William Love: 'My composer grandfather was ahead of his time'

A composer who wrote some of the world's most popular flute band songs was a "community man ahead of his time" who reached out to unionists and nationalists, his grandson has said. William Love, who was born in the Fountain area of Londonderry, has been honoured with a blue plaque in the city. It was at his kitchen table where he sat and wrote music which would later be loved by bands across Northern Ireland, Scotland, Canada and the United States. Tunes like Moore Street, Orangefield and Charing Cross are still played to this day. Love also wrote music for broadcast and to mark events such as the late Queen's Coronation in 1953. His father John was a piccolo player with the Hamilton Flute Band, of which his son would later become a member and conductor. The plaque was unveiled by the Ulster History Circle on Monday at the New Gate Arts and Culture Centre near where Love grew up. Steve Porter, Love's grandson, told BBC News NI the plaque unveiling would have been a moving day for his late mother Sandra. "I've heard so many stories and done a lot of research myself. It's poignant that this plaque is now in the Fountain. He also worked with people across the way in the Bogside so we