Derry City and Strabane District Council plans a naming ceremony for the pedestrian footbridge across the River Mourne in Strabane on May 9. The bridge will be named after former Sinn Féin councillor Ivan Barr, who died in 2008.

The council's Recognition Panel recommended the naming last September. Full council ratified the decision. Councillors received details of the ceremony at a Governance and Strategic Planning committee meeting on Tuesday.

Mayor Ruairí McHugh will unveil a name plate or plaque at the bridge. The event follows consultation with Barr's family. A Mayoral reception will take place afterward at council offices on Derry Road for family members and invited guests.

The bridge opened more than ten years ago. In 2015, a DUP minister threatened to withhold £1m in funding if named for Barr. The minister's department had funded the project. Barr's family then requested councillors drop the naming to avoid costs to ratepayers.

Ownership transferred to the council later. Independent councillor Paul Gallagher proposed naming it in 2022. The motion passed 23-5. Gallagher stated Barr played a key role in the bridge's construction, including feasibility studies, design, and funding. He described Barr as providing leadership in Strabane during turbulent times and building bridges through good relations.