A drowning tragedy in a lake at the centre of a flags dispute in Northern Ireland highlights the need to finally deal with the issue at Stormont, an Assembly member has said.

Oswald Bradley (68) died when he got into difficulties while swimming in Bessbrook Pond in Co Armagh yesterday evening.

It is understood the well-known painter and decorator was trying to swim out to a small island to remove two Irish tricolours that had been hung from trees.

The erection of the flags in the village earlier this month caused community tensions and political parties from all sides, including Sinn Féin, called for their removal.

Willie Frazer of the IRA victims’ group Fair wrote on his Facebook page that Mr Bradley was a member of the group. He drowned “whilst performing a selfless act of citizenship in Bessbrook,” Mr Frazer said. Mr Bradley had been attempting to remove to tricolours and replace them with union jacks, he said.

He noted that the flag has since been removed by council workers on canoes.

The incident played out at a time when politicians at Stormont remain at loggerheads on the outstanding peace process issues of flags, parades and the legacy of the past.

The latest bid to find consensus ended in disarray at the start of the month when unionists walked out of a cross-party talks initiative in protest at a decision to restrict a controversial Orange Order parade.

SDLP Assembly member Dominic Bradley, who passed his condolences to the pensioner’s family, said the drowning emphasised the need for action.

“It highlights the need to get back into talks on the past, flags and parades and to reach an agreement so events like yesterday are less likely to occur in the future,” said the Newry and Armagh representative.

Ulster Unionist MLA for the area Danny Kennedy said Mr Bradley’s death was a “real tragedy”.

“This is a very tragic outcome to controversies surrounding flags in this village,” he said.

“This is too high a price for any family and community to pay.”

PA