the dreadful shock of such a bereavement, she eventually re-established her life in the public realm in Northern Ireland.

Lucy and Brian had met through a shared interest in hunting, as well as politics, and despite his accident, she retained a love of country life, and was involved particularly in dressage. She built up an antiquarian book business from her home, specialising in books on rural sports and interests, and issuing regular catalogues. She worked for several years as a genealogical researcher with the Ulster Historical Foundation, of which she became a trustee in 1980. She was also a governor of Belfast's Linen Hall Library, and a member of the Northern Ireland Tourist Board (1985–91).

Her main contribution to public life was as a national governor of the BBC (1978–85), the first woman from Northern Ireland to be appointed. During her time on the board of the corporation, she was involved with marking the sixtieth anniversary of broadcasting in Northern Ireland, and with the opening of the Foyle studio and radio station (she supported the name 'Foyle' as an inspired avoidance of the traditional controversy about whether the city should be called Derry or Londonderry). Just as Lady Faulkner was about to retire from her role with the BBC, a major crisis arose from the decision to allow the broadcast of a programme comparing the views of two political antagonists from Derry: Gregory Campbell of the Democratic Unionist Party and Martin McGuinness (1950–2017) of Sinn Féin. James Hawthorne (qv), controller of BBC Northern Ireland, had not stopped the making of the programme, but after a newspaper campaign and political pressure the governors overruled his decision. He offered his resignation, feeling betrayed by the board, and journalists planned to strike in support of BBC impartiality, but after various crisis interventions and stressful meetings, Hawthorne was able to remain in office, while retaining his principles, and also remaining on good terms with Lady Faulkner.

Lady Faulkner was made CBE in 1985. In 1987, after the Remembrance Day bombing in Enniskillen, Co. Fermanagh, she spoke out in a heartfelt appeal to both loyalists and nationalists to be prepared to compromise for the sake of peace, and to consider putting the clock back to agree to share power, a solution which Brian Faulkner had supported, however reluctantly, fourteen years before in the Sunningdale agreement (1973). She served as one of the seven members of the independent Opsahl commission (1992–3), organising an initiative to seek the views of ordinary people on ways to achieve political progress in Northern Ireland. In 1993 the commission urged the government to negotiate with Sinn Féin to secure a ceasefire and called for a variety of social and political changes, including more integrated education, making a significant contribution to the developing peace process that led to the Good Friday agreement of 1998.

Lucy, Lady Faulkner died at home in Downpatrick on 20 January 2012, survived by her two sons and a daughter. Her funeral took place at Magherahamlet presbyterian church.