Neeson says welcome home to the Nomadic

12.01.06pm BST (GMT +0100) Mon 17th Jul 2006

Alliance East Antrim Assembly Member, Sean Neeson

Alliance Party Assembly Member, Sean Neeson, will today welcome the SS Nomadic back to its city of origin. Mr Neeson, who played an important part in securing the return of the historically-significant vessel, will today attend a welcome home party in the Titanic Quarter to mark the Nomadic's return to Belfast.

The East Antrim Assembly Member said: "Its great to see this amazing vessel return to the city where it was built. This ship is an extremely important piece of our heritage and is one of the last existing links that we have to the Titanic.

"It is so important the we remember our history, and I hope that the return of this ship will be one of the main features within the new Titanic Quarter.

"In last week's meeting of the National Historic Ships Committee, I asked the committee to consider including the SS Nomadic on the list of the core collection of National Historic Ships. This status could make the Nomadic eligible for Heritage Lottery funding.

"The return of this ship and the regeneration of the Titanic Quarter will provide a massive boost both in the economic sphere and in the area of tourism for Northern Ireland."

ENDS