Armagh man is BBC ‘Mastermind’ champion

He started and so he finished, in first place.

Irish man Aidan McQuade swept to victory on the BBC Mastermind programme with a total of 11 points and no passes on his specialist subject, Abraham Lincoln.

In the end he fended off his opponents to win last night’s final by two points.

Mr McQuade comes from outside Newry, Co Armagh and is a director of Anti-Slavery International, an international human rights organisation.

“I chose the subject of Abraham Lincoln because his long moral journey and ultimately successful fight to abolish slavery always fascinated me and inspired some of my career choices,” he said.

“Politicians today should ensure rule of law on international and national levels is established to protect people from forced labour and ensure that aid and trade policies are formulated to make slavery eradication explicit to its purpose.”

On his way to victory, Mr McQuade answered questions in a number of categories including the life and times of Michael Collins and on the novels of Dennis Lehane.