Derry City and Strabane District Council will hold a naming ceremony for a footbridge over the River Mourne in Strabane on May 9. The event marks the anniversary of the death of former Sinn Fein councillor Ivan Barr, who died in 2008. Mayor Ruairi McHugh will host the proceedings, which include the unveiling of a name plate on the bridge.

The ceremony follows a council decision last September to name the structure after Barr. Responsibility for the bridge transferred to the council in 2022. Independent councillor Paul Gallagher then proposed the naming, and councillors approved it despite unionist objections.

The footbridge opened in 2015. A 2016 council proposal to honour Barr drew opposition from Regional Development Minister Mervyn Storey. Storey threatened to withhold his department's 1.4 million pound funding, prompting Barr's family to request councillors pause the effort.

A reception will follow the unveiling at the council offices on Derry Road. It targets Barr's family and invited guests.