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Journalists and broadcasters from across Britain and Ireland will today bid farewell to one of our most respected colleagues. The news of Jim Dougal's death on Friday shocked us all, but no-one can be surprised by the warmth and affection of the tributes that were paid by politicians across the political spectrum, every sector of the media, and members of the public who have admired a lifetime of Jim's broadcasting. Jim also stood in for me a number of times as presenter of Sunday Sequence and regularly reviewed the Sunday papers with me after the news at 10 o'clock; and our programme began this week with a tribute to Jim from fr Brian D'Arcy. Jim was a very special journalist and broadcaster because he was a very special person, and all the tributes we've heard this weekend pay attention to those characteristics that we all associated with him: integrity, honesty, intelligence, charm and good humour. Northern Ireland journalism has lost one of its greatest ambassadors.

My Sunday Sequence producer Martin O'Brien was a very close friend of Jim's. I asked Martin to share some of his memories of Jim:

"I extend my deepest sympathy to Jim's wife, Deirdre, daughters Nicola, Tara, Emma and Tina and son, James junior and family circle. They have lost a great husband and father. And I have lost a dear friend and I will greatly miss him. Jim was one of the greatest journalists of his generation and a true gentleman. He was admired and respected right across the political spectrum and in London, Dublin, Washington and Brussels for his integrity, authority and innate fairness.

He excelled as a political correspondent because he made it his business to really get to know the politicians of all parties and the senior policy makers in Government and used his high intelligence and analytical skills to get to the heart of the story. To accurately interpret what they told him, to gently but incisively put them on the spot when necessary, weigh the evidence and present to his audience the most informed and authoritative analysis to be found anywhere.

He brought his considerable skills also to analysing religious affairs and made a typically insightful contribution to our Sunday Sequence special programme on the future of the Catholic Church last February which can still be accessed on our website.

He was a much valued mentor to a generation of young journalists in ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ, RTE and UTV who are in his debt for his advice and guidance. They and his more senior colleagues admired his cool head, unflappability and balanced judgement during some very difficult times. Jim was also a skilled and canny political operator as representative of the European Commission in Belfast and later as Head of the Commission in the UK based in London and deployed his legendary diplomatic skills to discharge his responsibilities with distinction although he found the bureaucracy of the Commission sometimes quite maddening.

He bore his illness with great dignity and right to the end continued to make a sterling contribution to broadcast journalism through his work on UTV. I will miss his wisdom, unrivalled insights, wicked humour, sartorial elegance and above all his invaluable friendship. May he rest in peace. "

A Mass of Thanksgiving for Jim Dougal is to be held today at 1pm in .