Terence O’Neill; Former Premier of Northern Ireland

Terence O’Neill, 75, a former Northern Ireland premier who tried unsuccessfully to institute reforms in the Protestant-dominated province. O’Neill was premier for six turbulent years from 1963 to 1969, when he resigned and the sectarian and political conflict erupted. A moderate Unionist among the pro-British Protestants, he fought hard to break down prejudice and bitterness between Protestants and Catholics. Nearly 3,000 people have died in the 20-year fight by the Irish Republican Army to oust Britain from Northern Ireland. When civil rights campaigners sought better conditions for the Catholic minority in the 1960s, he launched reforms and greatly angered right-wing Unionists by holding talks in Belfast in 1965 with Irish Prime Minister Sean Lemass. The visit heralded the start of an “O’Neill must go” campaign and he finally resigned in April, 1969. In southern England on Wednesday of unreported causes.